What Love is This? Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God (Hardcover)

by Dave Hunt (Author) "CAN YOU ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS about Calvinism?..." (more)
Key Phrases: Grand Rapids, John Calvin, Jesus Christ (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Dave Hunt has given exact details to show the agonizing faults of Calvinistic abuses that most people have not considered." -- Elmer L. Towns, Dean, School of Religion, Liberty University

"Dave Hunt has given exact details to show the agonizing faults of Calvinistic abuses that most people have not considered." --Elmer L. Towns, Dean, School of Religion, Liberty University

"Dave Hunt has given us a fascinating expose of modern five-point Calvinism that is both highly readable and practical." -- Bob Wilkin, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director, Grace Evangelical Society

"Dave Hunt has given us a fascinating expose of modern five-point Calvinism that is both highly readable and practical." --Bob Wilkin, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director, Grace Evangelical Society

"I am glad to see Dave deal with a tough subject...and challenge the Biblical basis for TULIP." -- Jim Custer, Right Start Ministries

"I am glad to see Dave deal with a tough subject...and challenge the Biblical basis for TULIP." --Jim Custer, Right Start Ministries

Product Description
Many sincere, Bible-believing Christians are "Calvinists" only by default. Thinking that the only choice is between Calvinism (with its presumed doctrine of eternal security) and Arminianism (with its teaching that salvation can be lost), and confident of Christ's promise to keep eternally those who believe in Him, they therefore consider themselves to be Calvinists. It takes only a few simple questions to discover that most Christians are largely unaware of what John Calvin and his early followers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries actually believed and practiced. Nor do they fully understand what most of today's leading Calvinists believe. Although there are disputed variations of the Calvinist doctrine, among its chief proponents (whom we quote extensively in context) there is general agreement on certain core beliefs. Many evangelicals who think they are Calvinists will be surprised to learn of Calvin's belief in salvation through infant baptism, and of his grossly un-Christian behavior, at times, as the "Protestant Pope" of Geneva, Switzerland. Most shocking of all, however, is Calvinism's misrepresentation of God who "is love." It is our prayer that this volume will enable readers to examine more carefully the vital issues involved and to follow God's Holy Word--not man. "The first edition of this book was greeted by fervent opposition and criticism from Calvinists. In this enlarged and revised edition I have endeavored to respond to the critics." --Dave Hunt

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 573 pages
• Publisher: The Berean Call; 2nd Revised edition edition (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1928660126
• ISBN-13: 978-1928660125
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (127 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #79,329 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

125 of 174 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sending Shockwaves thru the Christian Community, May 8, 2002

By	Gary Osborne (Spring Hill, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Love Is This? Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God (Paperback)

Dave Hunt has done it again. Some 20 years after his highly controversial, yet highly important book "The Seduction of Christianity", Dave has come up with another shocker! This time he examines what is surely the most divisive issue in Evangelical Christianity - namely CALVINISM.

From start to finish the reader of this book, regardless of his or her stand on the issues, will be compelled to hear Dave out. He does all he can to clearly explain what Calvinism is - not by simply telling the reader what Dave thinks it is, but by providing the reader with quote after quote from those leaders in the Christian community who are themselves Calvinists. Dave Hunt leaves no room for guessing here. He makes his case clear. Calvinism, in Dave's book, is clearly a false theological system that has its beginnings in 4th and 5th Century Rome. If anyone wants to understand the genesis of this doctrinal system, this book is a must.

Dave goes on to point out the glaring inconsistencies, the misapplied logic, and the oft used Scriptures that supposedly support the TULIP. He then proceeds to throughly dismantle the system with a plethera of scripture references and an overview of the true nature of God (which Dave feels is attacked by the concept of Calvinism).

This book will undoubtedly upset the staunch Calvinists. In fact, from the early returns, it appears that even reviews such as mine will suffer because I give the book a high rating. But the fact remains that if someone wants to know how non-Calvinists view the TULIP this book is a must! Dave Hunt clearly and concisely sums up the "other side" for everyone. Even if the reader disagrees with his conclusions, he or she can at least have a better understanding of how other Christians look at their doctrinal distinctives (ie Calvinism's 5 points).

I wholeheartedly recommend this fascinating book to Calvinists and non-Calvinists alike!

53 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where the rubber meets the road: Calvinism verses the Bible, September 25, 2005

By	King Lemuel "Trust, but verify" (Puyallup, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Love Is This? Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God (Paperback)

I read an online version of this book. Then I read some of the one star reviews posted at Amazon by Calvinists. Besides this book, I recently read the "5 points of Calvinism weighed and found wanting."

Hunt's book is a fairly long (over 400 pages). It is written more at the popular level than, for example, Life in the Sun and Elect in the Sun by Robert Shank or God the Ruler by Cottrell. Shank's books frequently include references to Greek Grammar and quotations from the Greek New Testament. Hunt does not get down and dirty with the Greek exegisis.

Though written at a popular level, Hunt still includes many references to scriptures and his book continually argues scripturally against Calvinism. The 400 pages allow Hunt to develop his arguements in detail, yet it is not so long as to beat dead horses. It also is an easy read: the pages turn quickly and the points Hunt makes are clear, understandable, and easy to remember.

Many of the one star reviews say he misquotes or mischaracterizes those of opposing positions. This may be occaisionaly true, given the length of the book, perhaps a mistake in quotation inadvertingly now and then occurs, but, on the whole, he gets the Calvinistic position correct, he uses extensive and extended quotes from those on both sides of the debate. Overall, these do not mischaracterize.

Let's think about the debate for a moment: Hunt's book is only one chapter in this debate that has been ongoing since the days of Augustine (circa 400 AD) and John Calvin (mid 1500s). If the Lord tarries, Hunt's book certainly will not be the last.

For all the ire expressed here at Amazon in these one star reveiws, you would think Hunt had resorted to ad hominem attacks against Calvinism. Nothing could be further from the truth. What Love is This is not a polemic diatribe against Calvinism. Hunt merely has shown: here is what the Apostles taught, here is what the Calvinists teach. He has merely pointed out the differences between scriptural Christianity and Calvinism. These differences are real and they are substantial. This is the tenor of the entire book. Hunt is not tyring to skewer John Calvin, he is merely trying to point out why Calvin is wrong biblically. If you have read Shank's "life in the Sun" or "Elect in the Sun" you will find the same irenic spirit in What Love is This.

Instead of trying to debunk Hunt's persuasive biblical arguements, Hunt's critcs, who have submitted reviews to Amazon, must think it is easier to assasinate the messanger than to deal with his message! It appears to me that Hunt's book has hit a sore spot or two!

If you are looking for a biblically argued refutation of Calvinism written at a popular, irenic level, Hunt's book is a great choice.

23 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Calvinism examined, explained, exposed., January 29, 2003

By	Todd Vierheller "todd_vierheller" (Litchfield Park, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: What Love Is This? Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God (Paperback)

This book is both excellent and lacking in a few areas.

I have many commentaries by Calvinist teachers. The first book club of which I was ever a member of was the Presbyterian and Reformed Book Club. In fact, I own many of the books quoted by Mr. Hunt. I believe Mr. Hunt's presentation of Calvinism is accurate and true to the main stream Calvinist population.

The research is meticulous. The use of quotations by the Calvinist authors lets the reader see the Calvinist arguments firsthand. There are no straw men here. Each chapter contains a bibliographical list at the end from whence the quotations are taken for easy verification.

The historical information on John Calvin is not widely known and certainly not talked about by Calvinist authors. Both Calvin's history in Geneva and his decidedly non-protestant theological views are presented. While this is fascinating background information, I'm not sure how germane it is to 21st century mainstream Calvinism except to cast doubt concerning the reasoning abilities of John Calvin. Perhaps it is also a caution about quoting Calvin's Institutes as if they had the authority of Scripture.

Perhaps John M. Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary, provides the answer: "God has raised up teachers for the church over many years, but their teachings cannot be fully understood 'in word only.' The meanings of words are found in their applications, in what people do with them. Therefore it is important to know not only what our teachers say but also what they do with their convictions." (p. 310, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God, Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1987)

This book has the advantage of being hundreds of pages shorter than "The Other Side of Calvinism", and it is more explicitly focused on Calvinism than "Getting the Gospel Right: A Balanced View of Calvinism and Arminianism". (Both excellent books.) It is certainly more suitable for a "lay person"--I had a pastor tell me that a section of "Getting the Gospel Right" was "too technical."

While this isn't the most thorough study of Calvinism that I have read it is one of the shortest. Mr Hunt failed to include a few things. First, he only presented two views of election. He presented the classic Calvinist view of fore-ordained individual election and the Armenian view of individual election based upon foreknowledge.

Mr. Hunt did not explicitly present the Corporate Election view, which comes from the most natural reading of Ephesians 1:3-14. In this view, God chose the group known as the Church to be holy and blameless, to adoption, etc.. Becoming part of that group and receiving those blessing is conditioned upon belief. Charles C. Ryrie briefly summarizes all three views in his book, Basic Theology, ch. 54, pp. 358-359.

Along the same lines, Mr Hunt contrasted the view of foreknowledge being identical to fore-ordination (Calvinist view), with the view that foreknowledge is a separate issue from fore-ordination (Armenian view). However, Mr. Hunt did not extend the alternate view of foreknowledge, that God knows not just THE future, but ALL possible futures (which would only be necessary if we have free will).

In 1 Samuel 23:12, David inquires of God what the future holds if he stays in the city. God tells him. This is not speculation; God KNOWS the future IF David stays in the city. David chooses a different future by departing from the city, and God KNOWS that future as well (even though it is not shared with David). Similar examples of knowing what would have been IF.... are found in Matt. 11:23 and Luke 10:13.

I thought the book had some serious organizational difficulties. Mr. Hunt went through the five points of Calvinism, addressing each point. Unfortunately his analysis lacked discipline. He continuously discussed the other four points in each section. This leads to a lot of needless repetition. It quickly becomes tiresome. Naturally there is overlap between the five points, but Mr. Hunt could have shown more discipline.

The book is quite good. It is an excellent critique of Calvinism, and a fair representation of the same. The vitriolic reviews from Calvinists (without substantive arguments) is a big clue that this is a great book on Calvinism. I'd say buy it, and feel good about passing it along to a friend.