From a recent post by me on Lampmode.com:

You know…. I just realized something after thinking about this thread.

This thread originally started off (supposedly) talking about the difference between being reformed in one’s soteriology (which I assumed meant whether one held to Covenant Theology or not) vs simply being Calvinistic in our soteriology (holding to the 5 points, but still being, for example, a dispensationalist or progressive dispensationalist).

How’d worship practices end up the topic of discussion ?

There are too many Calvinists who look down their nose at those outside of their little Calvinistic Christian huddle as though they are sub-Christian. What really IRKS me from time to time is running across RATS (Reformed Arrogance and Theological Snobbery) – folk unwilling to associate, let alone fellowship or have any real conversation with folks outside of their own little presbyterian micro-denomination and look down on everyone whose Christianity doesn’t look like 1646. Folks willing to arrogantly proclaim their use of exclusive psalmody (for example) as THE defining mark that makes them Christian…or at least more Christian than you.

The words ARROGANT and CALVINIST should never be in the same sentence. If anything, we should be the first to drop to our knees, eyes turned to the ground and rip our clothes, crying out LORD HAVE MERCY ON ME, A SINNER! We’re not the ones running around saying ‘God is for you and wants you to have your best life now.’ We’re not the ones going around proclaiming ‘God can do nothing in the earth realm unless we permit Him’. We don’t preach out of our pulpits and our confessions don’t teach that ‘heaven’s counting on you.’ So why do some of us take practices and doctrines and parade them as though not holding to them makes one a non-Christian ?

“And I am afraid there are calvinists, who, while they account it a proof of their humility that they are willing in words to debase the creature, and to give all the glory of salvation to the Lord, yet know not what manner of spirit they are of….Self-righteousness can feed upon doctrines, as well as upon works; and a man can have the heart of a pharisee, while his head is stored with orthodox notions of the unworthiness of the creature and the riches of free grace.”

So sayeth John Newton.

True indeed.

Worship practices have become a bit of an idol among some of the reformed. Calvin was right when he said that the heart is an idol factory. While things that Calvin, Bucer and others taught were true, well and fine, these men were not infallible. And their worship practices were not something ‘new’ – they reflected the culture of their day. It KILLS ME sometimes to see folk (again, I mainly see it in most of the presbyterian micro denoms and some other reformed denoms, rarely in reformed baptists) trying to ONE-UP each other and ‘out-reform’ each other:

Presby 1: Well, we adhere to the Westminster Confession of Faith!
Presby 2: Well, we adhere to the 1646 Westminister Confession of Faith with NO exceptions!
Presby 3: All of you guys are weak. We hold to the 1646 with no exceptions AND the Directory of the Publick Worship of God (yes, that’s how it’s spelled. Even updating the english is sacreligious)
Presby 4: All of you guys are losers. We hold to the Three Forms of Unity and Exclusive Psalmody. (the three forms of unity are the Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dordt )
Presby 5: No, you are the loser. We hold to the 3FU, Exclusive Psalmody AND we have a statue of John Knox in our lobby:

See ?
Other presbyterians: Ooooohhhh.

Now non-Calvinistic folks, don’t you go turning your nose up at these ‘poor reformed folks’ and wishing they could be more ‘free in Christ’ from all that controversy. You have your own ‘Ever-Increasing Faith Overcoming-Sanctified-Cliché-Driven-Ever-Adding-On-More-Titles-And- Misusing-The-Word-Annointed Ministries Because We Want To Be Different And Not Called A Church’ type movements and preachers of your own to deal with. You also have your own ‘We’re A Non-Denominational Church Because We Think Denominations Are Divisive, But We’re Dividing Ourselves From 2000 Years of Church History and Teaching Because We Don’t Think Anything Between 100 A.D. and When My Church Was Founded Matters As Long As You’re A Christian And Soon We’ll Start Planting Our Own Churches After Our Own Home Church And End Up A Denomination Whether We Realize It Or Not In Fact We’re Already A Denomination of One Church’ type of problems to deal with as well. Folks tryin to ‘out-Christianese’ and ‘out-Spirit-Filled-Sanctified-Holy-Ghost-2-Step’ each other on Sunday morning.

And on top of it, most folk of this type don’t have a strong enough doctrinal background to even get ‘church’ right, much less everything else.