Deconstructing John Calvin

Uncle Dexter was my father’s younger brother and I adored him; worshipped him. He was a Reformed Baptist minister. I chased after his acceptance with everything I had. Because my father was never a father to me, I wanted Uncle Dexter to take on the role of a father, and I sought it desperately for many years. My relationship with him was incredibly complex and incredibly damaging.

I could go into a lot of detail about Reformed Baptist theology, but there are a couple of standouts that color the whole thing ugly.

Original Sin

Original sin is the belief that because of Adam and Eve’s fall from grace in the Garden of Eden, all subsequent generations are cursed with the stain of original sin. We are born horribly tainted, we are worthless, full of evil, without hope of salvation, and destined for hell. It is only through the redemptive work of Jesus on the cross we are reconciled and able to attain heaven. Otherwise, it’s eternal conscious torment in hell.

It must be noted this belief is not limited to Reformed theology. Evangelicals embrace the concept of original sin as well. Reconciliation is only available through the embrace of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. No exceptions. So, you’re in big trouble if you never hear the gospel, and we know a majority of the world’s population is never exposed to “the…