Quote Originally Posted by Colonel View Post
That's just one church and it's also not related to anything presently being discussed here.

I could mention some Calvinists that I talked to online 20 years ago. One was a woman who was cohabiting but the other Calvinists didn't care, apparently because she was a Calvinist like them. Another Calvinist linked a homepage and when I went to its front page there were instructions about a pyramid scheme - which was illegal. I mentioned it on the forum and he deleted the page without commenting on it. So does that mean that Calvinists produce bad fruit in general ?
I think we just have to be wise.

Historically we should know that all things deteriorate, but I figure most don't. Fifty years ago I arrived at a church and thought that that is what churches were meant to be like. Someone coming to the one I just left might think that that's what a church is meant to be like. They don't know that the Gospel hasn't been preached there for years. They're sometimes told that they "just have to believe" to be saved, but believe in what? They're not told that. Just like RCs (who I mentioned elsewhere), they're told getting baptised gives them eternal life and they'll go to heaven. They believe it. And why not, would the priest lie?

The church was commissioned to preach the Gospel and teach sound doctrine. We debate the second bit, but if a church is not firstly clearly preaching the Gospel I think we should be cautious.