Greetings from Down Under

[Pim Pendergast]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

I see that there is the potential for conflict, but I do not intend to be the cause of any, as I am a guest on this forum. Personally, I do not hold to baptistic doctrine. I am, naturally, a pedobaptist. But having suffered so much as a pastor from divisiveness in my congregation, I would not want to cause strife on this site. I am happy to keep my opinions on baptism to myself unless requested to do otherwise. But it is rare to find a website which fearlessly proclaims the truth of God, and I hope that I will still be welcome here. I would like to know, though, if there are any other Calvinists on this site. For it is possible for a Baptist to be a Calvinist. C.H. Spurgeon was a classic example and is highly regarded in Reformed and Presbyterian circles.

[Noah Sole]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

You certainly seem to be a proper Calvinist, not one of those wishy-washy moderates who has difficulties with 'total depravity' and the damnation of unbaptised infants

How do you feel about coming to a Baptist website then, surely there is the potential for conflict? As I have heard said "one cannot be a Presbyterian or Reformed without being a Calvinist, but one can certainly be a Baptist". And you would know about Herman Hanko's view: "A Baptist is only inconsistently a Calvinist."

YIC

[Pim Pendergast]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

Thank you, Noah, for welcoming me to this forum.

Yes, I am a Calvinist and as such I hold to the doctrine of total depravity. That is to say, man is born inherently evil with no goodness in him, no ability to do good, not even the ability recognise his sinfulness and repent — without the intervention of God's Holy Spirit.

Because man is born this way, I repudiate the heretical, unscriptural doctrine of "the age of understanding", which teaches that God gives those who die in infancy a free pass into heaven because they are not old enough to understand the Gospel. Infants who die go to hell because they are inherently evil and have not accepted the message of the cross. Jesus said, "NO MAN cometh unto the Father, but by Me." Therefore an infant cannot come to God apart from faith in Christ. If God does not want an infant to go to hell, then he will foreordain that they should survive infancy at least to an age where they can understand and receive the message of the Gospel. Those whom he has foreordained to die in infancy are reprobate, that is, not elected for salvation but foreordained to eternal destruction since before the creation of the world.

The main points of Calvinism can be summed up by the mnemonic tulip.

Total depravity
Unconditional election (God's elect were not chosen based on any goodness within themselves)
Limited atonement (Jesus died only for the elect, NOT for everyone)
Irresistible calling (If you are elect, you have no choice; you will come to faith in Christ when the Holy Spirit calls you. God has not given us free will, as so many "evangelicals" claim)
Perseverance of the saints (If you really are a Christian you will persevere till the end. If you fall away, then you weren't really a Christian in the first place and God has shown you up for the reprobate soul that you are)

[Noah Sole]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

Welcome then Pim

I see your signature is one of Calvin's quotes - would you describe yourself as a Calvinist? What do you think of that 'total depravity' they believe in?

YIC

[Pim Pendergast]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

To expand on my earlier post, I was born in the Netherlands but my family moved to Australia when I was very young. In Dutch "Pim" is short for "Wilhelm", just like in English "Bill" is short for "William." I joined this forum because it seems to be a bastion of truth in the midst of the cesspool of lies that is the internet. Furthermore I believe that my knowledge and experience as a pastor may be helpful in contributing to discussions on this forum.

[Noah Sole]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

Welcome to God's favourite forum Pim (that's an odd name?)

It's so refreshing to see a proper introduction once in a while, well done . Our Lord certainly seems to have tested your faith and it is a credit to you that you have struggled through unwaveringly.

So why are you here? You seem to have established a loyal following in Austria, what is it that you think you can do for us?

1 Chronicles 16:10
Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

[Pim Pendergast]

I was baptised and raised in the Independent Reformed Church. You may never have heard of this denomination. It is made up chiefly of Dutch immigrants and their descendants and believes that the Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism contain the system of doctrine taught in Scripture. They use only the KJV. When I was little my father made me cross out all the italicised words in my Bible because they were not there in the original text. "Red-letter" editions of the Bible are banned, for they exalt the actual words of Jesus above the rest of the text, which is all God's word and just as inspired as anything Jesus said.

I was raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, coming to a saving faith in Christ when I was 14. After leaving school, I married my cousin Wilhelmina Plugg, with whom I had three children. The IRC believes itself to be the only true church; it is forbidden to marry outside of it.

In my early twenties I felt God calling me to become a minister. Through Christ's strength I overcame my disability (I am partially deaf and require hearing aids) and graduated Bible College, receiving a call to pastor the Darlingdale IRC. Sadly, my wife had an affair with an elder, so I divorced her and claimed sole custody of our children. During this time I was tested more severely than Job. Not only did I lose my wife but I was also removed from office, for a divisive element in the church twisted I Tim 3:2 and turned the majority of the congregation against me and voted me out.

It was then that I realised that the IRC was not a true church. Taking a small band of loyal followers from the IRC with me, I began attending the Confessional Presbyterian Church. Here I came to the realisation that the Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism were wrong and that the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Shorter and Larger Catechisms contained the only true system of doctrine. It wasn't long before I became an elder in the CPC. I also remarried.

But for a period of almost twenty years I felt deep dissatisfaction. I could not receive a call to pastor anywhere. Here I was, called by God and qualified to be a pastor, equipped with all the spiritual gifts, and yet God's people wouldn't recognise me and acknowledge me as their shepherd. The verse "No prophet is accepted in his own country" brought comfort to me during this time. If Jesus had the same problem, how could I hope to be spared? Finally the pastor of the Darlingdale CRC resigned. The congregation searched for a pastor for two years without any luck. Eventually they extended a call to me. I was voted in by a small majority, and I have been pastor there for the last eight years. Through the rigorous implementation of church discipline, I have lead the congregation out of divisiveness and into perfect unity. Even though our numbers are now greatly reduced, yet a faithful remnant remains.

It is difficult to choose a favourite Bible verse. It's a tossup between Matt 10:34 — "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword" and Matt 18:18 — "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."