CALVINIST QUOTE OF THE DAY. "...we must therefore take heed lest souls perish through our sloth, whose salvation God puts in a manner in our hands. Not that we can bestow salvation on them; but that God by our ministry delivers and saves those who seem otherwise to be nigh destruction." John Calvin

One accusation made against Calvinism is that it discourages or abandons evangelism. Paige Patterson, for example, has made this charge. There are at least 3 points to rebut that assertion. First, it does not matter if "Calvinism" or "Reformed Theology" is biblical. If it is biblical, it must be followed and the problems worked out. Man does not have the authority to change God's word to suit man's methods. Second, your average Arminian, or "4 Point Calvinist" for that matter, is no more evangelistic than your average Calvinist. This is proven by the overwhelming presence of Arminians in the Southern Baptist Convention, especially in leadership, presiding over a decline in evangelism and church growth. Maybe the correct conclusion is that Arminianism discourages evangelism. Third, Calvin himself shows a great concern for the lost that belies any contrary position ascribed to his name.