Though we, or an angel from heaven,
should preach unto you any GOSPEL
other than that which we preached unto you,
let him be anathema.
–Galatians 1:8 (ASV)–

Calvinism is not the Gospel and neither is Arminianism. Anybody who teaches this is absolutely confused and spiritually deceived, because they haven’t read the New Testament enough. Anyone who would anathematize a person based on that is confused and deceived. The Gospel is the simple Bible truth of SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT: the simple fact that Jesus shed his blood on the cross to take the punishment for the sins of the world. Faith in this saves people from eternal punishment in the lake of fire. Catholics, Presbyterians, Baptists, Wesleyans, Pentecostals, and charismatics ALL agree about this; every Bible believer agrees about this. It is pure foolishness to teach that a person is damned to Hell, based on any thing other, than personal rejection of the blood sacrifice in the atonement of Christ. So if you have a Calvinist pastor who insists that you accept the teaching of monergism (the Holy Spirit forces you to be saved and will absolutely never leave you, no matter how you act, thus nullifying David’s prayer, “take not thy Holy Spirit from me,” Psalm 51:11), or insists that you accept a cheap grace antinomian form of unconditional eternal security (which often contradicts the plain and literal way that Scripture talks, for example, “holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck,” 1 Timothy 1:19), and that Calvinist or Baptist pastor insists on taking you into the Wonderland of Calvinism in order to be truly saved–THAT MAN’S RELIGION IS VAIN. He is nullifying the Word of God, and the Blood of God’s Son, for the sake of his Reformed tradition (Matt. 15:6). –J.B.