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The Myth of Christian America  /  MCA (3 of 14): Geneva: The Seedbed of Christian America  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 2
The lesson traces Calvin’s early fascination with Stoicism (everything predestined; accept your lot; emotional resignation) and notes Calvin tried to show similarities between Stoicism and Christ; where do you see Stoic assumptions reshaping Christian language in the transcript, and what picture of God results from that blending?
Another way to ask: Where do you see Stoic ideas (like “everything is decided” and “don’t show emotion”) changing Christian words in the transcript? What kind of God do you end up with when those ideas mix?

Direct Answer The transcript suggests Stoic “fate/Providence” ideas show up in Calvin’s absolute predestination: everything is pre-decided, and God’s “foreknowledge” is basically God having planned it all. The resulting picture of God is a sovereign planner who arbitrarily assigns outcomes, with humans playing no real role—even in faith.

Support from Transcript:

  • Stoicism taught “everything in the universe is predestined,” each person has a role assigned by “fate or Providence,” and the goal is to accept it “without complaining.”
  • Calvin wrote a commentary on Seneca trying to show “fundamental similarities between…Stoicism and the teachings of Christ.”
  • Calvin’s predestination: before creation God determined Adam’s fall and then placed all people into two unchangeable categories—elect and non-elect.
  • Bercot emphasizes it is “completely arbitrary,” not based on foreknown faith or life; God “only forknows the future because he predestined everything.”
  • Humans are “totally depraved,” unable even “to have faith,” and the elect believe only because “God gave them that faith.”
Discussion Follow-ups How might a “Providence equals fixed destiny” mindset affect prayer, repentance, and how we view suffering or injustice?

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