I hardly even know where to begin telling what AOmin has meant to me, my family, and many friends. The reason it is so difficult to express is because there was once an attempted excommunication of me for heresy in June 2006. I was accused of being a Calvinist. It is difficult to express what happened and would sound so ironic, in fact outright wierd if I told the whole story. Nevertheless, when I was among the Plymouth Brethren, I was kind of in the middle between Calvinism and Arminianism. I still affirmed free will, and questioned limited atonement. I was confused about what I believed concerning the doctrines of Grace.

About 4 or 5 months after the attempted excommunication for heresy, AOmin came into the picture. It was after this trouble that I began reading the debate book by Hunt and White. It was then that my journey to Calvinism began. It was in the months after my attempted excommunication that I began reading Calvinists for the first time. The debate book on Calvinism lead to reading Geisler’s “Chosen but Free.” Then White’s “Potters Freedom.” I read internet articles on monergism.org. I read RC Sproul, John MacArther, and other papers and books by Arminians. About one year after the attempted excommunication, I began to see the unity in the Doctrines of Grace. There is a theory of atonement that is really not 5 separate doctrines, but one idea of the atonement. James White’s books and debates, and the DL shows helped me to see that. After about one year of reading and thinking about the questions raised by my attempted excommunication, I had become exactly what I was being accused of….. a “Calvinist.” Others not directly involved in this excommunication have watched from afar. I used to lead or assist in leading a college bible study in a secular college.
Some of these students joined me in my journey to Calvinism. Most of them have either resettled in more Reformed Churches, or remain in more gracious Arminian Churches. Many are young families. I am surprised how quickly many of them are becoming leaders in their Churches and taking the doctrines of Grace into their churches. I have met one of the pastors and he seems eager and happy to have them. All seem to be doing very well. My point is that what I have learned from Dr. White has not just affected me, but many others. Some of these college students still have a bible study and are reading books by Dr. White. They also now read MacArther, Piper, Sproul, and other reformed authors. I am glad for them. –DM

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