Calvinism Today: A SWOT Analysis

In his new book For Calvinism Michael Horton entitled his final chapter "Calvinism Today: A SWOT Analysis." He writes:

We know from daily experience that our greatest strengths can also become our greatest weaknesses.

Persistence can become stubbornness; sympathy can devolve into sentimentality; and genuine concern for others sometimes turns into an obsequious craving for approval.

Remarkable gifts of leadership and creativity can be used for good or ill, depending on the motivation and the goals.

The same is true of movements, since they are largely the collective activity of people like us.

It has become popular for businesses and organizations to conduct a periodical "SWOT" analysis, exploring

Strengths,

Weaknesses,

Opportunities, and

Threats.

Since acrostics appeal to "TULIP"-loving Calvinists, this kind of analysis may be a useful in-house evaluation, although I do not presume to speak for anyone other than myself. (p. 170)

As Andy Naselli points out, this chapter is divided into two sections along these lines:

(1) Strengths and Weaknesses

Intellectual Boldness/Cold Intellectualism
Love for Truth/Factionalism
Respect for Tradition/Traditionalism

(2) Opportunities and Threats

Revived Interest in the Doctrines of Grace/Replacing the Church with a Movement
A New Interest in Sound Doctrine/A New Fundamentalism

Andy excerpts the section on love for truth and factionalism, if you want to see how Horton applies these warnings and encouragements.