Paige Patterson gave me Calvinism

When I entered The Criswell College in 1990, I knew very little about Calvinism, but I knew I didn't like it.  But it was there, at the school where Paige Patterson was president, that I became a full (five-point) Calvinist.  (Don't confuse full Calvinism with hyper Calvinism--see below).  Although Patterson didn't personally encourage me to embrace it, he helped.  Our professor, John Pretlove, was a committed Calvinist who greatly influenced me.  A fellow student also encouraged me to think through true Calvinism rather than the caricature in my mind.  As I studied more Scripture and read authors who embraced Calvinism, I found myself fondly drawn to it, almost as though it were irresistible.  During my time in college, J. I. Packer spoke at our school for a few days.  I don't think his speeches were about Calvinism, but I read his book, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, which I found persuasive.