Archive for Calvinism
I Officially Resign From Being A Calvinist
Posted by: | CommentsAfter graduating from seminary with my MDIVBL in 2002 and was able to immerse myself more into the Bible rather than what other people thought about the Bible, I began a quest to figure out how salvation works. In other words, how does predestination work in salvation, and what is man’s responsibility in being saved? At about mid-2004, I began to embrace what is commonly known as the doctrines of grace, except for limited atonement. It was a thrilling time for me as I discovered those doctrines and began to understand more and more of God’s love. It was at this time I hesitantly accepted the label “Calvinist.” The reason for hesitancy was that I also understood the wide definition of Calvinism and some of the false representations of what Calvinists are. This is where I have stood until recent events have caused me to rethink and reject the label of Calvinist. While doctrinally I still stand where I have been, I refused to be defined by this doctrinal label that has been mischaracterized by many on both sides of the issue.
A Brief Visit with Dr. Paige Patterson
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One year ago yesterday, we posted an interview with Southwestern Seminary president Dr. Paige Patterson, as Tim Rogers talked with Dr. Patterson in Jacksonville, Florida. Today, we present another.
Dr. Patterson was in Hugo, Oklahoma for the Frisco Baptist Association’s annual evangelism conference, and I was able to talk to him briefly after the conference had ended. We talked about issues ranging from ecclesiology to ecumenism, the characteristic passion for missions that has always defined Southwestern, to the future legacy of the seminary as envisioned by the school’s eighth president. We even talked a little about some of the silly rumors generated by recent tabloid blogging.
You can listen to the interview right here in the post, or you can pack it onto your iPod for later use. Just click on the iTunes button in the sidebar under “Podcast.”
Interview with Dr. Paige Patterson: Tabloid Blogging
Posted by: | CommentsBecause of the recent tabloid blogging that has occurred at this site here and here, we at SBC Today have been busy answering questions on when we would respond to what one Calvinistic professor called, “lies and slander” of the aforementioned postings. At first, we were not going to respond. After all, what logical and rational thinking person would think that Dr. Patterson was out to get rid of the Calvinists at SWBTS knowing that he brought on Calvinists to the faculty while he was president of both Southeastern and Southwestern and that a 5 point Calvinist from SWBTS called these accusations “lies and slander.” But alas, it seems that logic is being thrown out the window concerning these posts.
Therefore, we will provide something of more substance on this subject before Friday, but until then may we direct you to Bart Barber’s thoughts regarding this matter.
Shooting at Rubber Dummies
Posted by: | CommentsI love my iPhone for so many reasons, not the least of which is my ability to subscribe to podcasts and listen to them when I’m in my car. It’s terribly convenient, especially considering that I am too far from civilization to receive any talk-radio signals.
Recently I was listening to the podcast of a presentation by Ravi Zacharias in which he shared lessons learned from the allied invasion at Normandy during World War II. One of the tactics the allies used was to drop, ahead of their advance on a particular town, a large number of rubber dummies in parachutes, rigged with explosives and firecrackers. The German defenders would often spend most of their ammunition on this ruse, shooting at rubber dummies while remaining completely unaware that the real enemy was yet to attack.
As I look around our convention today, I think we ought to consider the possibility that the real enemy of the Kingdom has gotten so many of us involved in shooting at rubber dummies. While there are legitimate concerns on both sides of the Calvinist/non-Calvinist aisle, it is imperative that we recognize that these sides are, in fact, parts of a whole. The wisdom offered by Bart Barber in his recent post, The Barber Plan for Peace, is an excellent contribution to this recognition, and I commend it to our readers.
Another bit of wisdom that I believe can be helpful is an article we published in the wake of last year’s “Building Bridges” conference. The article, titled “Happy Southern Baptists and the Tricky Track,” was authored by Southwestern Seminary president Dr. Paige Patterson, and serves to remind us how necessary both parts are to the makeup of the whole we know as the Southern Baptist Convention.
Join me in my prayer that, through the wisdom God has granted to these men and to others, we may learn to save our ammunition for the real enemy, and ignore the rubber dummies that have occupied so much of our recent attention.
John 3:16 Conference
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On November 6th and 7th, the John 3:16 Conference will be held at the First Baptist Church of Woodstock Georgia. Conference co-sponsors are: Jerry Vines Ministries, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, Luther Rice Seminary and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
From the web page, the conference seeks to answer these questions:
Did Jesus die on the cross for every person? Are believers eternally secure? Can grace be resisted? These and many other questions will be addressed.
This conference is not going to be a “Let’s bash the Calvinists” conference. This conference is going to be a biblical and theological assessment of and response to 5-point Calvinism. It will be helpful for lay people as well as preachers.
To access the conference web page which will explain the cost and schedule, click here. Those speaking at the conference will include (Dr. Jerry Vines, Dr. Paige Patterson [Total Depravity], Dr. Richard Land [Unconditional Election], Dr. David Allen [Limited Atonement], Dr. Steve Lemke [Irresistible Grace], Dr. Ken Keathley [Perseverance], and Dr. Charles Stanely). For those who are unable to attend, a DVD and CD will be offered for purchase on the above mentioned web site.
Another Sermon by Dr. David Allen
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We now present the second sermon delivered by Dr. David Allen, Dean of the School of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, to the Pastor’s Conference at the First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Both sermons were from the book of Hebrews, which Dr. Allen has studied for many years.
In the first message, Dr. Allen argues for Lukan authorship of the book and makes a strong case against modern charismatic practice of sign gifts. In this second sermon, Dr. Allen further develops his case for Luke as the author of Hebrews, then makes an exegetical case against the central petal of the TULIP, limited atonement.
Enjoy!
Interview with Dr. Jerry Vines
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We are privileged to bring you today an interview with Dr. Jerry Vines, Pastor Emeritus of First Baptist Church, Jacksonville Florida, and founder of Jerry Vines Ministries. He currently resides in Georgia where, he assures us, he has not taken to riding Harleys (the picture above was used for a special event during his ministry at FBC Jacksonville).
He is a gracious man to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude. His faithfulness to the Lord’s call to minster to His people, to lead his family to honor God, and to share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who are lost, is a worthy example for us all to emulate.
In the course of this interview, Dr. Vines shares his thoughts and convictions regarding why he is Southern Baptist, the impact of the current trends of Calvinism in our convention, our response to the challenge of postmodernism, and other issues.
Enjoy!
Standard Podcast [23:34m]: Interview with Dr. Ergun Caner
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Tim Rogers was planning to interview Dr. Ergun Caner while he was in Jacksonville, but flight schedules changed, and they weren’t able to meet up. So today, I was able to visit with Dr. Caner by phone from his Virginia home.
Dr. Caner is the president of the recently re-named Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. For more information about him, click here to visit his website.
This interview runs about 17 minutes. You can listen to the interview directly from this page, you can download it by following the instructions below, or you can access it along with all of our other interviews by visiting our “Interviews” resource page. Tomorrow we will be presenting another interview, as Tim was able to sit down today for a visit with Mac Brunson.
An Ironic TULIP and Similarities of Baptist Confession
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We are pleased to welcome as a guest writer at SBC Today one of our more frequent commenters, Chris Johnson. Chris is currently the Pastor of Grace Church at Hermitage which is located eleven miles east of downtown Nashville. He is a full-time employee of Fresenius Medical Care, the world’s largest dialysis provider, with headquarters in Bad Homburg Germany. Chris is the Manager of Information Systems specializing in Network Architecture and Engineering for over 2200 clinics serving 175,000 patients.
Irony belongs to history as one notable contemporary leader steering theology through the lens of Calvin pens a comment toward another prominent leader seen leveraging theology through the lens of yet another historic teacher named Arminius.
“More than any other individual, Paige Patterson was the man who put all at risk for the sake of what he so profoundly believed. Confronted by a looming denominational disaster, and aware of what this would mean to the cause of the Gospel, Paige Patterson threw himself into the controversy, defined the issues, mobilized an army, educated a denomination, and paved the way for a new generation to continue the work he so boldly began.”
- Albert Mohler
The question is still brewing today: Can both lenses, that of Calvin and Arminius, rest in the same set of spectacles, sit comfortably in place before the eyes of a Baptist? The answer to that question, without a nanosecond of hesitation, is emphatically Yes! And the spectacles should be worn with thankfulness and caution. Read More→
Dr. Patterson on Calvinism
Posted by: | CommentsI am hopeful that last week’s Building Bridges conference on Calvinism in the Southern Baptist Convention will be the beginning of an important and helpful conversation about how we can work together as Baptists, Calvinist and non-Calvinist, without any negative effects resulting from our differing viewpoints. There is so much on which we agree that it is utter foolishness to divide over these issues. Baptists who are passionate about the missionary task must never be excluded from service and leadership in our convention simply because they are in the Calvinist minority when it comes to their views on soteriology.
Unfortunately, there are some in our convention who would use this issue to create fear. They suggest that if we allow for a robust Baptist identity by defining certain secondary doctrines as being outside the mainstream among Southern Baptists, that somehow we are on a slippery slope toward the exclusion of others based on soteriology, eschatology, and the like. This is absolute nonsense, as should be obvious to every thinking person who has ever heard of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Recently, we approached Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary president Dr. Paige Patterson and asked if we could publish an article by him addressing the relationship between Calvinists and non-Calvinists in the SBC. You can read Dr. Patterson’s essay by clicking here.
In this essay, Dr. Patterson points to the fact that when Baptists in England, General and Particular, separated from one another, both suffered. Many General Baptists slipped into universalism, while Particular Baptists developed a decidedly anti-missionary bent. They had, by their separation, eliminated the balancing tendency of the other, and the separation was unhealthy for both groups.
The lesson for our convention could not be more clear. As one who does not identify myself as a Calvinist, I am immensely grateful to my evangelistic Calvinist brothers in the SBC. They have caused me to be careful to present with clarity the Gospel of Jesus Christ each time I stand before God’s people. Because of the influence of these brothers, I am careful to explain that it is believing in the heart that results in a sinner’s justification, and not walking the aisle or reciting a canned prayer. My ministry has greatly benefited from these folks with whom I have clear disagreements, such as on the extent of the atonement. But that disagreement would never preclude my cooperation with them, nor in my learning from their zeal for the Gospel.
It is time for clear understandings to develop regarding these issues, in an environment free of the fear of exclusion that some would use to further their own agendas. I’m grateful to Dr. Patterson for allowing us to publish this piece, and it is my hope his contribution will help lead us in that direction.
