Civility and Calvinism (Part One)

Last year at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference (June 2006), Drs. Paige Patterson and Al Mohler “discussed their differences over the doctrine of election, stressing that believers can disagree on the topic while remaining friends and unified in the goal of evangelism and missions” during two one-hour-long breakout sessions which drew standing room only crowds. Patterson said, “I do hope … we will provide at least an example on that point, if on no other.” Mohler noted that Patterson is a “friend in the Gospel,” and pointed to former stalwarts of the faith, such as Wesley and Whitefield, Spurgeon and Moody, who disagreed over the doctrines of election and predestination yet considered the others Christian brothers and “cooperated together in evangelism.” He added, “This is a conversation among close friends.”

Some in attendance, however, thought the discussion was too friendly. Ken Massey, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Greensboro, NC, stated, “I thought the debate was a little too collegial to be helpful,” then noted, “I don’t know, but I suspect that there is some significant division regarding Calvinism in the SBC. The turnout in two sessions is evidence of this.” It seems Massey and others would rather have more heat than light in such discussions, regardless of Christ’s prayer for the unity of His people so that the world might believe the Gospel (John 17:20-21). Perhaps this is because some believe that “Calvinists” are “heretics” who do not belong in the SBC. Joel McDuffie, the pastor of FBC Valparaiso, FL, writes weekly articles for the Northwest Florida Daily News. In an article written last year, McDuffie declared his doubts about John Calvin being in heaven. He also stated such things as, “The heart of Calvinism contradicts the heart of everything revealed in scripture,” and, “The one who believes in Calvinism is fighting all of scripture.” Dr. Tom Ascol, also an SBC pastor in Florida (who is a “Calvinist”), responded to the article on his blog. McDuffie had no desire for dialogue, responding instead with vitriolic e-mails.

Pastors such as Massey and McDuffie are encouraged to such views and actions, no doubt, by leaders within the SBC who attack “Calvinism” and their “Calvinist” brothers from the safety of their megachurch pulpits and the podiums of convention meetings. Johnny Hunt, pastor of FBC Woodstock, GA, for example, declared at the 2005 SBC Pastor’s Conference:

“By the way, aren’t you grateful, that there’s hope? Listen to me carefully, it’s important we understand this convention. There’s hope for everyone in Jesus. Everyone. Everyone. Not a select group. Everyone. Someone says, ‘Pastor you believe that you’re the elect?’ I sure am. Everybody that gets in is the elect; and he’s elected all of us. I believe everyone can be saved. Anyone can come to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Someone said, ‘I don’t think you ought to preach like that.’ Well, I just hope no one gets saved that’s not supposed to. I’m serious. We better get away from that and get back to the Book and invite everyone to come to Christ! Just preach it! Invite everybody! Tell everyone!”

No self-respecting “Calvinists” would disagree with inviting all of their hearers to Christ Jesus, it would go against our convictions and our history (e.g., Calvin, Whitefield, Edwards, and the first evangelical missiologists). Hunt’s words, though, make it plain that he believes that “this convention” must “get away from that [Calvinism]” because he does not believe the doctrine of election to be biblical (i.e., “get back to the Book”). About a week before Hunt’s broadside, Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, preached a sermon entitled, “The Truth About Grace.” In it he declared:

“There is a brand of elitist theology that is being taught aggressively today in some seminaries and Christian universities, some churches, well known Christian ministries. A brand of arrogant theology that claims that God only loves the elect and that the rest of the world is without a prayer, without a hope, without a chance to know this grace of God. And this perverted form and theology—this hyper view of the grace of God—is an abuse of Scripture. . . . That slanders the character of God. It is an arrogance that borders on blasphemy.”

Though Graham doesn’t mind working hand-in-hand with those who hold heretical views, he apparently does not care for the theology being taught at SBTS in accordance with that institution’s charter and confession of faith. While he does not mention any seminaries in particular, it seems likely that Dr. Mohler and Southern Seminary were in mind. In January of 2003, Elmer Towns of Liberty University claimed that Moher is an “extreme Calvinist.” Liberty Seminary’s dean, Ergun Caner, stated last year that “Calvinists are worse than Muslims!”

Some other notable convention leaders to attack “Calvinism” from pulpit and with pen include Jerry Falwell, Jerry Vines, Paige Patterson, Adrian Rogers, Freddie Gage, Steve Gaines, Bobby Welch and Frank Page. Steve Lemke has warned that “unchecked hyper- Calvinism” is “potentially the most explosive and divisive issue facing us [Southern Baptists] in the near future. . . . it holds the potential to split the entire convention.”

Some are trying to avert such a division. Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Founders Ministries co-sponsored the “Building Bridges: Southern Baptists and Calvinism” conference the past three days (November 26-28) at the Ridgecrest Conference Center, NC. Approximately 550 registrants listened carefully as SBC pastors, professors, theologians and historians presented varying assessments of the benefits and dangers posed by the growing influence of Calvinistic convictions in convention life.

David Dockery, president of Union University, urged Southern Baptists who differ about Calvinism to concentrate on their common convictions, as Whitefield and Wesley did during the Evangelical Awakening. Tom Nettles, professor of historical theology at SBTS, said that these common convictions include the inspiration of Scripture, Trinitarian theology, substitutionary atonement, religious liberty, missions and evangelism, Christ-centered preaching, holiness of life and regenerate church membership. Concerning Calvinists, Nettles noted, “What a tragic irony it would be if those who birthed the convention and fostered its foundational strength with such firmly grounded theology should now be seen as enemies of missions effectiveness in the world.” Malcolm Yarnell, a sytematic theology professor at SWBTS, declared that the first Baptists in England developed within a Calvinistic context yet had significant differences with Reformed churches. These differences included paedobaptism, sacraments as a means of grace, and amillennialism. Jeff Noblit, senior pastor of FBC of Muscle Shoals, AL, said a resurgence of Calvinist doctrines would help Southern Baptists reclaim a sagging conviction in thesufficiency of Scripture and would promote true evangelism. In strong terms he claimed, “The rise of Calvinism in the Southern Baptist Convention will help us overcome inerrancy idolatry and reclaim the sufficiency of Scripture in our churches. Holding to the inerrancy of the Scriptures without at least an equal passion and commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture for all faith and practice is sheer idolatry.” He pointed out that while some portray Calvinism as a threat to evangelism and missions, the lack of baptisms in thousands of SBC churches cannot be blamed on Calvinist convictions. Noblit added that the SBC has millions of members who “walked to the front of the church building, repeated somebody’s prayer, but the fruit of their lives does not look like biblical conversion. I believe the Spirit of God illumines and awakens people and we rush them into prayer and baptism before they ever get to repentance and faith.” He declared that the faith and practice of many SBC congregations is contrary to Scripture and that the challenge of building a bridge to connect to them may neither be a good idea nor even possible. “There are some bodies of water men have never even thought of building bridges across,” he said. “No one has ever suggested building a bridge from New York City to Liverpool, England. The divide is just too great. I think building bridges is a noble task, and I am very thankful for the effort, but I am not embracing some things I see under the broad tent of Southern Baptists.”

Baptists on both sides of this issue have come to a crossroads and it is time to decide whether or not we will be able to continue together down the same road peaceably and effectively.