Calvinism debate must be balanced

Baptist Standard ^ | A. J. Conyers

[Between the Lines]

One cannot help noticing the interest in Calvinism lately expressed among some Baptists has prompted from others a cry of alarm. One group tends to represent the Baptist heritage as passively shaped by Calvinism, and the other wishes to deny the Calvinist (or Reformed) influence completely. The truth is somewhere in-between.

The concern for eliminating the Calvinist influence among Baptists is misguided.

Every body of believers needs to be in touch with the best of its theological tradition. For Baptists, that tradition is Reformed, or Calvinist, thought. Those who wish to look into this view need only discover for themselves the evident Calvinism of the Particular Baptist London Confession of 1644 and the even more pointedly Calvinist nature of the Second London Confession of 1677. These statements, along with the Savoy Confession and the Westmins ter Confession, evidently came from a co mmon stock of doctrinal expression. The words of the 1644 Confession and its successors are suggestive of Calvin's "Institutes" and not at all of, for instance, the early Anabaptist Schleitheim Confession. This is true not only in the ordinary sense of common vocabulary and system, but also in regard to the tone and the habitual focus. Again, one can point to the undisguised Reformed theology of John Gill, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Andrew Fuller, Isaac Backus, Richard Furman, Basil Manly Sr., James Petigrew Boyce and quite a number of others who were powerfully instrumental in the doctrinal expression of Baptists through the middle part of the twentieth century.

All this has been vigorously preached by the defenders of Calvinist theology, only they have sometimes taken an additional, and unwarranted, step further. They often assume that this put Baptists (especially Southern Baptists) right in line with the most extreme expressions of Calvinism. They assume that Baptists must be advocates of the Canons of Dort, the famous five-point Calvinism that was formulated some half- century after John Calvin himself was dead. Or they align Baptists with the hard-edged Calvinism of early New England Puritan thought. In fact, the Reformed thought that most influenced Baptists, especially in the South, was one that had been softened and moderated by Scottish Common Sense philosophy and by the Baptists' own insistence upon the competence of believers to respond in faith to the gospel.

Interestingly enough, along with this Calvinism moderated by Scottish Presbyterians and Baptists of the American South came a real openness to the strongest and best of Christian thinkers from other traditions. The great Broadus, who set the standard for intelligent and heart-felt preaching among Baptists, remembered with gratitude that the advanced students of Boyce, the founder of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, read from Turrettini (a moderate Reformed thinker) and Thomas Aquinas. E.Y. Mullins, Southern Seminary's president for the first quarter of the 20th century, could adapt Schleiermacher's insights to a basically Reformed worldview.

Some worry about an "aggressive Calvinism" on college campuses. I worry more about a fundamental resistance to any vigorous kind of theological thinking. For the life of me, I cannot see that college campuses are about to be overrun by Calvinists--aggressive or otherwise. If there is genuine theological study going on, which in fact there is, then it is a matter for which we might be grateful. I am concerned about aggressive relativism in ethics and religion; I am concerned about aggressive nihilism in the moral life of college students; I am concerned about aggressive addictions and aggressive sexually transmitted diseases; I am concerned about aggressive indifference in the formation of the intellect among students.

But aggressive Calvinism? I haven't seen that yet. And I do find, however, among our best students an appreciation for the ordered, energetic, biblical teachings of John Calvin and some of his followers. To reject this rich tradition by pretending it has nothing to do with Baptist history would be wasteful and wrongheaded. To confuse the distinctive Baptist form of this tradition with its most radical historical expressions is to miss the Baptist genius that reshaped Calvinism in a way that proved fruitful for the aspiring denomination of Baptist Christians in America.

Laissez faire theology, which forgets its debt to thinkers of the past, may do for a period of time. In fact, that has mostly been the state of things since World War II, after which careful theological teaching was submerged in denominational boosterism and a cult of personality, with results that we have sadly lived with these past two decades. The atheological approach to church life leaves us narrow-minded and unimaginative, merely reciting the prejudices we have gathered like lint over the past 50 years; while a well- wrought theological tradition keeps us alive to conversation partners from every Christian generation, providing a foundation of substance for our mission and our ministry. As P.T. Forsyth once wrote, "The non-theological Christ is popular; he wins votes; but he is not mighty; he does not win souls; he does not break men into small pieces and create them anew."

A.J. Conyers is professor of theology at Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary in Waco

[RnMomof7]

**Calvinism has no place in Baptists Churches, it is antithesis to our heritage of "soul liberty"! **




Someone should have told the authors of the 1644 and 1689 confessions..both of which were calvinist..seems the Arminians stole the church and are whinning now that it seeks its historic roots

http://www.mtsbc.org/old_baptist_documents1.htm

[FreeRep]

That's good news about the 'Presbyterian Church of America'. I'm happy when I hear about church growth. According to the ‘2002 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches’ the Presbyterian Church in America up 42 percent.

However, a online search shows that's not the trend. Pew Research Council, Adherents.com and World Book, shows that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) with a 11.6 percent loss and the United Church of Christ, which dropped 14.8 percent.

Also, membership statistics from 'The National Council of Churches' show decline in memberships in reformed churches.
Acording to 'Religious Congregations and Membership, Glenmary Research Center and the 'Association of
Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, the growing Churches are those that are conservative. Those
that are declining, most were moderate or liberal churches. And the more liberal the denomination, the more they were losing.
The research findings indicate severe membership losses because they found that 74% of pastors and lay leaders do
not think evangelism should be on their congregation's agenda. Is that because of theological perspective? or denominational
heredity? or population trends?

The old adage--your viewpoint is determined by your point of viewing.

[FreeRep]

SORRY About My Double Post. Computer went down. You guys are exceptional.

<><

[FreeRep]

Hi, RnMomof7. I agree we need to get back SBC roots, and I am no Arminian, just worried about Church evangelism.

[Gamecock]

Hiya Mom! (BTW: RN=Reformed Nurse? ;-))

Two great "Calvinist" quotes by a guy that Baptists love to quote:

1. "I do not come into this pulpit hoping that perhaps somebody will of his own free will return to Christ. My hope lies in another quarter. I hope that my Master will lay hold of some of them and say, "You are mine, and you shall be mine. I claim you for myself." My hope arises from the freeness of grace, and not from the freedom of the will."

2. "The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, that Paul preached, is the truth that I must preach to-day, or else be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape the truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox's gospel is my gospel. That which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again."

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Peace unto you <><

[P-Marlowe]

Baptists should acknowledge and embrace their Calvinist heritage.

Calvin believed in infant baptism.

[Gamecock]

And Peter, the "first Pope" was married, what's your point?

[P-Marlowe]

The first Pope was Gregory. What's your point?

[Gamecock]

Note the Parenthesis. That reflects a quote. Many Catholics refer to Peter as the "first Pope." Even though he is often refered to as the Bishop of Jeruselum, He is just often listed in Catholic references as the first Pope ( http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12272b.htm ).

My point is why are you beating up someone when there are just as many seemingly contradictions in your denomination? (ie, why can Peter be married and priests can't?)

[Gamecock]

Parenthesis=Quotation make

[P-Marlowe]

My point is that Baptists don't believe in infant baptism, but baptism after repentance. Thus they cannot embrace their Calvinist Heritage as Calvin would have thought them heretics and vice versa.

[drstevej]

Marlowe is not Catholic.

[P-Marlowe]

My point is why are you beating up someone when there are just as many seemingly contradictions in your denomination?

What denomination to you assume that I am?

[P-Marlowe]

It's always a good idea to check someone's profile page before making any rash conclusions about them. Check mine out and then guess my denomination.

[Gamecock]

I've been to your home page before, even bookmarked some of your links. During this thread I confused you with someone else.

Mea Culpa.

[drstevej]

***What denomination to you assume that I am?***

Calminian Ex-Mo ???

[P-Marlowe]

Mea Culpa.

Its cool. There are worse things than being Catholic. You could always be a [FR 5th Amendment]. :-)

BTW did you push this button:

I found it on my son's website. It's pretty cool too.

[Gamecock]

There are worse things than being Catholic

I have a statement on my site: There will be some Catolics in Heaven, some Presbyterians in Hell.

Cool link

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Well-said. A joyous bump for God's total and unfettered sovereignty.

[jude24]

If you are referring to Calvinism, please allow me to gently set the record straight. We are often accused of not practicing evangelism. We take the Great Commission very seriously. Yes, we think that all events are predestined, but as far as the elect goes, we don't know who they are! It is out job as believers to spread the Word to all, so those who are meant to come to Christ hear the word through us. To us evangelism is actually very low stress, because the Holy Spirit does all the work, we just have to talk. I don't have to beat myself up if I don't "win" a soul. I've had people who I thought I've done a terrible job with, come to Christ. I've jokingly said that a room of circus chimps would have been just as effective, because the Holy Spirit was working on them. Conversely, I've done what I though was a great job, and not brought some to Christ, but if they watched the resurrection themselves, they would still not believe.

I speak as a Calvinist actively involved in evangelism through Campus Crusade.

Similarly, of the CCC staff I've gotten to know, there are three Calvinists, one Arminian, and two that I don't know.

So why would a Calvinist preach the gospel? Because if we don't, it doesn't hurt God, or the unbeliever. God can get someone else to do it. No, it harms only ourselves.

16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.
17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.
18 What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
-I Cor. 9:16-18 [NASB]

I've jokingly said that a room of circus chimps would have been just as effective, because the Holy Spirit was working on them. Conversely, I've done what I though was a great job, and not brought some to Christ, but if they watched the resurrection themselves, they would still not believe.

That's the attitude I try to pass on to those I've had the privilege to teach -- that it's not as high-stakes as they think.