Some of our Arminian brethren in the Southern Baptist Convention, led by the ever-colorful Jerry Vines of Jacksonville, have been holding a conference in Woodstock, Georgia, to discuss why they don't approve of Calvinism. Andrew Lindsey (who has far more patience than I) is live-blogging it and posting those notes as a guest-blogger over at Challies.Never let it be said I am not fair and balance in this 400 year debate between the Arminian brethren and the Calvinest brethren.
THE JOHN 3 16 CONFERENCE HAS ITS CONVENTION IN GEORGIA TO DISCREDIT THE DOCTRINE OF GRACE, OR SOMETIME KNOWN AS CALVINISM. THESE MEN ARE THE BEST THAT THEY HAVE TOO OFTER WHO DO NOT HOLD TO THE POSITION OF THE FIVE POINTS OF THE DOCTRINE OF GRACE.
I DIDN'T GO, WANTED TO GO, BUT SOME WHO WERE THERE HAD LIVE BLOGGING AND POSTED THE MATERIAL IN THEIR BLOGGER.
James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries is currently in London doing the work of an apologist/Evangelist. Ironically enough, he is doing the very things he shouldn’t be doing if he was a hyper-Calvinist as David Allen called him during one of the SBC’s lowest moments, the John 3:16 Conference.
These men, preacher, are really good men. They like to point out the HYPER-CALVINISM position. One person they called Hyper was James White
- "In any case, the hypers detest me, and there is a reason for it! I do everything they detest while upholding the Kingship of God in glorifying Himself in the salvation of His elect. Meanwhile, the synergists of all stripes, including those modern Southern Baptists who refuse to use historical terminology of their position (indeed, who rarely have sufficient “system” in their “systematic theology” so that their views can be identified in any consistent fashion other than “non-Reformed”), will continue to throw the “hyper-Calvinist” moniker around as a scare tactic, hoping, it seems, that their significantly less than compelling argumentation will be enough to keep the promising young minds in their churches from considering Reformed theology. But, alas, just as is the case amongst the Calvary Chapels—when you direct folks to the Bible, you are directing them to the very heart and soul of Reformed theology, the living text itself. So you have to try to overlay it with as much human tradition as you can lest they see with clarity the power and freedom of God that shines from every page! That seems to have been the purpose in this conference in Georgia as well. Give the pastors some kind of argumentation to use—not a full response, not a meaningful exegetical position to espouse, but just enough of a response to deflect interest." Read the rest of James's response here
The Prince of Preachers has an opinion on what was taught during the John 3:16 Conference. No, I did not receive a special message from C.H. Spurgeon from the third heaven. I did, however, find a quote from him which pretty well expresses his thoughts concerning the tenets of Calvinism, the very tenets that the John 3:16 Conference set out to “biblically” and “theologically” assess and debunk.
Regarding Calvinism, Spurgeon said this:
- "The doctrines of original sin, election, effectual calling, final perseverance, and all those great truths which are called Calvinism—though Calvin was not the author of them, but simply an able writer and preacher upon the subject—are, I believe, the essential doctrines of the Gospel that is in Jesus Christ. Now, I do not ask you whether you believe all this—it is possible you may not; but I believe you will before you enter heaven. I am persuaded, that as God may have washed your hearts, he will wash your brains before you enter heaven. "
Don’t you just love the way Spurgeon has with words and his incredible God-given ability to express things?
