We Must Stand for Truth Without Compromise
This is my first posting and first attempt at managing a blog. I started this as a result of the cancellation of the Baptist and Calvinism debate in Lynchburg, VA. Several people including me from North and South Carolina were planning on going. We are saddened that an open discussion on historic Southern Baptist doctrines such as Reformed Theology will not take place. I pray that in the near future, such a debate will happen.
Here is a little about me. My name is Robert Owen. I graduated with a BA in Christian Studies from North Greenville University in Tigerville, SC in May 2006. I live in Blacksburg, SC where I currently serve in teaching responsibilities at Holly Ridge Baptist Church. We are a three year old church plant who holds to Reformed Theology, which, contrary to popular and ignorant belief, is the historical and traditional belief of the Southern Baptist Convention. Anyone who claims otherwise simply has no concept of their own church history.
I for one was one of those people who was an anti-Calvinist until God opened my eyes to the truth in Scripture. I finally sat under the teaching of someone who truely did exegesis. It is amazing what the Scriptures say when you read them without putting your preconceived ideas into them. Some people argue that Calvinism makes someone weak on evangelism. I for one agree with John Piper when I say that Calvinism is my cause for evangelism. Only Calvinism teaches that we are gauranteed that people are out there who will believe the gospel. How can anyone hope that motivational speaking and manipulative tactics can produce true saving faith in anyone. The Apostle Paul in Romans said that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. No "sinner's prayer," which is not even found ANYWHERE in the the Bible, can save anyone. The Apostles preached the gospel and told people to repent and believe the gospel. That was their invitation. God's elect will believe the gospel and respond with faith and repentance. All others will look at the the gospel as foolish talk. I think I heard that somewhere before! Could it be the Bible? God saves people by the foolishness of preaching a gospel of Jesus Christ crucified.
Nowhere does the Bible make the gospel appealing or worship comfortable to the non-believer. In fact the gospel is offensive. The gospel says that we are worthless sinners who stand in judgement before God and deserve only God's wrath which is an eternity in hell. What is appealing about that? However, God offered Himself as the sacrifice in our place to pay the price for our sins. Yes that is right, Jesus is God who made the sacrifice. Belief in a so-called God who was crucified and rose from the dead is foolish talk. But that is what the Bible says, and I for one am convinced the Bible is true; therefore, I believe everything in it.
I hope this blog provides a forum for open discussion of doctrines and issues pertaining to the Southern Baptist Convention. I am open to discussing other denominations; however, we have enough issues of division within the SBC. Other denominational discussions will be allowed, but please keep them to a minimum. I look forward to debating with you.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Robert
posted by Robert Owen at 11:32 PM
9 Comments:
Thanks brother, for beginning this blog. My prayer is that many SBCers will take part in dialogue on this page, to the edification of the saints and the glory of the sovereign Lord who bought us with His blood. Many blessings.
Here's a topic you touched upon that has been a concern of mine for some time. The seeming ignorance in the pew of Baptist history, and even more important, ignorance of Biblical doctrine. What concerns me most is the willingness of many pastors in the SBC (many of whom are high profile pastors of large churches), who seem to revel in, and encourage Biblical/historical ignorance in the sheep they have been charged to feed. Sound doctrinal teaching has been replaced in many quarters with rhetoric and emotional manipulation. What really gets to me is the attempt to get the person in the pew to follow the pastor blindly, while encouraging the membership to ignore the theology of the saints of the past on whose shoulders we stand. Accepting any teaching without holding it up to the light of scripture is not only dangerous, but unbiblical. Even the apostle Paul admonished his hearers to "search the scriptures daily and see if these things be true." It is the height of arrogance to claim to be a Biblicist, and yet downplay the careful study of scripture by the membership. The importance of sound doctrine is obvious: careful study of the scriptures = sound doctrine = a Biblical gospel = sound conversions = right belief = right practice = God being glorified in His church.
humbled by grace said...
Hello everyone. This is my first time writing on a blog. I am saddened by our modern day lack of studying our Southern Baptist roots. I don't understand how pastors of big churches... or those who don't preach the true gospel - can have such a strong say as to what they feel are the true Christian beliefs of the gospel. I'll go ahead and say that I am actually someone who has in the past 3-4 months began to see the real truth of the gospel. The holy spirit has opened my eyes to the truth and I am humbled by God's amazing grace. I have questions that I would love to ask in my other blogs later on. I long to bring glory to God.
humbled by grace,
Praise the Lord, brother. I understand how humbling it is to come to a knowledge of God's grace and mercy. Keep learning...keep growing!!
I can't believe, or I really can believe the gross misrepresentation Dr. Vines gave at Woodstock, GA. He clearly has very little understanding of Calvinism. He even has in his mind that Peter gave an invitation on the day of Pentecost! Here we have another bold example of eisegesis. LET THE WORD SPEAK!!!
Soli Deo Gloria
Here is the link to Tom Nettles' post on Dr. Vines' sermon.
http://www.founders.org/blog/2006/10/vines-on-calvinism.html
Reformed Owen,
Well I have to agree, though I haven't listened to Vine's sermon yet, that I really don't expect to hear anything new. It's just the same old straw man arguments you'll always hear from the "let's stamp out Calvinism" crowd. What's so disappointing is the caliber of people these remarks come from. These aren't theological dummies. What is so sad is that the average person in the pew doesn't know any different...rather than investigate these things for themselves, most will just accept what someone like Jerry Vines will say about it simply because of his reputation...which is arguably quite high.
all of grace,
I understand your concern for those who misrepresent Calvinism. I dealt with it for years until I met someone who was a reformed Baptist. I knew some Presbyterians, but they never could convince me of predestination and election. I always thought the very idea of election was unfair. I now realize that redemption itself is unfair. Think about it, Christ who knew no sin became sin for us. God's Righteousness in human form took our sin upon Himself. He bore God's holy wrath that we deserved. That is what is not fair, but people don't want to say that is unfair because they benefit from it. As far as Calvinism, after I met a reformed Baptist, which I never thought there was such an animal, I was challenged to search the Scriptures for myself without reading into them my preconceived notions about man's free will to choose salvation. I simply let the Scriptures speak. I, like most other good Southern Baptists, simply assumed things were always the way they were within the SBC. I never studied church history or anything about the founding fathers of the SBC. For the life of me, I don't understand why such educated men who studied at good seminaries can have such hostility toward Calvinism. However, I reason these things with a finite mind which naturally thinks man-centered. Of course, my God-centered mindset knows that God has to illumine their minds to the Scriptures. We can reason and debate the Scriptures all day long. Until God lets them realize these truths, they never will see them. When I was an anti-Calvinist, I argued against Calvinism with the same passages I now use to support Calvinism!
As for my parents, they are accepting of my Reformed beliefs. My dad is coming aroung without actually acknowledging his beliefs as being reformed. I use the times we spend together as times to disciple him without waving my Calvinist banner. I just use the Scriptures in our conversations. We often talk about the attributes of God together. I do these things without mentioning Calvinism to him. Most people who do not understand Calvinism automatically attack it because they fear it. Especially as Baptists, people always hear that Calvinists do not evangelize because they believe the elect will come to them. It is sad however, that some Calvinists do actually believe that. Another attack on Calvinists is a lack of an "alter call." I think it's funny, because the Church does not have an alter. The last alter was destroyed in 70 AD with the temple.
I would love to talk with you and your boyfriend sometime about these issues. I don't know where you guys live, but I live in upstate SC. Contact me sometime via the contacts in my profile.
Soli Deo Gloria!!
Please forgive me, the last comment was to "humbled by grace," not "all of grace."
I have written a number of letters on the issue of "Baptist and Calvinism" most of which have remained unpublished. I am convinced the Arminian leadership of the Convention is either woefully ignorant of the issues in this debate[and willing to remain that way]or is deliberately misrepresenting this issues because they know they don't have a biblical leg to stand on to support their lame arguments. Either way, they should be ashamed of themselves.
You might find interesting an article I wrote years ago entitled "Burning Straw Dummies" Google search engine should bring it up. I also invite you to visit my blog. www.gracedocs.blogspot.com.
Keep the faith!
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