Growing Calvinism Confronted

[Gene Scarborough]

[John Sneed]

Someone ought to take those heretical calvinists out back and burn them immediately! All at once. Purge them all now.

See? If you liberals had just executed all those rotten nasty low down God hating conservatives when you had the chance, these filthy calvinists wouldn't be here. It is all your fault.

My thoughts.....

[William Thornton]

[KeithE]

[Dave Roberts]

Churches need to become much more savvy in their questions for prospective pastors and staff members so that they can recognize a strict 5-point Calvinist from a modified Calvinist from an Arminian. The presence of these folks makes it far more difficult for search committees. I am aware of a NC church that just fired the pastor after he told a deacon and his wife that he did not believe they were among the elect. It's going to get worse as Mohler and Akin grind out more graduates indoctrinated in Calvinism.

I do agree with William that associations are becoming, in many but not all cases, an exercise in blessed irrelevancy. I hope that I do not have to attend such meetings often again, and I have tried often to support and work with them.

[Tim Bonney]

[KeithE]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Gene Scarborough]

Much of the Calvinism business is nothing different from the Mallenial argument / Inerrancy / ad nauseum:

The are just points of view which stir argument over cooperation.

Why should I be surprised that the CR Inerrency folks continue to argue on pointless

At one time us Baptists perfeerred Missions as the focus over theological nit-picking.

Sadly, those days are gone in religion and politics as people prefer to fuss and fight = so much for "live and let live in a free society!"

[KeithE]

[Dave Roberts]

My best definition of modified Calvinism came from a Scottish Presbyterian who said that on the outside of heavens gates hangs the sign, "Whosoever will may come." He said that when we get inside and turn around, the sign over the gate will say, "Chosen in him before the foundation of the world." His belief was that God knows how we will choose but never coerces us. He was a single-predestinarian, not a double one.

[Tim Bonney]

[Ed Pettibone]

[KeithE]

[Tim Bonney]

Basically Keith "Modified Calvinism" is someone who believes a part of the TULIP but not all of it. It is an attempt usually to make Calvinism consistant since most people who actually claim to believe in the five points don't act as if they do. So modified Calvinists will support strongly "once saved always saved" but will waffle on "limited atonement" for example. And what the modification is mostly depends on the individual.

[KeithE]

[Gene Scarborough]

This whole Calvinism thing is just adding to religious confusion and nit-picking argument.

I view it under Fosdick's famous observation: "Who really cares about the Jebusites!"

[Tim Bonney]

Keith you are right. I've not known Southern Baptists to know about Arminianism even if their beliefs happen to be almost identical to it. Also many American Baptists are not aquainted with Calvinism, particularly in areas like Iowa where Free Will Baptists merged with Northern Baptists in the early 1900s.

When I tried to explain Calvinism to the members of FBC Des Moines some actually laughed. They thought I was making it up it seemed so absurd to them. They'd hardly heard of it.

Oddly there are Methodists who have been influenced by Calvinist teachings without knowning. For example a lot of women's groups use Beth Moore material. And she is at least a modified Calvinist. Some UMC pastors are deciding not to allow her material to be used beause they feel like they have to unteach part of what she teaches.

[Gene Scarborough]

I saw some Beth Moore stuff a week ago---Is she butch or what????

Combines entertainment with control with much applause!

[Gene Scarborough]

[Matt Richard]

No Calvinists, no women, what's next???

Guess we'll just keep kicking people out until no one is left. Great legacy.

[Gene Scarborough]

If NC keeps getting more narrow, they can house their annual meeting in the men's room at the Baptist Building in Raleigh and save lots of money!!!

[Tim Bonney]

[Gene Scarborough]

I keep asking myself: "Why didn't I just take my Emory connection into the UMC. Several of my early ministerial friends have found a happy home in the UMC.

I didn't have a crystal ball and, perhaps, was a little stupid!!!!

[Tim Bonney]