At Long Last Peace in the Southern Baptist Convention!

The Calvinism Advisory Committee has just released it's report with two weeks to go before the international SBC convention to be in Houston this year. You can find the report here:

http://www.sbclife.org/mobile/wrapper.asp?ref=http://www.sbclife.net/Articles/2013/06/Sla5.asp

And I like it.
I have not always been a "more reformed" believer. I kinda grew into it through the recognition of God's Ultimate Sovereignty.  I actually fought it against vehemently for a good while.
The first time I read R. C. Sproul's Chosen By God, I made a lot of question marks in the margins and comments, too.

Now some years back some Reformed Southern Baptists started an organisation called the Founders. It was a reference to the reformed faith of the founders of the SBC. Some non-reformed folks didn't like that. Thought it a tad arrogant perhaps. Then, recently, a statement of faith was drawn up that is non-Calvinistic, referred to as a Traditionalist statement. Seeming to imply that its the Non-Calvinists who are the true tradition of the SBC. Kinda insulting to the rest of us it seems.

Some Reformed Baptist Guys

BUT, I don't 'personally' know anyone who says we need to Take Over, or Drive Out the other group. A couple bloggers I'm familiar with may be that way. Some bloggers have been less than fair and gracious in their interactions and gossiping; like Peter Lumpkins, Ergun Caner, and the more benign but still injurious Adam Harwood. (The latter I consider a friend but have been surprised by how hurtful and inconsiderate he has been.)
Some Calvinistic Baptists sure sound like they want to take over and marginalize the non-reformed types. (But I don't follow them well enough to name names.)

E Y Mullins, Not so reformed.

However, I work with many, in both camps, that are not fighting this battle. We tend to get along quite well, thank you. And interestingly enough, It's not the Calvinistic Baptists who are in charge of most SBC institutions. We are a minority in the SBC. We know that. It's OK.
     I do want to change a few things, though, let me be clear. But I am joined in some of these things by non-Calvinists, too.
For instance, I'd like us to move away from using "altar calls as manipulation" to get people to "Make a Decision." I'd like to see less dependence on "The Sinner's Prayer" to bring folks into the Kingdom of God, and assuring them they are saved once they repeat it! I'd like to see more emphasis on the proclamation of the Gospel, that Jesus came to save sinners, and greater recognition that the Gospel IS relevant to the lost whether they know it or not. Now, let me be clear again to say that an altar call and a sinner's prayer are not inherently wrong. I'm not saying that. I'm saying they don't save! Faith in Christ and His work saves.

Herschel Hobbs,
Another not so reformed.

Back to the Calvinism Advisory Committee, I'm grateful for their attempt to bring down the excited rhetoric, and encourage gracious listening and understanding. I'm glad they recognize our "Tradition" is made up of both camps and several shades in-between. Interestingly, the leader of the group, Former SBC President Frank Page, (who I have found to be a gracious fellow) has written a booklet called Trouble with the TULIP, which as you can imagine puts him in  an interesting spot as the leader of this commission. But he was joined by people from both parties and they all seem to show a great magnanimity toward each other.
I sincerely hope that this will help heal some things that have hurt us in recent years. But until some of the more "mouthy", rude, inconsiderate types let this go, it's still going to be a hurtful subject.
And I mean that for people on either side of this debate.

This doesn't mean we don't discuss these things. It means we do it with mutual respect and courtesy, yet speaking the truth in love. It doesn't mean Dr. Page can't write another book about the "Trouble with the TULIP" or Dr. Mohler another book on the "Danger of the Daisy." (A little play on the Non-TULIP idea. Can you handle that?) It means they write those without personally attacking those who may disagree. Without calling them lost, or stupid, or pronouncing the anathema on them.

Frank Page

Al Mohler

As many have said, Truth Unites - and Divides. I do think there is a danger in hyper-Calvinism and extreme Arminianism (or Semi-Pelagianism). I don't want us to ever abandon the free offer of the gospel and the compelling of women and men to repent and believe the gospel. Neither do I want us to practice a soteriology that says, just repeat this prayer after me and you'll be saved. Or, its all up to you, just accept Jesus as your personal savior and you can go to heaven (leaving out the need for repentance and surrender of one's will to Christ as Lord.) But if we can avoid extremes, can we get a long? If somebody is appointed a ministry leader in SBC life can we avoid criticism because they're just a little different from us?
Do they affirm the Word of God? Do they affirm Christ, the God/man who died a substitutionary death, so that we may believe and be saved? Do they affirm that Salvation is by the Grace of God through faith and not of works? They they affirm that the grace that saves brings along with it a repentant life? Do they affirm the requisite task of evangelism and disciple-making and the free offer of the gospel to all who believe? Isn't that enough? Doesn't that describe our ministry leaders today?
I certainly hope so. And I certainly hope this study has great success in achieving their goals.

Behold how good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity.

Clark



*TULIP Stands for Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. I would re-title these 5 categories, similar to RC Sproul, as Radical Depravity, Unconditional Election, Definite redemption, Effectual Grace and Preservation of the Saints. But RUDEP isn't that catchy.

On Bad News and Boycotts (A wee bit of rant)

What a week! Can you imagine someone coming back from a week retreat or a technology fast saying to you on Friday evening, "Hey whats going on these days?" Gee! Where do I start? Bombing in Boston, explosion in West, Texas, floods in Chicago, tornadoes, shootout with police in Boston, lockdown in Boston, Hospitals filling up in Waco and Austin, Capture of suspected terrorist in Boston...  not much else, Whats up with you?
Then last night Boston partied like they beat the Yankees for the pennant. But its not closure for a lot of people. There are still hurting people in hospitals and recovery, there are still grieving people, there are still lives cut short, and divisive
debates in our country, and these folks need our prayers and help. Our leaders need our prayers and input. All in all it's been a tough week in many ways.
So today, I get up at a leisurely pace, take the pills for the things I've been going through lately, have a cup of yoghurt, and head out to finish up my sermon for Sunday. So I go to Starbucks, get a parking spot in front of the door, get my laptop and some commentaries out of my trunk, come into the store, set all my stuff down on the table I was hoping was free and I hear my name. I turn around and the barista is walking toward me  saying, "Here you go Clark, didn't want you to have to wait, your Americano."
And people tell me I should boycott this place!
I know, I know, its not all about me. (Thank you Rick Warren for putting that on so many people's lips.) But this Barista, whose name I can't recall, is not the CEO of Starbucks. He's just a guy that needs a job and he does it well and tries hard. He didn't decide to support gay marriage, he just shows up and does what he's supposed to do. He's not setting policy, nor any of his co-workers, he's just selling coffee. And I'm building a relationship with them. And I don't come in here as often as I used to and for that I feel a twinge of guilt. But the fact that I come here at all makes me feel a twinge of guilt. Maybe since I'm white and a tiny bit Jewish I'm SUPPOSED to feel guilt all the time, but to my mind, this is silly.
Years ago I participated in the boycott of 7-11 to get them to stop selling porn as other major chains had done. I didn't buy their gas or their coffee or their Big Gulps (and that was hard). One day the magazines were gone. I was glad. I was really proud of the widespread effort that helped achieve that.
But have you seen the list of things we are "Supposed" to be boycotting now? It goes on and on and on. Especially when you considere how many products are in someway connected to Monsanto and everybody knows how bad they are. And Wal-Mart! I know people that can't live without Wal-Mart. I might avoid it but I get good pharmacy prices there.And Disney! Oh wait, is that one lifted?
Here's the thing. I'm not against boycotting but I don't know how effective this widespread "boycott everybody supporting bad stuff" effort is. Maybe if a few of our various denominational or "Christian right" leaders got together and agreed on a targeted boycott or two we might achieve something. Folks from Dr. Moore the new head of the Southern Baptist ERLC to James Dobson to Rick Warren to R C Sproul - Hey I don't who! - maybe if they picked some key organisations doing the most harm, talked to them, and if they didn't cease and desist we mount a boycott of epic proportions.
Because, after all, it is a free country, we can shop where we please or not shop. But I'm not sure targeting Starbucks, Home Depot, etc. etc. is really going to have an effect on legislation nor the morals of their customers.
So until then, my recommendation is to shop where you please. Build relationships with people. Be Christian and Christ-like. And don't blame the barista or the Wal-Mart greeter, or the nuts and bolts guy at Home Depot for participating in the Great Tribulation.
 And then we can pray for our country, too.

Infant Beheading, Severed Baby Feet, Screaming Newborns

Horrible Headlines right? But why aren't NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, CNN or HLN talking about it? Let a conservative say something stupid and they talk about it for days. Let an Abortionist kill born babies and all we hear is silence!
As columnist Kirsten Powers wrote on USAToday.com:
"You don't have to oppose abortion rights to find late-term abortion abhorrent or to find the [Kermit] Gosnell trial eminently newsworthy. This is not about being "pro-choice" or "pro-life." It's about basic human rights."*
We've been fighting this abortion battle for years.
I've marched on the capital, signed petitions, sent money to pro-life groups and wondered if it did any good at all. Thankfully abortions are not as frequent as they were a years ago, but there are still a ridiculous amount. 
Are all aborting mothers horrible witch-like murderers? No, of course not. Many are scared confused kids. Many are overwhelmed single moms. and most (probably) have been sold a lie that its just a mass of tissue. But they are still doing it and it's still wrong and people like Dr. Kermit Gosnell are facilitating, encouraging and enabling this rampant death culture that says, "as long as I can't see it its not a baby."
Ad to that Planned Abortive Parenthood's recent claim that its OK to kill a baby that has been born alive following an attempted abortion and you are closer to euthanasia's acceptance in our culture.
Just like the battle for same-gender marriage opens the door to people who say marriage ought to be for any two (or more) people (or things) that want to be married; gender, age, genus and species notwithstanding. So, the pro-death abortion crowd is expanding the borders of acceptable death.
But can we stop this argument long enough to agree that too far is too far?
Consider this part of the USAToday report:

NBC-10 Philadelphia reported that, Stephen Massof, a former Gosnell worker, "described how he snipped the spinal cords of babies, calling it, 'literally a beheading. It is separating the brain from the body." One former worker, Adrienne Moton, testified that Gosnell taught her his "snipping" technique to use on infants born alive. Massof, who, like other witnesses, has himself pleaded guilty to serious crimes, testified "It would rain fetuses. Fetuses and blood all over the place." (My bolding)

We need to get a handle on this and stop the erosion of our long term view of the value of life. We need to pray and talk and cajole and win some people over. Not because I think this will have some affect on the Kingdom of God or some sense of Corporate morality; but because babies are being slaughtered.



* http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/04/10/philadelphia-abortion-clinic-horror-column/2072577/
** Note: from http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/454360/20130407/philadelphia-abortion-clinic-trial-details-babies-beheaded.htm  Gosnell, 72, is standing trial for the murder of seven at the Philadelphia Women's Medical Society Clinic, as well as a woman, Karnamaya Mongar, 41, who walked in to the hospital as a patient, the Mail reports. If he is found guilty, Gosnell will be sentenced to death. Massof, who await his own sentencing hearing after he pled guilty to the murder of two babies, claimed the clinic also cut out the spinal cord of nearly 100 living infants. And, for what it was worth, he said the clinic's instruments were rusty and unsafe.