Calvinism & the Southern Baptist Convention

    Over the past several decades a fierce controversy has been raging within the Southern Baptist Convention regarding Calvinism. Calvinism is a type of theology which emphasizes the sovereignty and power of God, and is especially known for its controversial tenet of predestination. Calvinism has made a resurgence in Baptist circles in recent years, and some traditionalists within the SBC think that they are witnessing the end of civilization as they know it.
    The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. with 16.1 million reported adherents. Founded in 1845, its primary purpose is to promote missions, and it has always had a strong evangelistic thrust.
   

James P. Boyce

 Interestingly, many of the early leaders of the Convention were thorough-going Calvinists, including the first president of Southern Baptist Seminary, James P. Boyce. Yet over time the Convention has tended to drift toward a different type of theology with an emphasis on the free offer of the gospel. Starting in the 1970's, however, there was a resurgence of Calvinism in the Convention, and this has resulted in protracted controversy. In 2012 a group of pastors and theologians produced "A Statemenf of the Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God's Plan of Salvation" In the preamble to the Statement the authors declared that "The traditional Southern Baptist soteriology [the doctrine of salvation] is grounded in the conviction that every person can and must be saved by a personal and free decision to respond to the Gospel by trusting in Christ Jesus alone as Savior and Lord . . . Baptists have been well-served by a straightforward soteriology rooted in the fact that Christ is willing and able to save any and every sinner." The Statement itself consists of ten articles, each one containing an affirmation and a denial.
    The language of the Statement is often vague and confusing. It often speaks of the sovereignty, grace and power of God in salvation, but its principle aim is to limit those very things. Specifically the Statement rejects "TULIP," the so-called "Five points of Calvinism." (TULIP is an acronym that stands for Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and the Perseverance of the Saints.). The Statement marshals a large amount of proof texts to support its major contention of the free offer of the gospel, but largely ignores those texts which deal with God's sovereignty and power, the spiritual condition of the lost sinner, and the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion. In this regard we think that the Statement is fatally weak.
    What we propose to do in the following series of blog posts is to examine each one of the articles contained in the Statement in the light of Scripture. Our aim is not to engender more controversy, but to promote mutual understanding and to clear away misconceptions. Specifically we hope to demonstrate that "Calvinism," (if we must call the theology of the Bible by that name), if properly understood, does not pose a threat to missionary or evangelistic activity, but rather is an aid to true revival, which we desperately need. Ultimately our hope is that the series will promote the peace and unity of the church. The readers' comments, as always, are welcome.