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Whomever He Wills: a brief discussion on Dr. Mark Devine's chapter--"Total Depravity" by Peter Lumpkins

  Below begins a series of my initial thoughts on the chapter concerning total depravity written by Dr. Mark DeVine in Whomever He Wills¹. I hope my commentary is helpful and the video format useful²...   >>>

Monergism.com snubs two Southern seminary professors' book by Peter Lumpkins

Drs. Peter J. Gentry (PhD, University of Toronto), professor of Old Testament Interpretation at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and director of the Hexapla Institute, and Stephen J. Wellum (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), professor of Christian theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and editor of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, just released their latest volume, Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants, to high-five accolades from a broad swath of pleased supporters within the Reformed community   >>>

Response to Whomever He Wills: Part II by David Allen

UPDATE: Note: four parts are now available. Check out the links at the bottom of the post...

We linked to Dr. David Allen's introductory remarks concerning the newest release by Founders Press, Whomever He Wills, edited by Drs. Matthew Barrett and Thomas J. Nettles. Since Allen's opening remarks were posted, Dr. Fred Zaspel, author of the book's Preface which Allen critically engaged in his introductory remarks, has offered a brief response to Dr. Allen   >>>

New Resource: articles from Baptist media sources concerning Calvinism in the Southern Baptist Convention by Peter Lumpkins

I just put up a new resource--a page containing articles from Southern Baptist media sources concerning the subject of Calvinism in the Southern Baptist Convention. Sources will include Baptist Press and all available state papers. No commentary is offered. Nor is the resource intended as a polemical tool. If the article was published by a Southern Baptist news venue, it qualified for the resource.

Check out the page (click here or look on the sidebar for a link there). It obviously is only a beginning. When it is finished, I hope it will be thorough even if not exhaustive. If you know of an article which would qualify, leave it in the comment thread and I'll add it.

Preaching "Regeneration precedes faith" deadly for Baptists in the Mississippi Valley in the 19th century by Peter Lumpkins

   In Whomever He Wills,  Dr. Matthew Barrett writes in his chapter entitled, "The Scriptural Affirmation of Monergism" concerning the doctrinal significance of what has become known as regeneration precedes faith--or, in short, monergism. He writes:

Whomever He Wills: a brief introduction by Peter Lumpkins

  I spoke with a friend on my way to Indy last week. He mentioned the amazing success he's had doing video book-notes posted on his site. I decided to give it a try. While I won't bind myself using this form of media, I hope to add it to the writing I do on SBC Tomorrow. It's actually a lot quicker than pecking out my thoughts on the keyboard. Whatever the case, I intend to continue communicating mainly through the written word  >>>

James White critiques Ronnie Rogers' book, “Reflections of a Disenchanted Calvinist” by Peter Lumpkins

  

UPDATE: As expected, James White responded to this piece on his follow-up "Radio Free Geneva" podcast. Well, let me be clear: it really wasn't a response to this piece so much as an acknowledgment of it.  During the first few minutes, he talks about "almost forgetting" about old "Petey" (And, we want to assure James White we've not forgotten about him, either!) Then, he and Rich Pierce ridiculed the video I put up because of the number of views, etc. comparing my traffic to his. What a hoot! Like giddy, junior high boys giggling, poking fun, and wrestling around over the floor, White & Pierce give us a little show as if the video itself did not bother them. However, what they fail to note is, within minutes of my video being posted on youtube, Rich Pierce, Vice President of Alpha & Omega Ministries, logged on and demanded (or shall we say, "politely asked") I take the video down since it breached copyright law!⁹ Well, views or not, James White appears really sensitive when his views are openly criticized.

Check out my notice from youtube¹⁰

In addition, White states the collection I put together was ripped from each snippet's respective context suggesting the words on my video skewed his meaning. As I said in the post below, I gave the link to the entire podcast so anyone may check to see if I did skew the context. One tires of this cheap response (which is really no response unless one can show how the context is skewed). 

Consider one change when listening to White's second mention of Rogers' "anti-Calvinism book" on his "Radio Free Geneva": White's tone, attitude, and commentary on the second podcast reveal an undeniably marked difference compared to his first one. Observe his unemotional, straight-forward presentation when he mentions Rogers' book. He neither ridicules nor scorns as he did in the first podcast. And, yes, I do believe he changed his approach due, at least in part, to the criticism below contra persistent claims otherwise.

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Below is my response to James White's hour-long "Radio Free Geneva" review of Ronnie Rogers' newest book, Reflections Of A Disenchanted Calvinist: The Disquieting Realities of Calvinism.  It's long. It's necessarily long. For that, I apologize in advance. By the way, note also SBC Today is presently running a series of posts on Rogers' book beginning with an author interview.  In addition, the current post is the second of four installemnts which will eventually constitute the entire 16th chapter (part I).

Now, on to James White's book "review"  >>>

Former Calvinist speaks about his journey away from the "doctrines of grace" by Peter Lumpkins

   Ronnie Rogers is pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, Norman, OK. In Reflections of a Disenchanted Calvinist, Rogers speaks as no stranger to his subject. Indeed for years he embraced Calvinism but through systematic exposition of Scripture, he came to view the Reformed hermeneutical template a hindrance to understanding biblical revelation rather than a help   >>>

                                                                                                                            click the book icon to go to Amazon.com¹

Founders Calvinist Tom Nettles and the takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention (part I) by Peter Lumpkins

Kentucky pastor and SBC Voices contributor, Jared Moore posed a series of questions to "Traditionalists" about the address Dr. Tom Nettles, Professor of Historical Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, recently gave at the Founders Breakfast held during the Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans. >>>

We're down to 2 Point Calvinism by Peter Lumpkins

This week was an interesting week on SBC Tomorrow. On Wednesday, we offered a piece on Andrew Broaddus (1770-1848), a legendary figure in his own time...   >>>

E. C. Dargan rejects total depravity; or, Was E. C. Dargan actually a Semi-Pelagian? by Peter Lumpkins

Edwin Charles Dargan was born on November 17, 1852. A native of South Carolina, he converted to Christ at age sixteen and went on to earn two degrees from Furman University (B.A., M.A.) and later enrolled in Southern Baptist Theological Seminary studying theology under the famed founder of Southern, James. P. Boyce  >>>

Al Mohler on Southern Baptists solving their doctrinal divide—“marginalize those whose influence should be marginalized” by Peter Lumpkins

In a post delineating his thoughts on the 2012 Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans, Dr. Al Mohler spoke what very well may be the most disturbing words to date concerning the Calvinist debate in the Southern Baptist Convention. In fact, his words deserve full exposure not only on Baptist Press but in every denominational paper of each state convention. Entitled, "Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight: The 2012 Southern Baptist Convention," our seminary president writes these words, words which rightfully ought to outrage every Southern Baptist:

Tom Ascol, Regeneration, and the Baptist Faith and Message by Peter Lumpkins

Dr. Tom Ascol, Director of Founders Ministries, is presently doing a lengthy series¹ of responses to the recent Traditional Statement (TS) released by Dr. Eric Hankins, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Oxford, MS. As indicated here and elsewhere many times since the initial TS release, Hankins' statement of faith generated a sizeable amount of criticism—both sober and vitriolic in nature--particularly but predictably from Baptist Calvinists. Even Al Mohler publicly lamented the document's creation and content; and thankfully, Mohler represented the more sober criticism to date even if TS supporters understandably took Mohler to task for couching his criticism in subtle superciliousness >>>

Calvinists recruit W.A. Criswell to their cause by Peter Lumpkins

Dr. Tom Ascol is Director of Founders Ministries, the largest network of Calvinists affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Founders Ministries maintains that since Southern Baptists have “lost the gospel”, it apparently will be up to like-minded Calvinists like themselves to assist us in finding the gospel*    >>>

*I remain very much aware I broke my own ususal standard in posting such a long piece. I only hope I have not presumed upon my readership for whom I am always thankful...

Al Mohler, Semi-Pelagianism, and being "Traditional" Southern Baptists by Peter Lumpkins

I’m personally appreciative Al Mohler responded to “A Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation” (TS) released to the public last week by Dr. Eric Hankins, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Oxford, Mississippi >>>