F. H. Kerfoot softened James P. Boyce's strict Calvinism in first major edit

James P. Boyce is considered by many to be the "father" of historic Baptist Calvinism in America, especially Calvinism in the Southern Baptist Convention. Boyce's name is never far from those who speak of the theological "founders" of Southern Baptists.

The president of Beeson Divinity School, Timothy George, wrote an essay in 1985 entitled "Systematic Theology at Southern Seminary" and published in Southern seminary's elder brother journal, Review and Expositor. In the section where he mentions the accomplishments of F.H. Kerfoot, Dr. George writes:  

Upon his death in 1888 Boyce was succeeded by F. H. Kerfoot who in the previous year had already been elected co-professor of Systematic Theology and Church Government. Kerfoot served in this capacity until the summer of 1899, when he resigned to become the secretary of the Home Mission Board. Kerfoot’s major contribution to his discipline was to reissue in revised form Boyce’s Abstract Although he lauded Boyce as “the greatest leader that Southern Baptists have ever had,” Kerfoot did in fact include, always in small print or footnotes, several points on which he differed from his mentor. Kerfoot, for example, advocated a general as opposed to a limited atonement, and held that conversion preceded regeneration, thus reversing Boyce’s Calvinist ordering.²² 

--Review and Expositor 82, no. 1 (1985): 35

The two doctrines George mentions that Kerfoot thought needed special attention when he revised and published his mentor's work are a) advocating a general atonement contra a limited atonement; b) arguing against the regeneration precedes faith doctrine Boyce had presumably inherited from Princeton.

What is more, unless I am mistaken, one won't find Kerfoot's edition in the Founders Ministries' library. At least, if I recall correctly, it wasn't the edition Founders presented me in 1981.

Whatever the case, George's acknowledgement that Southern Baptists generally and Southern seminary particularly very early and very quickly after Boyce's departure from Southern forsook his High Calvinism for a much more theologically acceptable--not to mention much more biblically sustainable--version of Calvinism.

Comments

[dr. james willingham]

My, Peter, what about all of those Calvinists who preceded Boyce? E.g., like Roger Williams, Dr. John Clarke, William Screven, Oliver Hart, the Mercers, Furmans, Manleys, John Gano, and the works of John Gill promoted by the Charleston Baptist Assn. for its pastors before Boyce was ever born? Could your problem be that you never heard of paradoxes, therapeutic paradoxes in particular, and that some sinners need to hear such messages? One whole city had to hear a message of unrelieved condemnation, a prophecy of utter ruin, without a single word of invitation, and that from a prophet who did not want to see a one of them spared, not even one of the 60,000 that knew not their right hand from their left. Think of Jonah. And Boyce held second place to P.H. Mell when it came to being elected President of the SBC. Have you read Mell's tract on Predestination?

[peter lumpkins]

Dr. Willingham,

Yes I'm aware of the Calvinists you mention, including Mell whose book I possess. But what difference does listing any number of Calvinists make to George's claim that Kerfoot dropped two significant doctrines from Boyce's textbook before the end of the nineteenth century? Are you prepared to argue that either limited atonement or regeneration precedes faith is not a significant change? It seems to me that convictional Baptist Calvinists are going to have to sooner or later concede that Calvinism was definitively not a foregone conclusion amongst 19th century Baptists in the south. Founders' historiography continues to bump into the historic record itself. Facts like Timothy George mentions will not cease to challenge preconceived ideologies imposed upon Baptist people.

Lord bless brother.

With that, I am...
Peter