peterlumpkins.com

I Vote No: 2022 Southern Baptist Convention, Anaheim, California

The 2022 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) scheduled in Anaheim, California is about to be underway. I'm not going. But if I were, I would unequivocally vote No on the proposed recommendations by the Sex Abuse Task Force (SATF). Not that I would be opposed to any and all reform efforts to better inform and resource churches and entities associated with the SBC about sexual abuse. Being associated with and supportive of the SBC since I was converted in 1977, and having served SBC churches as volunteer, church planter, lead pastor,... Read more →

Thoughts on Christian Duty No. 3: Reading the Scriptures by James M. Pendleton

James Madison Pendleton (1811-1891) was a Baptist pastor, theologian, and university professor. He held pastorates in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. While he was pastor in Murfreesboro, TN, he was also professor of theology at Union University, a Baptist college that would later move to Jackson, TN. Pendleton is best remembered as one of the three most significant leaders of the Landmark Movement among Baptists. J. R. Graves (1820-1893), A. C. Dayton (1811-1865), and Pendleton made up what came to be called "The Great Triumvirate." While Graves is the undisputed... Read more →

Georgia Baptists Face Difficult Decision on Vice-Presidential Nominee

A week ago, I posted a piece concerning the public announcement in the Christian Index of four nominees for the office of Vice-President of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board to be elected at the 2019 Georgia Baptist Convention held at Fayetteville's New Hope Baptist Church November 10-12. The piece produced minimal chatter on Social Media. From knowledge recently gained, more chatter definitely took place privately rather than publicly. In the piece, I suggested that while all four intended nominees possessed undeniable qualifications and experience that could benefit Georgia Baptists, there... Read more →

Zwingli on the fate of Baptists--"Drown the dippers!"

source Melancthon smiled when Servetus was put to death by Calvin. When the magistrates of Zurich consulted Zuinglius on the fate of some poor Baptists, " Drown the dippers" —said the Reformer. --"Historical Sketch of the Baptist Denomination" Midland Association, England, 1832 Save Save Read more →

Nineteenth Century Mississippi Baptists not strictly Calvinistic

According to Mississippi Baptist historians, Z. T. Leavell and T. J. Bailey, the first attempt by Mississippi Baptists to form a statewide convention failed.1 In 1823, three Baptist associations—Pearl River, Union, and Mississippi—proposed a meeting for all Mississippi Baptists for "preserving and continuing the ties of brotherly love"; for "union between sister associations; for "the propagation of the pure doctrines of the gospel"; and finally to prevent "innovations in practice and heresies in doctrine'" (p. 1321). After five to six years of ups and downs, the initial convention appeared to... Read more →

Is Racism embedded all over the Southern Baptist Convention?

I've been trying to stay away from denominational politics. Honest! At times, however, it's impossible to stay on the wagon. Indeed as my good friend, Chris Gilliam, indicated in the Facebook thread (see below), one gets tired of the simplistic rhetoric. Below is a brief commentary I pecked out on my cell phone in response to an article detailing Russell Moore's indictment of widespread racism allegedly embedded within the Southern Baptist Convention. A Facebook friend asked me to post it on my blog so he could point his friends to... Read more →

Seminary president indicts Southern Baptists for funding shortfalls at International Mission Board

Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary president, Jeff Iorg, joins the chorus of high profile Southern Baptists (see here and here) who are publicly insisting the reason for the recent announcement of budgetary problems at the nation's largest and most prestigious missionary-sending agency in the United States, The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (IMB), is that rank-and-file1 Southern Baptists are "robbing God." In a short but pungent piece on the seminary president's blog entitled "Missionaries Are Coming Home," Dr. Iorg was anything but vague. "The basic problem causing... Read more →

More dismissing fiduciary obligation of IMB administration and trustees

I recently expressed my lament over the recent announcement of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (IMB). Not only is it hard to accept that at least since 2010, our missions-sending agency has outspent its predictable income by close to a quarter of a billion dollars, it also remains gut-wrenching to know IMB both sold off tens of millions of dollars of real estate and properties and depleted its cash reserves just to keep the doors open. Adding insult to injury, IMB officials announced it expects seasoned... Read more →

Six to 800 missionaries must come home apparently due to apathy of Southern Baptists

source Recently, International Mission Board (IMB) leaders announced a plan to scale back Southern Baptists' global mission effort by cutting personnel by approximately 15%. The plan was presented by President David Platt and his senior leadership team during an Aug. 27 "town hall" meeting, a meeting which included missionaries and staff and was available both on and off site (i.e. digitally). According to Baptist Press "Platt said the urgency of the plan is based in the reality that while Southern Baptist giving through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon... Read more →

J.B. Nicholson, Jr.: 'Confessions of a Zero-Point Calvinist'

Undoubtedly, one of the most well-known Brethren believers remains the late Dave Hunt (1926-2013) who founded The Berean Call. Hunt's specialty was in the area of sectarian Christianity (i.e. "cults"), broadly establishing himself as an expert in the field and often debating "cult" leaders of almost every theological stripe.1 Sometime in the early 2000s, Hunt entered the theological battleground outside his studied specialty of Christian "cults" and began to critique a movement making waves across the evangelical landscape, including causing quite a stir among Brethren believers.2 The theological movement was... Read more →

Baptist Association birthed over election and predestination

Named after the French Broad River flowing 210 miles from Western North Carolina to East Tennessee, the French Broad Baptist Association organized in 1807 with six churches, three each from two existing associations—Holston Association and Broad River Association.1 The organizers immediately prepared for adoption both a Covenant and Rules of Decorum for the newly established association. The Covenant or confession of faith contained twelve articles, the first four of which are provided below: Article 1. We believe in the only living and true God, and that there are three persons... Read more →

SBC Tomorrow: A Quick Update

Some hefty events have taken place since I last posted. In fact, I've only posted six times this year, one piece being the thoughts of a guest contributor. Nonetheless, I've forged some fairly strong conclusions about some of the more significant happenings in and around the Southern Baptist Convention, including but not limited to, my own place of employment. A lot of people have tried to "pick my brain" about Brewton-Parker College and the criticism surrounding the events of the last two months. And at times, I confess, it's the... Read more →

Does overseas missions strategy need reform? At least one SBC professor says it does

A piece by Will Hall in the Christian Examiner rehearses a journal article published in The Southwestern Journal of Theology by Midwestern professor of missions, Robin Dale Hadaway. Hall's article entitled "Prof calls for SBC overseas missions reform: Does drastic drop in IMB baptisms merit major remake?" lists among the changes Hadaway proposes: 1. Drop the two percent "reachedness" threshold and return to the original 20 percent or at least adopt a 10 percent baseline. "Exiting a people group that is more than two-percent evangelical," he said, "is the historical... Read more →

Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill, and planting churches

Question: Is a church a real church if it disbands when the pastor resigns? Set. Go! Read more →

Our one peculiarity: "Baptists are individualistic"--W. W. Landrum

If Baptists have one peculiarity more pronounced than any other, it is the stress they lay upon the worth of a single soul. Baptists are individualistic. The church exists for the individual, and not the individual for the church. Presbyterians are rather familistic; the family they are disposed to regard as a religious unit. Methodists are tribalistic; the Conference is the religious unit. Episcopalians are nationalistic; they have a State Church in England and once had it here. Baptists are individualistic. They go forth to preach to every individual soul... Read more →

What Were the Early SBC Leaders’ View of Salvation? by Emir Caner, President, Truett-McConnell College Cleveland, Ga.

Below is an extended excerpt from an excellent essay written by Truett-McConnell president, Dr. Emir Caner, posted on SBC Today. In the essay, Caner shows how Baptists in the south, both preceding and following the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention, were hardly as strongly Calvinistic--not to mention virtually singularly Calvinistic as many Founders-type Calvinists insist today--as one might imagine given the theological sympathies gleaned from the Calvinistic influence swelling across the present evangelical landscape. Says Dr. Caner: The Sandy Creek movement began nearly forty years before Finney’s birth. Its... Read more →

Noah the Movie: Observations by William “Bill” Harrell

Guest commentary by William "Bill" Harrell I went to see the movie "Noah" today (4-5-2014) and these are a few of my notes. I found that this is nothing but an environmentalist sci-fi production clothed in Biblical garb. I went thinking that I would probably see something unbiblical every once in a while like in most Biblical movies. But, the opposite was true. There was only a grain of truth once every so often while everything else was absolutely gross error. I am listing below some of my observations. These... Read more →

Bullseye: Perceptive Reflections on a Collapsing Culture: Free Church Press New Release

Click on image to enlarge Free Church Press is excited to announce a new title by William F. Harrell: Bullseye: Perceptive Reflections on a Collapsing Culture. Dr. Harrell is Pastor Emeritus of the historic Abilene Baptist Church, Martinez, Georgia. Bullseye is Harrell's second book. In Bullseye, Dr. Harrell aims his bead for cultural issues facing the church today. Those who purchased Harrell's first volume--Straight Shooting: Pastoral Reflections for Today's Church--will note in Bullseye the very same folksy literary style Dr. Harrell commands. Below are a few of the targets onto... Read more →

New Calvinism gets reviewed by young British Baptist Calvinist

Jeremy Walker, co-pastor of the Maidenbower Baptist Church in the United Kingdom has penned a well-balanced critique of the young, restless, and reformed movement in the evangelical church. Entitled The New Calvinism Considered: A Personal and Pastoral Assessment , the volume is available in the United States in both paperback and digital versions.1 Walker himself theologically identifies with Calvinism as a confessional, Particular Baptist assuring his readers his intentions are not to "mindlessly ignore, attack, or defend any particular group, but to deal fairly with the new Calvinism."2 In fact,... Read more →

Georgia Baptists adopt resolution on the sexual abuse of children, Kentucky and Alabama too

click for larger image The Georgia Baptist Convention met in Dacula, Georgia November 11-12. Without edit or opposition,1 Georgia Baptists passed the resolution I submitted to the resolutions committee for consideration in September of this year, a resolution almost identical to the resolution passed by the 2013 Southern Baptist Convention back in June.2 In addition, Kentucky Baptists adopted a very similar resolution submitted by Kentucky pastor, Jon Carter. Dr. Rick Patrick, pastor of First Baptist Church, Sylacauga, Alabama proposed a resolution on the sexual abuse of children which Alabama Baptists... Read more →

Janet Mefferd on Joe Carter's 'stop slandering Christ's bride' corrective--'an unwarranted scolding discouraging Christians from speaking on issues of neglect'

On Friday of last week, Joe Carter, Southern Baptists' new ERLC1 Director of Communications posted a piece entitled "Stop Slandering Christ's Bride" which sparked considerable fire in the comments section of Carter's post. Overwhelmingly, Carter's post logged negative responses toward his piece. In it Carter basically argued that since no one knows whether a particular issue is being addressed or not in the 350,000+ congregations in America, they need to stop suggesting they do by claiming the issue does matter and the church should speak up about it. Apparently according... Read more →

The Baptist General Tract Society (1835)-- 'infants dying in infancy saved by the blood of Jesus’

In 1835, the Baptist General Tract Society compiled various pamphlets it had published into a single volume entitled The Baptist Manual: A selection from the Series of Publications of the Baptist General Tract Society.1 In tract number 45, “The Scripture Guide to Baptism,” a series of questions are posed concerning infant baptism to which the tract gives its Baptist answer. Question number 8 asks, “But if you refuse to bring children to baptism, do you not keep them away from Christ, and in case of their dying in infancy, endanger... Read more →

Former Swedish Lutheran Divine turned American Baptist- 'all infants dying in infancy covered by the blood'

Swedish Baptists can be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century in America. According to Baptist historian C. Douglas Weaver, the first Swedish Baptist church started in the United States was in 1852 at Rock Island, Illinois organized by a Swedish immigrant named Gustaf Palmquist.1 Palmquist came to America presumably a Lutheran but after attending a Baptist revival, became a Baptist. Afterwards, he organized the first Swedish Baptist Church, an organization of which, according to Weaver, marks the founding date of the Swedish Baptist General Convention in America—at least until 1945... Read more →

Popular 19th Century Baptist scholar George Clark on infant salvation

According to William Cathcart, George Whitefield Clark was born at South Orange, N.J., in 1831. He was converted and baptized at twelve years of age, joining the Northfield Baptist church. Graduating from Amherst College in 1853, Clark completed his theological course at Rochester in 1855 and was ordained pastor of the Baptist church at New Market in 1855. Four years later, Clark became pastor of the First Baptist church in Elizabeth until 1868 and then went to the Baptist church at Ballston, N.Y. In 1872 Rochester University conferred upon him... Read more →

Baptist theologian E. H. Johnson--'Scripture does not state dying infants are saved but justifies such an inference'

E. H. Johnson was a well-known Baptist pastor and theologian in the latter quarter of the 19th century. According to one archived newspaper report, Johnson pastored churches in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. He also served successfully as interim pastor, once following his friend and colleague, James M. Pendleton at the historic Upland Baptist Church in Upland, Pa. In 1882, Johnson became professor of systematic theology at Crozer Theological Seminary, Chester, Pa. While teaching at Crozer, he wrote his An Outline of Systematic Theology which went through five editions (1895).... Read more →

19th Century Southern Baptist scholar P. H. Mell--'infants are saved but not by the Gospel'

Patrick Hues Mell (1814-1888) is said to have "held more official positions in Baptist life at every level than any other Southern Baptist in history," holding the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention a staggering 26 terms. Mell is considered a strict Calvinist on virtually anybody's terms and by some an "original founder" of the Southern Baptist Convention. Below is a selection from Mell's book, Baptism In Its Mode and Subjects published by the Southern Baptist Publication Society, Memphis Tennessee (1854). Speaking of the nature of the Great Commission being... Read more →

Southern Baptist Publication Society--‘The human being that dies in infancy will be saved but not through faith’

“Through Abraham the blessing descends upon all who have Abraham's faith, and upon no others. All who die in infancy, we have reason to believe, are saved; but as infants have no faith, they are not entitled to membership in visible churches” (italics original here and below p.22) “If one asks, Who are the children of the covenant, the true reply is, The children of Abraham. If it is asked, Who are the children of Abraham, the true reply is, They that have Abraham's faith. As infants cannot believe, they... Read more →

Southern Baptist historian George W. Purefoy--'that infants are incapable must be obvious to every unprejudiced and reflecting mind'

Reflecting upon the Great Commission from our Lord in Mark 16:15-16 and Matthew 28:19-20, Baptist pastor and historian George W. Purefoy wrote: “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,” &c. Here the baptism of none is recognized but of those that are taught and believe. Infants are incapable of being taught, of believing, or of observing the things that Christ had commanded; consequently, by the Savior’s commission, they are excluded from baptism. This must be... Read more →

19th Century Baptist theologian J.M. Pendleton on infant salvation--'unaccountable infants saved without faith not by faith'

"It will be said by those who oppose the views of Baptists—for it has been said a thousand times—that if infants are not to be baptized because they cannot believe, they will not be saved because they cannot believe. If the salvation of infants depends on their faith, they cannot be saved. They are incapable of faith. They are doubtless saved through the mediation of Christ, but it is not by faith. Our opponents fail egregiously to accomplish their object in urging this objection to our views. They must intend... Read more →

Baptist Confession of 1679--'all little children dying in infancy saved by the grace of God'

The following statements are taken from An Orthodox Creed, a confession of faith composed by British Baptists in 1679. The confession can be read in its entirety on the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary website (//link). “Neither do we believe, that Infants dying in Infancy without Baptism, go to Purgatory or Limbus Infantum, as they erroneously teach” (XXVIII. Article, Of the right Subject and Administration of Holy Baptism) “Nor are little Infants, that cannot examine themselves, nor give Account of their Faith, nor understand what is signified by the outward signs... Read more →

Interview on The Janet Mefferd Show pertaining to the sexual abuse of children

On Monday, I had an opportunity to speak with Christian Talk-show host, Janet Mefferd, about the resolution against the sexual abuse of children passed at this year's Southern Baptist Convention. For those of you who did not listen in, below is the brief interview1: As I indicated in the interview2 I have no plans to allow this issue to drop. Already, I have verbal interest or commitment from pastors or churchmen/churchwomen in several states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and of course... Read more →

What Is Wrong With the Young, Restless and Reformed Movement? An Interpretive Essay by Dr. Paul Owen

Below is a solicited essay by Dr. Paul Owen. Dr. Owen is Professor of Greek and Religious Studies at Montreat College in North Carolina, where he has taught since 2001. Founded in 1916, Montreat College is the only liberal arts college in North Carolina that holds membership in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. Dr. Owen’s academic articles and book reviews have been published in numerous venues, including the Calvin Theological Journal, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Journal of Biblical Literature, and Journal for the Study of the... Read more →

Whatever happened to Lake Ridge Church?

It's been said of Acts 29 Network, "When you're looking for theologically vibrant, healthy models that lead to growing churches, where else are you going to look?" If I am not mistaken, Dr. Ed Stetzer introduced Southern Baptists to the church planting network known as Acts 29 while he was Director of Research and Missiologist at the North American Mission Board (NAMB). In addition to introducing Southern Baptists to Acts 29 Network and its assumed "theologically vibrant, healthy models" of church planting parallel to none, Stetzer also planted a church... Read more →

C.J. Mahaney, The Victims, and Depths of Darkness

I got about two-thirds of the way through the Second Amended Class Action Complaint and Jury Demand filed by attorneys representing the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against young, restless, and reformed icon, C.J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM), two SGM churches, one SGM school, and ten other SGM leaders.1 Truth is, I couldn't go on. It's most horrifying and even solicits the deepest anger and rage from a person's soul. To imagine these poor children--children then the ages of my five grand babies now--might have suffered such degraded... Read more →

Baptist Press reports on the 2013 John 3:16 Conference

Baptist Press posted a good summary article on The 2013 John 3:16 Conference held at North Metro First Baptist Church March 21-22. It rightly cast the differences between the earlier conference as a planned response to each of the five-points Calvinism (T.U.L.I.P.) and this year's conference: "This year's event focused on six key questions pointing to theological differences between the conference's speakers and those Southern Baptists who identify with Calvinism or the Reformed tradition. The sessions included both professorial and pastoral presentations by Baptist college and seminary leaders as well... Read more →

John MacArthur offers more skepticism on the YRR and "Flat-screen" Preachers

Yesterday I posted MacArthur's video wherein he pounded the young, restless, and reformed community for stepping over the moral threshold into a worldly lifestyle.1 In a real sense, MacArthur's concern centers on classic antinomianism, a well-known temptation within the Reformed community. In 2009, I wrote these words: The Conservative Resurgence which officially began in 1979 made history by turning the theological clock backwards to its rightful, biblically authoritative moorings… Southern Baptists once again should heed the times: there is another coming crisis in our convention, just beyond the horizon. Before... Read more →

New Release by Free Church Press! The Secrets of a Great Church by Jerry Vines

Just in time for The John 3:16 Conference, The Secrets of a Great Church by Jerry Vines will be given free of charge to all registered participants. In addition, through the generosity of friends of Free Church Press and Jerry Vines Ministries, a complimentary copy will be available to messengers who drop by the booth at the 2013 Southern Baptist Convention in Houston, TX. Read more →

Augustine and Southern Baptists Part 4: The Upshot of Augustine's Assumptions: Divine Determinism by Dr. Jim Gifford

Dr. Jim Gifford The third assumption in Augustine's thinking is his experience, based on personal observation, that some humans are not saved. In his own life, Augustine observed that some babies die before being baptized. For Augustine, reconciliation to God in Christ is impossible without baptism.1 Not everyone who was baptized was ultimately saved, but baptism for him was a "condition sine qua non" for salvation.2 Therefore anyone who died without baptism likewise died without hope of salvation. Combined with his views of God's unlimited power and humanity's helplessness, Augustine... Read more →

G.W. Northrup on infants dying in infancy: The Western Recorder, Infant Salvation, and The Sovereignty of God: Part IV

In the final essay in his series critiquing strict Calvinism’s understanding of God’s Sovereignty in Predestination, Dr. G.W. Northrup proposes to “apply to the case of infants dying in infancy and of the congenitally idiotic the positions of the Calvinistic system already discussed.”1 On the whole, and contrary to many today who seem to feel the subject of infant salvation remains insignificant, Northrup contends for its extreme importance: “The question of the fate of those dying in infancy is one of vast theologic as well as of practical interest. For... Read more →

The Western Recorder, Infant Salvation, and The Sovereignty of God: Part III

In closing his third essay in the series entitled “The Sovereignty of God in Predestination as Held by Many Representative Calvinistic Theologians,” G.W. Northrup asked and answered two specific question. Below is a partial entry answering the first of the two questions: 1. Are mankind, at birth, under condemnation—"liable to the pains of hell forever," on the ground of the fall of Adam? The utter absence of any reference to the Adamic guilt as among the grounds of the sentence of condemnation to be pronounced at the day of judgment,... Read more →

Were Southern Baptists much more Calvinistic in 1925 than later in the 20th century?

One often hears the claim that our first convention-wide adopted statement of faith--The 1925 Baptist Faith and Message--was much more Calvinistic than either of the two subsequent revisions in 1963 and 2000 >>> Indeed one occasional commenter at SBC Tomorrow suggested that since the 1925 Baptist Faith and Message was a "mirror of the New Hampshire Confession of Faith"--a confession, according to him, written by individuals holding "very strong Calvinist leanings"--the 1925 confession was therefore "put together" with "[intentional] vagueness" in order to "widen the denominational tent." Consequently, Southern Baptists'... Read more →

Now we know what Arminian theologian Roger Olson REALLY thinks about Southern Baptists

Popular Arminian theologian, Roger Olson, reveals on his latest post how he really feels about Southern Baptists generally. In his piece entitled, 'My List of "Approved Denominations"' Dr. Olson goes around the denominational globe listing the denominations which meet his approval >>> Included on Olson's "approved denominations" list are: Fellowship of Evangelical Churches Mennonite Church Brethren Church Evangelical Covenant Church Evangelical Free Church of America American Baptist Churches, U.S.A. Baptist General Convention of Texas Conservative Baptist Association of America Baptist General Conference/Converge Worldwide Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Association of General... Read more →

Covenant Life Church pulling away from C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries?

UPDATE: North Carolina pastor Tim Rogers posts a piece raising the question whether Dr. Al Mohler and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary have connections so close to C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries that the recent lawsuit against Mahaney and his ministry will legally bleed all over Southern Baptists. While I cannot see myself how that could happen, I happily concede I know much too little about the legalities of such a possibility to make a reasonable judgment. Note: do not fail to watch Mahaney's promo video featuring Al Mohler and... Read more →

Must we define Mormonism as a cult? A Brief Response to Bart Barber

Dr. Bart Barber’s latest piece states the following proposition in its title: “Why Mormonism Is a Cult and Should be Called One.” Bart begins his piece by stating his principled disagreement with three Southern Baptists over the issue of whether “cult” is a proper and useful category in which to place Mormonism. He states >>> “I find myself today disagreeing with Richard Land, Ed Stetzer, and Peter Lumpkins… Mormonism is a cult, and if I read and understand these gentlemen correctly, they all agree with me on that point. Where... Read more →

Susan Burke represents plaintiffs against C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries in sexual offenses lawsuit

A well-known litigator for sexual abuse claims is representing the three female plaintiffs who filed sexual abuse claims against Sovereign Grace Ministries and new Calvinist celebrity icon, C.J. Mahaney >>> Washington D.C. attorney, Susan L. Burke, of Burke PLLC, a firm which bills itself as a "litigation boutique specializing in complex and class action litigation," is the leading attorney for the plaintiffs. Ms. Burke speaks openly with Christian Talk Radio host, Janet Mefferd, on her latest broadcast concerning the plaintiffs' perspective on the filed claims. Check out the interview: Susan... Read more →

Tom Nettles and the takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention (part II) by Peter Lumpkins

In part I, we rehearsed the historical relationship Dr. Tom Nettles, professor of historical theology, at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has had with Founders Ministries since its inception in 1982. Nettles still sits on the board of directors for Founders Ministries. Nor has Dr. Nettles been rhetorically shy about stating in forceful language precisely how he sees those Traditional Baptists who deviate from what Director of Founders Ministries, Tom Ascol, has called "historic Southern Baptist Orthodoxy." Nettles wrote: >>> Southern Baptist beginnings were self-consciously and vigorously Calvinistic. This is... Read more →

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... >>> A strict Baptist of the south, Broaddus remained a positive influence for evangelical Christianity all over the region. The famed Calvinist, J.B. Jeter, a friend and supporter who preached Broaddus' funeral homily, hailed him as the most formidable foe against whom Alexander Campbell contended on the historic Baptist side of the Campbellite controversy, a controversy which wreaked havoc on 19th century Baptists. Yet,... Read more →

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 >>> After serving the pastorate for several years in Virginia and California, Dargan was invited to join the faculty of his beloved alma mater in 1892. Hence, he became the professor of homiletics and ecclesiological history and remained... Read more →

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... Of course, their understanding of the gospel is summed... Read more →

Al Mohler, Homosexuality, and the "New Liberalism" by Peter Lumpkins

Last week, I raised the question concerning Andy Stanley’s perplexing story about a gay couple in his church. I wrote: Stanley tells the story of a couple who divorced while members of his church. The issue was, the husband had fallen in love with another man... The problem is, not once in the entire story did Stanley question the homosexual relationship the two men experienced. Instead he questioned whether or not the men could serve in their Buckhead branch since one of the men was still married... Stanley questioned the... Read more →