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Southern Baptist theologian E. C. Dargan on John 3:16 as 'simple illustration of man's free choice'

“For God's love is as great as his ways are wonderful. With that same authoritative tone unchanged, and even a higher claim asserted, with that mysterious doctrine of a new birth unrepealed, and presenting a simple illustration of man's free choice, the Heavenly Teacher comes to the grand culmination. He states the most glorious and important truth ever proposed to man's acceptance: "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." O ruler among the... Read more →

Former SBC president Jerry Vines -- WHOSOEVER: Revealing the Riches of John 3:16

Dr. Jerry Vines is arguably one of the most capable biblical expositors in the Southern Baptist Convention. Recently, Free Church Press released his latest book on the most famous verse in all Scripture--John 3:16. Entitled WHOSOEVER: Revealing the Riches of John 3:16, Dr. Vines digs deeply into the Greek text and offers both new believers and scholars alike valuable, practical commentary on virtually every word in the verse. For a limited time, Free Church Press is making his exegetical study available in a special hardback edition. Normally retailing for $17.99,... Read more →

The Calvinism Advisory Committee report online...

The committee Frank Page put together to consider how to approach the continued conflict Calvinism has become in the Southern Baptist Convention has published its report. Entitled TRUTH, TRUST, and TESTIMONY in a TIME of TENSION: A Statement from the Calvinism Advisory Committee, the reader may find it in the current online edition of SBC Life. For your convenience, I posted a link below so the reader may download it as a PDF file. I do not want to comment on the report itself before carefully reading it first. But... Read more →

Contemporary Reformed authors on John 3:16: Joel Beeke

I've been posting some classic Calvinistic authors' renderings of KOSMOS in John 3:16. Thus far, we've considered: John Owen: KOSMOS = "his elect throughout the world" Arthur W. Pink: KOSMOS = "believers"1 Francis Turretin: KOSMOS = "the elect of every nation" John Gill: KOSMOS = "the Gentile elect of every nation" One thread which ties the above strict Calvinists together pertains to the way they all understand KOSMOS in John 3:16. While Greek language experts carefully catalog multiple usages of KOSMOS in the New Testament as all the authors above... Read more →

John Gill vs. Jesus Christ on the World of John 3:16

Thus far, we've compared three strict Calvinists--John Owen, Arthur W. Pink, and Francis Turretin--and presumably their understanding of John 3:16 (especially, the term translated "world") with the clear words of the Lord Jesus Himself. Let's offer another popular strict Calvinist theologian and author--John Gill (1697-1771). Below are Jesus' words followed by my inference of John Gill's rendition of Jesus' words.1 Here's our Lord Jesus in John 3:16: “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will... Read more →

Arthur W. Pink vs. Jesus Christ on the World of John 3:16

Here's our Lord Jesus in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (NASB) Here's Arthur W. Pink, strict Calvinist1 and famed Reformed Baptist author, in his rendition of John 3:16: “For God so loved believers, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”2 Do you think Pink has a point in substituting "believers" for "world" in John 3:16? 1Note:... Read more →

John Owen vs. Jesus Christ on the World of John 3:16

Here's our Lord Jesus in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (ESV) Here's John Owen, the theological darling of many contemporary Baptist Calvinists, in his rendition of what Jesus said in John 3:16: "God so loved his elect throughout the world, that he gave his Son with this intention, that by him believers might be saved" (The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, p.214) For some reason, there... Read more →

Calvinists and the World of John 3:16: Take Two

I was looking for something else when I ran across this piece I first posted on September 12, 2006. After scanning it, I thought it'd be good to offer a Take Two. Enjoy... ============================================================= In Jesus’ private conversation with Israel’s star Pharisaic pupil, He uttered words that would become the measure by which no other verse in Scripture so encapsulates the basic message of the Gospel: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have... Read more →

More verbal abuse and implications of "heresy" by Baptist Calvinists

UPDATE: one of James White's supporters, Micah Burke, put up a post in response to my piece below. Entitled "Peter Lumpkins doesn't know who he's responding to," Burke suggests my critical commentary below is misdirected toward James White. Instead he claims my criticism presumably should have been directed toward Al Mohler since "Nearly 99% of the quote [the quote below I transcribed from White's broadband broadcast] is actually Al Mohler's own words" (italics and link original). What a rip-roaring revelation! I'd never thought of that! Of course, Burke (he apparently... 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 →

David Allen: Regeneration can hardly precede faith...at least not according to Scripture...

SBC Today posts a great summary of Dr. David Allen's presentation and The 2013 John 3:16 Conference. Of Ephesians 2:1-10, Allen says, “Part of what is driving the ‘regeneration precedes faith’ issue is a flawed anthropology drawn partly from Ephesians 2. With respect to Ephesians 2:1-10, when Paul speaks of the unregenerate as being ‘dead in sins’ there is no question that ‘dead’ is being used metaphorically. In Scripture, ‘death’ is often used metaphorically to express alienation from God and ‘life’ is used to express union with God via salvation... Read more →

"Vines left speechless by book in his honor" says a Southwestern seminary news release

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary posted a news release entitled "Vines left speechless by book in his honor." The article states: "Moments before standing to preach a sermon in a Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary chapel service, well-known Southern Baptist preacher and former SBC president Jerry Vines was presented with a book written in his honor by prominent SBC pastors and theologians. The unexpected recognition left Vines in an unfamiliar state—speechless." Entitled Preach the Word! A Collection of Essays on Biblical Preaching in Honor of Jerry Vines (Free Church Press, 2013: David... 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 →

Truett-McConnell professor interviewed by Christian Index

Dr. Adam Harwood, Assistant Professor of Christian Studies at Truett-McConnell in Cleveland, Georgia was interviewed recently by The Christian Index. The interview appears in the latest edition. Below are answers to some of the questions1: Adam Harwood, assistant professor of Christian studies at Truett McConnell College, has written a book entitled “The Spiritual Condition of Infants.” Free Church Press has recently summarized the book into a 38-page volume, “Born Guilty: A Southern Baptist View of Original Sin.” Harwood will be addressing the John 3:16 Conference at North Metro First Baptist... Read more →

Born Guilty? A Southern Baptist View of Original Sin by Adam Harwood

Free Church Press announces a new and exclusive teaching series on biblical, theological, ethical, and ecclesial themes significant for Southern Baptists. The series will target people in the pew rather than those who have a theological background. While we believe all church leaders--including pastors and other staff leaders--will benefit from the series, the goal is to educate the millions of Southern Baptists who neither have theological or biblical degrees nor desire to wade through long, technical works to gain a reasonable grip on the essence of a particular subject. Thus,... Read more →

The Calvinist admits freely his position is ridiculous

As I was polishing up a section in my little book on What is Calvinism? everything you need to know about Calvinism...and then some (hopefully available at The 2013 John 3:16 Conference next month) I got a kick out of this statement by Edwin H. Palmer in his little book, The Five Points of Calvinism (Baker Books; 1972, 1980). He writes: "And, the Calvinist freely admits that his position is illogical, ridiculous, nonsensical, and foolish" (p. 85). Okee-doke. But pardon me in love: so far as I can personally tell,... Read more →

The 2013 John 3:16 Conference is almost here

In November, 2008, the First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Georgia hosted an insightful conference called The John 3:16 Conference, an event promising a scholarly evaluation of the recent Calvinist Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention >>> Past president of the Southern Baptist Convention and Pastor Emeritus of First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida, Dr. Jerry Vines, led the scheduled event at Woodstock. And, it did not disappoint. Subsequent to the conference, B&H Academic published the papers and sermons delivered in 2008 in a book entitled Whosoever Will: A Biblical-Theological Critique of Five-Point... Read more →

Reformed Theology coming under more published scrutiny by Peter Lumpkins

The publication of Whosoever Will (edted by Drs. David Allen and Steve Lemke) was the result of The John 3:16 Conference held at the Woodstock First Baptist Church November 6-7, 2008. Contra some Southern Baptist Calvinists' unwavering confidence, the scholarly contributions in Whosoever Will demonstrated that Reformed theology is not the only, viable theological kid on the block. In fact, the composite thrust of the contributors to Whosoever Will makes it fairly clear that strict Calvinism as a system must be abandoned for a more robust biblicism >>> Since the... Read more →

The John 3:16 Conference: A Vindication by Peter Lumpkins

Over the past few weeks, several commenters have logged on to SBC Tomorrow only to lob a petrol cocktail toward The John 3:16 Conference held at The First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Georgia almost three years ago. One commenter illustrates nicely for the others: "If the John 3:16 Conference was any indication, Calvinists are certainly not wanted and are practically anathema to our denomination... That makes me sad considering our roots" (emphasis mine; //link, //link) Whenever I ask the person logging such a low evaluation of the John 3:16 Conference to... Read more →

Founders Journal & Whosoever Will: Matthew Barrett on Steve Lemke: Part II by Peter Lumpkins

We observed in Part I of our reflections on Matthew Barrett’s* response to Dr. Steve Lemke’s position essay on Irresistible Grace in Whosoever Will** that Barrett failed to deal with Lemke’s biblical data. I concluded: “The fact is, Barrett didn’t deal with the texts Lemke cited in any substantial way. Rather he summarily dismissed them and substituted texts which were supposed to prove his own position.” In this follow-up, I’d like to point out a few additional short-comings in Barrett’s paper showing, from my perspective, that Founders Ministries should have... Read more →

Founders Journal & Whosoever Will: Matthew Barrett on Steve Lemke: Part I by Peter Lumpkins

Earlier we noted our agreement with Tom Ascol’s intention for irenic “debate” over the issue of Calvinism in the Southern Baptist Convention. The latest issue of Founders Journal was supposed to illustrate Ascol’s hope such an encouraging exchange is possible. Our lament was and remains that while Ascol may possess every intention of sincere dialogue with brothers on the opposite side of the issue, some of the language the essayists employed in the Founders Journal was, at times, both unduly provocative and unbrotherly* >>> What follows are some observations on... Read more →

Founders Journal & Whosoever Will: Observations: Part I by Peter Lumpkins

Founders Journal represents the theological thinking of the largest network of strict Calvinists within the Southern Baptist Convention, Founders Ministries.* In its most recent edition, Founders offers its critique of Whosoever Will: A Biblical-Theological Critique of Five-Point Calvinism, edited by Drs. Steve Lemke and David Allen. The issue entitled “Theological Debate Within the Family” (FJ 82) unfortunately ran into some technical difficulties and is being presently republished (though the misprinted version had already been sent out). I want to offer a few observations about the critical journal entries and will... Read more →

Calvinism on the Rise: A New Barna Study Challenges the Reformed Revival in America by Peter Lumpkins

Whether one reads the young, restless, and reformed guru, Collin Hansen, or takes seriously Ed Stetzer’s statistics that suggests Calvinism is on the rise (especially in the SBC), or accepts the rhetoric that Reformed church planting leads the pack by a country mile in new church starts, The Barna Group’s newly released study “Is There a “Reformed Movement” in American Churches?” rains on the Calvinistic come-back parade >>> For at least 10 years, Barna has tracked American non-Catholic clergy who identify the churches they serve as "Calvinist or Reformed." Presently,... Read more →

Salvation and Sovereignty: a Molinist Approach: An Extended Book-look (part I) by Peter Lumpkins

Dr. Kenneth Keathley is Professor of Theology and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration/Dean of the Faculty at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. His book, Salvation and Sovereignty: A Molinist Approach (SSM, B&H, 2010, $24.99) contributes a unique approach among Southern Baptists toward solving the classic dilemma between God’s Sovereignty and human free will. In fact, unless I am mistaken, Dr. Keathley is the first writing Southern Baptist theologian who embraces the historical theological position known as Molinism >>> SSM begins with a foreword written by Dr. Paige Patterson who hails... Read more →

Whosoever Will: Non-Calvinism Gaining Traction in the Marketplace by Peter Lumpkins

Earlier this year, Time Magazine listed neo-Calvinism as one of the hottest new "ideas" blowing through our cultural milieu (//link). Does this renewed focus on theological determinism have what it takes to sustain inquiring minds? Time Magazine does not say. For my part, I think not. Reformer Balthasar Hubmaier's most famous dictum is apt: truth is unkillable Even so, I just learned Whosoever Will: a Biblical-Theological Critique of Five-Point Calvinism is currently their third best-selling book. Into its third printing with B&H, another 2500 copies is expected in the warehouse... Read more →

James White on Dr. Jerry Vines by Peter Lumpkins

UPDATE: James White wasted no time firing off a you-sir-are-a-liar post on his blog (//link). As I expected, he implies I not only doctored the video, but also made him say things he didn't say. Frankly, it's possible I misunderstood what he intended to mean in his wording. Granted. But White's skewed logic has no such place for misinterpretation. Instead, it's "you, sir are a liar!" What's humorous is, in White's "correction" of my interpretation of his words, he inadvertently misquotes himself! But if White can't get White right, how... Read more →

"Whosoever Will" Getting Good Press by Peter Lumpkins

As I posted late last week, Whosoever Will: A Biblical-Theological Critique of Five-Point Calvinism edited by Drs. David Allen and Steve Lemke and published by B&H Publishing Group is already on backorder (//link). More good news is, reviews are beginning to come in with positive results. The Southern Baptist TEXAN has two reviews, one by TEXAN correspondent, David Roach and the other by Editor, Gary Ledbetter (respectively here and here). Of the volume overall, Ledbetter concludes: “Some who read articles by members of the Founders’ movement or hear messages from... Read more →

Whosoever Will: Off to a Good Start by Peter Lumpkins

Looks as if Whosoever Will: A Biblical-Theological Critique of Five-Point Calvinism edited by Drs. David Allen and Steve Lemke and published by B&H Publishing Group is already on backorder. I'm told the first printing of Whosoever Will sold out in two weeks. B&H is scurrying to get a second printing. It appears the wait time is 4-6 weeks. Whosoever thinks the young, restless, and Reformed coddling among Southern Baptists is not getting the attention of the grassroots Southern Baptist Convention may need to rethink their proposition. Our congratulations to Drs.... Read more →

New Calvinism Gets a New Critique by Peter Lumpkins

When I started blogging another lifetime or so ago, there were few (if any) blogs among those considered "Baptist" which were also unwed to strict, non-negotiable, in-your-face, Five Point Calvinism. Non-Calvinist Baptist bloggers were viewed at best a theological anomaly and at worst an evangelistic prospect to "recover the gospel." No longer are non-Calvinists silent. Nonetheless, the blogging arena reflected in many ways what was happening in pop Christianity across America. Indeed only last March did Time Magazine name "The New Calvinism" among the top "10 Ideas Changing the World... Read more →

Calvinism and the SBC: Temperature Lowering, Questions Remaining

The recent flurry within the SBC over Calvinism was, at times, heated. Some have become disgusted with the conversation and vowed to bow out. I see nothing whatsoever wrong with such, for they are only taking my Moma's never to be questioned wisdom: "If you can't stand the heat, boy, don't set next to the stove." Yes, Moma! I have to admit my own bit of frustration, especially concerning the assessment of The John 3:16 Conference as a whole. Some of the most incorrigible, denounced "evaluations" have come from those... Read more →

SBC & Calvinism: Three Events That Widened The Divide: A Rejoinder to Tom Ascol by David Allen

Dr. Tom Ascol, Executive Director of Founders Ministries, the largest and most influential network of Southern Baptist Calvinists, was not only one of the participants at the 2007 Building Bridges Conference at Ridgecrest, he was also one of the strategists behind the event. Recently, he wrote a steamy article denouncing three events that "widened the divide" between Calvinists and non-Calvinists in the SBC: 1) An Article by Dr. Steve Lemke; 2) A Book Review by Dr. David Allen; 3) The John 3:16 Conference hosted by The Jerry Vines Ministries but... Read more →

SBC & Calvinism: Three Events That Widened The Divide: A Brief Response by Malcolm B. Yarnell III

As an interim between Part I and Part II of my response to Tom Ascol, Executive Director of Founders Ministries, who recently made an open attack on Dr. David Allen and the John 3:16 Conference platform, implicating them as "Anti-Calvinists," Dr. Malcolm Yarnell III, offers this brief response to Dr. Ascol and Founders Ministries. Dear Peter, Thank you for letting me post my last response to Tom Ascol at your place. I have learned three things from this short interchange on the blog of Dr. Ascol, whom I am glad... Read more →

Tom Ascol, The John 3:16 Conference and Widening the Divide: An Appraisal: Part I

**Dr. Tom Ascol, Executive Director of Founders Ministries, has finally offered his evaluation of the recent John 3:16 Conference. J316C, according to Ascol, is one of "three events that have put the spotlight on [Calvinism in the SBC] recently have come from those who are not merely non-Calvinists, but are more accurately described as anti-Calvinists." I have a full response to Dr. Ascol in Part II forthcoming. Presently, I want to shed light only on one, single aspect of Ascol's evaluation referenced in composing his thoughts. In the latter part... Read more →

Hyper-Calvinism: Professor David Allen Responds to Critics

Update: James White offered a response to this post here. I offered some initial remarks toward White's response which I may, after a coat of polish, post on the main page in due time. Since the John 3:16 Conference, there has been an excessive amount of attention to my comments concerning James White on the various Calvinist blogs. Allow me to set the record straight on three fronts: 1) what I said, 2) the context in which I said it, and 3) why I said it. By Dr David Allen... Read more →

The John 3:16 Conference: Reviewing the Reviews

I've tried to keep up with the internet reviews on the recent John 3:16 Conference. Thus far, they have been predictably both positive and negative. I'll let you guess who wrote each respectively. Now, I've been accused at SBCTomorrow of being biased. Imagine that! Me biased! The nerve of some people... More seriously, I know I am biased. And, frankly I have never suggested I was not--at least not in several, several years. What I do attempt to do, under God and with His grace, is offer fairness to those... Read more →

The John 3:16 Conference and its Critics: Founders & Justin Taylor: Part I

The J316C is now history. I cannot thank Jerry Vines Ministries and the co-sponsoring seminaries enough for hosting this much needed conference. I planned to offer my own thoughts pertaining to its success or non-success, but the clubbing the conference has already taken from the more "objective" websites has sparked me to offer a few corrections to the record first. By no surprise, Founders Ministries wasted no time in offering the predictable lament that "misrepresentation" was the order of the day. Coming under fire especially of late is Dr. Steve... Read more →

Dr. David Allen: On Calvinism: Part II

I hope you took the time to scan Dr. Allen's review of Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue posted at Center for Theological Research at SWBTS. It is worth your time, I assure. I offer two particular quotes I found interesting, each of which is a part of Dr. Allen's query into Dr. Tom Nettle's paper entitled "A Historical View of the Doctrinal Importance of Calvinism Among Baptists" and Dr. David Dockery's paper entitled "Southern Baptists and Calvinism: An Historical Look." First, after offering a brief summary of Dr. Nettle's conclusion,... Read more →

Dr. David Allen: On Calvinism

One of the participants at The John 3:16 Conference (J316) is Dr. David Allen, Dean of the School of Theology, Professor of Preaching, Director for the Center for Expository Preaching, and George W. Truett Chair of Ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS). Professor Allen's paper will focus on Limited Atonement. We expect his contribution to invigorate the discussion on what I view as the definitive chink in the Dortian Calvinist's armor. As an introduction to Dr. Allen's paper, interested attendees especially may want to read his book review just... Read more →

The John 3:16 Conference

One week away, November 6-7, The John 3:16 Conference (J316) will be held at the Woodstock First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Georgia. Some have wondered whether or not the conference would succeed. Evidently, J316 has not only settled that ambiguity, registration is now limited: "Registration for the conference with meals has ended due to reaching capacity. You may still register for the conference only." Thus, if you were planning to come to beautiful North Georgia and reap theological rewards but procrastination got the better of you, you can still come, and... Read more →

John 3:16 Conference

The John 3:16 Conference is one conference you need to make this Fall. Mark the dates--November 6-7, at First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Georgia. You can sign up here. J316C promises to be a scholarly evaluation of the recent Calvinist Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention. And, with the heavy weights involved, I do not personally see how it can miss. Scholars delivering papers at this conference include: Dr. Paige Patterson (President of SWBTS) on Total Depravity Dr. Richard Land (President of ERLC) on Unconditional Election Dr. David Allen (Dean at... Read more →