peterlumpkins.com

Are Southern Baptist Traditionalists losing appreciation for viable historical options dealing with God’s sovereignty and human free will?

Does there exist a logically-driven, undeniable answer to the age-old question concerning God's sovereignty and human free will? Some appear to think so. Calvinism's Typical Response to Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom Calvinists often suggest a logical answer by redefining what we normally mean when we think of free will. When I think of free will (and I suspect most people would affirm my thoughts), I think of the actual ability to choose otherwise than I chose. For instance, if I'm driving through a small city in the Southwest and... Read more →

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,... Read more →

Calvinism's "deep, dark, dirty little secret" by Peter Lumpkins

Below is a quote from a paper entitled "Salvation and the Sovereignty of God: The Great Commission as the Expression of the Divine Will"1 by Dr. Kenneth Keathley, Professor of Theology, Dean of the Faculty, and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Keathley's blog is here) >>> Let us remember that there is no disagreement about human responsibility. Augustinians, Calvinists, Arminians, and all other orthodox Christians agree that the lost are lost because of their own sin. But that is not the question at hand. The... Read more →

Free Will, Ignorance, and Reformed Internet Apologetics by Peter Lumpkins

I don’t know if it’s unintended ignorance or intentional intellectual laziness on the part of many Reformed apologists, but options for theological accuracy coming from some of the more well-known websites are fast disappearing. Alpha & Omega, the apologetic website of extreme Calvinist* James White, recently put up a piece on free will written by contributor, Alan Kurschner in which Kurschner flatly denied human responsibility implies the concept of “so-called free will.” I offered a brief critique, pointing out the obvious flaw in Kurschner’s reasoning (and most all strict Calvinists... Read more →

Salvation and Sovereignty: a Molinist Approach: An Extended Book-look (Part II) 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. The engagement below is Part II in a series of three parts. To... 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 →

Arminian, Calvinist, or Baptist by Peter Lumpkins

One must read the newest white paper at Baptist Theology website. Several scholars have written a statement answering those who insist on making a particular soteriological stamp one’s preferred brand—especially either Calvinist or Arminian. They write: Are we Calvinists? No. Are we Arminians? No. So, then, who are we? We are Baptists. We are majoritarian Baptists in the Sandy Creek tradition, who formulate theology according to the authoritative, inerrant, and sufficient Word of God so that we might better proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all human beings. We... 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 →