SBC Evangelists Criticize Calvinism

According to January 11, 2008’s BP News article, 15 prominent Southern Baptist evangelists met in Jackson, TN to criticize both seeker-sensitive philosophy and Calvinism.

1. According to Hal Poe, a Charles Colson Professor of Faith and Culture at Union University in Jackson, the rising interest in Calvinism began in the 1960’s when SBC churches focused less on doctrine and more on fun & games. This sounds uncannily similar to Willow Creek’s recent discovery that they were wrong because they failed to focus more heavily on doctrine. Well, when you preach and teach God’s word, lives will be changed, people will grow, and churches will be affected.

2. Secondly, Hal Poe believes that the reason why John Piper is so popular is because of his two books, Desiring God, and Let The Nations Be Glad!, and the reason why Piper is effective because he’s so passionate. Wait, Hal Poe is a professor? He really believes that Piper’s effectiveness has to do purely on his passionate zeal rather than because God’s word is being preached and taught in a coherent, systematic sense rather than emotional flubber?

3. Jerry Drace, an evangelist from Humboldt, TN, shared about a group of Calvinistic young pastors who had laughed at evangelism. Here, Jerry Drace is going to have to explain his definition of “evangelism.” Maybe what the Calvinistic young pastors had laughed at wasn’t biblical evangelism itself, but pragmatism or revivalism.

4. Wayne Bristow from Oklahoma then shares how his personal convictions about preaching and invitation under the authority of the Holy Spirit are constantly scrutinized by Calvinists. Well, is it any wonder when Wayne Bristow has the entire concept of preaching and the doctrine of the Holy Spirit convoluted.