I haven't written in a while, what can I say, church planting is a busy job. And today I will not be continuing our systematic blog, but by way of re-entering the blog I desire to share with you a recent event in my life.
A man I know was sharing with me the other day how he was going to stop working with a particular campus ministry because the new campus pastor was a calvinist, which he went out of his way on multiple occasions to say he was staunchly opposed to. He continued, "You know, calvinism comes into the church in waves from time to time..." He's a NOBTS (New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary) graduate. I wonder, do they teach this line at that school? This was not the first time I heard a variation of this statement. The last time I heard it, it was another NOBTS grad and went like this, "Calvinism is a PLAGUE that comes upon the Church every 20 years or so, then we rediscover true Christianity." UNBELIEVABLE!
Both of these gentlemen are right about one thing though there are swings in the church, or at least in the baptist church between Calvinism and Arminianism, but these swings correspond with the teaching and preaching of the Word of God, Church History, and Theology. When the Church, Baptist or any other, forsakes exegetical preaching and teaching of the Word of God, deep teaching of Systematic Theology, and completely ignores Church History, the sin nature takes over and the church turns to secular humanism, and pride, thus a wave of Arminianism sweeps into the church, away from the gospel of Jesus Christ. When the church rediscovers the BIBLE, CHURCH HISTORY AND THEOLOGY, we recognize the grandness of our God, and fallen-ness of man, and beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ i.e. what you call Calvinism, what others call the doctrines of grace, and what I call the GOOD NEWS!
It is as C.H. Spurgeon said, "Calvinism IS the gospel." or like one of my favorites, Tommy Nelson, said recently, "Words like: chosen, elect, predestinated...yeah, there in there (the bible)...sorry. (being very sarcastic about this last word. If you know Tommy Nelson, you know the tone).
The bible teaches the doctrines of Grace, Calvinism if you must call it that. You cannot get around it, but I'm finding more and more that the problem isn't with a misunderstanding of the gospel, though that is the result. The problem is these people have a small view of God. They don't understand the nature of deity. AND they have been taught so poorly that they just don't know how to think any differently.
It's sad.
But just to share some hope, the "plague guy" from above, after I sat down with him and showed him what the Bible teaches, a couple weeks later said, He's definitely a Calvinist. Some days a five pointer others a four...there's still a struggle there.
Thank the Lord that men and women, pastors and laymen are rediscover the Awesome Sovereignty of God and Wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ.
