by Scott Hill
The Baptist Press article Jason reference below is nothing new. It is basically the same whiney, misquoted, misrepresented view of Calvinism that has been clogging the internet for the past several years. At some point I hope the Baptist Press will make an effort to find a Calvinist to write an article on what Calvinist believe, but for some reason that must be too obvious.
There was one thing that was very telling in this article. We are introduced to a new group of disgruntled Calvinist opponents, and thier reasoning for being opposed is not theological. The refreshing thing about this group is they had the guts to admit it. I want to pull out a few quotes and to make my point.
“do you think he’s going to bring in this fire-breathing evangelist who wears a tie and black suit and have him stand up there and tell people that they are going to hell?” Michael Gott of Keller, Texas,
They’re going to try to woo them step by step, overextending friendship evangelism, to the point that confrontational evangelism is not part of the package.”
“We’re not even within the system,” Gott said.
What’s the complaint here. The complaint is no one is asking us to come preach in their churches. They concede Hybels is reaching people for Christ despite the Finnyesque revivalism and that Calvinistic churches are baptizing as many people as non-calvinistic churches and are slightly more evangelistic, and Calvinistic churches have also rejected revivalism. Personally if this is true I say praise God, and let’s go win more people for Christ. These men however, can’t be excited God is saving people, because they are disappointed that He saved them and there weren’t a part of it. “No one is using us anymore”. is their complaint.
Michael Gott even goes so far to say, the seminaries need to do something about that. I hate to tell Michael, but it is the seminaries that caused it, thank God. There is a similar discussion taking place among the music and television industry. They also refuse to realize times are a changin. Speaking from experience 99.9 percent of these vocational evangelist tell the churches to get outside of their walls and go into the highways and hedges and preach the gospel. So these men have a platform. They could take their own advice and preach on the streets. If its about souls and confrontational evangelism then there is no better platform. So what is there real complaint.
Now I said it wasn’t philisophical, but I quess it is. One of the last quotes in the article tells the whole tale.
“All of this probably began because of the wrong role models. I know men who have been on evangelism conferences –- who if you got them to speak their mind and their heart, they would be opposed to the invitation.” He means alter call.
These wrong role models they complain about aren’t Joel Osteen and Bill Hybels. The wrong role models are John Piper and John MacArthur. I have heard from their own mouths similar complaints. Statements like, “John MacArthur doesn’t even do invitations at his church” Although they have neve been to Grace Church. They also dismiss anyone pointing out to them the number of people that churches like Grace and Bethlehem baptize every year. It is actually threatening to them that people are being saved despite revivalism mentality. Their complaint is the way in which people are saved. First they are not the ones preaching. Second the invitation is equated with evangelism, and these men cannot comprehend how someone could be saved without an alter call. To them evangelism is not proclaiming the gospel and making disciples in whatever mode that takes. It is evangelism their way. They are afraid of being outmoded, and they should be. People are being saved daily without Just As I Am playing in the background.
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36 year old husband, father, pastor, singer, musician, reader, eater, rider, watcher,
When I was a new Christian I had an issue with Calvinism. I was told it was a heresy and reduced people to robots or pawns in a cosmic game.
I decided to read up on this Calvinist Heresy, and I found it so sound I had no choice but to say I am a Calvinist because I believe
what the bible teaches and the bible teaches Calvinism.
If I just went by the caricature of what a Calvinist is – it would miss out. People just need to read more and do there own research then form an opinion.
Excellent summary and points of thought. It is really unfortunate they feel this way but at the same time I am glad that they are becoming outdated. It means the circuit is closing and churches are taking care of business or at least seminaries are. Although I like what Mohler said “if churches were doing their job I would be out of one”.
Maybe that day will come?
The author said, “But John Piper’s version of Calvinism is not something John Calvin would espouse, or even that Charles Spurgeon [British reformed Baptist preacher] would espouse.” I guess I’m not well read enough, but what part of Piper’s Calvinism would Calvin or Spurgeon reject?
You took the words right out of my mouth! I saw the exact same thing through the fog of all the rhetoric – “If this continues I won’t have a job!” And to that I say another hearty “Amen!”
amen. and nice little side crack on Billy. haha. i want people saved because God reached their mind and heart not their emotions.
I agree that the motivation of these people appears to be centered around their concern for their livelyhood. However, I suggest we should be praying for them as much as anything. I had been a Christian for years before I ever heard about Calvanisim and the truth that scripture teaches about salvation and God’s soverignty. Some people are willfully ignorant and some people have never been taught any better.
I’m just sayin’…..
Don’t misunderstand me. I believe these men served a purpose and still do. However, that purpose may be changing. I am very close to more than a dozen itinerate evangelist, and have a great appreciation for their service. However, the group in this article and many others like them need to follow their own advice. I have heard many of them say things such as “I don’t solicit places to speak, God will send me where he wants me to go”. Well after years of saying that I believe they are being called to practice what they preach. Not all of them are manipulative, and the majority have pure motives. For that I am like Paul, as long as they are preaching the Gospel I will leave them alone. However, they are by necessity going to have to take a long hard look at their roll in the kingdom and see where they fit. They are the ones claiming to be outmoded. That alone should be a wakeup call.
Great, great point about the fear of not having a place to preach, when massive crowds of unbelievers are on the streets every day. You wanna be an evangelist? Nobody’s stopping you, brother! Have at it!
There is another reason, and, I think, the real and unspoken reason, why they are upset that no one is asking them to come to their church and preach; and that is if they aren’t invited they don’t get paid. If they were truly concerned about evangelism they would be out preaching in the street where the unchurched and unsaved are instead of in churches where, supposedly, the saved reside.
In addition, I have heard McArthur give a call to trust Christ as Savior, he just didn’t do an altar call with it. Obviously, he thinks the efficacy of the Word and the Spirit are enough to save without walking the aisle and saying a canned prayer.
Morris