SBC President Frank Page Causes Dissension Again

I hope the title of this post didn’t unduly concern anyone…I just wanted to try out something catchy! :)

Seriously though, this is in regards to an article in the February issue of Christianity Today, “TULIP Blooming" which you can find here: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/february/8.19.html?start=1

What I wanted to say about this article and Frank Page is simply that I have long noticed a double standard among those who embrace Arminian theology; they are so eager to share their views and opinions but let someone confess themselves a (gasp!) Calvinist, and they are quick to accuse such a person of causing dissension in the ranks! Express a belief in God’s sovereign choice in election and you are a heretic and blasphemer, daring to accuse God of thwarting the ever sacred “free will” of mankind! The way they carry on you’d think you’d suddenly sprouted horns upon revealing your Calvinist leanings! :)

The article in question is about how an increasing number of SBC seminary graduates are coming out of seminary with those nasty doctrines of grace in their heads. Oh my! Send them back!

But seriously, enough of these graduates are actually getting churches that one Oklahoma pastor was devastated, no appalled, when his former youth pastor “secretly taught predestination to teens.” You see his dilemma don't you? I mean, God forbid teens should be tempted to think about doctrine! Indeed, note that this youth pastor has the word “former” before his title, since that Oklahoma pastor promptly booted him out. I guess maybe he’d prefer the youth minister I knew that gave 5-10 minute pep talks, had kids spell out biblical names with their hips, and had the teens place their arms around each others torsos as they played games that taught them Biblical truths…rest assured there was no danger of those kids learning anything as insidious as doctrine! That’s the kind of youth minister the church needs!

Right?

But excuse me for following that rabbit trail…back to the Oklahoma pastor. He “recently led the Arbuckle Baptist Association to adopt a motion calling on the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma to rebuke Reformed theology. It sent copies of the motion to all members of the Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee.” There’s a good use of pastoral energy. Who needs to confront apathy in the church when Calvinism is on the loose? Who cares if antinomianism has its horrible grip in our churches when Reformed theology is destroying youth groups throughout the nation? Why bother battling selfishness, lack of Bible reading, and doctrinal ignorance when those pesky doctrines of grace are around?

And what did Frank Page say about all of this?

“SBC president Frank Page thinks Calvinism will increasingly become a source of contention. "What we're seeing across the nation is that it's not being discussed enough," said the South Carolina pastor. "Candidates and churches are being put together, and it immediately becomes apparent they've got a serious issue of disagreement."

How will it become a source of contention? Are the Calvinists out there seeking to convert everyone to their way of thinking? Well from my own personal experience I can only say that some poor Calvinist probably said something that merely hinted at election and someone else (an Arminian) overheard this and went ballistic…frothing at the mouth and demanding that the church take a stand against such heresies! Ok, the frothing at the mouth thing was a bit much but I think you get the point!

The following is more from the article:

“While acknowledging that both sides seek to uphold biblical truth, Page worries that extremists could undermine the SBC's emphasis on outreach. He isn't impressed by arguments that most convention founders embraced Reformed ideas. "The totality of history shows the vast majority of Baptists have not been [Calvinists], so why go back to the founders?" Page said. "I think we need to go back to the Bible."

So Page is worried that those Calvinists will undermine outreach? If by this he thinks there will be no desire to provide “seeker friendly” services that leave out true Biblical teaching then he is right. If by this he means there will be no evangelical efforts then he is wrong. ALL of God’s people should witness for one very simple reason…He commands us to. This ad hominem attack upon the doctrines of grace is tiresome. And I say it is an ad hominem attack because it serves to take away the focus on whether the doctrines of grace are true or not. Oh no…we won’t throw block parties anymore! Oh my…there go our evenge-cube (look it up!) sales! My goodness…no more loud music to blast out eardrums in hopes nobody will notice the sermons lacking any depth!

Frank Page has even written an article in which he says that “Calvinist-led churches are in the minority, though the number is increasing. Second, Calvinism is on the rise among recent seminary graduates. If present trends continue, Calvinism will continue to grow as an influence in our convention. Third, Calvinist-led churches are generally smaller in worship attendance and annual baptisms than non-Calvinist churches. Fourth, church growth statistics in terms of annual baptism rates indicates there is little difference between Calvinist and non-Calvinist led churches.” (read article at: http://www.sbc.net/redirect.asp?url=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27050 )

Wait…do statistics show that “Calvinist-led churches are generally smaller in worship attendance and annual baptisms than non-Calvinist churches” or that “there is little difference between Calvinist and non-Calvinist led churches” because certainly it can’t be both!

You notice, of course, that the inference here is that if the SBC turns Calvinist their numbers will dwindle! The mighty numbers racket rears its ugly head…who cares that most of those baptized don’t stay in the church…or that those numbers, as I’ve seen firsthand, are made up of people who don’t even know why they are in a SBC church! They are attracted by the programs not the theology!

So the question must be asked...do we want Rick Warren type churches or Acts 2 and 4 churches? Sadly, most SBC pastors would say “give me Warren!” So yes, that numbers game is a distraction as usual…’cause be honest and look around your churches and tell yourself every one of them is a true Believer. No brothers and sisters…our Lord said it right when He said “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

So back to my original point: What was it? Oh yeah…when you read all these things about Calvinists causing dissension…look into it. I think that for the most part you will find that somebody was offended that a Calvinist actually voiced his/her opinion and reacted emotionally to this. Not able and willing to engage in an examination of the Word to see whether there is any truth to the claims, they attack the person and seek to drive him/her out of the church. Such is the type of theological debate we engage in today...how very sad.