Smoking Out Calvinist Pastors
Posted on 05. Mar, 2010 by K. Tanner Barfield in The Church
Here’s the deal:
Tom Ascol of Founders Ministries received a memo. It’s a little hard to believe, but, it is real.
It’s a ‘memo’ designed to reveal Calvinists pastors in your midst. Wouldn’t that be a tragedy? All joking aside, this really is sad. Those proclaiming to be promoting the Gospel are looking to ‘snuff’ those who actually are!
Some of the signs to look for include:
Focused on creating the ‘true’ church.
Use of the ESV Bible
Using as a statement of belief confessions like the 1689 London Baptist Confession
A move toward elder rule
A member of the Founders movement and attends meetings
“Yesterday I was sent the following 3 documents that have been circulating in Western Tennessee among some Southern Baptist Churches. It seems that they were distributed at seminars being held for churches to teach “how to find out if any of your staff are Calvinists and how to get rid of them.” Since receiving them I have communicated with others who have verified that they are being made available to Southern Baptist churches in Tennessee, not by any official denominational worker, but by zealous people who view the doctrines of grace as heresy. I am trying to contact one or more of those persons in hopes of better understanding what has provoked this mission.
The first document is in the form of a memo and is entitled, “Reformed Red Flags.” It contains a list of 16 “behaviors” to look for when seeking to smoke out Calvinistic pastors. Number 3 on the list is “use of the ESV Study Bible.” Someone should alert Crossway immediately. Founders made the list, as did John Piper, Jonathan Edwards, RC Sproul, James White and the first Southern Baptist confession of faith (which is still used at Southern and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminaries, and which even the famous non-Calvinist Paige Patterson has signed), the Abstract of Principles.”
Source: The above is sourced from 5ptsalt.com
Guy Fredrick
Mar 8th, 2010
Rebellion against God’s complete and utter sovereignty is a hallmark of sin that remains anchored in some theological tenets. Finding excuses for that sin is part and parcel of the rebellious nature therof.
The real question that ought to be asked is:
“Will God allow anyone into His perfect eternity who may “choose” to violate that perfection again?” I believe the answer is, “No,” which speaks volumes about the doctrines of grace and God’s election.