As you know, my presentation at the Building Bridges conference addressed common mischaracterizations of Calvinism, or at least Calvinism in the Southern Baptist Convention. I assumed that accurate knowledge leads to better cooperation. I also assumed that most of the mischaracterizations are based upon misunderstanding or confusion, rather than malice. After discussing five common myths about SBC Calvinism, I gave four suggestions for how we can build bridges in the convention:
1. Calvinists and non-Calvinists must share a common commitment to the gospel
2. Calvinists and non-Calvinists must share a common commitment to a robust Baptist identity
3. Calvinists and non-Calvinists must share a common commitment to the Great Commission
4. Calvinists and non-Calvinists must share a common commitment to be humble and Christ-like in our discussions about this issue (and all issues) and our attempts to persuade others of our respective convictions
I want to address the fourth point in this post. During the conference, and especially in the aftermath of the conference, there has been quite a bit of blog chatter about the proceedings. Much of it has been written by Calvinists, and some of it has done absolutely nothing to build bridges among Southern Baptists.
Let me lay my cards on the table. Having sat through the conference presentations live and in the flesh, I do not share Malcolm Yarnell’s concerns about SBC Calvinism. I am not persuaded by Ken Keathley’s view of Molinism. I remain unconvinced that general atonement is more biblical than definite atonement, despite David Nelson’s best efforts to convince me otherwise. I was not convinced by some of J. D. Greear’s exegesis of Romans 9. I suspect that each of those men would say similar things about the various presentations they heard from Calvinists.
Despite my disagreement with these brothers, I am genuinely interested in laboring alongside them to preach the gospel to all people. I think they share that interest.
Regrettably, some of my fellow Calvinists seem less concerned with building bridges than winning an argument. I have read some unkind stuff on blogs the past few days, and most of it is written by my Calvinist brothers. Much of it has been directed at some of the above-mentioned men, particularly Malcolm and Ken. And no matter how accurate you think the various comments and posts may or may not be, there is no place for the manner in which they have been communicated.
So this is an open plea to my Calvinist brothers: be kind. Bridges will not be built if we do exactly what we rightly accuse so many non-Calvinists of doing: malign, mischaracterize, and/or mock our fellow Southern Baptists with whom we disagree. Raise the discourse to a new level. Do not be dragged into the mud, or, even worse, jump into the sludge of your own accord. In short, extend the same courtesy to our non-Calvinist friends that you wish so many non-Calvinists would extend to you. Maybe then, we can start building some bridges. At the very least, we will better honor Christ with how we conduct ourselves in public discourse.
