From time to time, one hears Southern Baptist pastors and scholars complain about the danger of hyper-Calvinism in the SBC. I have argued on this blog and in other venues that there are virtually no hyper-Calvinists in the SBC. I have contended that those who use the term do so recklessly, either out of ignorance or malice. I choose to believe it is out of ignorance, because while it may sound ugly, it is a whole heap better than the alternative.

My protests to the contrary, I have recently become convinced that there are some hyper-Calvinists in the SBC after all. But in this case, these hyper-Calvinists are not opposed to urging all people to repent of their sins and trust Christ, but rather they bristle at the idea that human beings have the ability to influence global climate change. Let me explain.

Bona fide hyper-Calvinism is a collection of various doctrines that are perverted distortions of historic Calvinism, much like the relationship of open-theism to classical Arminianism. But where the hyper-Calvinist rubber meets the real world road is on the issue of gospel preaching. Simply put, the most important difference between Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism is that the latter denies the role of human means in bringing lost men and women to faith in Christ. Hence, they refuse to urge all lost people to turn to Christ in faith. To say it another way, hypers reject the theological principle that the same God who has ordained the end (the salvation of the elect) has ordained the means (the preaching of the gospel to all men).

When I observe how some Southern Baptists have responded to “A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change”–a document I have endorsed–I am convinced that there may be some hyper-Calvinists among us after all. I have read blog comments, blog posts, and letters to the editor of at least one Baptist state paper that argue that human beings cannot play a role in climate change. Those who make this claim will then quote a number of Scripture texts that tell us that God is the one who controls the weather. The implication, sometimes explicitly stated, is that to believe that our actions can negatively impact the environment is man-centered and undermines the sovereignty of God. Not a few folks have even said that Jonathan Merritt, the main author of the Declaration, is a young enthusiast who needs to sit down and shut up. After all, when God is ready to change the climate, he will do so without your help or mine.

For the record, I have no issue with someone who refuses to sign the Declaration. While all Southern Baptists believe in the Christian duty to be good stewards of God’s creation, not all agree that Climate Change is really happening. Fair enough. But don’t go hyper-Calvinist on me and argue that we cannot influence the environment. As one of my students said, “I don’t see how anyone can see the stuff coming out of factory smokestacks and believe that it is good for the environment.” Please note that this comment came from a brother who did not sign the Declaration.

God is surely sovereign over his creation. But if the climate is changing, is it that hard to believe that the same God who ordained the ends has ordained the means? And think carefully before you answer that question–someone may just accuse you of being a hyper-Calvinist.

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