Tell the Truth & Torch the Strawman

Once again a Convention leader in the Southern Baptist Convention is posturing his "straw man" version of Calvinism and throwing his proverbial darts at this cruel monster. This time the man weighing in on the growing controversy over the resurgence of Calvinism in the SBC is Nelson Price.

In the most recent edition of the Christian Index, Brother Price has written a response in the Index Forum defending the position of Bill Harrell's views concerning the rise of Calvinism in the SBC. But the opinions of Bill Harrell pales in comparison to the diatribe on Calvinism written by Nelson Price in the November 23, 2006 Christian Index (you can read this article here).

Probably the saddest and most deplorable thing about Price's article is the sheer ignorance of his subject. Basically, the article is denouncing Calvinism according to Nelson Price. That is, what he thinks Calvinism is. This seems to be the most popular approach being taken by SBC leaders who seem to be on a campain to rid the Convention of Calvinism. Their approach goes something like this: let's take the hardest statements made by Calvinists; rip them out of context; slander John Calvin; deny that Baptists have ever believed predestination; and only quote those verses in the Bible which have words like "all", "everyone", "whosoever", and "world" as they relate to salvation - while ignoring the rest of the biblical record on salvation; finally, scare everybody that knows nothing about Calvinism, that if this monster gains ground in the SBC, it will be the end of missions and evangelism forever. This is just a rough sketch of how many leaders in the SBC are attacking what they call "Calvinism."

Now for Nelson Price, as I have said, it is no different. FIRST of all, his version of Calvinism has a Presbyterian flavoring mixed with some hyper-Calvinism and a willful ignorance of Church History & Historical Theology. Based on this construct, Price makes a sweeping generalization that anyone who is a Calvinist must fit into this pigeon hole he has created. For instance, they must believe that "some persons are preselected by God to go to hell." SECONDLY, they must follow the teachings of John Calvin. THIRDLY, they must believe that children of Christian parents will inherit salvation. And FOURTHLY, they must put "a dagger in the heart of evangelism." But without question, the worst and most slanderous accusation that Price makes concerning Calvinists is his "celestial bus" illustration. For him, the view of predestination by Calvinists pictures God driving a bus to heaven and allowing only those that are chosen to get on board, while turning away others who desired to get on board but because they were not chosen were destined for hell. This illustration is nothing but pure slander. Historic Calvinism has never taught such a thing.

But for Nelson Price, the facts seem not important. Indeed, the truth is obviously not important. And worst of all, the truth of God's Word is really not important since for Brother Price, it is not the final authority in determining the nature and work of salvation. All that matters is what Nelson thinks. The scary thing about this attitude is that Proverbs 18:2 warns us that this is the way of the fool: "The fool takes no delight in understanding, but only in expressing his own opinion." That's all Nelson Price's article is: an expression of his own opinions with a closed-mind to the possibility he could be wrong. How sad.

Here is the truth about Calvinism in a nutshell: God alone saves sinners! His saving work incorporates election (Eph.1:4), predestination (Rom.8:30), regeneration (Tit.3:5), calling (I Cor.1:24), redemption (Eph.1:7), propitiation (Rom.3:25), justification (Rom.5:1), reconciliation (Rom.5:11), sanctification (I Thess.5:23), and glorification (Rom.8:30). Why even faith and repentance are the works of God because they are the gifts of His grace to the sinner He has chosen to save (Eph.2:8-9; II Tim.2:25). This is all biblical and it is the historic teaching of what is called Calvinism. And as for evangelism, historic Calvinism has always been warmly evangelical - contrary to the opinion of Nelson Price! For the Bible teaches that evangelism is God's ordained means of calling His elect out of the world (Rom.10:14-17; I Cor.1:18-2:5; I Thess. 1:4-5; II Thess.2:13-14; II Tim.2:23-26).

Furthermore, Christ has commanded that we go into all the world and the preach the gospel to everyone, leaving the results of conversion to Him alone (Mk.16:15; I Cor.3:6-7). Calvinists have always believed this. Church History proves this emphatically: just consider John Bunyan, William Carey, Daniel Marshall, Shubal Sterns, Richard Furman, Andrew Fuller, Adoniram Judson, Luther Rice, and Lottie Moon. These were all Baptists who were Calvinists, who gave their lives for the work of evangelism and missions. Then of course, there are just those preacher-evangelists like Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, and Martyn Lloyd-Jones. All Calvinists and yet proclaimed Christ and Him crucified to sinners everywhere, calling all to believe and repent with full confidence in the power of God to save them.

Moreover, let it be said loud and clear that historic Calvinism has never denied man's freedom of choice nor his moral responsibility to God for his actions. Man is free to choose what he wants to choose and will be consequently held responsible for those choices. The only problem however is that left to his own natural free choices as a fallen sinful creature, he will choose sin and rebellion against God everytime (Jn.3:18-20; Rom.3:9-18; 8:7-8; Eph.2:1-3). It is at this point where Nelson Price's bus illustration denies what Calvinism really teaches. Those people in his illustration who desired to get on the bus to heaven but were rejected because they were not chosen is a complete and total farce to the biblical doctrine of man's depravity and thus to historic Calvinism. No sinner of his own free will in a fallen sinful state is ever going to desire to get on that bus to heaven. The Bible is so plain about this: men love the darkness and hate the light and thus will not come to the light (see Jn.3:19-20). Or another passage which is even more blunt and to the point: no one seeks after God (Rom.3:11)! So those people in Price's bus illustration who wanted to get on the bus to heaven but were denied - simply do not exist.

The Bible teaches very clearly that anyone who wants to be saved will be saved (Jn.3:16; Rom.10:13). Historic Calvinism has always taught this. Where the rub comes in though is the origin of the "want to." Why would a dead, rebellious, blind, God-hating sinner ever want or desire to come to Christ when such a desire does not exist in their sinful nature? Answer: only because a sovereign, loving, merciful God chooses not to leave them to what they deserve but work in them a gracious act of new life whereby they are born again to believe, treasure, long for, and desire Christ above all (Jer.32:40; Ezk.36:26-27; Matt.11:26; Jn.6:37-45,65; 10:15,26-28; Acts 13:48; 15:15-18; Rom.9:10-18; Eph.2:1-10; II Thess.2:13-14). In either case though, whether saved or unsaved, man's freedom and responsibility is still intact. Left to himself, he will freely choose hell and bust those gates wide open; but by the sovereign grace of God, his natural resistence will be overcome and he will freely choose Christ.

The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 states this truth so well in chapter 10, paragraph 1:

At a time appointed by and acceptable to God, those whom God has predestined to life are effectually called by His Word and Spirit out of the state of death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. Their minds are given spiritual enlightenment and, as those who are being saved, they begin to understand the things of God. God takes away their heart of stone and gives them a heart of flesh. He renews their will, and by His almighty power He sets them to seek and follow that which is good, at the same time effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ. And to all these changes they come most freely, for they are made willing by divine grace. (italics and emphasis mine)

Now the really important point of this great statement (as far as this article is concerned) is that this is historic Calvinism. Sadly though, this is not the Calvinism which Nelson Price understands. In fact, he gives the impression, like the other SBC leaders in his camp, that he would rather deny that such a Calvinism even exists. Since his article in the Index, I have been burdened to pray for him and the rest of these men who are making a platform out of their condemnation of Calvinism. I pray that God will humble them (as He continues to humble me) and open their hearts to take heed to what His Word so plainly teaches concerning the truth of His sovereign grace. I love these men as brothers in Christ, but am deeply troubled by their apparent blindness and prejudice to these truths. My only solace in all this insanity is God's precious promise: He works all things for the good of His people and for His glory (Rom.8:28; 11:36).