Posted on 07/21/2006 3:57:55 AM PDT by Gamecock
One of the most promising signs of renewal in Southern Baptist life is the emergence of genuine theological discussion and historical interest. After decades marked by the absence of significant interest in many doctrines, Southern Baptists are awakening to historic doctrinal debates in a new key.
As if awakened from doctrinal amnesia, the denomination faces the promise of both renewal and reformation. In this process, we may recover our theological heritage even as we address our modern context of ministry.
Dr. William R. Estep, one of Southern Baptists' most distinguished historians, has recently directed attention to a resurgent Calvinism in Southern Baptist life. The "Calvinizing" of the Southern Baptist Convention, he fears, is a dangerous development.
I am pleased to have the opportunity to respond to Dr. Estep and to present a very different understanding of what is at stake. Though vitriolic and harsh in tone, his article deserves a respectful and thoughtful response.
First, let me state at the onset that if Calvinism is accurately represented by Dr. Estep's treatment, I will have nothing to do with it. Nevertheless, few of Calvin's friends or enemies will recognize Calvinism as presented in Estep's article.
Calvinism clearly draws its name from John Calvin, the sixteenth-century reformer whose towering intellect and biblical preaching gave birth to the "Reformed" tradition as one of the central streams of the Reformation. Calvin's mission was to establish the Church on the basis of Scripture, with its doctrine and practice drawn from Scripture itself.
His Institutes of the Christian Religion, first published in 1536, was his effort to set forth the doctrines revealed in the Bible. Few works have come close to the Institutes in terms of influence in the Church. Elsewhere, Dr. Estep has described the Institutes as "one of Protestantism's greatest attempts at erecting a systematic theology." Calvinism is simply the Reformation tradition which is associated most closely with Calvin.
Dr. Estep presents a very severe portrait of Calvin the reformer, and those looking for severity in Calvin need not look far. He was a sixteenth-century man who bore many of the prejudices and political dispositions common to his day. He would not understand the notion of religious liberty, and he was ready to use the arm of the law to enforce correct doctrine.
No Calvinist I know would advocate Calvin's position on these issues, any more than modern Lutherans would endorse Martin Luther's anti-Semitism. Baptists who quickly reject Calvin's theology because of his shortcomings on other issues must, if honest, reject virtually any influence from previous centuries. This holds true for Dr. Estep's treasured Anabaptists as well.
Calvin is not fairly depicted in Dr. Estep's article, but that is not the real issue. The issue is not Calvin, but the truth or falsehood of the doctrines he taught, and the doctrines now associated with his name.
The central tenet of Calvinism is the sovereignty of God. This is the starting point and the highest principle of Reformed theology. Calvinism is God-centered and draws its understanding of God directly from his self-revelation in Scripture. The God revealed in the Bible is the sovereign Creator, Ruler and Redeemer. His omnipotence, omniscience and governance over all things set this God of the Bible apart from all false gods.
The God of the Bible is the holy, ruling, limitless, acting, all-powerful God who makes nations to rise and to fall, who accomplishes his purposes and who redeems his people. Arminianism--the theological system opposed to Calvinism--necessarily holds to a very different understanding of God, his power and his government over all things.
Calvinism is most closely and accurately associated with the so-called "doctrines of grace," which summarize the teaching of Scripture concerning the gospel. The Bible teaches us that we are born sinners and are thus spiritually dead. Dead in our sins, we cannot on our own even respond to God's grace. Thus, as Jesus told his disciples, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to me, unless it has been granted him from the Father" (John 6:65).
Further, the Bible makes clear that God has chosen a people "chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" (1 Peter 1:2). Paul, in writing to the Ephesian church, states that the Father has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, and "predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 1:3-5). The New Testament resounds with words including "chosen," "election" and "predestination." The issue is not whether these are taught by Calvin, but whether they are taught in Scripture.
We would like to think that we are smart enough, spiritually sensitive enough and responsive enough to choose to confess Christ without the prior work of God in our hearts. Unfortunately for our pride, this is not at all what the Bible reveals. God chooses us before we choose him. As Southern Seminary President E. Y. Mullins stated, "God's choice of a person is prior to that person's choice of God, since God is infinite in wisdom and knowledge and will not make the success of the divine kingdom dependent on the contingent choices of people."
Calvinism is nothing more and nothing less than the simple assertion that salvation is all of grace, from the beginning to the end. God saves sinners. Jesus Christ died for sinners. As Scripture promises, all those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
The God of the Bible saves sinners and holds those he has redeemed to the end. The vast majority of Southern Baptists hold to the doctrine known as the "perseverance of the saints," but that precious promise makes sense only in terms of the "doctrines of grace." Our choice of Christ is indeed necessary, but he has first chosen us--and he will keep us to the end.
Many Southern Baptists find predestination and other doctrines difficult to understand and even offensive to our pride. But we cannot read the New Testament without coming again and again to these doctrines.
Dr. Estep charges that a revival of Calvinism will lead to a lessening of evangelistic commitment and missionary vision. This is a common charge, but it is reckless and without foundation. Indeed, many of the most significant missionary and evangelistic movements in the history of the Church have been led by those who held to the very doctrines Dr. Estep laments.
These have included Charles Spurgeon, the greatest Baptist preacher of the last century, whose ministry at London's Metropolitan Tabernacle was among the most evangelistic in the history of Christianity. Spurgeon openly and consistently advocated all the distinctive doctrines of Calvinism and publicly identified himself as a Calvinist. In a day of doctrinal decline, Spurgeon sounded the alarm for a recovery of biblical truth and the "doctrines of grace." When asked how he reconciled his Calvinism and fervent evangelism, he responded, "I do not try to reconcile friends."
Dr. Estep claims Andrew Fuller as an opponent of Calvinism, yet Fuller also held to the "doctrines of grace." He clearly advocated the doctrine of election. In The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation, cited by Dr. Estep, Fuller affirms that "none ever did or will believe in Christ but those who are chosen of God from eternity."
William Carey, the father of modern missions, was himself a Calvinist, as were leaders such as Jonathan Edwards and the great George Whitefield. The Evangelism Explosion program used by so many Southern Baptist churches was developed by a Calvinist.
If Calvinism is an enemy to missions and evangelism, it is an enemy to the gospel itself. The Great Commission and the task of evangelism are assigned to every congregation and every believer. The charge that Calvinism is opposed to evangelism simply will not stick--it is a false argument. The "doctrines of grace" are nothing less than a statement of the gospel itself. Through the substitutionary work of Christ, God saves sinners. The great promise is that whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Even the opponents of Calvinism must admit, if historically informed, that Calvinism is the theological tradition into which the Baptist movement was born. The same is true of the Southern Baptist Convention. The most influential Baptist churches, leaders, confessions of faith, and theologians of the founding era were Calvinistic.
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary was born of this Calvinistic tradition, as reflected in its Abstract of Principles. James P. Boyce, in calling for the seminary's founding, charged it to oppose all heresies, including Arminianism.
It was not until well into the twentieth century that any knowledgeable person could claim that Southern Baptists were anything but Calvinists. In referring to early Southern Baptists (especially James P. Boyce), Dr. Estep charges that they misunderstood Calvinism. This is a strange and innovative charge, considering that Boyce, for example, had been trained at Princeton Theological Seminary--the fountainhead of Calvinism in nineteenth-century America.
Boyce's colleague John A. Broadus--the greatest Baptist preacher of his day--was so certain that Calvinism was revealed in the Bible that he challenged those who sneer at Calvinism to "sneer at Mount Blanc." Broadus was certain that the doctrines known as Calvinism were those preached by Paul and the other apostles, and were revealed in Holy Scripture.
Other Southern Baptist leaders were also well-identified Calvinists. These included J. B. Gambrell and B. H. Carroll, the founder of Southwestern Seminary.
Calvinism was the mainstream tradition in the Southern Baptist Convention until the turn of the century. The rise of modern notions of individual liberty and the general spirit of the age have led to an accommodation of historic doctrines in some circles.
Dr. Estep is correct in noting the modifications to Calvinism which have occurred among Southern Baptists. Most Baptists hold to at least part of Calvinism, while generally unaware of the whole.
As Southern Baptists seek to recover our theological inheritance and the essence of biblical Christianity, I believe we will see a return to a more Calvinistic understanding of the gospel and a recognition of the absolute sovereignty of God.
Nevertheless, my main concern is not that Southern Baptists return to Calvinism--or to any human theological system. Our main concern must be to see Southern Baptists return to theological health and biblical fidelity. This theological and biblical reformation will, I am certain, also lead to a blazing recovery of missionary zeal and evangelistic fervor--and to the renewal of our churches and denomination. Southern Baptists will truly be headed for a well-deserved dunghill only when we retreat from biblical truth and withdraw from evangelism and missions.
We stand at an historic threshold. Now is the time for Southern Baptists to stand together on the great truths of God's Word and on the front lines of God's redemptive purpose. As Charles Spurgeon reminds us, we should rejoice whenever the Gospel is preached and shared--whether by a Calvinist or non-Calvinist.
My personal agenda is not driven by Calvinism, but by the hope that Southern Baptists will embrace, confess, preach, and teach the truths of God's Word--and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with every man, woman, and child on the earth. In this hope and vision we should all stand together.
As a dear friend has well stated, the real issue is not whether John Calvin is your personal theologian, but whether Jesus Christ is your personal Savior. By God's grace, may we see genuine reformation and renewal in our churches--and a Great Commission vision in our hearts.
bump for later read
Grrr...
Did you ever see "Westworld" with Yul Brenner?
Sometimes Saddleback reminds me of Westworld.
I agree with Wmfights that all our churches need to be welcoming, but not at the expense of sound doctrine.
A few years ago my widowed mother moved to a new area and went to the local Presbyterian church. She felt she was practically ignored and so she didn't return. She went to another Presbyterian church and was warmly welcomed. She's there this morning.
But "Dietyworld" or "BigKahunaworld" is not what we're supposed to be offering on Sunday mornings.
I don't know how he can say this at all.
The other night I was reading about Wesley and Whitefield, and their disagreement on predestination and even brief estrangement, I think. Anyway, Wesley, even though he disagreed vehemently with Whitefield, placed him in charge of building up the number of faithful through missionary work. Article I was reading implied that Whitefield didn't have the organizational acmumen that Wesley had, but that Whitefield was much, much better than either of the Wesley men in bringing in a harvest. Both Wesley and Whitefield once they had really gone their separate ways tended not to poach on each other's territory, and Wesley delivered Whitefiled's eulogy at his funeral. And what about Charles Spurgeon? He lived for bringing people to God. Either I'm not understanding things properly, Estep is all wet here.
LOLOL! That was excellent! When I went to Italy in '97, pilot alerted us that we were circling Mt. Blanc heading for landing in Rome. It was close to 10 a.m. and we had a very clear view. It was beautiful, and seeing this quote just brought back to mind what an undeniable work of God it was.
When doing a pulpit exposition of scripture one must deal with what's there. Does it all proclaim God Almighty? Of course, but it all isn't necessarily an exposition of the gospel.
The entire deacon concept is totally unrecognizable from a scriptural point of view in most churches that I know of....including my own.
The "servers" waited tables, basically.
They weren't the hiring/firing/supervisory committee overseeing the pastor.
That is perverse.
Saturday night service was a midway point for traditional Sabbath folks and new Sunday folks. After sundown on Saturday was Sunday.
Not the waiters.
Normally, they don't in Baptist churches either. You generally have a simple majority vote of members.
"But "Dietyworld" or "BigKahunaworld" is not what we're supposed to be offering on Sunday mornings."
Looks like Calvin College is preparing its grads for "Jazzworld" which is not much different than the various kinds of worship services offered at different times by the great antichrist, Saddleback.
Jazz Vespers: A Contemporary Riff on an Ancient Prayer Service
by Ron Rienstra
Issue #70
LOFT (Living Our Faith Together) is the main student-run contemporary worship service at Calvin College. But it isn’t the only one. A little over two years ago, students on campus began a midweek, late evening, jazz- and poetry-based prayer service held in an underground coffee house known as the Cave. Ron Rienstra coordinates that service as well as LOFT. This column is offered in response to many inquires about what goes on there.
A Kuyperian Experiment
Jazz vespers, as a concept worship service and as an outreach ministry, began in New York City in the 1960s. Pastor John Gensel of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in New York City befriended the city’s musicians and designed a service of prayer and jazz for folks who couldn’t make it to Sunday morning services after playing late night gigs on Saturday night. Some were concerned that jazz music would attract a wayward, nightclubbing crowd to church. Pastor Gensel wasn’t fazed. “That’s the kind we want,” he said. “The good ones can stay at home.”
In this tradition, our jazz vespers service is formulated for “fringe” folks, for those not comfortable in a regular church service. Held in the campus coffee house, with its laid-back and interactive environment, the service is an eclectic mix of corporate prayer, spoken verse, ambient art, and live jazz. Through these elements, we walk through an ancient service of prayer (vespers) in a creative, informal, and multisensory way. I like to think of it as a Kuyperian experiment, testing whether a few frequently unclaimed square inches of God’s good creation are truly redeemable in the worship world.
Structure
We’ve simplified the time-tested pattern for evening prayer into four key parts. Ordered chronologically (and alliteratively for easy memorization), they are: praise, psalm, proclamation, and prayer.
Praise
Each service begins with praise. But it is praise as much overheard as it is active. We generally don’t have congregational singing. We hope worshipers participate, but since many will be comfortable doing so only minimally, we try to maximize their passive participation. So maybe the opening song is a hymn, a praise song, a pop song, or a jazz standard played by the musical combo. Combined with either a poem or a reading of Scripture, the opening section locates the thematic center of our weekly exploration. These themes are spiritual without necessarily being theological. For instance, during holy week, our theme was “Friendship, Abandonment, and Betrayal” (think Peter in the courtyard while Jesus is being tried).
Psalm
In good Reformed tradition, every week includes the reading and singing of a psalm. John Calvin recognized the power of music to “crack open” the human heart and wished that when music was used in worship, scriptural words be poured in. So each week, student Angel Napieralski searches through the psalms to find one that especially speaks to our theme. She then identifies a line from the psalm that will serve as a musical refrain to the rest of the psalm. She composes a melody for this refrain and brings it to Dan Richardson, music director of jazz vespers, who collaborates with her—tweaking the melody, adjusting the style, and giving it a jazz backdrop. This line of music is often printed out for folks to look at (see below). While we haven’t yet invited those gathered at jazz vespers to sing along, we wouldn’t discourage it. And some already do. If not at the service itself, they certainly may afterwards as the songs that were poured into their hearts flow out when they find themselves fearful (“The Lord is my light and my stronghold,” Ps. 27, see p. 26), or jubilant (“Praise the Lord, O my soul!” Ps. 146), or in trouble (“Help us, O God our Savior, we are in great need,” Ps. 79).
Proclamation
At the intellectual heart of the service is a collection of art, musical numbers, and readings that cluster around our thematic center. Selected by students, the words come first from Scripture, and then from a variety of poetic and prose sources, both secular and sacred. They are read aloud by one of our leaders, with the piano often offering punctuation. The jazz combo (keyboard, bass, sax, trombone, and sometimes guitar or accordion) also plays a piece or two. Often a slide show of associated images is projected via PowerPoint onto a makeshift screen. Placing related music, words, and art in close proximity creates a space where they resonate with one another and with individual hearts, allowing individual meanings and messages to emerge as the Holy Spirit moves. So, for example, we might read God’s call to Abram from Genesis 12, play Duke Ellington’s “Caravan,” watch pictures of people traveling or moving, and then listen for what God might say.
Prayer
The service comes to its climax in this section, as a student prays on behalf of the community. The basic text for the prayer is thematically connected to the rest of the service and is carefully crafted beforehand. During the first part of the service we send around a clipboard with the prayer printed out and lots of white space for folks to anonymously add their own prayers of thanksgiving or petition. All these are read aloud at the prayer time while the piano softly plays underneath. The service usually concludes with a final musical number and a spoken blessing.
Ambience
One of the dangers in using jazz music—or any music in worship—is idolatry. The personal virtuosity of the players can become the object of worship rather than a pointer to the Source of all good. We try to combat this temptation in a postmodern sort of way: by offering a variety of foci, all of which help draw our attention to the prayer in which everything else participates. So the combo is physically situated not front and center, but back and aside. Folks can look at them, or at the poetry readers. Or they can look at something meant to be looked at: thematically connected art. For example, one week, when our theme was “silence,” we had two original student paintings on display. One was noisy with color and line, the other a nearly blank canvas. Or, on the Thursday of Holy Week, we prominently displayed a two-foot papier-mˆaché rooster caught mid-crow. (An allusion to Peter’s betrayal? A reminder that even in a dark week, the bright Easter morning is coming? These, and perhaps more.)
But that’s not all. Worshipers can also choose to follow the order of service (along with some of the Scripture and poetry) printed in the “unbulletin.” Or they can sit back in their comfy chairs and enjoy their cappuccino. Or they can use the crayons or clay on their tables to draw their prayers or prayer responses. Or they can look at the slide show images projected up front, or at the lighted candles all around. Or they can use the crayons or clay on their tables to pray in other creative ways.
Robert Wuthnow, in his latest book, All in Sync, observes that there is a close connection between art (of all sorts) and prayer. For most people, meaningful prayer has a particular ambience. My college students might call it vibe. We can’t engineer it, of course; but we do try our best each week to create a rich, multisensory environment that invites wayward or wandering children—that is, all of us—into prayerful wondering about the mysteries of life and love and God.
A Jazz Vespers Service Outline
New Life
Opening
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 31:10-14
Praise
q “O Filii et Filiae” (Mode II Plainsong, arr. Stan Kessler. Tune associated with Easter hymn “O Sons and Daughters of the King”)
Reading: A Psalm of Life (Longfellow)
Psalm 30—excerpts (H. Hopson/D. Richardson)
Proclamation
Reading: Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time (C. S. Lewis)
Reading: Death, Be Not Proud (John Donne)
“Because He Lives” (Gaither/Richardson)
Reading: An Anniversary (Wendell Berry)
Reading: Sidewalk Apocalypse (Debra Rienstra)
“No Greater Love” (Isham Jones)
Reading: Salvation (Frederick Buechner)
Prayers of the People
Closing
Reading: Time and Eternity XXIV (Emily Dickinson)
Scripture Reading: Romans 8:22-23
“Come Sunday” (Duke Ellington)
Dismissal: Go in peace . . .
Author
Ron Rienstra
Ron Rienstra is an editorial consultant for Reformed Worship. He is a pastor in the Reformed Church in America.
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The structure of this is nice for a coffee house, but it sure is short on worshiping GOD. I don't see any time set aside for the message/sermon.
A cross between church, summer camp and the Farmer's Market. But they're college kids and kids like to play around. The jazz music sounds nice. I even looked up the Emily Dickinson poem. Not bad.
But I expect more from an established church on Sunday mornings, and I bet you do, too. Did you read the link about the various services at Saddleback? I think Hula church is fine for Hawaiians in Maui, but it seems more like voyeurism for accountants in Orange County.
In all these discussions, the Reformed are made out to look like party-poopers. But in truth, I think we like our church services strong and straight-up.
And I make no apologies for that. As good a poet as Emily Dickinson might have been, David was better.
Our pastor preached for 40 minutes today from Deuteronomy 34 and it was awesome.
I'll bet your pastor is a Godly man.
My wife thinks he is the best preacher she has heard. I think that is a bit of an exaggeration.
I can't get the link. What is it?
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