I am writing in response to the July 19 editorial on Calvinism. I am a student at Beeson Divinity School and Southern Baptist by background, but I consider myself in the “Reformed” (“Calvinist” can be misleading) stream of Christian thought. We emphasize God’s sovereignty in salvation, which we see in passages like Ephesians 1:4 — “Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.”
The TULIP formulation of Reformed theology is only a century old and does not summarize Reformed faith well. The main point of it is that God is responsible for our salvation from beginning to end. Nonbelievers are at times described as blind (Matt. 23:16) and even dead (Eph. 2:1) — as Rom. 3:11 summarizes it, “no one seeks for God.” Just as Lazarus did not raise himself from the dead, so we understand that God is the one who raises us from spiritual death, not ourselves. We also believe repentance (2 Tim. 2:25–26) and saving faith (Eph. 2:8) are gifts of God, not earned by humankind in any way. On the Cross, Christ paid for even my sin of unbelief and bought the power to give me repentant faith.
“Calvinism” can be used as shorthand for this basic belief. Charles Spurgeon, a Baptist, used it (and believed it). This term does NOT mean we have to accept infant baptism, the idea of “sacraments” or amillenial eschatology — Lemke and Allen misunderstand or misrepresent us by accusing us of that. It would be like saying that a “serious”
Republican has to believe in a completely deregulated economic sector and be a member of the NRA.
William Carey, a Baptist and one of the major proponents of world evangelism, was Reformed as well. The men who told him not to evangelize held an erroneous belief called “hyper-Calvinism.” This UNBIBLICAL belief neglects the Bible’s call to evangelize; it is by no means part of orthodox Calvinism. Many Reformed Baptists evangelize. Let me repeat that: many Reformed Baptists evangelize as well. I believe humankind will be held responsible for their choices. I implore the lost to be reconciled to God, and I implore God to reconcile the lost to Himself.
And finally, I don’t believe babies who die go to hell. Jesus welcomed children to Himself, saying, “To such belongs the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14). I believe that God would receive a deceased infant just as Christ received children.
Despite our differences, Reformed and non-Reformed Baptists must stand together. We can and must worship, serve, labor and pray side by side. My heart burns for my lost friends, and I share the gospel with them as faithfully and passionately as I can. I strive to understand and live out the Bible faithfully and fully. And I want to see as many people as possible one day in the great multitude shouting, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Rev. 7:10).
Joseph Rhea
Birmingham, Ala.
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