Calvinism should not divide the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
That was the conclusion of four Southern Baptist leaders who talked honestly about the division within the convention over the issue of Calvinism while offering suggestions and maintaining that Southern Baptists should and can unite, despite differences.
“Baptists for 400 years have disagreed over this issue, and we’re not going to come to some place where we all agree. I think we can come to a place where we all can work together,” said Union University President David S. Dockery, one of the speakers at a conference sponsored by the Kentucky Baptist Convention. The conference, called “Calvinism: Concerned, Confused, or Curious,” was held at Crestwood Baptist Church, Crestwood, Ky.
“In the 18th century there were particular and general Baptists, but at the sending of William Carey, they joined hands together for the common cause of missions. That’s something we can do again,” Dockery added.
“Right now there is deep division in our convention over this issue,” said Frank Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee. “It comes every year at the convention. It is not going to stop until we learn how to treat each other, how to be honest, how to clarify what we really are saying.”
There are “extremes” on both sides of the issue, Page said.
Page said he appointed Calvinists and non-Calvinists to the Committee on Committees “because they were men and women that would go out and witness with me.” He said he “soon” will be naming a group of advisers “to help me pull together some kind of strategy” to help keep the convention united.
Both sides, he said, need to learn to respect one another. “We’re talking about and at each other too often,” he said. “When you respect someone, you talk to them.”
Page added, “If we can do missions and evangelism together … then we can pull this thing together.”
Video and audio of the conference is available online at http://www.kybaptist.org/calvinism.
(BP)
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