A Word-Honoring Debate on Calvinism

The debates between the New Calvinists and Traditionalists within the Southern Baptist Convention have often generated more heat than light in recent years. (Traditionalists are also known as non-Calvinists or even Biblicists.) However, there are positive dialogues that have taken place, too. 

Recently, Dr. John Mark Caton, Senior Pastor of Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, moderated a dialogue on Calvinism between Dr. Matthew McKellar and yours truly. Dr. McKellar, a longtime pastor and expository preacher and also a former trustee, is now Associate Professor of Preaching here at Southwestern Seminary. It is a privilege to have this avowed Calvinist on our faculty working alongside this avowed Biblicist/Traditionalist/non-Calvinist.

If you are interested in this hotly debated topic, please take a moment to hear the hearts of academic theologians and a pastor-theologian, who each seek to deal with the issue from a biblical-theological foundation even as they arrive at different responses to the Calvinist system of interpretation.

The Trinity

Who is this God we worship? What does the Bible teach about God as Three yet One? How does this doctrine impact our lives today?

During this last year, I was granted the privilege of teaching multiple sessions on the biblical doctrine of the Trinity to audiences of ministers, students, churchmembers, and interested guests at two major conservative Southern Baptist churches in north Texas.

Between August and November 2012, Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, where Dr. Jack Graham is Pastor, opened its doors on Wednesday evenings for thirteen biblical sermons/lessons on the Trinity. During April 2013, Birchman Baptist Church, where Dr. Bob Pearle is Pastor, opened its doors during its Expresso services on Wednesday evenings for four biblical sermons/lessons on "The Trinity in Simple Biblical Language."

You can gain a flavor of these sessions through the four podcasts that have kindly been made available by Birchman Baptist Church:

The Trinity in Simple Biblical Language, Part 1
The Trinity in Simple Biblical Language, Part 2
The Trinity in Simple Biblical Language, Part 3
The Trinity in Simple Biblical Language, Part 4

These lectures will serve as the basis for a forthcoming book of some 15 chapters on the Trinity to be published by B&H Academic in Nashville, Tennessee.

O God of Eternal Truth

O God of Eternal Truth

(A Trinitarian Easter Prayer)

O God of eternal truth
Three-in-One: Father, Son, Holy Spirit
Essence of Love, Holy, Righteous

You created all that is
You redeem the sinful
You bring all things to their end

You created us to be good
Adam & Eve chose to be evil
We have all sinned like our parents

You chose Israel to be your people
But Israel chose to turn away
You promised You would fulfill what we could not

In the seed of Eve, you promised victory
In the seed of Abraham, you promised justification
In the seed, Jesus Christ, your promise is fulfilled

Father, on your Son, You placed the sin of all
Son, on the cross, You paid the complete price
Spirit, in the resurrection, You vindicated the Son

You sent the prophets to proclaim the Promise will come
You sent the apostles to proclaim the Promise has come
You send us who believe to proclaim He will come again

O God of eternal truth, Holy Father
Enable us to be faithful witnesses through your Word
Enable them to be true believers by your Spirit

O God of eternal truth, we worship You
O Son, God in human flesh, we exalt You
O Spirit, eternal love, we glorify You

For Birchman Baptist Church

Fort Worth, Texas

Easter Sunday 2013