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Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Ripping Up the TULIPs

The following story is beginning to make it's way across the blog world. I cannot confirm the report and there are some who are denying the story. I am simply going to point people to the information I have found so far:

The first report comes from the, Voice Of The Sheep blog.

It is being reported that Paige Patterson and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary are firing its professors who hold to Calvinism. From the Grace and Truth to You blog:

Yesterday Dr. Paige Patterson met with professors in the theology school at SWBTS and implied the seminary would be letting go the Calvinist professors from the seminary, claiming that the lack of funds and the need to reduce faculty as the rationale for the impending releases. Odd, however, was the seemingly chosen method of reduction. It was not years of service, nor even the performance of the professors, but rather, administration sought to ascertain just who on the faculty were avowed “tulip” men, and those are the ones being let go. Some of the professors present at the meeting included men who specifically informed administration of their beliefs at the time of their hiring, and they were told at the time their beliefs were not a problem.

But it seems Calvinism is a problem to the powers that be at SWBTS. At least one professor from the philosophy department, himself on the brink of release, was present. The professors faced a grilling as to their soteriological belief system. They were asked to declare how many points of Calvinism to which they ascribed, and an even more penetrating series of questions were posed to that unfortunate soul who had the temerity to say “four” or “five” points.

I think it’s time that SWBTS remove the word ‘theological’ from its name, as it has truly become (as so many seminaries are) a place of biblical bigotry and man-centered prejudice against those who hold to a high view of God, who actually line up with the historic theological roots of baptistic beliefs. It is no longer if, but when the split occurs within the Southern Baptist Convention. At this point, I am fully convinced a break away from the likes of Patterson and SWBTS and Jerry Vines and Charles Stanley and David Allen would be a very good thing for those within that denomination who love and embrace the doctrines of grace.

Unity for the sake of unity is sin. Stand up, my Calvinist brothers in the SBC, and be heard.

The next report was found at the, Apprising Ministries blog.


At his Grace and Truth to You blog, where Wade Burleson shares “Personal Reflections on the Southern Baptist Convention,” he informs us of some startling news:

Yesterday Dr. Paige Patterson met with professors in the theology school at SWBTS and said that the seminary would be letting go the five point Calvinist professors from the seminary, claiming that the lack of funds and the need to reduce faculty as the rationale for the impending releases. Odd, however, was the chosen method of reduction.

It was not years of service, nor even the performance of the professors, but rather, administration sought to ascertain just who on the faculty were avowed “tulip” men, and those are the ones being let go. Some of the professors present at the meeting included men who specifically informed administration of their beliefs at the time of their hiring, and they were told at the time their beliefs were not a problem. (Online source)

Really. So with the Southern Baptist Convention rife with purpose driven apostasy, contemplative spirituality, and embracing the Emergence rebellion against Sola Scriptura, this is their solution; persecute Calvinists? Well, come to think of it to continue their return home to Rome the SBC would eventually have to do so. Guess there’s no time like the present.

I am thankful for men like Mike Corley who says today at his blog The Expositor: “We will watch and see what and how this develops…” (Online source) And that Paige Patterson you and your Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary can take to the bank.

*Update* Now it needs also to be noted that in the combox of the above post Dr. Greg Welty, who is a Calvinist on staff at SWBTS, denies there is any such purge:

There was no group meeting of faculty yesterday, in which we were all told we were fired, for our Calvinism or otherwise. That is a lie. No Calvinists have been fired. (Online source).
And then Burleson would later respond that indeed there is:

is a purging of anyone who is not in agreement with a particular ecclesiological, soteriological, and eshcatological viewpoint. (Online source)


When I find more information about this situation I will post it.
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3 Comments:

Blogger Rev. said...

As your post states, this report can neither be confirmed nor denied. It is best to wait silently and watch, not to speculate.

February 3, 2009 at 10:39 PM  
Blogger John Lofton, Recovering Republican said...

Calvinist site; please visit & comment.

And forget, please, "conservatism." It has been, operationally, de facto, Godless and therefore irrelevant. Secular conservatism will not defeat secular liberalism because to God both are two atheistic peas-in-a-pod and thus predestined to failure. As Stonewall Jackson's Chief of Staff R.L. Dabney said of such a humanistic belief more than 100 years ago:

"[Secular conservatism] is a party which never conserves anything. Its history has been that it demurs to each aggression of the progressive party, and aims to save its credit by a respectable amount of growling, but always acquiesces at last in the innovation. What was the resisted novelty of yesterday is today .one of the accepted principles of conservatism; it is now conservative only in affecting to resist the next innovation, which will tomorrow be forced upon its timidity and will be succeeded by some third revolution; to be denounced and then adopted in its turn. American conservatism is merely the shadow that follows Radicalism as it moves forward towards perdition. It remains behind it, but never retards it, and always advances near its leader. This pretended salt bath utterly lost its savor: wherewith shall it be salted? Its impotency is not hard, indeed, to explain. It is worthless because it is the conservatism of expediency only, and not of sturdy principle. It intends to risk nothing serious for the sake of the truth."

Our country is collapsing because we have turned our back on God (Psalm 9:17) and refused to kiss His Son (Psalm 2).

John Lofton, Editor, TheAmericanView.com
Recovering Republican
JLof@aol.com

February 4, 2009 at 11:56 AM  
Blogger Rev. said...

According to my inside sources, some professors have been called in to Dr. Patterson's office and been interrogated regarding their Calvinism, but non-Reformed profs have also been called in and interrogated regarding other issues. Due to economic constraints, professors will be let go, and Dr. Patterson is going through the process of determining who it will be. There does not appear to be a TULIP pruning, as asserted.

February 4, 2009 at 12:48 PM  

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