Spurgeon V Hyper Calvinism

This title offers a comprehensive analysis of Baptist theology. Embracing in one common trajectory the major Baptist confessions of faith, the major Baptist theologians, and the principal Baptist theological movements and controversies, this book spans four centuries of Baptist doctrinal history. Acknowledging first the pre-1609 roots (patristic, medieval, and Reformational) of Baptist theology, it examines the Arminian versus Calvinist issues that were first expressed by the General Baptists and the Particular Baptists; that dominated English and American Baptist theology during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries from Helwys and Smyth and from Bunyan and Kiffin to Gill, Fuller, Backus, and Boyce; and, that were quickened by the 'awakenings' and the missionary movement. Concurrently there were the Baptist defense of the Baptist distinctives vis-a-vis the pedobaptist world and the unfolding of a strong Baptist confessional tradition. Then during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the liberal versus evangelical issues became dominant with Hovey, Strong, Rauschenbusch, and Henry in the North and Mullins, Conner, Hobbs, and Criswell in the South even as a distinctive Baptist Landmarkism developed, the discipline of biblical theology was practiced and a structured ecumenism was pursued. Missiology both impacted Baptist theology and took it to all the continents, where it became increasingly indigenous. Conscious that Baptists belong to the free churches and to the believers' churches, a new generation of Baptist theologians at the advent of the twenty-first century appears somewhat more Calvinist than Arminian and decidedly more evangelical than liberal.

In 40 Questions About Calvinism , church historian Shawn Wright tackles many issues about the theological system known as Calvinism. Taking an irenic approach, Wright explains the key doctrines while also contrasting them with Arminianism. The accessible format allows readers to easily look up topics in which they’re most interested, including: • What is the difference between Calvinism and the Reformed tradition? • Does God love all people? • Did Jesus die for the sins of the whole world? • Can people resist the Holy Spirit? • Do Calvinists practice evangelism and missions? “Here is a book to put into the hands of such inquirers whose understanding of Calvinism may have been formed by those who caricature it. The fact that each chapter is a question helps readers go straight to the issue that is dogging them.” —Conrad Mbewe, Kabwata Baptist Church, Lusaka, Zambia “If you are a non-Calvinist seeking answers about Calvinism, you will find a clear and winsome presentation of the position, as well as a response to some key criticisms. If you are a Calvinist looking for a model of how to talk about these things with non-Calvinists, then you will find a helpful and humble model for explaining the Calvinist position and its points of disagreement with Arminianism, in a fair-minded, evenhanded way.” —Ligon Duncan, Reformed Theological Seminary

Does God sovereignly elect some individuals for salvation while passing others by? Do human beings possess free will to embrace or reject the gospel? Did Christ die equally for all people or only for some? These questions have long been debated in the history of the Christian church. Answers typically fall into one of two main categories, popularly known as Calvinism and Arminianism. The focus of this book is to establish how one nineteenth-century evangelical group, the Brethren, responded to these and other related questions. The Brethren produced a number of colorful leaders whose influence was felt throughout the evangelical world. Although many critics have assumed the movement's theology was Arminian, this book argues that the Brethren, with few exceptions, advocated Calvinistic positions. Yet there were some twists along the way! The movement's radical biblicism, passionate evangelism, and strong aversion to systematic theology and creeds meant they refused to label themselves as Calvinists even though they affirmed Calvinism's soteriological principles--the so-called doctrines of grace.

What impact is the Calvinist/non-Calvinist debate having on the Southern Baptist Convention today? This book holds a theological conversation between followers of Christ about issues on which they often disagree. And while such controversial points of doctrine cannot be ignored, neither should they put up impenetrable walls between groups that are committed to the same essential Christian beliefs. Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue brings together new presentations from noted Southern Baptists including Daniel Akin, Tom Ascol, David Dockery, Charles Lawless, and Ed Stetzer that address misperceptions, stereotypes, and caricatures of the debate over Reformed theology. Each strives to speak the truth in love and humility while seeking clarity in the presentation of the Gospel, improving the health of our churches, and seeking the kingdom of Christ above all. Endorsements: "What do we have to agree on? The doctrines of what it means for us to be lost, and of how we are saved could not be more important. This book explores how much we can disagree over these things and still work together. If you care about both evangelistic cooperation and doctrinal integrity, this book is a book for you." —Mark Dever, pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church and president of 9Marks.org

In his new work The Sovereignty of God in Salvation E. Earle Ellis sets out to explore God's sovereign purpose both in individual salvation and in the salvation history within which the Bible has been authored, transmitted, interpreted and communicated. In the process he touches on such themes as the nature of free will; the manifestation God's sovereignty in the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul; the presence of God's hand in the transmission and interpretation of the biblical texts; and new perspectives on both the modern inclination to emphasise Paul's use of Graeco-Roman rhetoric as well as the contemporary reception of the biblical message. The sovereignty of God forms an overarching theme throughout.