Very good point Webdog...and one I had not really considered...under the Calvinism position one has to believe that God moves from loving all children to then making some the objects of His wrath...
I see the point here, and I think it a reasonable one. My experience with a former pastor explained it to me in that he hoped with all hope that his children would be among the elect, but accepted it if not.
Self-Revelation for the moment.
In the past year, I removed myself from my church of more than 10 years over this issue of theology, not the theology itself per se, because I could have stayed having the intellectual and spiritual wisdom to know and recognize when I simply found myself in disagreement with the pastor. In his defense, he made serious efforts to not allow his theological perspective to come out of the pulpit, but rather it would be expressed mostly in bible study.
My reason for finding another place to worship was that the "church as a whole" was not aware of the issue and differences prior to extending a call as pastor. There should have been a very clear "come to Jesus" meeting in which the church as whole knew all the facts, issues etc. and then decided.
That is my only "concern" with "reformed" theology within the context of the SBC. When it proposes to come into a church, the entire church should be given a "heads up" and allowed to consider it, if that IS what they want, great, if not, then it should not be forced or imported where it is not completely wanted.
I was recently reading another blog, where the author boasted that all faculty on the campus of Southern Seminary were all very vocally reformed in their theology. I dont know if that is true, but I tend to think not. But in the outside chance that it is, well I just do not think that is right much less something to boast about.
I know there are some Southern graduates and students here, so please do let me know if what I read was simply exagerration or not.