Pastor: 'New Calvinists' Lack Passion for Holiness, Missions

[Tom Butler]

The big emphasis with that is cutting out perceived bureaucratic waste and directing more resources toward foreign missions. A renewed focus on foreign missions, especially the effort to mobilize local churches, (and not just be content to send $$ to the CP, often never even meeting a missionary) is arguably one of the differences between the "New Calvinism" and the "Old Calvinism."

Sorry, I must be out of touch. What's the other differences between the New Calvinism and the Old Calvinism? I've never known a Calvinist who is not mission-minded and zealous in personal witnessing.

Regarding the OP, I think Dr. DeYoung is painting with too broad a brush.

 

[pilgrim_99]

Tom,

Sorry for any confusion. I tried to throw too many ideas into that post. My point is that IMO ABP got it wrong with that headline, particularly with regard to missions. It seems to me that mission-mindedness has increased, not decreased etc.

From my own perspective, I have known Calvinists (including pastors!) who were not misson minded and who were not zealous in personal witnessing. But there are plenty of non-Calvinists that meet that description too. (I see from your profile you are SBC. I generally agree with you WRT SBC Calvinists I have known. The one's I'm thinking of are not SBC and aren't Baptists in some cases.)

 

[Jerome]

I'm not sure that the article, particularly the headline, is quite accurate, especially with regard to missions. ABP does some good reporting at times but let's not forget that it is essentially the mouthpiece of the CBF.

My point is that IMO ABP got it wrong with that headline, particularly with regard to missions.

Puzzled why you are trying to make this about the Associated Baptist Press.

Here is the take of conference attendee Denny Burke (professor at SBTS's Boyce College) posted on his blog immediately after the two T4G addresses:

In his message earlier today, Kevin DeYoung identified two underemphasized elements of the “young, restless, and reformed” movement: (1) preaching on personal holiness and (2) radical exhortation to take up the call to global missions. DeYoung addressed the first issue in his message this morning, and Platt took up the second issue in his message this evening.

Is Dr. Burke some sort of bugaboo too?

 

[Jerome]

Several years ago Dr. Peter Masters of London's Metropolitan Tabernacle Baptist Church noted the worldliness in the New Calvinist conference circuit:

The Merger of Calvinism with Worldliness

 

[pilgrim_99]

Puzzled why you are trying to make this about the Associated Baptist Press.

Here is the take of conference attendee Denny Burke (professor at SBTS's Boyce College) posted on his blog immediately after the two T4G addresses:



Is Dr. Burke some sort of bugaboo too?

No, but it's Burk and not Burke.

I agree with Masters, largely, although the speakers at this conference wouldn't agree with him totally on things like worship.

DeYoung was speaking to a somewhat different issue. You can see it with the little debate he and Tullian T. had a while back at TGC.

My point was that there seems to be more of a focus on missions now than in previous generations, but that may be in the eye of the beholder. Obviously Platt doesn't think it's enough, and the majority in any age likely will not take the kinds of "radical" steps that he did toward that end. A lot of the younger guys are into planting new churches and perhaps his point is that more of them should look to the mission field instead or should have their churches be directly involved in foreign missions as his is.