Reformed and Southern Baptists

[JonC]

What are the differences, in doctrine, between Reformed Baptists and Southern Baptists (other than, of course, a more unified stance towards a Calvinistic soteriology)?

 

[Revmitchell]

What are the differences, in doctrine, between Reformed Baptists and Southern Baptists (other than, of course, a more unified stance towards a Calvinistic soteriology)?

There is none. other than one is about doctrine and the other is about missions.

 

[JonC]

There is none. other than one is about doctrine and the other is about missions.

I know that the SBC (I am Southern Baptist) is heavily focused on missions (and doctrine – although more open, I assume, to doctrinal diversity than would be the Reformed Baptists). Are Reformed non-missional or just more focused on doctrine (is it just priorities that are different)?

BTW: Is that a real Obama quote?

 

[Revmitchell]

I know that the SBC (I am Southern Baptist) is heavily focused on missions (and doctrine – although more open, I assume, to doctrinal diversity than would be the Reformed Baptists).

Well I do not understand the comparison.

BTW: Is that a real Obama quote?

It is he said it during the press conference.

 

[JonC]

Well I do not understand the comparison.

If you mean why I was asking about the denominations, I was just curious. There is a small Reformed Baptist church in our county, but none in the town where I live. I know that they hold to a Reformed soteriology, but don’t know much about their doctrines. I’d like to visit the church when the opportunity arises, but wanted to know more about their doctrine in comparison to SBC doctrine.

If you mean my comment, it is because I don’t think that one can be “about” doctrine without being about missions (and vise versa). My church (Southern Baptist) greatly focuses on doctrine. But it also has a strong focus on missions.

My statement about diversity is because the SBC is comprised of churches that are Calvinistic and some who are not. Based on the name, I assume that Reformed Baptists hold a reformed soteriology (I don’t expect to see a “Free-Will Reformed Baptist Church,” but you never know these days).

 

[Revmitchell]

The SBC is a cooperative not a denomination. There are Reformed churches in the convention so neither is "reformed" a denomination. The biggest part of Reformed or Calvinist churches is their Soteriology. Often there is a Covenant Theology.

But the comparison between SBC and Reformed churches is like comparing apples and refrigerators. However, there are plenty of Reformed churches in the SBC.

 

[JonC]

Thank you for the information – no wonder my comparison didn’t make sense. I didn’t realize that many Reformed Baptist churches were also a part of the SBC.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

So I am not a member of the SBC, but I am curious. Tell me what this orginazation is....apparently it is under the SBC umbrella. Or is that my assumption?

Founders Ministries is a ministry of teaching and encouragement promoting both doctrine and devotion expressed in the Doctrines of Grace and their experiential application to the local church, particularly in the areas of worship and witness.

 

[Herald]

What are the differences, in doctrine, between Reformed Baptists and Southern Baptists (other than, of course, a more unified stance towards a Calvinistic soteriology)?

JonC,

Southern Baptist doctrine can change from local church to local church. Baptists by their very nature are not monolithic when it comes to doctrine. Some Southern Baptist churches are Calvinistic, but that does not mean they are Reformed Baptist churches. Reformed Baptist churches hold to other distinctives other than the doctrines of grace. Pastor Jim Savastio wrote an excellent article on Reformed Baptist distinctives: What is a Reformed Baptist Church?

One thing you can count on from a Reformed Baptist Church is an emphasis on the preaching of the gospel and evangelism. The preaching of the gospel is the means by which God calls sinners to repentance and faith. Reformed Baptist churches share many similarities to non-Calvinistic Southern Baptist churches. They are both missions minded and believe in being lights in their community through service work.

 

[JonC]

Pastor Jim Savastio wrote an excellent article on Reformed Baptist distinctives: What is a Reformed Baptist Church?

Thank you for the article.

 

[Herald]

There is none. other than one is about doctrine and the other is about missions.

I was going to let this comment of yours go, seeing as you and I agree on very little and are prone to disagreements. But after thinking about it I decided to correct your erroneous statement.

The nation's largest Reformed Baptist association has a vibrant missions program: ARBCA World Missions. This is on top of local church missions activity on the part of Reformed Baptists.

I am happy to correct the record on Reformed Baptists and missions.

 

[Tom Butler]

So I am not a member of the SBC, but I am curious. Tell me what this orginazation is....apparently it is under the SBC umbrella. Or is that my assumption?

Founders Ministries is a ministry of teaching and encouragement promoting both doctrine and devotion expressed in the Doctrines of Grace and their experiential application to the local church, particularly in the areas of worship and witness.

Founders Ministries is a movement within the Southern Baptist Convention which, in short, promotes Calvinism ( also known as the doctrines of grace). It has no organizational connection to the SBC. One can learn more at the Founders website www.founders.org

The Founders folks consider themselves fully Baptist and fully Southern Baptist. The organization takes its name from the origins of the SBC, since many, if not all, of the founders were Calvinists.

Since there are some differences between Reformed and Calvinistic (although I'm not completely up on what they are), I suspect most people sympathetic to the Founders movement would describe themselves as Calvinists.

 

[Inspector Javert]

I was going to let this comment of yours go, seeing as you and I agree on very little and are prone to disagreements. But after thinking about it I decided to correct your erroneous statement.

The nation's largest Reformed Baptist association has a vibrant missions program: ARBCA World Missions. This is on top of local church missions activity on the part of Reformed Baptists.

I am happy to correct the record on Reformed Baptists and missions.

Now, I will be happy to correct the record on your complete mis-understanding of what Rev. was saying:

His statement WAS correct and you completely misinterpreted his intent. The S.B.C. is "ABOUT" missions, in that all it essentially IS is a missions cooperative. Note, that he defined it (quite succinctly) AS a "Cooperative". Outside of the Cooperative Program, there is essentially no purpose for the S.B.C. to really exist at all, and it invariably wouldn't. He in no way meant to imply that R.B.C. is not. It's that the S.B.C. is not a "doctrinal" cooperative, it is a missions methodology, and that's about it.

You were perceiving ill-intent when there was none.

 

[Revmitchell]

Now, I will be happy to correct the record on your complete mis-understanding of what Rev. was saying:

His statement WAS correct and you completely misinterpreted his intent. The S.B.C. is "ABOUT" missions, in that all it essentially IS is a missions cooperative. Note, that he defined it (quite succinctly) AS a "Cooperative". Outside of the Cooperative Program, there is essentially no purpose for the S.B.C. to really exist at all, and it invariably wouldn't. He in no way meant to imply that R.B.C. is not. It's that the S.B.C. is not a "doctrinal" cooperative, it is a missions methodology, and that's about it.

You were perceiving ill-intent when there was none.

Thanks for taking care of that. I have no idea how he even came to that conclusion but I can't see his posts as he is one of more than a handful I now have on my ignore list. That post is a prime example of why.

 

[SolaSaint]

I agree the Founders Ministries is a good place to study what Reformed means with the SBC. Note the name "Founders" as the SBC was very Calvinistic in its beginnings in 1845. There are several good books you can read that shed a lot of light on the subject. I just wonder how we have morphed into such a anti-Calvinistic denomination?

 

[Revmitchell]

I agree the Founders Ministries is a good place to study what Reformed means with the SBC. Note the name "Founders" as the SBC was very Calvinistic in its beginnings in 1845. There are several good books you can read that shed a lot of light on the subject. I just wonder how we have morphed into such a anti-Calvinistic denomination?

It's not. What has happened is these new young cals have gotten so aggressive that it has created some push back.

 

[SolaSaint]

I have heard of this but have no specifics. After reading several books on the early SBCers I just don't see us as the same and feel we have become more liberal in our theology. I have heard of Mark Driscoll and I'm not a fan. Is he one of the new Calvinists?

 

[Herald]

Now, I will be happy to correct the record on your complete mis-understanding of what Rev. was saying:

His statement WAS correct and you completely misinterpreted his intent. The S.B.C. is "ABOUT" missions, in that all it essentially IS is a missions cooperative. Note, that he defined it (quite succinctly) AS a "Cooperative". Outside of the Cooperative Program, there is essentially no purpose for the S.B.C. to really exist at all, and it invariably wouldn't. He in no way meant to imply that R.B.C. is not. It's that the S.B.C. is not a "doctrinal" cooperative, it is a missions methodology, and that's about it.

You were perceiving ill-intent when there was none.

If I misinterpreted the gentleman's intent then I sincerely apologize. After reading his comment again it still comes off a bit snarky. But since he did not answer for himself I have no idea if your explanation is actually what he intended to say.

 

[Herald]

I have heard of Mark Driscoll and I'm not a fan. Is he one of the new Calvinists?

Sadly, yes.

 

[Herald]

I have heard of Mark Driscoll and I'm not a fan. Is he one of the new Calvinists?

Driscoll is one of an emerging group of neo-Calvinists who want to hijack the doctrines of grace apart from greater Reformed theology. That creates a whole host of problems, especially for Baptists.