-
Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!
Research question
- Thread starter Herald
- Start date
1. I could not vote because I am a 4.5pt Calvinist who attends a church with 3 Calvinist pastors, several Calvinist church members, several people who believe you can lose your salvation, and everything in between. Probably majority fit in the 4-point Arminian camp, possibly 3-point (believe in Depravity and eternal security). Most probably don't know or care which side of this debate they are on.
2. As to reasons, I think there could be good reasons to stay either way. ( I'll use an example of leaving or staying in a liberal-drifting church as an example, though I realize it's a different issue).
--> We recently had a lady come join our church after leaving another church in town that was getting very liberal (accepting homosexuality, etc). She came to our church for the good reason of wanting more biblical teaching and fellowship. However, she knows a few people who feel the same way she does on the issues, but who stay there because they have been in the church so long, have lots of relationships, and they hold out hope that things could change some-day....THIS GOT ME THINKING...If I and the other pastors of my church started teaching some heretical doctrines, here's what I think would happen:
-Some people would leave based on biblical convictions.
-Some people would stay and be swept away by our false teaching.
-Some people would stay, even though they knew were were not teaching the truth, because they felt it their duty to stay and work for good, or because of their loyalty to the church some of them were involved in starting after 40-50 years, or because of their desire to maintain relationships, or because they hoped God would either straighten us out or send them new better pastors someday. I think these could all be good reasons for staying, just as someone who left would have good reasons for leaving. Each person has to decide at what point they can, in good conscience, stay or leave.
You'll probably consider this nit-picking, but your turn of phrase, "how salvation works" bothers me. It almost sounds like salvation is a stand-alone process or method that we activate and complete. You will probably agree with me that salvation is merely a description of a certain series of actions by God on our behalf (initiated and completed by God), and that the real differences between the two views come into play when we consider how much effective consent/activity we have in the process.
I do not consider myself a DoG/5-point Calvinist nor an Arminian (I'm not going to fight that battle here). Most people in my church are anywhere from 3- to 5-point Calvinists, so there is a great amount of diversity in views. The thing is, we respect each other and work for the greater good of the Kingdom of God.
In Bible study, when the issue is relative to the biblical passage, we will fairly discuss the issue and the multiple perspectives that people in the room have. In my Sunday School class I have two very strong, well-informed DoG folks and they are satisfied that I present their views fairly. I also give them a chance to clarify their perspective if there think I'm missing an important point.
Therefore I couldn't vote because my situation is not represented in the poll.
quantumfaith
Active Member
I honestly don't know what I am, although I KNOW I am much more Arm then DoG. I also have strong molinist tendencies. My church has both Arms and DoG, I know this because a good friend (golf partner) in my small group is from the Presby tradition and he holds strongly to DoG.
quantumfaith
Active Member
It was thirty years ago that the wife and I 'found a home' with the Old Baptists. We are definitely as fish in water with those sweet doctrines of grace. Healthful teaching it is.
AMEN! It's called 'RIGHTLY DIVIDING'.
AMEN! It's called 'RIGHTLY DIVIDING'.
Stay there brother... good thing is hard to comeby
I can't answer the poll for the simple fact than there are more categories than DoG or Arminian.
Would you have answered had the poll been worded in this manner?:
I attend a monergistic church but I'm synergistic.
I attend a synergistic church but I hold to monergistism.
I'm synergistic and attend a synergistic church.
I'm monergistic and attend a monergistic church.
"Synergism: the doctrine that the human will cooperates with the Holy Ghost in the work of regeneration.
Monergism: the doctrine that the Holy Ghost acts independently of the human will in the work of regeneration."
Valid point. Why I haven't answered.
Excellent phraseology! Now we'll have to spend months defining terms again! LOL
I probably could have worded it better. I think everyone understands what I meant.
My baptist church pastor is a non call, holds that jesus died for all, all could get saved, but MUST place faith in him for that, big on disclipship and growth, using your gifts talents for the Lord...
He holds to one is eternally saved, but one must evidence genuine fruit, cannot rely upon alter call one time for example!
Elders hold more to a cal understanding, and membership mixed with cal/arm/non!