Reply #68: B21 versus Acts 29...two Baptist factions feuding apparently.

[madfloridian]

Seminary president calls SBC executive’s comments ‘shameful’

Some of my "favorite" Baptist leaders spouting off.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary called comments in a speech by the Southern Baptist Executive Committee President Morris Chapman “disingenuous” and “shameful.”

Seminary President Danny Akin was addressing a panel discussion hosted by B21 at an Acts 29 church start.

“I wish to apologize to my Calvinist brothers and sisters who are here for the horrible misrepresentation of your position this morning,” said Akin, one of six participants in a panel to discuss with young pastors issues surrounding continuing involvement with the Southern Baptist Convention. B21 is a loose network of persons “seeking to be Baptist in the 21st century.” Acts 29 is a network of churches whose foundational documents are clearly Calvinistic. Many member churches are dually aligned with Southern Baptists, as well as supporting Acts 29.

Mohler chimes in:

The difference between the Calvinist view of salvation and the traditional Baptist view is a matter of emphasis, he said. Both agree God’s sovereignty and man’s response are essential elements of salvation, but each party emphasizes one of those elements.

The B21 meeting was held in Louisville, home of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, whose president Al Mohler is a Calvinist and has returned Southern to what he believes are its founders Calvinistic roots. After Akin’s opening apology, frank discussion was more about reasons young pastors should stay within the Southern Baptist framework, and financially support a system they do not fully agree with. Panelists included Akin, Mohler, LifeWay Research President Ed Stetzer, Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., host pastor Daniel Montgomery and David Platt, pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala.

Mohler is against choosing to be childless, using birth control, abortion, and gays.