Did Southwestern really dump the TULIP men?

I read the story from Wade Burleson and felt the heat from the anti-emerging critics but it smells a bit fishy to me. If its true, it seems the Southern Baptists are going back to their roots as radical reformers. But honestly, i cant imagine them kicking out 5 Calvinists from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary because of their 5 points. Financial woes, perhaps. Anyone have the skinny?

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update:

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Andrew

Andrew Jones launched his first internet space in 1997 and has been teaching on related issues for the past 20 years. He travels all the time but lives between Wellington, San Francisco and a hobbit home in Prague.

5 Comments

  • John Divito says:

    Check out Greg Welty’s comment. As a five point Calvinist faculty member of SWBTS, I would take his words as decisive.

  • Dan Lowe says:

    I don’t know about the validity of it, but did anyone else read the comments section?! Holy moly, those folks can throw down for rizzle! I have no dog in that fight, but, as a student and self proclaimed “peace maker” in the situation, I went through a year and a half of institutional infighting at Asbury Theological seminary when they canned their president. If students and faculty chose not to “pick sides,” then people picked sides for you. This is one of the reasons that we can stop and remember why folks ask the question, “The Jesus way? I should follow it why?!”
    If what is happening at SWBTS is true, then that school needs the prayers of all of the saints because it isn’t simply faculty that are going to get burned; the student body will very much feel the awful effects of such actions. Trust me, it hurts a lot. And the healing from it can take quite a long time.
    Peace.
    Dan

  • becky says:

    Andrew – as per the email I sent to you. To the extent that enrollments at schools, conference centers, etc. are down, that will affect employment at said places. Just noting that before anyone jumps to a theological conclusion.

  • mac insleads says:

    If it were just a matter of economics or enrollment levels it would not have been just the calvinists singled out.

  • Calvin says:

    “Southwestern will not build a school in the future around anybody who could not look anybody in the world in the eyes and say, “Christ died for your sins.”

    Paige Patterson, SWBTS President, as tape recorded by SBC Today at their “Baptist Identity” blog on February 5, 2009

    “A consistent five-point Calvinist cannot look a congregation in the eyes or even a single sinner in the eye and say: “Christ died for you.” What they have to say to be consistent with their own theology is “Christ died for sinners.” Since Christ did not die for the non-elect, and since the five-point Calvinist does not know who the elect are, it is simply not possible in a preaching or witnessing situation to say to them directly “Christ died for you.”

    Dr. David Allen, Dean, SWBTS School of Theology at BaptistTheology.org / SWBTS Center for Theological Research, November 2008

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