# Sometimes I wish I didn't graduate from SWBTS...



## Ivan (Mar 10, 2009)

Tiptoeing through TULIP | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction


----------



## Pilgrim (Mar 10, 2009)

Since I've basically checked out of the SBC at this point I shouldn't bother with this. 

But I'll take Greg Welty's (as well as that of several other Calvinists who debunked the story) word over that over the muckraker Wade Burleson any day of the week. I agreed with Wade on the IMB guidelines BTW, but he lost credibility a long time ago. 

The _Christianity Astray _article also fails to mention Wade's editing of his blog post (without any note of doing such) once the facts in his initial post proved incorrect. It's also basically month old news that adds absolutely no new information.


----------



## Ivan (Mar 10, 2009)

Pilgrim said:


> Since I've basically checked out of the SBC at this point I shouldn't bother with this.
> 
> But I'll take Greg Welty's (as well as that of several other Calvinists who debunked the story) word over that over the muckraker Wade Burleson any day of the week. I agreed with Wade on the IMB guidelines BTW, but he lost credibility a long time ago.
> 
> The _Christianity Astray _article also fails to mention Wade's editing of his blog post (without any note of doing such) once the facts in his initial post proved incorrect. It's also basically month old news that adds absolutely no new information.



I seem to remember a recent BP article that was edited and contained old news, but I digress.

So, it's okay for Patterson to fire professors based on their theology, even though they were hired by the seminary knowing their theology.


----------



## Pilgrim (Mar 10, 2009)

Ivan said:


> Pilgrim said:
> 
> 
> > Since I've basically checked out of the SBC at this point I shouldn't bother with this.
> ...



WRT to Patterson "firing professors"--Who did he fire? 

Isn't there a rule on this board about the Ninth Commandment?

A woman was let go from SWBTS last year, and Burleson was apoplectic about that since he's basically an egalitarian who thinks it's alright for SBC churches to have women pastors. He has also attacked and misrepresented CBMW and has clearly misrepresented others when it has served his agenda. 

The BP article noted what changes were made. Burleson's post gave no indcation whatsoever that it had been edited and he only admitted doing so after he was caught red-handed. 

This is the problem with SBC politics--If somebody's on "our side" he can do no wrong and those on the "other side" can do no right. There is an inability on the part of many to separate personalities and principles. If you are determined to believe Burleson (who is having a book published by the CBF) over the Reformed Baptist Greg Welty and several others who repeatedly rebutted Burleson's propaganda, I'm not going to argue the point anymore. 

in my opinion a good many SBC Calvinists need to get out for their own good since their judgment is evidently being affected in cases like this one and the Driscoll controversy. 

This Calvinist is getting out, for this reason as well as the IMB guideline and basically just not being able to live with the Big Tent aspect of the SBC. If you can't accept the CP, not much sense in being in the SBC.


----------



## SolaScriptura (Mar 10, 2009)

I only know one thing about SWBTS...

I personally knew 3 SWBTS MDiv graduates who went to Southern for their PhD. All 3 ended up "downgrading" to the ThM program citing the exact same reason: They were not prepared for that level of study.

For that matter, I knew 2 guys who transferred from the MDiv program at NOBTS into the MDiv program at Southern... and both were woefully behind the power curve in terms of what they were used to doing in terms of what was expected of them.

Southern is the best Baptist seminary.


----------



## JohnGill (Mar 10, 2009)

I think Ivan may have been referring to this part of the CT article:



> Shortly after Burleson's blog post, Patterson was interviewed by Oklahoma pastor Wes Kenney, who asked about "rumors" of possible Calvinist firings.
> "We're hopeful that we don't have to cut any professors," Patterson said in the taped interview, posted on Kenney's sbc Today website. The president said he would not hide behind a screen of economic problems if he thought a professor needed to be removed because of certain Calvinist beliefs. "I will say," Patterson continued, *"that 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.' "*



You can download the actual interview from here: http://sbctoday.com/2009/02/05/a-brief-visit-with-dr-paige-patterson/

I find the bolded part to be troublesome.


----------



## SolaScriptura (Mar 10, 2009)

Paige Patterson has never impressed me.


----------



## PointyHaired Calvinist (Mar 10, 2009)

> Shortly after Burleson's blog post, Patterson was interviewed by Oklahoma pastor Wes Kenney, who asked about "rumors" of possible Calvinist firings.
> "We're hopeful that we don't have to cut any professors," Patterson said in the taped interview, posted on Kenney's sbc Today website. The president said he would not hide behind a screen of economic problems if he thought a professor needed to be removed because of certain Calvinist beliefs. "I will say," Patterson continued, *"that 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.' "*



This jumped out at me too. He's not helping the case against a fear of purging of Calvinist profs at SW. Even if this is not his plan, it makes it sound like he has this in mind.


----------



## Ivan (Mar 10, 2009)

Thank you, gentlemen, for pointing out the jist of the article. I appreciate it. 

I have only one other thing to say: I'm staying in the Southern Baptist Convention as a Calvinist.


----------



## JohnGill (Mar 10, 2009)

Ivan said:


> Thank you, gentlemen, for pointing out the jist of the article. I appreciate it.
> 
> I have only one other thing to say: I'm staying in the Southern Baptist Convention as a Calvinist.



Ditto.

[video=youtube;7D8DZIEzuyo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D8DZIEzuyo&feature=related[/video]


----------



## Ask Mr. Religion (Mar 11, 2009)

Pilgrim said:


> Since I've basically checked out of the SBC at this point I shouldn't bother with this.


They ordained me, but when my covenantalism and amillieniallism became evident the regional missionary politely asked me to move on. That was over twenty years ago and I never looked back.


----------



## Ivan (Mar 11, 2009)

Ask Mr. Religion said:


> Pilgrim said:
> 
> 
> > Since I've basically checked out of the SBC at this point I shouldn't bother with this.
> ...



I'd say it depends where you are in the country, maybe. I do respect your decision. There are many places and ways to serve the LORD.


----------

