I am thankful to finally be moving on from that which lies behind. The past four months have been the toughest of my life. Throughout these months, the Lord has been ever gracious and sustaining.
The Lord’s provision in the past weeks has been beyond my imagination. He continues to provide in every way. I have been so encouraged by his sending of brothers and sisters to minister to me during this time. I am reminded of how the angels came to minister to our Lord after his testing in the wilderness. Without these many individuals, I do not think I could have faired so well. Thank you to all the people who have prayed and sent messages of encouragement. Praise be to God and his faithfulness toward his people.
Theologically, will the issue of Calvinism create further division in the SBC. I have been a SBC preacher over 50 years. I have worked quite well with my Calvinist friends, many of whom I invited to preach for me. I have no desire to run all Calvinists out of the SBC; I think it would be divisive and wrong. But, current attempts to move the SBC to a Calvinistic soteriology are divisive and wrong. As long as groups and individuals seek to force Calvinism upon others in the Convention, there will be problems. There is a form of Calvinism that is militant, hostile and aggressive that I strongly oppose. I have stated before, so it’s not new news, that should the SBC move toward five-point Calvinism it will be a move away from, not toward, the gospel. [Emphasis added]