While Louisiana College Burns: Dr. Jim Law Says “There’s no time for that!”

Joshua —  March 1, 2013 — 6 Comments

While Louisiana College burns, another Louisiana pastor is calling for cooperation and unity around the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 (BFM2000). Sadly, to my knowledge, only two Louisiana pastors (David Crosby, Jim Law) have publicly spoken to the issues at Louisiana College (LC) since the non-renewals of three professors by Dr. Joe Aguillard and the LC administration. To this day, our Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Director Dr. David Hankins has not publicly called for cooperation and unity of Calvinists and non-Calvinists since Dr. Joe Aguillard personally condemned Calvinism as something outside of the BFM2000.

Dr. Jim Law, Pastor of First Baptist Church Gonzales, has recently posted an article on his blog titled, “There is No Time for That!” ~ Thoughts on the present Calvinism Conversation at Louisiana College and the Louisiana Baptist Convention.

Regarding cooperation in the Louisiana Baptist Convention (LBC) under the BFM2000, Law writes:

jim_lawThe present situation in the LBC has given me pause to think through some concerns.  Specifically, beyond the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, what parameters or litmus tests’ are we requiring for those who would serve in the LBC work?

For our convention to take a position that excludes those who hold to a reformed/Calvinistic soteriology from positions of service at the college, and on our boards and agencies, is to take a step away from our historical, theological roots.  As Baptists, we have never been monolithic on this issue, and yet have chosen to work together in the task of obeying the Great Commission.

…To disqualify a brother or sister in Christ from serving in our convention because of reformed/Calvinistic convictions would be in defiance to our history.  Furthermore, to exercise such action would eliminate a large number of influential and prominent Baptist family members from the past and in the present.

Dr. David Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church of New Orleans, articulated my deepest concerns in a recent online post, “I think most Baptists are satisfied that we have drawn the lines sufficiently tight in defining our fellowship theologically. If we tighten them much more, we will surely throttle down the Cooperative Program even further, disaffect thousands of members in our churches and even churches themselves, and likely hang ourselves with our own rope.”

Read full article here

Louisiana Baptists need more leaders like Drs. David Crosby and Jim Law who will boldly call for peace and cooperation in our state convention and Baptist state college. Louisiana Baptists need Louisiana Baptist Convention leaders who will boldly stand and call for such cooperation. The fear and loathing of all things controversial must end and those who desire cooperation and unity in our state convention must act now while there is still time to act.

I call again on Dr. David Hankins to publicly call for peace and cooperation between Louisiana Baptist Calvinists and non-Calvinists in all areas of LBC life. Our state convention and Baptist college need not be torn apart by this issue.

Dr. Hankins, please speak out and call for cooperation now. This is no time to remain silent.

 

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Joshua

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I am a disciple of the risen Christ Jesus, husband to Libby, grad student, blogger.
  • Randall Cofield

    Dr. Law is an eminently godly voice in the dark night of LBC silence. I pray that his words carry the weight credited to them by his example…

    • http://www.thedailybleat.com/ Joshua Breland

      Randall,

      I hope so too.

  • sbchistorian

    Oh, David is speaking. He’s speaking and speaking and speaking in the Trustee meetings. He is speaking against Calvinism. He is speaking against cooperation. He has stated he wished the BFM2000 would be re-written to exclude Reformed Theology. Many believe (rightly, I think) Joe is on his crusade simply because he knows he needs to sidle (a Seinfeld term) up next to Hankins. It’s no secret Hankins is anti-Reformed. What is a secret is why he is permitted to exert such control over the trustee board. The constitution of the LBC states the Executive Director has an ex officio spot on every LBC board, but if that’s not a conflict of interest, I don’t know what is. Hankins controls the purse strings of the LBC. He decides which churches to give evangelism money to, or which churches to promote. Pastors make up a good portion of the LC board of trustees. They now face the issue of standing against Hankins and his crusade against Calvinism (which then carries the consequence of being blackballed in Alexandria) or agreeing with him so they don’t appear to rock the boat.

    • Seriously?

      Would love to see the quote on Hankins’ wanting to rewrite the BFM. Where’d you hear that?

      • sbchistorian

        From the trustee he told it to.

  • http://www.facebook.com/dustin.mcann Dustin McAnn

    Here’s the deal, Joshua, as you probably already know better than I do. This whole Calvinism smoke-screen is simply a sham to hide and deflect what is happening at Louisiana College. Some of us haven’t been silent, we just haven’t managed to prick the right finger yet to draw attention to the truth: The whole LC community needs to know about the school’s apparent lack of business and academic integrity, it’s poor and narcissistic leadership, and the administration’s desperate attempts to grasp at straws (Calvinism in this case) to deflect attention away from what’s really happening. We need to see real leadership at work at LC first as we make our way to Hankins’ office. Let’s call attention to that more than to Calvinism. Thank you for your valuable posts and insights into what’s going on.