As a Presbyterian pastor and, therefore, an outsider to the - TopicsExpress

As a Presbyterian pastor and, therefore, an outsider to the Louisiana Baptist Convention and Louisiana College, I do not wish to address these controversies directly. They are none of my business. However, when I received the call to serve the Presbyterian congregation on Jackson Street Extension in 1975, I was delighted to discover that we had a first rate school of higher learning in this community, and in time I became friends with LC President Bob Lynn and served with him on a small committee that eventually invited Franklin Graham to hold a Crusade in Alexandria in 1997. I have appreciated the school over the decades and have had some of its faculty be part of our congregation, including former professor of Earth Sciences and acting Academic Dean, Dr. Don Sprowl, who left LC to accept a position at Indiana Wesleyan University. That being said, I do wish to comment on the summary statement on the same page as this article, entitled What is Calvinism? There it correctly states, Calvinism is a theological system of Christian interpretation initiated by John Calvin. However, what follows is a summary of a church synod that took place in Holland in the century following the time of John Calvin. My issue is that Mr. Calvins teaching is much broader than this. For example, his understanding of government helped shape the founding documents of early America and pave the way for our independence from Great Britain. Please note his comments on Romans 5:18 and see how they compare with the summary you have printed. Paul makes grace common to all men, not because it in fact extends to all, but because it is offered to all. Although Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world, and is offered by the goodness of God without distinction to all men, yet not all receive him. It is necessary, however, to be a believer in order to enjoy the righteousness of Christ, we attain to fellowship (consortium) with Him by faith. (John Calvin. 1975. _The epistles of Paul the apostle to the Romans and to the Thessalonians_. Translated by Ross Mackenzie. _Calvins commentaries_. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, pp. 117-118.) Most comments I have read in _The Town Talk_ indicate that people simply dont know what they are talking about when the speak about Calvinism. Bob Robert Benn Vincent, Sr. Pastor: Grace Presbyterian Church Alexandria, LA ()