1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

G3 Conference Messages

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Iconoclast, Jan 18, 2020.

  1. Iconoclast

    Iconoclast Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2010
    Messages:
    21,242
    Likes Received:
    2,305
    Faith:
    Non Baptist Christian
  2. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    Messages:
    52,013
    Likes Received:
    3,649
    Faith:
    Baptist
    • Winner Winner x 1
  3. Iconoclast

    Iconoclast Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2010
    Messages:
    21,242
    Likes Received:
    2,305
    Faith:
    Non Baptist Christian
    Spurgeon would have been a speaker at the conference.
    He would have preached and taught and fellowshipped as He was not reclusive but took a stand in a positive way by what he preached and taught.
    The ungodly agenda evidenced by the slanderous J.D.Hall would not hinder him as it has not hindered the men who preached and taught.
    Men at each conference hold differences in several portions of their theology. They were not there to look for and cause divisions. All who attended were greatly blessed and several mark out time each year to gather for the fellowship and teaching.
    Previous conferences are made available in the archives for any who would like to be blessed with solid teaching.
     
    #3 Iconoclast, Jan 19, 2020
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2020
    • Like Like x 1
  4. JonC

    JonC Moderator
    Moderator

    Joined:
    Aug 28, 2001
    Messages:
    33,286
    Likes Received:
    3,547
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Absolutely not (for the reasons expressed in the article, especially the link between G3 and pedobaptists). I suspect Spurgeon would view G3 as approaching the "downgrade controversy" . Regardless, he was a separatist when came to the differences that exist within the G3 participants. But perhaps the issues facing Spurgeon are not as important today.

    In fact, most Baptist leaders of the past, prior to the 20th century, would strongly oppose the conference and view the conference as turning to "Rome". There were very strong feelings about Presbyterians for much of Baptist history.

    I think Baptists and Presbyterians can unite now as there has been a shift in theology. Today Reformed Baptists often seem to have more in common with Presbyterians than they do with non-Reformed Baptists.
     
  5. Reformed

    Reformed Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2012
    Messages:
    4,960
    Likes Received:
    1,694
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Pulpit and Pen is a shock-jock website. Like a broken clock is right twice a day, sometimes it succeeds in spite of itself. If you quote it as a credible source without qualification, then you share in its often extremist views.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  6. Reformed

    Reformed Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2012
    Messages:
    4,960
    Likes Received:
    1,694
    Faith:
    Baptist
    As far as whether Spurgeon would agree to be a speaker at the G3 Conference, we will never know this side of glory. Yes. Spurgeon was a decided Baptist and argued vociferously against paedobaptism. But Spurgeon also held his paedobaptist brethren in high esteem for their soteriology.

    "The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, that Paul preached, is the truth that I must preach to-day, or else be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape the truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox's gospel is my gospel. That which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again." ~ Charles Spurgeon, A Defense of Calvinism

    Calvin, Augustine, and Knox were all paedobaptists. Spurgeon was not ashamed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with these men in support of the Gospel. He would stand with them on the Gospel while at the same time oppose them vigorously on other doctrines.

    While we do not know what Spurgeon would do if he were alive today, we can look at the 2020 G3 Conference and see whether Spurgeon would be in agreement with its platform. The 2020 G3 Conference is about worship. Specifically, biblical worship. On this topic, credobaptists and paedobaptists share much in common. Spurgeon and G3 speakers such as Voddie Bauchman, Steven Lawson, Paul Washer, Phil Johnson, and John MacArthur et. al would probably be like-minded. There is no downgrade controversy with these men and to suggest that there might be is to be ignorant of both the downgrade controversy and what these speakers actually believe.

    So, I do not know if Spurgeon would speak at the G3 Conference. After all, he is dead. But dead men do talk through their past words and deeds and those of Spurgeon would find kindred souls in this year's G3 speakers and the conference topic.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
  7. JonC

    JonC Moderator
    Moderator

    Joined:
    Aug 28, 2001
    Messages:
    33,286
    Likes Received:
    3,547
    Faith:
    Baptist
    There are a few pastors who would find kindred spirits in believers regardless of theological divisions who quickly come to my mind. Two are Spurgeon and Moody.

    I think Spurgeon (from what he has left behind) would be kind to pedobaptists and free-will theologians alike. I suppose he may speak at such conferences (whether a conference partnered with Presbyterians or a Free-will conference) , although I doubt they would necessarily appreciate what he would actually say. Spurgeon does not strike me as someone who would remain silent about what he viewed as such a danger.

    Are there any occasions when Spurgeon partnered with paedobaptists in the ministery?
     
  8. Reformed

    Reformed Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2012
    Messages:
    4,960
    Likes Received:
    1,694
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Spurgeon had no problem speaking out against error. He could eviscerate a false teacher/teaching and leave nothing on the bones for the vultures to pick!

    In 2002, Paul Washer delivered a message at a youth conference on evangelism. Whoever was responsible for booking the speaker(s) at this event obviously did not do their due diligence on Paul Washer (or did they?). Washer delivered a message that drew the ire of not only those who organized and attended the conference but from evangelical Christians throughout the country. Paul Washer was the speaker who was not supposed to be at this conference. He was like the credobaptist at a paedobaptist event. He should have been persona non grata had they organizers of the event knew what he was about. But attend the conference and deliver the message he did. Tim Challies does a good job of describing what happened during Washer's sermon below:



    I have nothing else to go on except my gut, but it is telling me that if Spurgeon had the opportunity to preach the truth where it was most needed, he would have done so.

    Partnered? I have to do some research on that. We know he stood with them on the cause of the Gospel but I do not know if he partnered with them in ministry.
     
  9. JonC

    JonC Moderator
    Moderator

    Joined:
    Aug 28, 2001
    Messages:
    33,286
    Likes Received:
    3,547
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Thanks. And I hope you are feeling better. I just got back from a youth event (after church) where we had some very spicy chili. I suspect I will be feeling bad later on in the evening.

    I was wondering because Spurgeon's doctrine was baptist first, Reformed afterwards in the context he often spoke of free-will opponents as brethren yielding to their understanding as he yielded to his "natural disposition" in viewing the gospel as Calvinism. He reasoned with other Baptists as brothers. But he never extended such grace to infant baptism. He seems to have held the doctrine itself as blinding and dangerous.

    That said, there is often a tendency to color these men to suit one's theology (whether accurate, by excess, or in error). So we cannot know just as we cannot know if John Calvin would actually be a five point Calvinist. But we do guess, and speak of our gut feelings.

    In your opinion, does Reformed Baptists see a greater kinship with Presbyterians or non-Reforned Baptists?
     
  10. Reformed

    Reformed Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2012
    Messages:
    4,960
    Likes Received:
    1,694
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Now that is a loaded question. Speaking as a Reformed/Particular Baptist, I want to have a greater kinship with my fellow Baptist brothers and sisters in Christ. However, within the Baptist community, the divide between Calvinism and non-Calvinism is deep and wide. I am convinced that some of it borders on maniacal hatred. For that reason, many Reformed/Particular Baptists share a deeper kinship with their Presbyterian brethren. The fact that Reformed/Particular Baptists and Presbyterians have a warm kinship is amazing when you consider that Presbyterians once persecuted Baptists. As the centuries have passed so has the old way of looking at things between these two groups. As a Baptist, I will never be in agreement with the Presbyterian view on baptism and church polity, but we are in agreement on more things than not. More so than with many non-Calvinistic Baptists.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  11. JonC

    JonC Moderator
    Moderator

    Joined:
    Aug 28, 2001
    Messages:
    33,286
    Likes Received:
    3,547
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Thanks - and I promise I didn't load the question. :p

    But I guess that was what I was speaking of - whether or not one's view of God's mind and how he chose the elect, etc. in terms of Calvinistic and non-Calvinistic soteriology was today more of a divide than the practice of infant baptism.

    Perhaps it is the heat positions generate during any given time. Once infant baptism was a larger divide. Now it seems to be less divisive while soteriological views continue to generate heat.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  12. Reformed

    Reformed Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2012
    Messages:
    4,960
    Likes Received:
    1,694
    Faith:
    Baptist
    This is a fair assessment. I do no think the temperature has hit its apex yet.
     
  13. Reformed

    Reformed Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2012
    Messages:
    4,960
    Likes Received:
    1,694
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Merci Monsieur.
     
  14. McCree79

    McCree79 Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2015
    Messages:
    2,232
    Likes Received:
    305
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Paul Washer delivered what is perhaps the best sermon I have ever heard at the conference this weekend. Once it hits YouTube, I hope you all check it out.

    Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
     
    • Winner Winner x 1
Loading...