Leaning A Little On The Side of the Reformed

Over the holidays, I have been getting good use of my iphone by listening to several good podcasts. One of my goals for this downtime was to listen and re-listen to the Building Bridges Conference Podcasts.

I was able to do this and to make some poignant observations:

1. Reformed theology and liberalism are totally incompatible.

2. The SBC, historically, has been its healthiest when our theological leadership was thoroughly Reformed

3. Some of the greatest SBC missionaries were decidedly Reformed and some of the greatest times of missionary endeavor in our convention came under their leadership.

4. We have reached an all time low in concern for the Gospel and missions by the average SBC church member.

5. The average SBC church member today has very little understanding of or appreciation for Reformed theology.

Now while these observations may betray a great coincidence in our denomination, I am skeptical. It is ironic that the theological bent that some decry as anti-missional and evangelistic may be the only hope for recovering the Gospel-centered, missional spirit that has been the lifeblood of this convention. If Ed Stetzer's research is right and young seminarians and pastors are breaking decidedly in the direction of the Reformed, then we may yet see revival.