Thesis #3 - The Baptist Faith and Message Covers Calvinists and Non-Calvinists

The Baptist Faith and Message of 2000 is inclusive of both Calvinists and Almost-Arminians (Anybody have a better label?). The rhetoric between Calvanists and non-Calvinists has reportedly cooled, at least among the leaders of our national convention. That fight, however, continues in vitriolic fashion in some associations and local churches. Some people go so far as to label members of the opposite persuasion as “heretics” and “non-Baptists.” Not so. A 1999 article in the Baptist Press recorded comments by Paige Patterson’s (a non-Calvinist) about Calvinism:

“Patterson appealed to his audience to hear each other carefully and avoid fighting over the distinctions. Pressed by another listener as to whether those who hold to Calvinism, often called "the doctrines of grace," are to be accepted as part of the convention, Patterson reiterated that the Baptist Faith and Message is the SBC's agreed-upon, adopted statement of faith.
"There's plenty of room under the umbrella for anyone who is anything from a one- to five-point Calvinist," Patterson said, stipulating that any Southern Baptist would have to agree upon the perseverance of the saints to keep from being an Arminian.

Indeed, any constraint within the BF&M on the Arminian-to-Calvinist spectrum falls on the Arminian side. Article V states “All true believers endure to the end,” and references scriptures such as John 5:24 and 10:28. The Baptist Press article continued:

"There's room for a two- or three-pointer like me, provided he can explain what is meant by two and three. There's room for four- and five-pointers whom I believe lack scriptural justification for that, but I'm certainly not in favor of running them out."
Patterson described Southern Baptists as a people who believe the Bible to be the Word of God as their final authority, that salvation is by grace through faith alone and that adult-like faith witnessed by believer's baptism provides a testimony to a watching world. "If we believe those things all fall within the purview of the Baptist faith, then there's plenty of room for all of us in these various emphases that we bring. I think they're all very helpful."

Each side in the Calvinist /Non-Calvinist debate needs to acknowledge there are some difficult passages to deal with. Peter referred to some of these passages, saying, “He [Paul] speaks about these things in all his letters, in which there are some matters that are hard to understand.” (2 Peter 3:16a HCSB) We will not allow anyone to twist and distort the plain truth of the Gospel—that only by the grace of God, the regeneration and washing of the Holy Spirit, through Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice may any of us gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven. At the same time, we also must not allow anyone to label as heretics those who deal differently with difficult passages.