First, when I mentioned “we,” I had in reference the entire SBC, not Calvinists. Sorry for the vagueness. No, as I mentioned to someone in the media today, Calvinists are not on pushing Calvinism; they are on pushing back against the caricatures, straw men, etc. Some chrnological analysis and document would verify this. I was speaking of the “fighting” mentality which is so pervasive in the SBC. We will fight over almost everything, even fighting for the right to fight.

Speaking of conversion paradigms, if you have any interest in this, you should check out an upcoming post where I will be live-blogging with the theme being “the miracle of conversion.” Let me know if you have any interest.

Regarding women in ministry, this is a big issue, and one that I cannot adequately speak to in this comment. I will just say that I share your concerns. One of the practical issues comes where churches are being planted in regions of the world where there are no men to lead the “church.” The issue of women elders is much more relevant on the mission field than the immediate context of traditional SBC churches. My guess is that there are several church plants in regions of the world that are being led by women because there are no men to lead.

Finally, how many Southern Baptists have actually read the entire BF&M you think? I would say that, if out of 16 million we have 6 million in church on Sunday, we have less than 5% of that crowd who have read it. How many in the SBC could articulate a basic understanding of the doctrines of grace? It may be true that only 10% of the SBC are “five-point Calvinists”; but it may be equally be true that 80% of Southern Baptists are uninformed (if not misinformed).

How are we the ones who started the storm? How can an act of self-preservation at this year’s annual meeting cause a storm? Just look at how closely Mark Dever lost the race for 1st VP, and how they had a snap-runoff between business sessions. A few dozen concerned people can make a big difference in the ballots.

Should the SBC go the route to marginalize or remove Calvinists from the SBC, the SBC will left with very little of their offspring. I sincerely hope that the SBC can stop the splintering and factious spirit which is so contrary to the heart of Christ in his prayer that we may be one. We need leaders who can chart a new course with a new map, setting the sails while plugging the holes of a sinking ship. If this doesn’t happen, we will become shipwreck by the storms we ourselves have caused. This is the fate of fundamentalism – a fate I hope doesn’t become ours.