At the recent Advance the Church Conference in Raleigh, NC, I sat down with Johnny Hunt, Pastor of FBC Woodstock and recent SBC President to talk about a number of topics.
In this video, Johnny shares powerfully and transparently about some of his own mistakes and lessons he has learned in regard to learning from those with a different perspective.
I found his comments about the Calvinist movement to be particularly poignant and powerful and if you know his story, I believe you will as well. May God give us all the grace to show this kind of humility and wisdom that Johnny exhibits in this video.
Perhaps God might even use Johnny’s example to heal some of the unnecessary rift that exists between Calvinists and Non-Calvinists within the SBC and beyond.
I’m praying toward that end and I hope you join me.
WOW! Praise be to God! Thank you, bro for this post. Thank you, Dr. Hunt for your great demonstration of the Gospel in humility and laboring for ‘peace among brothers’. I pray your leadership takes hold among other mainline SBCers to the glory of God and the good of gospel mission.
I am very encouraged by this word from Dr. Hunt. May God continue to rally gospel-centered churches (reformed or Arminian) to press the gospel forward together.
Good work, Dustin.
Wow! Thank God for Pastor Johnny’s humility and honesty. He is the real deal.
I first saw Pastor Johnny at the Xtreme Winter conference when taking my youth group. I loved his enthusiasm for the gospel. As I have followed him, heard him preach, and seen him lead the SBC I have more and more respect for him.
God bless Pastor Johnny
Where’s a like button when you need one
It is nice to hear this from Pastor Hunt. I am in his backyard and I have been around a lot of people who have been under his influence and leadership. He has raised up some good people.
It was good to hear him leading out this way…
Praise God! I knew something changed a couple of years ago with Johnny Hunt, but I wasn’t sure what had happened. Now I know, and was very happy to hear it!
Great stuff! It’s mystery that I am trying to celebrate more and more- seeing brothers who may have differences (theologically, methodologically, etc) still love each other. It really is the Gospel that unites us and binds us together!
I don’t get it. How can we be united together in the gospel when it is the essentials of the gospel we differ on? It’s not a rhetorical question. I genuinely want to know. Spurgeon said some shockingly strong things against Arminianism–this may have been a flaw in Spurgeon’s understanding… he was just a man, but he was right nonetheless. When Jesus isn’t All-In-All for one side, as it regards salvation and the essentials of Biblical Christian faith, how can we truly be ‘united in Christ’? I would love to be convicted with Hunt’s perspective, but I just can’t make the sum.
David, you must then ask yourself what the essential Gospel message is, Biblically. What is the Biblical “bare minimum” to not be a cult? I believe that Scripture does define for us the essentials of the Gospel, and they are able to unite Arminians and Reformed guys.
This Gospel (and, forgive me that this is quick and off the top of my head) is that God is great and holy. Man is fallen in Adam and very sinful in rebellion toward God. Jesus came to live a sinless life as our substitute, suffered the curse and penalty for our sin, and rose from the dead to give us new life. God has accomplished amazing grace for us in the cross. Through repentance of our sin and faith in Christ alone can anyone be reconciled to God through His blood.
Notice that the doctrine of election is not included. The doctrine of election is related to the Gospel, but it is not the Gospel itself, biblically.
While there are differences in nuance as to how regeneration happens precisely, and while some Arminians may fall into semi-Pelagianism and some Reformed guys may fall into hyper-Calvinism, the typical Arminian and Reformed guy in our day can unite on the Gospel.