What????!!!! There’s a conspiracy afoot to ‘target’ our young people with Calvinism? Whatever does that mean? Are young people being singled out (targeted) by wickedly smiling evil men in order to corrupt their little minds and hearts? Don’t laugh. It appears that in the ranks of Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) youth groups, that exact thing is happening today (probably minus the wicked evil smiling). There are youth ministers who are teaching Calvinistic doctrine to their charges, enticing them away from the traditional doctrines of their parents! The shame of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here’s an excerpt from the SBC Today website that explains it all (and it’s just Part 1):

“Southern Baptist youth groups are filled with young people converting away from the traditional doctrines held by their parents in favor of more Calvinistic views on salvation, church, culture and ministry. At first glance, this trend seems harmless. If anything, the students converting in spellbound droves to the doctrinal views of Calvinism take their faith far more seriously than their parents do. What Christian parent is going to oppose a movement that actually encourages their child to read the Bible and study theology?. . . And yet, there are legitimate reasons for traditional Southern Baptist parents and church youth group leaders to view this trend as a dangerous development. . . . .”

The rest of the article is filled with some of the standard arguments against Calvinism, but I’m not going there. These interesting arguments are followed by a discussion of the aforementioned ‘targeting’ of SBC youth by diabolically dangerous youth leaders.

The article makes much of the ‘traditional doctrines’ of parents. What tradition doctrines? The ones that replaced the earlier and very much ‘traditional’ doctrines of Sovereign Grace that marked the Protestant Reformation, and that endured until the late 1800’s? The traditions brought to the forefront in modern America by Pelagian heretic Charles Finney, who said that revival is nothing more than the proper use of human ‘means’? What if the ‘traditions of parents’ are in themselves unbiblical? Just sayin’.

Youth are ‘flocking to Calvinism in spellbound droves’? Who are these evil youth pastors, reincarnations of the Pied Piper of Hamlin? ‘Nuff said. Along with the ‘targeting’ remark, the ‘spellbound droves’ comment should telegraph to any average reader the bias of the author, Dr. Rick Patrick, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Sylacauga, AL

Frankly, I’m embarrassed for SBC Today. I’ll shut up now. You can read the article for yourself and come to your own conclusions. I can’t wait for Part 2.