Calvinist Flyswatter

Timmy Brister's Bristlings

The audacity of Timmy Brister is beyond words. He attends a Southern Baptist seminary which is paid for by the hard earned dollars of Southern Baptist laymen in Southern Baptist churches. He no doubt gladly accepts the tuition discount which all students from Southern Baptist churches receive and again, is paid by money from SBC churches. Yet Timmy publicly and consistently attacks SBC leaders, polity, and churches over and over again in his blog. SBC churches: He doesn't mind taking your money but he doesn't mind spitting in your face either. Go figure.

In this article, Brother Bob Ross has uncovered more of the theological madness that is Timmy Brister, this time in the form of Timmy's views on what he calls "decisional regeneration." It seems that Timmy rejects what nearly every Southern Baptist church believes: That an ACT on the sinner's part is involved in opening the heart and receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Incredibly, after rejecting what SBC churches believe, Timmy has the gall to demand that these same churches call men like him as pastor!

Southern Baptist churches, agencies, and institutions should take note of Timmy Brister. If you read his blog you'll find a bitter man who spends very little time in the way of evangelism and missions but a lot of time tearing down Southern Baptists.

Charles
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BRISTER'S BRISTLINGS

Bob to Charles:

Southern Seminary student, Timmy Brister, the novice who conceives of himself as a "Calvinist," is once again bristling on his blog in regard to terminology about "opening your heart" to accept Christ. See http://timmybrister.com/2007/10/04/
decisional-regeneration-and-southern-baptist-eisegesis/#more-1626

It seems that ever so often the Hybrid Calvinist types like Timmy are constrained by righteous indignation to "let off steam" against some of the terms and methods which he considers to be in the category of "decisional regeneration," and I suppose this is one of those periods with Timmy.

Since Timmy claims to be a reader and admirer of C. H. Spurgeon, I sent him one of Spurgeon's comments about "opening the heart to the Lord" which might serve as spiritual seltzer to "settle his stomach:"

>>
Dear Timmy:

In view of your interest in the expression "open your heart," I thought you might like to consider Spurgeon's approach. --

"It is perfectly true that the work of salvation lies first and mainly in Jesus receiving sinners to himself, to pardon, to cleanse, to sanctify, to preserve, to make perfect; but, at the same time, the sinner also receives Christ; there is an act on the sinner’s part by which, being constrained by divine grace, he openeth his heart to the admission of Jesus Christ, and Jesus enters in, and thenceforth dwells in the heart, and reigns and rules there. To a gracious readiness of heart to entertain the friend who knocks at the door, we are brought by God the Holy Ghost, and then he sups with us and we with him." [sermon #669 — An Open Heart For a Great Saviour, MTP Vol 12, Year 1866, page 13, John 1:12-13]

In another sermon appeal, Spurgeon said —

"Oh I wish some of you would thus respond to my appeal this day! This thing is also from the Lord: it was he who gave me this message; it was he who brought you to hear it. Surely you will not be found fighting against God. Your heart is open to him; he sees the faintest desire that you have toward him. Breathe out your wish now, and say, 'My heart is before thee: take it.' " [sermon #2231 — An Urgent Request For an Immediate Answer, MTP Vol 37, Year 1891, page 599, Genesis 24:49]

On the matter of "decision," it might be well to consider Spurgeon's remarks in the sermon, "An Urgent Request for an Immediate Answer." In this sermon, Spurgeon addresses his hearers, "But we are the more determined to press you for some DECISION," and "I pray that God's Spirit may lead you to an immediate DECISION." [pages 596, 599]

http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:3MtYpiM_DzcJ:
www.pilgrimpublications.com/invite1.htm+spurgeon+open+heart&
hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us&ie=UTF-8
>>

Timmy's bristlings are rather characteristic of many who adopt the "born again before faith" Hybrid Calvinism of the pedobaptist theologians, such as one of Timmy's favorites, Iain Murray, who is expert in nitpicking terms and methods which he thinks are undermining of "pre-faith regeneration."

Labels: Timmy Brister

posted by Charles @ 9:11 AM