Calvinist Flyswatter

Founders & proselytization

THE FLOUNDERS ARE A
PROSELYTIZING SECT

Ernest Reisinger, who founded the Flounders (aka "Founders Ministries") showed up at my book store in August 1987, accompanied by a couple of other preachers. I have a photo on my office wall of the four of us, standing in front of the entrance to the store.

Ernest -- whom I first met at the first Grace Conference in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in the mid 1960s -- was on a mission. He had come to this area to help in the "reforming" of a nearby Southern Baptist Church. The Pastor, who was with Ernest on this visit to my store, was meeting with more resistance from church members than he could handle, so he had called in Ernest for his expertise in "reforming" a church.

I later learned that the Pastor lost his pastorate. The church was divided over Ernest's species of "Calvinism" which we refer to as "Hybrid Calvinism" since it is not original creedal Calvinism; rather, it is a development that came about among the Pedobaptists (baby baptizers) who adopted the view that "regeneration precedes faith," contrary to the view of Calvin and the Puritans.

I have been an observer of Ernest and his Flounders' movement since it first started, and in due time it demonstrated that this was nothing more than a trouble-making, divisive, proselytizing movement. I noticed that they were not and are not engaged in evangelism and soul-winning, and they even raise objections against those who are engaged in evangelism and soul-winning. I noticed that they equate their species of "Calvinism" as being the "Gospel." I noticed that they had the attitude of a sect -- "we are right, and everyone else is wrong."

I also noticed that they have devices and shibboleths which they utilize in seeking to proselyte those who believe in the Sovereignty of God but are not in the Flounders' camp. I noticed that they misrepresent and misuse notable Baptists of the past as if the Flounders are to be regarded as the theological successors of those Baptists.

After the Flyswatter got onto the Flounders' case as to their lack of evangelism, they must have felt some degree of "conviction," so they at least started talking about "church planting." They had not planted a church since their origin in the early 1980s, other than from "splits" and those who left "Arminianism."

For the past couple of years or so, they have been talking a lot more about "church planting," but if they are actually engaged in any type of evangelism and soul-winning to make converts and facilitate starting a church, we have not seen any evidence of it. They still manifest all the appearances of nothing but a proselytizing sect, seeking to convince other Christians of Hybrid Calvinism.

Until proven otherwise, we will maintain the view that the Flounders are no more than a proselytizing parasitical sect, soaked in Hybrid Calvinism.

posted by Bob L. Ross @ 11:22 PM