Dr Paul Allen

From "Baptizing in the Jordan" by Silas X. Floyd (1869-1923) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) It was almost six years ago when a group of  fifteen Southern Baptist evangelists met together to bemoan the growth of Calvinism  within SBC circles. When asked about his concerns, Jerry Drace (the evangelist who initiated the meeting) explained that some Baptist pastors are so Calvinistic “that they almost laugh at evangelism. It’s almost to the extent that they believe they don’t have to do it. So [Calvinism] gives them an excuse not to do evangelism.” Drace’s comments raise an important question.  Does an affirmation of God’s sovereign election in salvation (commonly called “Calvinism”) deter people from faithfulness in evangelism? An answer to that question could be approached from several different angles. One could, for example, consider evangelistic efforts among Baptists — comparing those who embrace the doctrine of election with those who do not.  An SBC study

English: Flag of Israel with the Mediterranean sea in the background, in Rishon LeZion. עברית: דגל ישראל בראשון לציון (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Romans 11:26 promises that  all Israel will be saved . Dispensationalists understand this verse to refer to a national salvation of ethnic Israel after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Non-premillennialists  sometimes imply that such an interpretation is a dispensationalist invention, because it means that God still has a future plan for national Israel. But did you know that many throughout church history, including many in the Reformed tradition have shared that same interpretation? None other than  John Calvin , in his commentary on Romans 11:25-26, noted that “when the Gentiles shall come in, the Jews also shall return from their defection to the obedience of faith.”  Other Reformers, such as  Martin Bucer ,  Peter Martyr , and  Theodore Beza  similarly concluded that there would be a future calling and conversio