I recently blogged about my reaction to my attendance of the John 3:16 conference. Soon after I posted my blog, Dr. David Allen reached out to me. We first spoke via email and then over the phone. Dr. Allen was very gracious, humble, and kind in all the personal conversations we shared. On the issue of Limited Atonement we agreed to disagree. The bottom line is that we have different views as to the application of the atonement. John Piper’s new book does a great job explaining the Reformed tradition. You can get it here.
I told Dr. Allen that my main concern was with the spirit of the event, the unfounded attacks against Reformed Baptists, and the unhelpful comments shared by Dr. Patterson at the end. He pointed out that Baptists on the Reformed side also hurl unfair insults, which is absolutely true. We both agreed that the name calling and cheap shots must stop. Dr. Allen said he could not speak to Dr. Patterson’s comments as he had not reviewed the audio from the event and he could not speak on behalf of Dr. Patterson. That is fair and understandable.
I was encouraged by our conversation and hopeful that we can change the atmosphere of witch-hunting and mudslinging that has taken place in our area of Kentucky and in many other places throughout the United States. Let each of us commit to biblical fidelity, fair discussion, and brotherly love and charity.
Matthew McCraw 