I'll start by saying my name is Layton Flowers. I'm the director of apologetics and youth evangelism for Texas Baptists. I am a former Calvinist. I was a five-point Calvinist for about a decade of my life. I'm not an anti-Calvinist. My best friend and my brother are both Calvinistic. Some of my favorite

authors and pastors are Calvinistic. I get along with Calvinist just fine. And so if you're in this

room and you're Calvinist, please don't take this as a time to bash you, because that's not really

my goal. My goal instead is to be more of a pro-traditionalist, which I'll

explain in just a minute than it is to be an anti-Calvinist. There is a lot of rancor and

polemic in this debate. If you've been a part of any kind of discussion with Calvinism,

you probably already know this, or if you've watched it on social media, you can see

that people can become very nasty

and vindictive when it comes to this discussion that's unfortunate because you're talking about

the doctrines of grace no less you're talking about god's salvation no less if there's any topic

that we should be able to discuss with christ-like attitude and with kindness and brotherly love

it should be the doctrine of our salvation

and God's grace and goodness. Unfortunately, however, typically the extremes on both sides

cloud and muddy the waters and they pull people different directions. You see this in politics

as well. You see this in almost every realm where the extremes on both ends

polemicize and make things a lot more rancorous than they need to be. And that has been the case with

this discussion. So please hear me say that I am not against Calvinism being a part of our convention.

I'm not against Calvinistic brothers being even in my church.

I know, matter of fact, we have some Calvinists in the church that I tend, and we get along fine.

Matter of fact, some of the best discussions, theologically and the iron-sharpening iron kind of discussions that I have are with my Calvinistic brothers. Many of the podcast and people that I

listen to on a regular basis are Calvinists, and I admire and esteem them as my brothers and sisters in the Lord. So please

hear me say that as we enter into this discussion. And to know that I loved being a Calvinist

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