Answering Tommy McMurtry of the New IFB on 'Irresistible Grace' PART 1-the personal attacks

Tommy McMurtry continues his attack on the "5 Points of Calvinism" by "tearing up" the doctrine of "Irresistible Grace". He covers very little of the doctrine itself, but spends about the first 3rd of the video discussing and making personal attacks. We focus upon these attacks in our first response, pointing out the inconsistency of accusing one man of "excessive harshness" while dishing out much worse in the area of ad hominem attacks coming from the New IFB. We hope to get to the actual doctrine in the next video.

Entire Series Tearing Up the Tulip Response:

[JustaSlaveofChrist]

Thank you again for mentioning the articles and the upcoming book on the New IFB. In those articles, and in several comments on YouTube, I have made it clear to those in the New IFB, and in fact, anyone, if I have made any statement or claim that is not true, all they have to do present me with evidence that I have not been truthful, and I will gladly edit what I have written and issue an apology. Fifteen articles and several months later, and not one person has either been willing or able to refute a single thing I have written. The best they can do is threaten, mock, belittle, insult me, my family, and even my children as Mr. McMurtry did. Mr. McMurtry even admitted that he was stalking my children in order to find something on them he could then publicly proclaim. This is the level of people I have found in the New IFB. In his personal attack on you at about the 20:56 mark, he said your videos were dry and boring (they're not by the way), but what really caught my attention was when he said about you, "any videos that's just him teaching the scriptures, you know, nobody's going to pay attention to because it's lame." I think that for a man who professes to be a Christian pastor, tasked with teaching the Scriptures, to think the exposition of the Scriptures is "lame, " is very telling. Very telling indeed, as to just how flippantly he treats God's word. I think it demonstrates that he places more value on the theatrics found in the New IFB such as screaming, yelling, hurling insults, mockery and belittlement from the pulpit while pounding and slapping it like a toddler having a temper tantrum than on the actual content of the Bible. When I think about those upon whom he is having a negative spiritual effect it makes me cranky too!

[innerfire]

I don't think I've seen one NIFB pastor in a good mood yet, just lots of anger, insults, and old fashioned bullying.

[lawrencestanley]

Beginning at 20:54, wow, just teaching the scriptures is LAME???? I think that says all that anyone needs to know about the NIFB.

[File]

It has been my experience that the group that has demonstrated graciousness, patience, kindness, who took the time to represent the opposing side accurately and by thorough and consistent exegesis of entire passages of Scripture provide a meaningful, rational response and objections to what they believe is false doctrine, were the Calvinists. Harsh only when pointing out serious problems (and heresies) non-reformed, sub-biblical doctrine leads to if taken to its logical conclusions.

On the other hand, the group who has demonstrated just the opposite – rudeness, pride, always misrepresenting and caricaturing Calvinist side, unwillingness to even listen to the them and providing shallow and even childish responses (often without even proof-texting, but simply asserting a doctrine) to reasonable objections to their doctrine – were the fundamentalist Baptists. And often personally attacking and insulting people who hold the Calvinist belief. Granted, there are exceptions, but generally...

And I know, because I was exactly the same. I attacked and insulted men of God out of ignorance and unwillingness to even hear their side (both on the issues of Reformed Theology and King James Onlyism), praying and wishing for their death on multiple occasions. I honestly thought I was contending for the faith, wishing that God would take away the “heretics who lead people astray”, but I was wrong and greatly ignorant (either having wrong interpretation of certain passages, or repeating what everyone else was saying in attacking “the enemy”), and had no excuse for such behavior. I now hate the person I had become.

However, God was patient with my ignorance and sins, and has been merciful to me all that time, and opened my heart to understanding the truth (gradually over months of prayer, listening to sermons, lectures, debates, as well as reading books on both aforementioned topics, of course reading the Bible more carefully and with an opened mind – especially passages like John 6, John 12, Romans 8, Ephesians 1 – passages I ignored because they seemed to teach something I should not believe as a fundamentalist Baptist), and understanding the real issues through ministry of men like Dr. James White in particular, and recently Pastor Jeff Dollar, and their testimony of patience and willingness to take the time to provide calm answers, a consistent defense of Reformed Theology and explain the problems with my beliefs.


I know this will get me in trouble with my brethren in the NewIFB, and I’m sorry if this causes some of them to stumble in their walk with the Lord – I know that learning all this has truly been an ego-shattering and pride-destroying experience that has affected me deeply, and caused many regrets and sorrows for my past sins (attacks I’ve made, as well as other non-related things that I regret having done especially the last year) and led me into a period of great self-examination. But I had to say this eventually.

I am grateful that God used the Gospel presentation at the end of the New World Order Bible Versions film to draw me to Himself and saving me back in 2015 out of Roman Catholicism. I learned to appreciate the Bible, the church, to clean up my life thanks to the preaching I listened from NewIFB pastors. I did learn a lot, and I will always be grateful for that. So I know there are a lot of people in that circle who are truly believers, just like I was at the time, but just ignorant and unwilling to listen or simply discouraged from even looking into actual doctrines of Reformed Theology and reasons behind objections to King James Onlyism.

I realize that God needs to deal with every person individually on this matter, just as he has with me over the last year, but I want to give them a brotherly warning: do not make the same mistake I did – do not attack and condemn to hell people whose beliefs you are ignorant of, especially if they are a professed believer in Jesus Christ as their Savior, and confess salvation by grace alone through faith alone, and who (upon careful listening to their profession of faith) you realize are truly saved and your brother/sister in Christ – and you’ve already send them to hell. Trust me, you do not want that kind of a stain on your soul. It does damage to you personally. I know.
If a person undoubtedly teaches works salvation gospel or promoting a different god, then alright – he is condemned (you can call him to repentance, expose his errors and warn others about him). Otherwise, leave it up to God! You cannot see into people’s hearts.
Also, take the time to research beliefs and doctrines of people you disagree with (read books by their authors, watch debates – which I find are tremendously useful, especially the cross examinations – listen to their lectures and sermons). And if you still disagree, that’s fine. At least know what the opposing side believes to the point where you can accurately represent it, and then state your disagreements without straw-men arguments, misrepresentations and ad-hominem attacks. At that point a further dialogue can be established.

I will refrain myself from further writing, even though there are other things to discuss, and I could expand on things I did mention.
I hesitated even writing anything, being a member of an independent Baptist church which detests both Calvinism and the NewIFB... But I felt convicted to express my observation, provide a testimony for the context and give a friendly warning to brethren. I hope my comment will be perceived as an honest brotherly concern for the people in the IFB/NewIFB, and not an attack.