Journal: Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry
Volume: JBTM 16:2 (Fall 2019)
Article: Unconditional Election And The Condemnation Of Sinners: An Analysis Of Eric Hankins’s View Of Reprobation
Author: Daniel Kirkpatrick

JBTM 16:2 (Fall 2019) p. 47

Unconditional Election And The Condemnation Of Sinners: An Analysis Of Eric Hankins’s View Of Reprobation

Daniel Kirkpatrick

Daniel Kirkpatrick is dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and assistant professor of Christian Studies serves at the University of the Southwest and Southeastern Baptist Association in Hobbs, New Mexico. [email protected]

In the Spring 2018 edition of the Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry, Eric Hankins, pastor of First Baptist Fairhope, Alabama, wrote an article entitled “Romans 9 and the Calvinist Doctrine of Reprobation.”1 As the title suggests, Hankins deals with what John Calvin called the “horrible decree” (decretum quidem horribile) of reprobation.2 Indeed, it can be said that Hankins finds the decree more horrible than Calvin himself, given that he calls the church to reject it as non-biblical whereas Calvin called the church to embrace it as truth.3 Hankins thus attempts to drive a stake into the very heart of the doctrine through exegesis of its primary proof-text, Rom 9. In his article, Hankins argues that Rom 9 does not mandate reprobation as the Calvinists describe it, and as it thus lacks sufficient biblical support it should be replaced with what he sees as clearer teachings of Scripture that fit the nature of God (namely, his universal love and redemptive plan for all people).4

Hankins’s article is to be commended in many respects. It is well written, carefully exegeted, and it makes a strong case from historical and literary contexts that the passage is not to be applied to people of all time but only a segment in human history. As a fellow non-Calvinist who rejects the notion of reprobation, I am sympathetic to many of Hankins’s conclusions. Yet, can more be said against the doctrine of reprobation itself? Might there be more alignment (and might concessions need to be made) on both sides of this delicate topic? In this article, I will attempt to explore Hankins’s critique of reprobation with a view to affirming unconditional election matched with a denial of reprobation.

Defining Reprobation

While the focus of Hankins’s article is an exegetical analysis of Rom 9, his overall concern is the invalidity of the doctrine of reprobation itself. He begins by showing how

JBTM 16:2 (Fall 2019) p. 48

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