Calvinism continues to grow in evangelical institutions and denominations, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, especially softer strains of the faith that emphasize spirituality as much as doctrine. The gravitation of evangelicals toward the Reformed tradition, both in theology and political thinking, has been taking place [and noted in RW] for well over a decade.
Christianity Today (September) reports that the most recent wave of interest in Reformed theology is found among young evangelicals in Southern Baptist, charismatic and “seeker“-based churches who are attracted to the in-depth doctrine and a firm sense of God’s sovereignty over all of life. In fact, the leaders of the current movement are mostly outside of the traditional conservative Presbyterian orbit–Baptist preacher John Piper, Joshua Harris, pastor of the charismatic New Life Covenant Church, Gaithersburg, MD, and Albert Mohler of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. Although differing on such issues as charismatic gifts and church government, the young Calvinists seem especially captivated by the spirituality of the Puritans and the works of such Reformed forefathers as Jonathan Edwards and Charles H. Spurgeon.
(Christianity Today, 465 Gundersen Dr., Carol Stream, IL 60187)