My Resignation at Tyndale
I truly enjoyed learning as much as I could of God's Word at Tyndale Theological Seminary and Biblical Institute. They were (and are) a great school, committed to teaching God's Word. They have a very detailed doctrinal statement to which they require (understandably) every teacher to subscribe on a semi-annual basis.(1)
However, after having come to the conclusion that I could no longer subscribe to their doctrinal statement in full,(2) I had written the below message to the president.
However, after having come to the conclusion that I could no longer subscribe to their doctrinal statement in full,(2) I had written the below message to the president.
Dr. Cone,
In all sincerity I want to express my thanks to you for all you have done for Tyndale and its ministry. And truly as I look back I am so very glad to have played a small part in it; and I can't thank you enough for affording me that opportunity.
Nonetheless, after a period of roughly over a year of study in the below aspects, I cannot at this time sign "without reservation" Tyndale's doctrinal statement.
There are two points of hesitation for me:
XI. The Extent of Salvation
XII. Lordship Salvation
For reasons I perhaps still do not fully comprehend, God has allowed me to come to the conclusion (by His grace if correct, and in His providence - though by my own exegetical fault - if not) that Christ's atonement is indeed unlimited in its efficacy but limited in its scope to the elect only.
Also, I cannot sustain an adherence to Tyndale's position on Lordship Salvation. While I believe I agree with Tyndale on its essential belief on this matter, after having studied it, it seems the doctrinal statement is misrepresenting the doctrine. If both sides are saying, "faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is never alone," it's difficult for me to pit one belief over the other. They are both saying salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in, the-Lord, Jesus Christ alone.
To be sure, once I started to have my own serious doubts as to my ability to defend Tyndale's position, I requested from [the Dean of Tyndale, Mason Learning Center] that I not teach any more classes at the Mason Learning Center (and he obliged) until I had studied these things more seriously. But after a year of study and still not being able to see how I can biblically defend Tyndale's position, it seems my only option at this point is to resign as a member of the faculty.
...
Again, I thank you so much for the opportunity you've given me and the graciousness you've shown to me during my years of ministry at Tyndale. If things change at all in the future, I would love to be reconsidered as a candidate (and if they don't, I always want to be considered as a friend). Until that time, God bless you and Tyndale.
Yours in Christ,
Adam T. Calvert
(1) Consequently, they also require full agreement with the entire doctrinal statement in order to graduate from the school as well. So in resigning as a teacher, I was also resigning as a graduate student at the same time.
(2) These were the two points of disagreement I had with their doctrinal statement at the time of my resignation. Since then, I have come to question the Biblical position on several other points: The Blessed Hope (the Rapture), The Apostasy of the Church, The Tribulation, The Second Coming of Christ, The Eternal State, Dispensationalism, Progressive Dispensationalism (among possibly others). This isn't to say I don't have a view of these things; but I'm not at this point convinced that the views about these topics as articulated in Tyndale's Doctrinal Statement are Biblical.
(2) These were the two points of disagreement I had with their doctrinal statement at the time of my resignation. Since then, I have come to question the Biblical position on several other points: The Blessed Hope (the Rapture), The Apostasy of the Church, The Tribulation, The Second Coming of Christ, The Eternal State, Dispensationalism, Progressive Dispensationalism (among possibly others). This isn't to say I don't have a view of these things; but I'm not at this point convinced that the views about these topics as articulated in Tyndale's Doctrinal Statement are Biblical.