Bishop James Parker Dees a Low Churchman? Part 4, Hyper Calvinism

April 25, 1984.

Concerning the XVII^th Article of the 39 ARTICLES OF RELIGION, entitled "Of Predestination and Election,” printed in the 1928 edition of THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER: We have observed that there seems to be a bit of ambiguity in the interpretation of it. We wish to make clear our position in regard to this article.

Some people have understood that this article endorses the position of  Election held by some who are termed “strict Calvinists.”

Although the article mentions "double predestination,” it does not affirm it.

Bishop James Parker Dees

We wish to repudiate this position and to affirm that this Church hold s to the position of "Free Grace" plainly stated in John Wesley’s sermon on this subject,… [This] Church  does  not  tolerate  the position held by some, that  God  predestines some people to go to hell before they are born , and that  there  is nothing that they can do  about it to change hell from being their eternal destination. This doctrine, we believe, as John Wesley states, is directly contrary to the Biblical position as a whole, and is contrary to plain and direct statements by Jesus himself. Salvation, we believe, is available to all who will receive it.

Signed: James P. Dees,

Presiding Bishop

 

Elsewhere on this subject Bishop Dees writes:

On: DOUBLE PREDESTINATION or "Special Election.''

There are many, many people who consider themselves to be Christians who do not believe that Christ's promises of salvation are made available to all men.

Many of them embrace the doctrine that is known generally as the doctrine of special election. This is embraced generally by those who call themselves Calvinists.

This doctrine may be summed up simply into this: that by virtue of an eternal, unchangeable, irresistible decree of God, one part of mankind is infallibly saved, and the rest of mankind is infallibly damned; that it is impossible that any of those decreed by G d to be saved, can be lost or that any of those decreed to be damned can be saved.

The Bible plainly shows by the words of Jesus, who is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy and who embodies Divine Truth, that this is not true. This doctrine represents our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, the righteous, "the only begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth," as a hypocrite; a deceiver of the people, a man void of common sincerity; for it cannot be denied that He everywhere speaks as if he were willing that all men should be saved.

Therefore, to say He is not willing that all men should be saved, is to represent him as a hypocrite, a dissembler and a liar.  It cannot be denied that the gracious words that came out of his mouth are full of invitations to all sinners.  To say that His grace is not available to all sinners is to represent Him as a gross deceiver of the people.

One cannot deny that he says plainly, "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden." If then you say that he calls those that cannot come, those whom he knows to be unable to come, those whom he can make able to come, but will not, how is it possible to describe greater insincerity? They represent him as mocking his helpless creatures by offering what he never intends to give. These Calvinists describe Him as saying one thing while meaning another; as pretending the love which he does not really offer.  Him, in "whose mouth there was no guile" they make Him full of deceit and void of sincerity.

When He drew near to the city, He wept over it, saying, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together and ye would not.” These Calvinists who hold to the doctrine of limited  or special election represent Jesus as weeping crocodile tears;  weeping over the prey which he himself had doomed to destruction.  HOW CAN SUCH PEOPLE FACE HIM ON THE JUDGMENT DAY? To believe in Jesus is to believe in what He says. Not to believe in what He says is not to believe in Him, and to doom themselves to Hell.

James P. Dees,

Presiding Bishop