FIRE-BREATHING, TULIP-BELIEVING, FIVE-POINT CALVINIST

By Akin Ojumu

As I traverse the rugged and treacherous terrains of my Christian faith, God, in His infinite mercy and abundant grace, never ceases to orchestrate events and situations along the way that redound to the enrichment of my faith and furtherance of my knowledge of His Word. Perhaps, seeing the thirsting of my heart to know Him more, God responds by directing me to oasis in desert places.

One of the divinely orchestrated events in my faith journey was the chance encounter with Voddie Baucham. While I don’t precisely remember when or how it happened, I can certainly tell you that coming across the expository teachings of Voddie was a pivotal moment, an inflection point, in my journey of discovery.

Voddie Bauchman, along with great expositors such as John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, etc., taught me what it means to be a Christian. It was from these people that I came to fully grasp the concept of the sufficiency, inerrancy, and infallibility of the Bible. Through their teachings, I learned that Bible texts have only one interpretation but multiple implications and applications. 

It was theologians like Voddie Bauchman who impressed upon me the importance of expository exegesis and the danger of eisegesis and narcigesis. By listening to their sermons and reading their books, I learned the proper approach to studying and interpreting the Bible, which ultimately helped me to break free from the shackles of deception and false teachings of the Pentecostal, Word of Faith, Charismatic, and New Apostolic Reformation movements.

Husband, father, pastor, author, and educator, Voddie Baucham was a fearless warrior for Christ and an audacious defender of the fidelity of the Scriptures. As the founding Dean and Senior Lecturer in the School of Divinity at the African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia, Voddie worked tirelessly to build a levee of sound doctrine as a defense against the extremely devastating heretic teachings of the Pentecostal and Word of Faith Movements sweeping across the African continent.

Voddie Baucham’s relentless resolve to bring the Church in Africa and globally to the proper understanding of God and His Word was demonstrated in what many have mistaken for a combative approach to preaching. His Bio on the Voddie Baucham Ministries website aptly describes his many passions: 

“Whether teaching on classical apologetic issues like the validity and historicity of the Bible, or the resurrection of Christ; or teaching on biblical manhood/womanhood, marriage and family, or the Social Justice Movement, he helps ordinary people understand the significance of thinking and living biblically in every area of life.”

As it is with many of the other great theologians who have had significant impact on my faith, Voddie Bauchman and I didn’t see eye to eye when it came to politics. Voddie’s position on social justice, particularly his view on racism in the United States, seemed naïve in my opinion. The man tended to view race relations in America with rose-colored glasses which was totally at odds with the daily living reality of the vast majority of black folks in America.

Notwithstanding the socio-political differences that I might have had Voddie Baucham, on the things that are of eternal value, Voddie and I did agree. I have nothing but utmost respect for the man. I find his eloquence, theological intellect, doctrinal purity, and passion for the cause of Christ and the Gospel admirable. He was one of the handful of gifted and authentic Bible teachers of our generation. His transition to glory is a huge loss to the Body of Christ. 

My deepest condolences go to his wife, Bridget, and his nine children: Jasmine, Trey (Voddie, III), Elijah, Asher, Judah, Micah, Safya, Amos, and Simeon.