The Extent of Governmental Authority

A closer look at Romans 13 and its implications

The Covid rebels argue against government authority over church gatherings on two grounds. The first ground is that God commands Christians to meet in person, so when government commands otherwise, the Christian duty is to God rather than man. The previous chapter addressed the “command” argument, in which I held there is no such command in the Bible, and certainly not in Hebrews 10. Some Christians, who are not Covid rebels, disagree with my view, but offer no exegetical or theological support to contradict it, at least so far. There is, of course, Biblical precedent for the commands of God superseding the demands of authority (see Peter before the Sanhedrin, Acts 4.19, 5.29). If there is no clear command, the principle is irrelevant; and even if one believes there is a command to meet, we must answer several other questions before we conclude, “This is the time, I take my stand, do what you will with me.”

One of those questions is the extent of governmental authority. The Covid rebels say that God limits governmental authority to matters of crime and punishment, to “justice,” but grants no authority over public health and safety. To refresh, here are two statements from pastor Tim Stephens of Calgary’s Fairview Baptist Church, cited in my first chapter:

“There is nothing in Romans 13 that teaches that the government is responsible for the common good. There is nothing in Romans 13 that teaches that the government is responsible for keeping people safe from a virus such that they even command what takes place in the church and in the home.” ((Source: COVID-19: A Romans 13 Issue?))

“Romans 13 defines the authority of the state to uphold justice and mete out God’s wrath according to God’s standards. It does not give power to the state to define justice or what is good and evil. It does not give authority to the state to outlaw gathering freely in worship, and then bring the punishment of the sword upon those who do.” ((Source: COVID-19: A Romans 13 Issue?))

And, once again, this is Pastor Aaron Rock of Harvest Bible Church in Windsor, Ontario:

“In Romans 13, civil authority is given jurisdiction over justice in the public sphere. Our Christian forebears were comfortable with that and urged churches to submit to it. But modern states have extended their authority well beyond matters of justice to include public education, public health, private property use, transportation regulations, right down to requiring dog tags for the family pet. To extend the biblical notion of subjection to any and all areas of life that the government chooses to control is a failure to acknowledge the discontinuities between the ancient and modern world.” ((Source: Our Stance on COVID-19: November 25, 2020 | Article: A Call to Divine Obedience over Civil Obedience)) [Emphasis mine.]

In sum, the Covid rebels limit the application of Romans 13 to a narrow window. They claim the state has no authority over the church when it comes to its worship, and this includes when, where, and how the church should worship. They insist they need not follow public health orders when they worship. The result of this in Canada is national news stories with various pastors under arrest, some imprisoned for a time, and many charges laid and fines levied. There are ongoing cases before the courts. It remains to be seen how all these matters come to a resolution. Likely before these matters work their way through the courts, the Covid crisis itself will become much reduced and most churches will be meeting normally anyway.

Nevertheless, the treatment of Romans 13 by the Covid rebels deserves some comment. I should rather say, “mistreatment,” because these men badly mis-apply the passage.

When one examines Romans 13, there is little question about what the passage says. What I’ve read from the Covid rebels shows essential agreement about the content of the passage. The issue is application, not explanation.

To proceed, though, I think we should briefly ((When I preached through Romans a few years ago, I accumulated 18 pages of notes on the passage and preached 6 sermons. Brevity is a challenge!)) summarize the teaching of Romans 13.1-7, the passage in question. Everett Harrison says, ““This is the most notable passage in the NT on Christian civic responsibility.” ((Everett F. Harrison, “Romans,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 10 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976), 136.))

The passage begins with a universal proposition: “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.”

The subject of the sentence demonstrates universality, “every person.” The “governing authorities” are “the higher powers” as the kjv translates. The action is passive, every person must order himself under the authorities. He must find his place, submit, put himself in the proper order.

The reason for the proposition is simply that God ordained, or set in place, the authorities. All humans resent (to some extent) the authorities in their lives, due to their sin nature. They do this because they resent God — something very close to the original sin, inherited from Adam. God established authority, so the natural man despises authority. Unfortunately, the Christian man requires reminders that his life-changing transformation by the gospel means the universal proposition that opens Romans 13 is meant for him, too. To rebel against the higher powers is the same thing as rebelling against God.

Thus, we sum up verses 1-2: All must submit, for God appointed the authorities, and rebellion to human authority equals rebellion to God.

When someone resists human authority, pain ensues. If you do good, you have nothing to fear; if you do evil, be afraid. Paul says, “for it [government] does not bear the sword for nothing.” In other words, government has authority from God and power in its hands to back up that authority. If you won’t obey, you will feel it. Paul says that government is “the minister of God” when it punishes wrong doing. The whole idea behind the Western justice systems rests on these principles. Government stands in for God to mete out justice for offences.

However, since Government is a minister of God (Rm 13.4), Christians have an additional reason for submission, because they have a Christian conscience (Rm 13.5) which calls for their submission to God’s ministers.

So far, so good. I think as far as exegesis goes, the Covid rebels would generally agree with what I’ve said about Romans 13 above. However, the Christian conscience that calls for obedience is an interesting thing. Paul offers an illustration in verse 6 that takes the discussion a step further:

Rm 13.6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.

Notice here the word “also.” The Covid rebels want to limit the power of the sword and the authority of government to matters of justice. If you check Tim Stephens’ writings, you will see that he argues that the instructions of Romans 13 follow on from the admonition to the Christian, “don’t take vengeance,” in Romans 12. The Lord appointed the government to handle these matters, so Romans 13 teaches that governments may only act in matters where an injustice occurs, when they are to take vengeance on our behalf.

But wait, what about “also” in verse 6? Even if we concede that Romans 13 follows on from Romans 12 (some commentators make this connection), how do “taxes” figure into my desire for vengeance on my neighbour who offended me? Answer: they don’t. Paul offers “taxes” as a further illustration of the principle.

We pay taxes for the same reasons we submit to the laws of civil government: “for rulers are servants of God” – they are doing, in a sense, religious service. The word for “ministers” here is related to the service of the temple – liturgical service. We get the English word “liturgy” from this word. Obviously, this isn’t religion as we normally understand religion, but note Paul’s observation about the rulers who are “devoting themselves to this very thing.” They take tax collection religiously!

What is my point here? Paul himself applies this passage to more than mere justice. He applies it to taxes as well. I suspect that none of the Covid rebels also advocate refusing to pay taxes. After this, Paul renders a summary statement:

Rm 13.7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

This last verse gives imperatives or implied imperatives. These are sober obligations. As I say, to Biblically defy governmental authority one must clear a very high bar Paul set up for us here. If we determine to defy the authorities, we had better be sure we have a strong biblical reason.

Now let’s consider some other passages about divinely appointed civil authority. You may be familiar with the three-part division of Old Testament law: Ceremonial, Moral, and Civil. The Ceremonial division includes all the regulations concerning sacrifice and the liturgy of OT religion. The Moral division includes all those regulations on moral conduct, such as those listed in the Ten Commandments. The Civil division has to do with laws affecting the Israelites as citizens of a nation. ((Some dispute these categories, but there the general idea makes sense in distinguishing one law from another in the OT. Some OT laws, to be sure, are difficult to assign to only one category.)) Let’s look at some of them to see the scope of authority God granted to human government.

In Deuteronomy 15, the Lord gives laws dealing with land ownership, managing debt, and taking care of the poor. The chapter opens with this:

Dt 15.1 ¶ “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts.

In keeping with these laws are those of Leviticus 19.9-10 which instruct landowners to leave the corners of their fields in harvest time for the benefit of the poor.

Lev 19.9-10 ¶ ‘Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 ‘Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.

The Law gave instruction for public safety in house construction.

Dt 22.8 ¶ “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you will not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone falls from it.

In Leviticus 13 and 14, God gives the laws concerning leprosy. In these chapters he gives authority to the priests to determine when someone has the plague of leprosy and when he is delivered from it. He gives the priests the authority to examine affected clothing and require the destruction of these articles if they find disease in them. He gives authority to the priests to enter houses suspected of leprosy breaking out in the walls (apparently some kind of mold-like growth). Under certain conditions, the priest could order the partial or complete destruction of the affected house. All affected stones, mortar, timber, whatever the house is made of, was torn down and discarded outside the town in an “unclean place.”

Now we fast forward to the twenty first century. Are we saying the God who granted this civil authority to priests in ancient Israel has not granted authority to Public Health Officers today? Do we seriously want to argue that public health is not an interest of civil government? Or that civil government has no authority here, the church, due to its sovereignty over its worship services, can simply ignore public health orders?

This kind of defiance seems a very strange way to follow our Lord Jesus, who, noting the freedom of the sons of the king, nevertheless submitted to the ordinances of his day and paid taxes. (Mt 17.24-27)

Mt 17.27 “However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.”

Jacob Reaume, one of the Covid rebels, recognizes government authority extends beyond merely administering justice. He says in one of his many blogs arguing for defying government restrictions on worship:

“Typically obedience to Federal, Provincial, and Municipal regulations is easily given, such as is the case with fire safety codes, municipal drainage requirements, and other building codes. But a lockdown order to cease meeting as a church body for fellowship and worship would contradict the commandments of God, and in such a case TBC is compelled to listen to God instead of the government.” ((Source: Here We Stand: The Church Must Meet | Trinity Bible Chapel))

It is inconsistent to recognize Federal, Provincial, and Municipal regulation in many such matters, but then defy government lockdown orders in an emergency. He interestingly mentions fire safety codes. Fire safety codes restrict unfettered use of buildings for worship. The codes impose an occupancy limit on worship spaces. We all know that you can fit more people into a building than the code allows. If your church grows to the point that you have more people wanting to attend than the fire safety code allows, what do you do? Do you defy the fire safety code? Or do you accommodate yourself to legitimate government authority that puts a legal restriction on your assembly?

What is the difference — in essence — between a fire safety code and a public health order?

To conclude, I think we all agree that God established governments and that they are ministers of God over us for public affairs. The Covid rebels want to narrow the scope of government authority to imagine that they have no authority over our worship spaces. From the teaching of Romans 13, the Old Testament precedents, and the example of the Lord Jesus, I think we can say they are wrong. Public Health is a legitimate area of government authority. The government has authority to restrict behaviour in keeping with Public Health objectives.

However, what if the government is wrong in its approach to a public health emergency? What if their orders make no sense, and they require something of us that will not address the emergency they declared? We’ll take that topic up next.

~~~

PostScript:

Richard Baxter (1615-1691), English Puritan pastor wrote on this subject. My source is a book that contains a collection of his writings called, The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter. In Volume 4, on Christian Politics, Baxter answers the question:

May we omit church assemblies on the Lord’s day, if the magistrate forbid them?

1. It is one thing to forbid them for a time, upon some special cause, (as infection by pestilence, fire, war, &c.) and another to forbid them statedly or profanely.

2. It is one thing to omit them for a time, and another to do it ordinarily.

3. It is one thing to omit them in formal obedience to the law; and another thing to omit them in prudence, or for necessity, because we cannot keep them.

4. The assembly and the circumstances of the assembly must be distinguished.

(1.) If the magistrate for a greater good, (as the common safety,) forbid church assemblies in a time of pestilence, assault of enemies, or fire, or the like necessity, it is a duty to obey him.

1. Because positive duties give place to those great natural duties which are their end: so Christ justified himself and his disciples’ violation of the external rest of the sabbath. “For the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.”

2. Because affirmatives bind not ad semper, and out-of-season duties become sins.

3. Because one Lord’s day or assembly is not to be preferred before many, which by the omission of that one are like to be obtained.

(2.) If princes profanely forbid holy assemblies and public worship, either statedly, or as a renunciation of Christ and our religion; it is not lawful formally to obey them.

(3.) But it is lawful prudently to do that secretly for the present necessity, which we cannot do publicly, and to do that with smaller numbers, which we cannot do with greater assemblies, yea, and to omit some assemblies for a time, that we may thereby have opportunity for more: which is not formal but only material obedience. ((Richard Baxter, The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter, Kindle Edition, vol. 4, n.d., 456–57.))

Previous Chapters

Putting Hebrews 10 into Perspective

The Bible does command Christians to gather together, doesn’t it? The gathering of the church is socially, psychically, and spiritually valuable, isn’t it? Above all, when the local body of Christ gathers for worship, it is far more than simply the collective worship of individuals, but the union of individuals in a body where their worship becomes something far more than the sum of the parts, right? In other words, when Christians gather together for worship, something greater than one’s daily worship at home occurs, isn’t that right?

Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

All these things are true.

All Christians should be members of a local church and should faithfully attend every service possible. First, there is the opportunity to serve others, the human reason for church attendance. (The divine, and primary, reason is to worship our God.) There is also the blessing that comes your way, if you attend, as others serve you. But remember, that isn’t so much a reason for attendance as it is an “attendant circumstance,” something extra, something that comes with the territory. The fact is, your biggest blessings come when you attend on purpose to be a blessing.

However, I want to do more with this chapter than simply exhort church attendance. The most well known passage on church attendance is Hebrews 10.24-25.

Heb 10.24-25 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

It happens to be one of the “go to” verses in the Christian Covid rebellion. I’d like to take some time to think through the passage so that we can intelligently and Scripturally disagree with the Covid rebels. I believe they at least misunderstand, if not misuse, this passage of Scripture. [Read more…]

The Rationale of the Christian Covid Rebels

Startling events in Canada brought the long dormant question of the relationship of church and state to the forefront of Christian minds. On Feb 16, 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta, pastor James Coates turned himself in to the police because of repeated violations of orders from the Public Health Officer of the province. Pastor Coates refused comply with an undertaking to obey a court order until his trial date, so he remained in custody for 35 days. Three weeks after his release from custody, on April 7, the police fenced his church property and posted security guards so no one could access the building.

Some Christians applauded Pastor Coates, some other pastors in Alberta and Ontario. Despite this, most Canadian pastors disagree with Pastor Coates’ approach to the government orders. Many of these sympathize with his plight and that of his church, but can’t agree with the direction he took.

[Read more…]

The Roots of Postfundamentalist Evangelicalism (and Fundamentalism) (Part 3)

I’m writing about the book, Pocket History of Evangelical Theology, published by InterVarsity Press, by Roger Olson. I listed the roots of what Olson calls postfundamentalist evangelicalism (otherwise known as “evangelicalism” today). For a more detailed definition of postfundamentalist evangelicalism, see this post. For an expansion on the first two roots of evangelical theology, see this post. For a discussion of the next three roots, see this post. Today we move on to the next roots in Olson’s list.

Once again, I’ll list Olson’s roots, and then we’ll expand on number 6 and 7. The last one will be explained in the next post.

  1. Pietism
  2. Revivalism
  3. Puritanism
  4. Wesleyanism
  5. The Great Awakenings
  6. Old Princeton Theology
  7. Holiness-Pentecostalism
  8. Fundamentalism

Pietism (see this post), Revivalism (see this post), Puritanism (see this post), Wesleyanism (see this post), The Great Awakenings (see this post)

One thing that I perhaps should mention is that evangelicalism (and fundamentalism) is the sum of reactions to the Enlightenment. In this sense, both movements are reactionary, but with turtle-like reactions of decades to a problem now centuries old. In his chapter on Princeton, Olson defines the Enlightenment as “a revolt against the stifling authorities of tradition and dogmatic religion and a search for truth through autonomous human reason without any appeal to special revelation, faith, or tradition.” (p. 61) Religiously, the Enlightenment found expression in “deism, unitarianism, and liberal Protestantism.” These movements responded to the Enlightenment by embracing it.

Olson says, “Pietists and revivalists thought that the best response to dead orthodoxy and modern paganism was also the best response to Enlightenment secularism and skepticism: proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ and appeal to people to repent and trust in Christ alone for salvation. … Fundamentalists, however, believed that the best response to the ‘acids of modernity’ was tearing down ‘proud arguments’ and militantly exposing them as errors, as well as strong reaffirmation of traditional, orthodox beliefs.” (p. 62)

With these background thoughts, we turn to Old Princeton theology.

Old Princeton Theology

Off the bat, Olson says, “The prehistory of fundamentalism as an antimodernist and antiliberal evangelical movement begins with the so-called Princeton School of theology…” (p. 62) This “school” had at its head the well-known names teaching at Princeton at the end of the nineteenth and into the twentieth century, Archibald Alexander, Charles Hodge, A. A. Hodge, B. B. Warfield, and J. Gresham Machen. They believed that “authentic Christianity’s enduring essence is orthodox doctrine” (p. 63) and made its defense a priority. In promoting orthodoxy, they sometimes made “an uneasy alliance” (p. 63) with revivalism. Hodge in particular wanted to use Enlightenment methods to defeat its effects on Christianity. He wanted to show that theology is “scientific in the modern sense,” (p. 64) rather than superstitious, anti-intellectual, or obscurantist.

Besides systematizing theology, Hodge’s contribution to Bibliology cemented his position in the history of evangelical theology. Olson credits Hodge with developing the doctrine of verbal, plenary inspiration. Olson says this “profoundly influenced later fundamentalism and conservative evangelical theology.” (p. 65) B. B. Warfield “attempted to nail down even more firmly this high doctrine of Scripture.” (p. 66) Olson says Warfield was “even closer to fundamentalism than Hodge.” (p. 66) In Warfield’s career, modernism began its influence in the Princeton faculty and Warfield engaged in battle with it. “Because of this conflict with the skeptics, Warfield defined the Christian doctrine of Scripture more precisely than most Protestant theologians before Him.” (p. 67) Both Hodge and Warfield influenced many beyond Princeton’s immediate circle of influence.

J. Gresham Machen was the last of the great Princeton theologians. A student of Hodge and Warfield, he came on the scene when modernism began to hold increasing sway. “Whereas Hodge and Warfield had been loyal opponents of the increasingly influential liberal mood of theological and biblical studies in the Presbyterian Church, Machen advocated division rather than compromise or coexistence.” (p. 71) With Machen separatism entered the equation among the Princeton men.

In contrast to Pietism/Revivalism, Princeton theology stood in the heritage of Puritanism, emphasizing “theological correctness” and the foundation of orthodoxy in an inerrant Bible. Pietism/Revivalism emphasized “conversional piety,” focusing on salvation, sanctification, and discipleship. As such, Princeton theology formed a “second pole” in the developing evangelical/fundamentalist consensus. (All quotes in this section, p. 72.) Looking back at these influences, we see necessary emphases in both “poles” that delight the heart of any fundamentalist today. Warm-hearted orthodoxy, that is what we are after.

Holiness-Pentecostalism

The Holiness-Pentecostal movement had little influence on fundamentalism, but nonetheless has come to have a profound influence on evangelicalism. Olson says,

“Two movements that especially influenced Evangelicalism and evangelical theology in the twentieth century are the Holiness-Pentecostal movement and fundamentalism. Many people tend to equate them or subsume the former under the latter as an especially emotional form of fundamentalism. However, this is not correct. In spite of certain similarities, the Holiness-Pentecostal movement and fundamentalism moved on separate tracks.” (p. 74)

The influence of the Holiness-Pentecostal movement on evangelicalism is, then, a distinctly post-fundamentalist phenomenon. In the course of developing the new evangelicalism (Olson’s “postfundamentalist evangelicalism”), evangelicals were modifying fundamentalism in part by embracing the Holiness-Pentecostal movement, “while shunning its most extreme forms and manifestations.” (p. 74)

Olson reviews briefly some of the history of the movement, and then gives some analysis. “Pentecostalism represented an intense form of revivalism.” (p. 79) “Pentecostalism is thoroughly Arminian in its theology of salvation, emphasizing not divine sovereignty in predestination but instead proclaiming unlimited atonement and every person’s ability to respond freely to the gospel unto salvation.” (p. 80) “The Holiness-Pentecostal movement … was intensely experiential and emotional.” (p. 80)

In the early part of the twentieth century, most evangelicals ignored the Holiness and Pentecostal movements. By the 1970s and 1980s, however, Pentecostalism began to exert more influence. Where one sees their influence most is on worship, an interest in “the higher life,” and an interest in “the gifts.” Their impact on so-called “contemporary worship” is an enduring legacy. “They have always remained, however, a distinct subset of Evangelicalism.” (p. 81) [My comment: they are definitely a “largish” subset these days.]

One More Preliminary Conclusion

I’ll leave off a discussion of the influence of Fundamentalism on evangelicalism until next time. I have to say, Olson’s analysis seems to me mostly right. We share a legacy with evangelicals of Pietism/Revivalism and Puritanism/Princetonism (to coin a term). Fundamentalists seek to maintain the best of both these poles of emphasis. Evangelicals no doubt see Fundamentalists as extremists especially on the Princeton-Machen-Separatism axis, but I would note that groups like the GARBC were separatists before Machen and that separatism is the only alternative for orthodoxy, otherwise you compromise orthodoxy. On the other hand, the warm hearts of revivalism are absolutely necessary to perpetuate biblical fundamentalism. We really can’t do without either emphasis.

The Roots of Postfundamentalist Evangelicalism (and Fundamentalism) (Part 2)

I’m writing about the book, Pocket History of Evangelical Theology, published by InterVarsity Press, by Roger Olson. Last time I listed the roots of what Olson calls postfundamentalist evangelicalism (otherwise known as “evangelicalism” today). For a more detailed definition of postfundamentalist evangelicalism, see this post. For an expansion on the first two roots of evangelical theology, see this post.

Once again, I’ll list Olson’s roots, and then we’ll expand on the middle three of them. The last two will be explained in the next post.

  1. Pietism
  2. Revivalism
  3. Puritanism
  4. Wesleyanism
  5. The Great Awakenings
  6. Old Princeton Theology
  7. Holiness-Pentecostalism
  8. Fundamentalism

Pietism (see this post)

Revivalism (see this post)

Puritanism

The Puritans are important in the development of evangelicalism and fundamentalism primarily through their influence in the life of Jonathan Edwards. (Secondarily, the Baptist movement owes its beginnings first to Puritans and subsequently the English Separatists. This development, not noted by Olson, contributes to both evangelicalism and fundamentalism insofar as Baptists are a part of both movements. But back to the Puritans…) “The Puritan movement began in Elizabethan England in the late sixteenth century. … Puritanism broadly defined began as the English movement to purify the Church of England under Queen Elizabeth I … of all vestiges of ‘Romish’ doctrine and practice.” (38) The Puritans were statists, admiring John Knox of Scotland and his reformation of Scottish society into a constitutional monarchy with an established Presbyterian church. “The Puritans wanted a similar thorough reform of England.” (39) This anti-Romish impulse for purity and orthodoxy eventually led to the Plymouth Colony in America and a society formed on Puritan ideals. Out of this society later came Jonathan Edwards and the Great Awakening with assistance from the English evangelist, George Whitfield. Puritanism, then, forms a significant well-spring of evangelical and fundamentalist thought.

Olson says, “Evangelicalism as a movement was born in the 1730s and 1740s Great Awakening.” (46) By evangelicalism here, he means, I suppose, “pre-fundamentalist evangelicalism.” That is, the evangelical movement that followed the Great Awakening eventually became the fundamentalist and evangelical movements we know today.

Wesleyanism

Wesleyanism is the influence of John Wesley on the evangelical movement. Wesley, unlike Whitfield, was Arminian in his theology. He and his brother Charles were friends of Whitfield (and Wesley preached Whitfield’s funeral sermon), but they diverged sharply in soteriology. Nevertheless, Wesley’s emphasis on personal conversion paralleled the emphasis of Edwards and Whitfield. All of them called for individual salvation and decried any notion that church membership or ritual could make a man right with God. “For Wesley, true ‘scriptural Christianity’ begins in a person with the experience of being ‘born anew’ by the Spirit of God. Of course, he did not deny the efficacy of the sacrament of infant baptism, but he did deny that it alone establishes a person’s right relationship with God. For Wesley, authentic Christianity is experiential Christianity and must be freely chosen; it can never be inherited or the product of an effort to ‘turn over a new leaf.’” (48)

Further, Olson says, Wesley “believed that only God can save a person and that if a person is saved it is entirely due to God’s grace, but people must respond to God’s grace and to the gospel with a free decision of repentance and faith.” (48)

Wesley’s views of salvation and individual conversion form a major root of evangelicalism (and fundamentalism). His views of sanctification likewise influenced a large following, but their impact was only on a segment of the evangelical world, not the whole.

The Great Awakenings

Olson calls the Great Awakenings “the Crucible of Modern Evangelical Theology” (52, emphasis added). Olson says, “Something quite new appeared out of the Great Awakening and Edwards’s and Wesley’s sermons and essays — a massive movement, a subculture of experiential Christianity solidly rooted in Protestant orthodoxy.” (52) Noting the differences between these two (who he calls the “fathers of evangelical Christianity”), he says that their “two streams of thought about salvation” entered evangelicalism and remain present, but also make evangelical theology “an unstable compound always about to explode into internecine rivalry, if not warfare.” (53-54) Alas, we all know this is true.

The Great Awakening subsided but later events gained the name “the Second Great Awakening.” Prominent in this history was Charles G. Finney, but he is not the sole proponent of the Second Awakening. While his bad theology should receive no applause, no one can deny that his methods and the fervent activity of many other contemporaries profoundly shaped evangelicalism/fundamentalism with an emphasis on the authority of the Bible and the need for individual conversion. This influence is the influence of revivalism, but it is in the “crucible” of the First and Second Great Awakenings that its ideas formed.

Preliminary conclusion number two

Puritanism predates Revivalism, and “the Great Awakenings” are nothing more than specific instances of revivalism taking hold in America, especially. Likewise Wesleyanism is essentially Revivalism, but a specific flavor of it. It is interesting to me that Olson puts Revivalism ahead of Puritanism as a root of the movement. It is also interesting how much evangelicalism owes to Revivalism and Revivalists. When thinking about where we are today, we would do well to consider what God thinks of these movements and, if they are biblical and God-honouring (as I think they are), what we can do to implement Revivalism in our own ministries.

The Roots of Postfundamentalist Evangelicalism (and Fundamentalism) (Part 1)

Returning to the book, Pocket History of Evangelical Theology, published by InterVarsity Press, by Roger Olson, today I want to discuss the roots of Postfundamentalist Evangelical theology. For a definition of Postfundamentalist Evangelicalism, see my prior post. The roots of Postfundamentalist Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism are identical, except for one point, which we will get to shortly. The two movements are branches of the same tree. Some people say Fundamentalism is a subset of Evangelicalism (including good friends), but I disagree. I think history bears me out. The two movements have a common ancestry, but they also have a definite point of divergence. I’ll say more on that later, as well.

Returning to the Roots

In Olson’s book, the first chapter defines evangelicalism. Having achieved that goal, he turns to Part II: The Roots of Evangelical Theology. This comprises eight chapters for eight roots (or threads in the tapestry, to use a different metaphor). The roots Olson lists are:

  1. Pietism
  2. Revivalism
  3. Puritanism
  4. Wesleyanism
  5. The Great Awakenings
  6. Old Princeton Theology
  7. Holiness-Pentecostalism
  8. Fundamentalism

Since Olson sees fundamentalism as a “root” of postfundamentalist evangelicalism, it is here where their root structure differs. Obviously, fundamentalism can’t be a “root” of itself. This may seem trivial, but it is one of those key facts which disproves the notion that fundamentalism is a subset of evangelicalism. Fundamentalism is a smaller movement than evangelicalism, but it isn’t evangelical in the modern sense of the word (which is Olson’s sense). The reason some see fundamentalism as a subset is because of a mostly shared root system and the fact that fundamentalism is smaller. The reality is that we have two divergent movements built on the same root system.

Having said that, let’s do some quick definition of the roots of postfundamentalist evangelicalism. Today we will look at just the first two, then pick up on the others in subsequent posts.

Pietism

Pietism began around one hundred and fifty years after the Reformation. By this time, many states had established (i.e. state-sponsored) Reformed churches and a certain settled formalism ensued. Pietism grew up out of a concern over this formalism, desiring a more heart-felt religion for those professing Christ. “Pietists are always concerned that Christianity be something more than historical knowledge and mental assent to doctrines; they want to distinguish authentic Christianity from false or merely nominal Christianity by identifying the ‘real thing’ by life-transforming experience of God in conversion and devotion to God in the ‘inner man’ and by discipleship that is shaped by the Bible, aims towards perfection, and seeks to be ‘in the world but not of the world.’” (Olson, 23)

Revivalism

Revivalism has some connections with Pietism, but is its own distinct movement. Ethnically, it is more a British and American phenomenon, even though there were (and are) Pietists in America. Olson’s initial definition of revivalism goes this way: “Revivalism was the phenomenon in Great Britain and North America that saw emotional preaching calling masses of mostly already baptized people, often outdoors, to make decisions to repent and follow Jesus Christ.” (33) The distinctive mark of revivalism as opposed to pietism is “the need for each person publically to repent and receive Jesus Christ by an act of inward faith as well as outward profession.” (34) Revivalism included Christians of differing theological beliefs (Calvinists and Arminians), who shared a similar fervor and a desire for awakening the lost or the backslidden to a public testimony of Christianity. The division in theology persists among evangelicals (and fundamentalists) today, but what the revivalists united on was that “they … elevated experience over doctrine as the true centerpiece of Christian existence.” (37)

Preliminary conclusion

The roots of Pietism and Revivalism are important components of evangelicalism and fundamentalism. Some of the new “Conservative Evangelicalism” wants to go back to a Reformed religion, bypassing almost all of evangelicalism’s roots. Especially the earliest and most persistent roots of Pietism and Revivalism receive the most scorn. This disdain for historical impulses galvanizing evangelical history is mystifying. Surely they contributed to the success of genuine Christian expansion worldwide for hundreds of years. Perhaps we should consider that religion of the heart is at least as important as the religion of the mind.

Postfundamentalist Evangelicalism

You may wonder what this is: “post-fundamentalist evangelicalism.” The term, as far as I know, belongs to Roger Olson, a prolific author and theology professor. I believe that he subscribes to Arminian theology. His specialty seems to be historical theology. I am reading a little book he put out called the Pocket History of Evangelical Theology, published by InterVarsity Press and apparently is drawn from a larger work, The Westminster Handbook to Evangelical Theology. Olson writes well, I think anyone could follow what he has to say. The book helps in several ways. For one, it defines evangelicalism today, and I think does so quite well. It demonstrates a clear understanding that evangelicalism and fundamentalism are not the same thing. This is also helpful. In addition, it traces the roots of evangelical theology that provides an excellent summary of antecedents. This helps our understanding of both fundamentalism and evangelicalism, since prior to the 1950s, evangelicalism wasn’t “post-fundamentalist” it was coincident with fundamentalism. In other words, prior to the sea change of “new evangelicalism,” fundamentalism and evangelicalism essentially meant the same thing.

All of this gets ahead of ourselves a little bit. For this post I’d like to summarize some of Olson’s work on defining evangelicalism, the subject of his first chapter. He starts out by pointing out seven “justifiable uses” of the term. (Page 8) The next few pages outline the seven uses. I’ll summarize them here:

  1. The etymological use: people “of the good news,” people connected to the gospel. In this use, “evangelical is simply synonymous with authentic Christianity,” as opposed to “moralistic or legalistic religion,” (8) meaning forms of Christianity that depend on liturgical form or ritualistic legalism for right standing with God. Evangelicals in this sense believe in salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone.
  2. The Reformation use: this use makes evangelical “simply synonymous with Protestant.” (8) In Germany, the “Evangelical” churches are “not-Catholic.” We see this in North America in the names of such denominations as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America or the Evangelical Free Church.
  3. The British use: evangelical is used in Anglicanism to describe those Anglicans of the “low church” variety, as opposed to the “high church” Anglicans who border on Catholicism in their love of ritual, forms, and even doctrines that are close to Catholicism.
  4. The fruit of Pietism and revivalism: this use “arises out of the Pietist and revivalist attempts to reform and revive Protestant Christianity in Germany, Great Britain, and North America in the early eighteenth century.” (9-10) Those in support saw the churches (especially the ‘state churches’) as fallen into dead orthodoxy. They campaigned for a “heart religion” that expressed warm and fervent faith. “Evangelicals rejected sacramental salvation and covenant salvation as inadequate views of true conversion to Christ.” (10) This usage (and others) shows some of the historical development of evangelical theology.
  5. As a synonym (virtually) for fundamentalism: this use of the term “comes from the conservative Protestant reaction to the rise of liberal Protestantism in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.” In this sense, evangelicals were those who actively opposed modernist thought, attempted to secure control of denominations and schools for orthodox doctrine, and, failing that, ended up establishing new institutions. Some of those in this contest were willing to carry the label “fundamentalist” while others, perhaps less comfortable with that term, invested “evangelical” with the same orthodox militancy for truth.
  6. A new use of the term came after the fundamentalist-modernist controversies, as “the 1940s and 1950s postfundamentalist evangelicalism began to break away from the increasingly militant and separatistic fundamentalism of the 1920s and 1930s.” (12) This aspect of evangelicalism is the subject of Olson’s book. He defines postfundamentalist evangelicalism as a renewal of revivalistic evangelicalism, divorced from the extremes of militant fundamentalism. Evangelicals in this sense are “NOT fundamentalists.” Initially, they are reactionary; subsequently they became the broad majority of non-Catholic, non-liturgical, non-fundamentalist conservative Christianity.
  7. The last usage of evangelical is “popular rather than historical.” (13) It is the term journalists (and others) bandy about when describing “Christianish groups.” Even groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses have had the label imposed on them. The popular usage of uninformed people contributes to the confusion about the meaning of the term.

Olson wants to describe the theological development and unique contributions of postfundamentalist evangelicalism. He defines it further with this:

“Evangelicalism is a loose affiliation (coalition, network, mosaic, patchwork, family) of mostly Protestant Christians of many orthodox (Trinitarian) denominations and independent churches and parachurch organizations that affirm…

  • “a supernatural worldview…
  • “the unsurpassable authority of the Bible…
  • “Jesus Christ as unique Lord, God, and Savior…
  • “the fallenness of humanity and salvation provided by Jesus Christ…
  • “the necessity of personal repentance and faith…
  • “the importance of a devotional life…
  • “the urgency of gospel evangelism and social transformation;
  • “and the return of Jesus Christ…” (14-15)

Olson says, “many evangelicals affirm more; none affirms less or deny any of these basic belief commitments.” (15)

Of the list above, most fundamentalists would likewise affirm these ideas, except perhaps “the urgency of … social transformation.” This tenet is a defining mark of evangelicalism. It is what Carl Henry called for in his book, The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism. Fundamentalism also insists on separatism (as noted above), which evangelicals specifically reject. Olson quotes Donald Bloesch in The Future of Evangelical Christianity as saying,

“Evangelicalism unashamedly stands for the fundamentals of the historic faith, but as a movement it transcends and corrects the defensive, sectarian mentality commonly associated with Fundamentalism.” (Bloesch, 15, cited in Olson 20)

I have to say that Olson’s definitions seem accurate to me. Evangelicalism (i.e. postfundamentalist evangelicalism) and Fundamentalism depart at this point: Evangelicalism rejects separatism while Fundamentalism embraces it; Evangelicalism embraces social transformation, while Fundamentalism rejects it (without rejecting compassion for others — the key word is transformation).

There is a lot more of interest in Olson’s book. I plan to produce a few more blog posts from his little book. I recommend it to those interested in our subject.

A Bible Worthy of All Translations, or “The Nature of the KJO Error”

Hyperstasia rather than apostasia

I’m discussing the King James Only (KJO) error in a series of posts. I hope I’ve demonstrated how serious the error is, compromising as it does a root doctrine, the doctrine of inspiration. I’ve also suggested several steps in the way forward for pastors that could form a basis for consensus by independent Baptist societies if they so choose.

We should now say a word about the nature of the error. There are a lot of fellows in the “young Turk” mode on this issue who want to label the KJO error as a heresy. Having done so, all that is left is to pronounce an anathema and move on. That approach may seem simple and satisfying (in a fleshly kind of way), but one reason it fails is that the error isn’t clearly understood or appreciated for the kind of error it is.

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An Attempt at a Way Forward

In this discussion (one-sided, me talking to myself!), I’ve stated these positions:

  1. Translational variations within the range of meanings allowed by the original text are acceptable, keeping in mind current usage as our ever-changing environment.
  2. Significant textual variations in those original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts are relatively rare: where there is no variation, there should be no attempt to change the text. Where there is variation, we require diligent and skilled research to ascertain what text is original. We recognize that in some cases Bible believers will come to different conclusions on specific passages, but at all costs, the goal is the original. (Beyond this concept, I add no discussion as I am not capable of the definitive study required — I am merely stating the premises on which I rely.)
  3. When someone elevates any one translation (the KJV or any other) to the level where its words may not change, he steps into a fundamental bibliological error, ascribing to a translation an authority the Bible reserves exclusively for the originals.

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Apostolic Translators?

In my last post, I discussed the question posed by some King James Onlyists (KJO), “Why would you change the Word of God?” The question refers to the King James Version itself. While most people acknowledge that in trying to understand the word of God, we can entertain alternate vocabulary choices to get a better understanding of the text, the KJO question suggests that to change the words of the King James Version is to change the word of God.

Doctrinal statements imply the same notion when they say, “the King James Version is the preserved Word of God for the English speaking peoples.” If the KJV is the Word of God, as such it is unchangeable in any way. I say this because of the Biblical directive found in Rev 22.18-19.

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