fundamentalism by blunt instrument
I’m not going to make my blogging simply a point-counterpoint with Dave Doran, but he asks an important question today that does get to part of the current controversies roiling Fundamentalism.
Is it possible to appreciate this man’s [Piper’s] heart for the Word, expository preaching, people’s souls, and God’s glory without being questioned about one’s fundamentalist convictions?
I think the answer is no, given Piper’s notable errors on matters that are fundamentalist convictions. [Read more…]
Dave, I hope you aren’t suffering from any health issues when I make that statement.
Over at Dave’s new blog, he says this:
And if that weren’t bad enough, by making Calvinism the central issue, he distracts us away from the real question that should be in front of us. What we really need to ask, it seems, is this, “If young men can find Calvinism within fundamentalism, then why are they leaving?” The answer to that question is where the message should have gone. And the answer to that question is far more complex that Pastor Sweatt seems willing to allow.
You can read the whole post here.
I agree that Calvinism isn’t the problem. I agree that we need to talk about why some are leaving. Dave seems to think that maybe the notion that young men are leaving isn’t true, but I’ll leave that up to him to demonstrate. (In some ways, I think the problem is that some are not leaving, just agitating and stirring up trouble. But I digress.)
I can think of a number of reasons why some are leaving fundamentalism. Some are the ‘fault’ of those leaving and others are the ‘fault’ of those staying. I wonder how many of the reasons are really new reasons. I know many of my classmates and compatriots at BJU who are no longer fundamentalists. People have been leaving for a long time. The reasons haven’t changed much.
Perhaps the only thing that has changed is the numbers of those leaving? Not sure about that. Certainly the loudness of leaving seems to be much greater these days.
And although Calvinism isn’t the central issue, there is a tide of Reformed theology sweeping the Church these days. It isn’t confined merely to Fundamentalism, but it is causing problems in Fundamentalism. It is, however, not the central issue in causing leave-taking, I am convinced.
So before I wax eloquent, I wonder if my five readers might care to contribute their suggestions for reasons people are leaving Fundamentalism?
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Scott Aniol asks:
Pastor Harding (or others),
I am honestly curious about this: what are the benefits of joining the FBF? What reason would a young, separatistic, Calvinistic (or Arminian, for that matter) brother have for joining?
If he wants to go to a FBF conference because he’s interested in the topics or speakers, he can regardless if he is a member.
If he wants to read or even write for Frontline, he can regardless if he is a member.
I’m just really, honestly wondering what value there is in joining.
Here are my reasons for being a member of the FBFI: [Read more…]
Is God right to forgive sins? We look to the public propitiation-in-his-blood on the cross of Calvary and find that it justifies God in two ways. First, it makes God’s long forbearance over sin righteous, because it is clear that God judges sin – he has done so in his Son and will do so one day against all who are not in his Son. Second, it makes God’s justification of sinners completely just, because he has judged their sins in his Son.
We conclude our discussion of the Creation of man with a brief review of the characteristics of creation, the pattern for man’s creation and close with a look at the transmission of man’s being from generation to generation.
Our study brings us to Gal 5.19-21, the works of the flesh. The message today points out the deceptive character of the flesh. As we look at the sins listed as ‘works of the flesh’ are truly fleshly – the basest expressions of human lusts. Most Christians and professing Christians would agree that these are not something the Christian should pursue nor would they even admit to them. Their deceptive character, however, is seen when people who are commanded and exhorted to walk in the Spirit instead trifle with the ‘fringes’ of the works of the flesh. They are not yet full blown examples of the things on this list, but the desire for these things clearly come from the flesh, not the Spirit. The Christian is warned; the professing Christian is warned to see himself as he truly is, in need of salvation because of his delight in the flesh and its works.
~~~
An excellent day in the Lord’s house with good attendance, just a few away with illness. Some new visitors, too.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
I recently listened to a message on sanctification that contrasted sanctification with justification. Several statements were made. “Justification is passive.” “There is no imperative to seek justification.” “Justification is monergism.” (Monergism = one worker, i.e., God)
Some of this is true enough. Justification is indeed the work of God, not the work of man. You can search the scriptures and see that it is God who justifies man, man is always justified, always the one receiving justification from God not obtaining it through the works of the law.
The way the two doctrines were contrasted in the sermon I was listening to, however, was as if justification = salvation and that the fact that it is God who justifies men means men are entirely passive in salvation. That is to say, the sermon was thoroughly neo-Calvinist, and triumphantly so.
But is this equation actually presenting a true picture of salvation according to the Scriptures?
Here are our summaries:
Mother’s Day – Eph 6.4
For mother’s day, we decided to make the day an emphasis on the Christian Home. I recently preached on the subject of child training at the recent NW Regional FBF conference, so thought to combine that message with two others on the same subject for an all day emphasis.
The first message concentrated on the first half of Eph 6.4, ‘do not provoke your children to wrath’. We looked at what wrath is and then considered ways in which children are provoked to wrath, including abuse of hand or tongue, inappropriate overbearing leadership, and abdication or absence of leadership. The biblical alternative to this is found in the second half of the verse, which is the subject of our afternoon message. The decision we need to make in light of the possibility of provoking our children to wrath involves forgiveness and attitude adjustment if we are ‘children of wrath’, i.e., if we have been provoked by parents in one of the ways mentioned, repentance if we are currently provoking children to wrath and a replacement of our ways with the Lord’s ways, to be discussed in more detail in the afternoon message.
Mother’s Day – Bible Study
The Bible Study time involved a look at the foundational revelation from Genesis 1 and 2 on the Christian home and then tracing through some of the big implications of that revelation as it shows up in the New Testament regarding the idea of the Christian home. God’s intention in the Christian home is to reproduce what God intended at the initial creation. This becomes the foundation for all biblical teaching on the home.
Mother’s Day – Eph 6.4
Our second message of the day on the theme of the Christian Home completes our exposition of Eph 6.4. This is essentially the same message as I preached at the NW Regional FBF conference. The theme of the message is to show that the antidote to provoking children to wrath is disciplined admonition. Disicplined Admonition is establishing a disciplined environment in the home where salvation is taught and the life of Christ is ‘put in the mind’ of the child. The opportunity for parents to administer this kind of admonition continues throughout life, although the style of imparting it changes. It requires a certain courage and faithfulness on the part of Christian parents.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
or two…
Lighthouse Trails reports and a news report and the Mars Hill church calendar confirms that Mark Driscoll (yes, him again) will be speaking at Robert Shuler’s Crystal Cathedral on June 14.
There is no word from the CE camp as yet whether this means there is an expansion in the Gospel Coalition.
In the meantime, certain leaders seem to be sorta, kinda, almost, but not really calling for a new kind of Christianity that is not evangelical or fundamentalist but is conservative.
Conservative Christians believe that their task is to reclaim a full-orbed, historic, biblical Christianity. Their task is made difficult by the unfavorable environments of fundamentalism and evangelicalism. It is complicated further by the fact that conservatives are trying to reconstruct a heritage that was not handed to them intact.
Presumably, the crowd that tends to be in the Gospel Coalition, who are also a lot of the same people in Together for the Gospel, and who also tend to show up at the Shepherd’s Conference would be the conservatives from the evangelical side of the equation. Those conservatives from the fundamentalist side of the equation are getting … what? bolder?
I said I had a question… [Read more…]
The critical issue of Christians and culture is being discussed by a Challies book review here with a rejoinder by Christianity Today’s Liveblog here. The subject is a book by Tullian Tchividjian, Unfashionable.
I am not commenting on the articles or the book, but from what I read in these blogs, I would side with Challies, only more strongly than he does! (How’s that for a logic leap???) I am pointing these out for any of my readers who share my interest in the subject and may have not seen these articles.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Posting once again from sunny Alberta, the land of my birth, the lone prairie, where my heart lives….
Here are our summaries from yesterday. A blessed day it was!
It so ‘happens’ that as we come to our communion Sunday, the chapter we are in for our Leviticus series is the very chapter needed for the background to our next verse in our Romans study. As a result, we made the Leviticus message our morning message and the Romans message our afternoon and communion message.
The Day of Atonement is the annual ritual whereby the Tabernacle was cleansed to allow Israel access to God for another year. In this cleansing, by ritual, the Israelite had to in faith believe that God indeed would accept the nation, hear their prayers and receive their offerings because the accumulated uncleanness of the year was removed and the sins of the year atoned for. The ceremony is a spectacular picture of the work of Christ on our behalf in many ways.
[Basic Theology]
Our lesson following Ryrie’s outline continues this week, where we discuss the idea of man created in the image of God.
The first concept of this verse, and an exceedingly precious one, takes a new tack in understanding the great change now made available to sinners. Previously, we have considered the benefits that accrue to man from his justification by the ‘without-law’ kind of righteousness. In this message, we look at the change wrought in God.
God is propitiated by the work of Christ. That is, he is made propitious, favorable, disposed to receive us, the way is open, free and clear for anyone by faith to come into his presence. Unlike the weakness of the yearly day of atonement, the great atonement of the cross opens the door for men to worship God permanently and forever.
~~~
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
I’d like to call your attention again to our recent conference. I reported on it here, but I have recently posted the sermons on our church website with the permission of the host pastor. I edited them to boost the sound levels, hopefully you will find them a little easier to listen to. If you have time for only a few of these, be sure to listen to Dr. Bob’s messages on Meekness and Dr. Vaughn’s message on Keep Yourselves in the Love of God.
I have one more thing I want to point out about this conference, but in the crush of responsibilities this week and next it might be a while before I can get it out… how’s that for a cliffhanger! I know you are all waiting with bated breath.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
The latest audio from the GBCvic
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