Theology Central
Theology Central exists as a place of conversation and information for faculty and friends of Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Posts include seminary news, information, and opinion pieces about ministry, theology, and scholarship.American Neoclassical Music
Yes, there was such a thing. Much of it was quite good. Not much is available now. So says Michael De Sapio at The Imaginative Conservative. His article is entitled, “The Forgotten Music of the American Neoclassicists.” He introduces a few names I didn’t know. My list of “recordings to listen to” just got longer.
Regrettably, just as American neoclassicism was in full flower in the years after World War II, its undoing was already underway. This was an era of musical politics, with composers and critics marshaling themselves into various ideological camps. The partisans of Stravinsky and the partisans of Arnold Schoenberg—the originator of twelve-tone or serial music—formed highly entrenched groups. The twelve-toners cast themselves in the role of the “progressives” and the neoclassicists in the role of retrograde conservatives. Avant-garde composer Pierre Boulez went so far as to declare that composers who did not follow the new trends were “useless.” Such aggressive polemics caused neoclassicism to become increasingly marginalized.
Stunning statement by FBC Dallas pastor a Robert Jeffress
The marriage question is over. The Supreme Court has decided. We need to move on to other things! Stunning statement! Start listening about 1:30!
Atheist Stephen Hawking Appointed to Pontifical Academy
Apparently belief in God is not a prerequisite for the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. See the report at Catholic News Agency.
Frankly, I’m beginning to wonder whether Catholicism is a prerequisite for appointment to the Papacy. Just saying . . . .
ACCC Expresses Appreciation for John McKnight
Dr. John McKnight served as president of the American Council of Christian Churches for many years. He is a remarkable individual who falsifies the common perception that to be a fundamentalist is to be a Baptist. The church that Dr. McKnight pastors was known until recently as Evangelical Methodist Church. It has renamed itself the Reformation Bible Church, perhaps because, as Dr. McKnight once explained to me, “We are Whitefieldian Methodists, not Wesleyan Methodists.”
During both his pastorate and his tenure with the ACCC, Dr. McKnight has proven himself to be a genuine Christian statesman. It is no surprise, therefore, that the American Council has chosen to honor him with a declaration of appreciation.
American Council of Christian Churches
75th Annual Convention, October 18-20, 2016
Faith Baptist Church, Kittery, Maine
An Open Letter of Thanks to Dr. John and Diane McKnightDear Brother and Sister in Christ,
Our Savior admonished his disciples to understand their calling to leadership as servanthood. “Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:26-28).
John and Diane, you both have been examples of that kind of leadership during John’s tenure in the office of President of the Council for over a decade. You brought enthusiasm, excellence, and energy to this important work. In this endeavor to lead is to serve, to work, to plan, to prepare, to encourage, to protect, to sacrifice, to battle, to console, and at times to suffer silently and patiently. Our “God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Heb. 6:10).
Thank you for that labor of love. Thank you for loving our Savior. Thank you for loving His truth. Thank you for loving Dr. Colas and Alice. They always esteemed you both very highly in love for your work’s sake. Thank you for your love shown to the current Executive Secretary and other officers who were privileged to work closely with you and learn from your vision, insight, and example. Thank you for your love for the Council, its stand, and its work. Thank you for your love for Christ’s Church.
The ministry you have fulfilled in our behalf required selfless dedication and dependence on the Lord’s sufficient grace. Together you found that grace and demonstrated that dedication. The Spirit-blessed power of your life and preaching, John, and the pleasantness of your supportive spirit and kind hospitality, Diane, especially have encouraged and furthered this work of the Lord in a needy hour. You are a man and a woman among us, who help to make up the hedge and who stand in the gap (Ezek. 22:30).
“The Lord bless you, and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace” (Num. 6:24-26). And should He still tarry, may He grant us many more years of continued service together according to His will and by His grace.
With Sincerest Appreciation,
Your Fellow-Soldiers in Christ of the American Council of Christian Churches
Robert L. Sumner with the Lord
Here is the obituary:
Dr. Robert Leslie Sumner, 94, of Lynchburg, Virginia went to his heavenly home on December 5, 2016. He was born to the late Clarence and Gladys Sumner on August 3, 1922 in Norwich, NY. He accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior at LeTorneau Christian Camp at Canadaigua, NY at age 17. Almost immediately, he felt the call to preach and enrolled in Baptist Bible Seminary in Johnson City, NY where he graduated in 1943. He married the former Orphina Mingori on August 16, 1942.
He was an ordained Baptist minister and evangelist. His first pastorate was in Pontiac, IL. He later served pastorates in Long Beach, CA, Graham, TX, and Portsmouth, OH. In 1955, Dr. John R. Rice, a nationally known evangelist and editor of the Sword of the Lord newspaper invited Dr. Sumner to become Associate Editor and a staff evangelist. Later, Dr. Sumner would write the biography, Man Sent From God, about the life of this good friend and mentor. For years, Dr. Sumner wrote a column for The Sword called Sumner’s Incidents and Illustrations which he later continued in his own paper after Dr. Rice’s death. Dr. Sumner has preached in all of the 50 states, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, and Brazil. He always gave an invitation for people to accept Christ whenever he preached. He signed his correspondence, “Sincerely for souls.” His messages were saturated with Scripture and he read the entire Bible through four times each year since 1946. He read through the Psalms and Proverbs each month, and read the entire Bible through hundreds of times.
He was the Founder and Editor of The Biblical Evangelist newspaper, which began in 1966 as the Regular Baptist Evangelist and thus just celebrated its 50th year. He was a prolific author of approximately 50 Christian books and booklets. A gospel booklet he wrote, Heaven Can Be Yours, has circulated more than 2¼ million copies in English, and nearly 400,000 in a half dozen foreign languages. In the mid-1960s, he served on the Council of 14 (now Council of 18) of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. He was inducted into the Fundamentalist Hall of Fame at the Lucerne Conference Center in Lucerne, CA in 1976. He was a Trustee Emeritus for Cedarville University. He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Bob Jones University and a Doctor of Sacred Theology from Louisiana Baptist Theological Seminary.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by Orphina, his wife of 55 years, and a sister, Evelyn Maurer. He is survived by his five children; Richard (Donna), Ralph (Masami), Ruth (John Purvis), Rita (Terry Phipps), Ron (Suzanne), their spouses and grandchildren, great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. He is survived by his second wife, Dorothy (Tullar Holm) whom he married on March 20, 2004. He was extremely proud of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Including Dr. Sumner’s children and his eight step-children through Dorothy, the spouses, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren bring the total family number to 126.
A memorial service honoring his legacy and his Lord will be held in the Sanctuary at Timberlake Baptist Church, 21395 Timberlake Rd, Lynchburg, VA 24502, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 17. Dr. Paul Dixon, Chancellor of Cedarville University, will bring the message. Final interment will be at a private family ceremony at Lady Lake Cemetery in Florida where his first wife is buried.
New Themelios Available
The December edition of Themelios is available here. It’s available in PDF and Logos formats.
ACCC Resolution on Its Own History
American Council of Christian Churches
75th Annual Convention, October 18-20, 2016
Faith Baptist Church, Kittery, Maine
“Resolution on the Conference Theme: ‘WW2 to T4G: 75 Years of Faithful Gospel Ministry’”
“It was 1941. A new house cost $4075, a new car $850, a gallon of gas, 12 cents. World War II raged in Europe. Franklin Roosevelt entered a third term as president, and on December 7 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, bringing the US to war.
“Other attacks raged, subtle and deadly. Liberal theologians attacked Scripture, denying its authority and reliability. Christians had to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). Amid this fray and for this purpose, the American Council of Christian Churches arose to contend.
For many, battle lines soon blurred. Battle fatigue begat defectors who, like Demas, “loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:19). Some flattered the foe, naïvely hoping for good. Zeal for worldly respect drove men to truce with error and its proponents. Truth faded amid diminished obedience.
“Ecumenical evangelism, charismatic confusion, morality movements, manhood meetings, entertainment worship—innovations waxed and waned. Utopian hopes yielded disappointment in unfulfilled promises, soon to be replaced by another fad, another variation of the same theme.
“Among them, one seeks in vain the biblical admonition, “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Eph. 5:11). Absent is the exhortation, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?” (2 Cor. 6:14-16a).
“Neither tradition, nor memories of the fathers, nor preoccupation with things old, but the unchanging, ever-new Word of God has been our cause and our standard as we rejoice together in 75 years of faithful gospel ministry. Faithful is He who has called us; He has done it (1 Thess. 5:24).
“Therefore, the American Council of Christian Churches, at its annual convention, October 18-20, 2016, at Faith Baptist Church, Kittery, Maine, blesses the God of heaven whose sufficient grace has preserved the work of the Council over 75 years for His glory. We are thankful for the gospel ministry of fellow-soldiers of Christ who have left us a lasting legacy of faithful obedience, which we determine to preserve for those who come after us. We resolve to keep that which has been committed to our trust (1 Tim. 6:20), depending on Him who alone can keep us from falling (Jude 24), looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2).”
Ecclesiastical Separation
Why do we call it ecclesiastical separation? Some seem to think that we use this label because we are talking about separation that pertains to local churches, either in terms of their own membership or in terms of their outside fellowship. But that definition is both unhistorical and unworkable.
We call it ecclesiastical separation, not because it has to do with churches, but because it has to do with the Church. At the root of all Christian fellowship is this question: who is presumed to be within the Church? Only those who are united to Christ by His Spirit, and who are thus members of the Church Universal, are fit objects of Christian fellowship. Further, only those who have believed the true gospel are united to Christ by His Spirit.
Of course, we cannot gauge who actually possess true belief in the gospel. What we must do–what Scripture requires us to do–is to evaluate who professes faith in the true gospel. Only such individuals are presumed to be in the Church. Only such individuals are suitable subjects of Christian fellowship at any level (and Christian fellowship does have more than one level). Profession of belief in the true gospel is the minimal requirement for any Christian fellowship.
In sum, ecclesiastical separation is not fundamentally about the limitation of fellowship between churches, but about the limitation of fellowship to those within the Church.
Crusading Anti-Calvinism in the SBC
Some younger fundamentalists have the impression that life in the wider Evangelical world is all peace in the valley, not at all like the quarrels and spats they’ve heard about in fundamentalism. That impression is mistaken.
For example, take Paige Patterson’s recent rant against Calvinists as reported by Baptist News Global. In an article entitled “Chapel Speaker Terms Calvinism ‘Trojan Horse,'” author Bob Allen represents Patterson as suggesting that “Calvinists ought to consider joining another denomination.” His report continues,
“I know there are a fair number of you who think you are a Calvinist, but understand there is a denomination which represents that view,” Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, said at the close of Tuesday’s chapel service. “It’s called Presbyterian.”
Patterson is well known as an opponent of Calvinism, just as Albert Mohler is known as an advocate. In the past, both men have tried to downplay their differences over the “doctrines of grace.” Each, however, reflects the commitments of many others who are strongly committed to the two sides of the debate.
There is a right time and place to debate Calvinism. There is also a right way to debate Calvinism. But disputes over Calvinism should not be permitted to disrupt the Lord’s work, either in the SBC or in fundamentalism.
I’ve been happy to work with Calvinists. I’ve been equally happy to work with non-Calvinists. I was privileged to attend a college at which both moderate Calvinism and moderate Arminianism were taught. Hearing both sides of the debate sharpened the issues and helped to clarify my thinking. Just as importantly, the love and respect that the advocates on both sides demonstrated toward each other provided a model to which I continue to aspire.
You can be a committed and enthusiastic Calvinist without being a Crusading Calvinist. Most are. You can be a committed and enthusiastic non-Calvinist without being a Crusading Anti-Calvinist. Most are. Neither Crusading Calvinism nor Crusading Anti-Calvinism is going to edify the body of Christ, and I for one am grateful for committed men who can discuss these differences charitably and sanely.
ACCC Resolution on Recent Ecumenism of Roman Catholicism
American Council of Christian Churches
75th Annual Convention, October 18-20, 2016
Faith Baptist Church, Kittery, Maine
“Resolution on Recent Ecumenism of Roman Catholicism”
“With the approach of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation on October 31, 2017, the Roman Catholic hierarchy has launched what it considers a public relations offensive that appears to have the objective of minimizing any negative impact from the renewed comparison between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. The Jesuit-trained Pope Francis has been leading the offensive in three areas that are the results of efforts to rebuild sympathy for Roman Catholicism as a more moderate influence than it was during the Reformation period.
“A major part of the charm offensive was the canonization on September 4 of the late Mother Teresa, the nun whose 1997 death ended her career of relief of the extremely impoverished in Calcutta. Mother Teresa’s devotion to the needs of the poor has earned her effusive praise in the world’s press and media, while her ardent defense of the rights of the unborn always seems to vanish into the haze. According to reports from Cable News Network, Pope Francis said in the ceremony at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, “after due deliberation and frequent prayer for divine assistance, and having sought the counsel of many of our brother bishops, we declare and define Blessed Teresa of Calcutta to be a saint, and we enroll her among the saints, decreeing that she is to be venerated as such by the whole church.”[1]
“The Romanist concept of sainthood varies widely from that which authors of the New Testament affirm. There, in epistle after epistle, recipients receive the designation of saints, without any regard for papal pronouncements or miraculous works. The saints of the New Testament did not receive any veneration, either before or after their deaths, and never did the apostles instruct that the faithful should offer prayers to them or through them. In biblical terms, a person’s status as a saint is fixed on the day of salvation by faith alone. A person who dies as a saint will never be anything else, and a person who dies without saving faith in Christ alone will never be a saint, the pronouncements, compromise, and confusion of false apostles and false brethren notwithstanding.
“Another part of the charm offensive has been to continue the process of softening historic Roman Catholic hatred for Martin Luther, whom many Roman Catholics for centuries have regarded as little better than the archfiend himself. Publicly, Pope Francis has promoted the idea that the excommunicated Luther can be admired after all, and as some have been predicting for more than thirty years, he has been leading the drive that may end in Luther’s canonization as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. On October 13, the pope participated in an audience in the Vatican during which he gave attention to a small statue of Luther as though he were one of the Church’s saints.[2] Furious Romanist opponents of the pope’s action have complained that he has shown sympathy for one they regard as the arch-heretic.
“Closely linked to the curious softening toward Luther is the concerted push to achieve agreements with Lutherans around the world on the meaning of terminology that Luther employed in breaking from Romanism nearly 500 years ago. During August of this year, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Churchwide Assembly meeting in New Orleans adopted “The Declaration on the Way” by a vote of 931-9. Reflecting on the overwhelming vote, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton said, “Though we have not yet arrived, we have claimed that we are, in fact, on the way to unity. … This ‘Declaration on the Way’ helps us to realize more fully our unity in Christ with our Catholic partners, but it also serves to embolden our commitment to unity with all Christians.”[3] While Lutherans and Roman Catholic officials acknowledge that some differences still divide them, they have renewed their resolve to overcome those differences. Historically, such resolves have always meant that the Protestant side surrenders its insistence on its theological distinctives in the cause of achieving ecclesiastical fellowship.
“Earlier in the year, Pope Francis, again to the dismay of some of the hierarchy’s hardliners, announced that he would begin the Reformation’s 500th anniversary year by traveling to Lund, Sweden, for a joint service with Lutherans there on October 31 of this year. The ecumenical prayer service will include both Pope Francis and leaders of the Lutheran World Federation. Roman Catholic Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said that Lutherans and Catholics will have the possibility to participate in what he called, “an ecumenical commemoration of the Reformation, not simply in a pragmatic way, but in the deep sense of faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ.”[4] Echoing his assessment was Bishop Anders Arborelius of the Catholic diocese of Stockholm, who argued that “history will be written when Pope Francis and the LWF leaders visit Lund and Malmö to encourage all of us to go further on the road towards Christian unity.”
“Such a charm offensive is the reflection of the fondest hopes of the Jesuits since their founding in the Catholic Counter-Reformation that there would be a way to reverse what the Roman Catholic Church has always considered the unfortunate separation by the followers of the Reformers. Sadly, evangelicals in America and elsewhere have also been associating with this offensive. Those who believe the Bible, however, know that the causes of the Reformation continue to exist because they are biblical responses to Roman Catholic departures from the truth of the Scriptures.
“Therefore, the American Council of Christian Churches, at its 75th annual convention, October 18-20, 2016, at Faith Baptist Church, Kittery, Maine, summons faithful believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to defend the truth of the Gospel, and to oppose any attempt to suggest that anyone but God Himself has the authority to make anyone a saint, or that there can be any common ground between that which Martin Luther and the other Reformers came to understand and the unyielding insistence of the Roman Catholic Church’s Magisterium that those who declare that justification is by faith alone are anathema. The 500th anniversary year of the Reformation’s beginning should be a time for rejoicing in the revival of the preaching of the gospel and the clearing away of centuries of man-made traditions. “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Rev. 18:4).”
[1] http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/04/europe/mother-teresa-canonization.
[2] http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2016/10/socci-scandal-in-vatican.html#more.
[3] http://religionnews.com/2016/08/15/u-s-lutherans-approve-document-recognizing-agreement-with-the-catholic-church.
[4] http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/reformation-commemoration-to-highlight-thanksgiving-repentance-common-witne
Convergents and Separatism
In Pastor Don Johnson’s description of “Convergent” evangelicals, the first item is “Anti-separatism (or at least non-separatism).” This descriptor is so vague as to be nearly incomprehensible, and to the degree that it can be comprehended it is misleading. To know what Pastor Johnson means by “anti-separatism,” we would first have to know exactly what he means by separatism. Presumably he is thinking in terms of some version of ecclesiastical separation, though exactly what his theory of ecclesiastical separation is, I have never quite been able to understand. At any rate, assuming that he is accusing “Convergents” of rejecting (or at least not implementing) ecclesiastical separation, the accusation is terribly unfair.
Even the Neoevangelicals were not completely anti-separatistic. They never argued for engaging in Christian fellowship with Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, Shintoists, Jainists, Sikhs, Bahaists, Theosophists, Spiritists, Atheists, Satanists, Seventh-Day Adventists, Millennial Dawnists, or Mormons. They clearly understood that no Christian fellowship was possible with adherents of these gospel-denying systems.
Even their cooperation with Protestant Liberals and, later, Roman Catholics was targeted and limited. It was typically driven by one of two concerns: either a commitment to citywide evangelism (represented chiefly by Graham) or a wish to recapture the leadership of mainline denominations (represented more by Ockenga and Carnell). It is fair to say that the New Evangelicals rejected separatism within certain spheres and for certain purposes.
It is worth remembering that Neoevangelicalism did not represent the evangelical mainstream. It was initially a cadre of young intellectuals. Only during the late 1950s and early 1960s did mainstream evangelicals begin to have to choose between separatist fundamentalism and New Evangelicalism. When they chose to side with the Neoevangelicals rather than the fundamentalists, they were not rejecting separatism tout court. They were rejecting the fundamentalist stance that faithful Christians should separate (at some levels) from Neoevangelicals.
While it is still not clear just who Pastor Johnson thinks the Convergents are, they do not seem to occupy the position of the old New Evangelicals. Rather, they are either the people who now occupy the old Moderate Evangelical slot (today’s Conservative Evangelicals), or else the (former?) fundamentalists who are trying to move to a middle ground between separatist fundamentalism and Conservative Evangelicalism. In any event, it is not correct to say that they are either anti-separatist or non-separatist. It would be better to say that they lack a full and robust implementation of biblical separatism.
To make that statement, however, requires a clear, coherent, workable, and fully-articulated theory of Christian fellowship and separation, particularly secondary separation—and that is something that Pastor Johnson and his friends have not yet given us.
Tozer on Idolatry
I refuse to worship anything of my own making.
Tozer, A.W. Delighting in God (Kindle Location 302). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Grudem’s Theology for Ten Bucks
You can get the Kindle version for cheap, at least for now. Who knows, it may go up after Grudem includes eternal generation.
Good News from Germany
Jeff Brown is an alumnus of Central Seminary who, with his wife Linda, has spent decades working in southern Germany. Here’s an excerpt from their latest prayer update:
In October we celebrated with the independent Baptist Church of Erlangen their 25 years of existence. We really had not anticipated that day when we began the church with a handful of people, but indeed, it arrived: to the joy of the church. Pastors Oliver meyer and Dr. Rolf Degel do a fine job of leadership, and the church has now grown to the point that the building, with a capacity of 150-160 people, is filled to capacity each Sunday. the church is also richly blessed with eight or nine capable preachers, spanning generations. The church has likiewise maintained its evangelistic spirit. BMM Co-workers Burdette and Mary Jane Bergen minister presently at the church in teaching, music, and children’s work. Erlangen’s second mayor was also present to participate in the celebration. She was especially appreciative of how the church had participated in helping refugees that have recently arrived in Germany.
ACCC Resolution on Freedom and Respect for Civil Authority
American Council of Christian Churches
75th Annual Convention, October 18-20, 2016
Faith Baptist Church, Kittery, Maine
“Resolution on Freedom and Respect for Civil Authority”
“Two hundred and fifteen years ago this month, the Danbury [CT] Baptist Association authorized a letter to congratulate their newly elected president, Thomas Jefferson, and to welcome him to office. Baptists in Massachusetts were equally thankful for their new magistrate. Days after President Jefferson received the Danbury letter, Elder John Leland from Cheshire, MA delivered a 1200 pound Cheshire cheese to the White House with Jefferson’s favorite motto emblazoned on its side, “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.”[1]
The persecuted Baptists of New England expressed their convictions regarding the freedom of conscience and the separation of church and state in their letter: “Our Sentiments are uniformly on the side of Religious Liberty—That Religion is at all times and places a Matter between God and Individuals—That no man ought to suffer in Name, person or effects on account of his religious Opinions—That the legitimate Power of civil Government extends no further than to punish the man who works ill to his neighbor.”
“When they spoke of “the legitimate Power of civil Government,” they did so recognizing the importance of the rule of law under the constitutional republic that God had ordained for their new nation: “Sir, we are sensible that the President of the united States, is not the national Legislator, & also sensible that the national government cannot destroy the Laws of each State; but our hopes are strong that the sentiments of our beloved President, which have had such genial Effect already, like the radiant beams of the Sun, will shine & prevail through all these States and all the world till Hierarchy and tyranny be destroyed from the Earth.”
“Our freedom-loving founding fathers notwithstanding, tyranny has not been destroyed from the earth, and today it threatens the liberties of Americans in unprecedented ways. Facing these challenges, we look to the Word of God, which with its truth eternal stands like a rock undaunted amid the raging storms of time. There we find that civil authority is ordained of God (Rom. 13:1), and so we rest assured that God is sovereign over it. There we find that civil authority is a minister of God (v. 4), so we accept His just judgment of its administrations. There we find that civil authority is not a terror to the good, but to the evil (v. 3), so we determine to do that which is good, supporting law-enforcement officials in their dangerous work. There we find that civil authority executes wrath with a sword (vv. 4-5), so we determine to obey guided also by a free conscience, ever mindful of our Savior’s admonition not to fear “those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather [to] fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell” (Matt. 10:28).
“Therefore, the American Council of Christian Churches, at its annual convention, October 18-20, 2016, at Faith Baptist Church, Kittery, Maine, resolves to love freedom and to obey civil authority. We shall pray for “kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Tim. 2:2). We shall be faithful in our responsibilities as citizens of a government of the people, by the people, for the people, and ordained of the Lord. We shall endeavor to “let [our] conduct be as it becometh the gospel of Christ . . . stand[ing] fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. And in nothing terrified by [our] adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to [us] of salvation, and that of God” (Phil. 1:27-28).”
“[1] Clearly the apostle Paul, a Roman citizen who lived under the reign of Nero, would agree with Jefferson’s motto only when tyranny demands disobedience to God. Our founders’ doctrine of the consent of the governed, however, did come from a scriptural understanding of unalienable rights as gifts from God, not man or civil government. The revolution of the ten northern tribes of Israel was God’s judgment on the idolatry of Solomon’s leadership and the tyranny of Rehoboam’s oppression (1 Kings 11:29-39; 12:1-24).”
Lewis on the Progress of History
Humanity does not pass through phases as a train passes through stations: being alive, it has the privilege of always moving yet never leaving anything behind. Whatever we have been, in some sort we are still.
Lewis, C. S. The Allegory of Love (eBook Original) (Kindle Locations 70-71). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
Augustus Toplady, “God of Love”
God of Love
Augustus Toplady
God of love, whose truth and grace
Reach unbounded as the skies,
Hear thy creature’s feeble praise,
Let my ev’ning sacrifice
Mount as incense to thy throne,
On the merits of thy Son.
Me thy providence has led
Through another busy day:
Over me thy wings were spread,
Chasing sin and death away:
Thou hast been my faithful shield,
Thou my footsteps hast upheld.
Tho’ the sable veil of night
Hides the cheering face of heav’n,
Let me triumph in the sight
Of my guilt in thee forgiv’n.
In my heart the witness feel,
See the great invisible.
I will lay me down to sleep,
Sweetly take my rest in thee,
Ev’ry moment brought a step
Nearer to eternity:
I shall soon from earth ascend,
Quickly reach my journey’s end.
All my sins imputed were
To my dear, incarnate God;
Bury’d in his grave they are,
Drown’d in his atoning blood:
Me thou wilt not now condemn,
Righteous and complete in him.
In the Saviour’s right I claim
All the blessings he hath bought;
For my soul the dying Lamb
Hath a full redemption wrought;
Heaven through his desert is mine;
Christ’s I am, and Christ is mine!
Questions:
- What time of day is assumed in this poem? Why is that significant?
- What is the sacrifice that the poet wishes to offer?
- What works does the poet attribute to God the Father? To God the Son?
- What word pictures or images does the poet employ? How would you express the same idea in ordinary prose? Why is the image better than the prose?
ACCC Resolution on Transgenderism
American Council of Christian Churches
75th Annual Convention, October 18-20, 2016
Faith Baptist Church, Kittery, Maine
Resolution on Transgenderism
“The apostle Paul traces the sad devolution of a culture plagued with paganism in Romans 1. Arrogant people profess themselves to be wise while becoming foolish (v. 22). The text tells us that three exchanges are made in that foolish arrogance that lead a people to reprobation and destruction.
“They exchange the glory of God for man’s image (v. 23). From the creation of the world, the pagan man knew God, but he did not glorify Him as God (v. 21). Instead, he set himself up as an imaginative god-maker (v. 23). The gods he makes are made in his own corrupt image.
“Second, they exchange the truth of God for a lie (v. 25). The truth exchanged is especially the one given at the beginning, that man is a creature who has a Creator. This Creator has made man in His own image, including maleness and femaleness (Gen. 1:27-28a, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it’”).
“Third, they exchange the natural-born identity of human sexuality for vile affections (vv. 26-27). What makes such affections vile is that they violate “natural use.” They are “against nature,” the Creator’s creation. A description of the havoc wreaked upon a society that has made these exchanges concludes the chapter, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (vv. 28-32). The Bible teaches that homosexuality and transgenderism are sin.
“In May of this year, the Department of Education and the Justice Department of the Obama administration issued a “guidance letter” to American schools that directed them to allow students to use restroom and locker room facilities based on their chosen “gender-identity” without regard for their biological gender at birth or risk losing their Title IX federal funding. Could the signs of reprobation be any more pronounced? Even the strongest conservative political forces trying to stand in the way of this tsunami of transgender floodwaters have raised the white flag of surrender on the issue of homosexuality long ago. Their illogic that claims one can choose to be homosexual but not transgender simply will not save us from our self-destruction as these political pundits hope.
“What can and must save the lost is the same standard that has always stood to face the deluge of pagan destruction. “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him” (Isa. 59:19). Paul raised that standard in his day, “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe” (Rom. 3:21-22). This is the power of the gospel, about which Paul declared, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth” (Rom. 1:16).
“Therefore, the American Council of Christian Churches, at its annual convention, October 18-20, 2016, at Faith Baptist Church, Kittery, Maine, is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ in our paganized world. We resolve that the gospel shall be the standard we raise in the growing decadence of our culture and its leaders. We affirm that sinners may be justified freely by the grace of God through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:24). Such were we, but now we are washed; we are sanctified; we are justified “in the name of our Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11). And we humbly ask our Savior’s courage, grace, love, and power as He continues to use us in the task of building His church, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail (Matt. 16:18).”
Accreditation Is Changing
The feds are taking over and the public is behind it. For good or bad, the future is going to look different. So says Judith Eaton at Inside Higher Ed.
At least some government authority over accreditation and public concern about the space and accountability are not new. What is new and what makes this moment pivotal is the extent to which there is agreement on both the expanded federal role and public accountability. And both are in significant contrast to longstanding practice of accrediting organizations as independent, nongovernmental bodies accustomed to setting their own direction and determining their own accountability.
Tozer on Reason and Faith
Reason by its very nature is limited and therefore cannot help us in our pursuit of the unlimited God. Reason may bring us to the door, but only faith can unlock the door that we may go into the presence of God. Faith is not unreasonable; it just operates above the reach of reason. Faith enables us to jump from one point on earth into the very heart of God.
Tozer, A.W. Delighting in God (Kindle Locations 217-220). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
APPLICATION & AID