Sunday, February 20, 2011

Dead Man's Curve

Dead man’s curve, it seems that every community has one. As we travel the back roads we come across that sharp curve and we find there on the shoulder those markers of remembrance. Crosses, wreaths, flowers, stuff animals mark the spot where a friend or a loved one crashed their vehicle. Usually they are young people and when the full details are revealed we find that they were driving too fast for that section of road. Curves made to be taken at 35 mph are not usually negotiated at a speed of say 70 mph.  Sad as one accident is the sadder thing is that there are usually multiple markers showing multiple accidents. For some strange reason individuals think that they can succeed doing the same thing that others have failed in doing. They think, “just because so-and-so didn’t make the curve at 70 doesn’t mean that I can’t.” So foolishly they try, maybe they make it farther through the turn but they too are not able to stay on the road and they too crash and become another fatality. They failed to learn the lesson of the markers of remembrance.

We see this same kind of failure in the realm of Christianity. Specifically, I am referring to the failure of some to see that others have “crashed” when trying to negotiate a convergence between Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism. I cite one example. Let’s look at Dr. Jerry Falwell. In his early days he was considered a Fundamentalist. He was identified clearly within the Fundamentalist’s ranks. Then he started making efforts at “fellowshipping” with Evangelicals. I commend to you, Evangelist Dave Sproul’s, An Open Letter to Jerry Falwell, written October 15, 1979. It was published by Fundamental Press of Tempe, AZ. Bro. Sproul well documents the case against Falwell. Now, as we have come down through the corridor of time, would any Fundamental pastor recommend sending their young people to Liberty? No, those ministries crashed with their departure from Fundamentalism and its separatist position. Another example would be Jack Van Impe, and there are scores of lesser known men and ministries (the Pac NW is dotted with casualties) that have followed the same road to the same fate.

With that said, we have some today who wish to repeat the effort. Do they expect a different outcome? This coming week Dr. Tim Jordan of Calvary Baptist Church and Calvary Baptist Seminary in Lansdale, PA, is hosting a conference titled, Advancing the Church. The keynote speaker is Dr. Mark Dever, pastor of Capital Heights Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., a Southern Baptist pastor. For a bit of a critique of Pastor Dever I commend to you a few articles (here and here and here). Alongside of him will be Drs. Kevin Bauder and Dave Doran. Do these Fundamentalists expect to succeed with their, “careful, limited forms of fellowship” where others have failed? Do these men think that their ministries will not end up where Falwell’s are now? How foolish.

To change metaphors, these men have started on the slippery slope of compromise with Evangelicalism. Doing so removes them from the firm, level ground of Biblical separation. All who have stepped over have moved from their original position. For those who would try to make the case that what the conservatives did within the SBC goes counter to the claim of slippery slopes, I would say, where the SBC is at currently is nowhere near where they once were before the separatists started their exodus. So while I would concede that some things within the SBC may have moved up the slope some, they are still a far cry from the firm, level ground of Biblical separation. I am using separation as the reference point since it is its repudiation primarily that moved the New Evangelicals out from Fundamentalism.

Back to the original metaphor, how many more crashes must we witness before men will take the warnings that the markers of remembrance give us? Obey the posted speed signs. In this case, obey the Biblical admonitions, Rom. 16:17; II Cor. 6:14-18; II Thess. 3:6, 14, 15; I John 2:15-17, to name a few.

7 comments:

Lou Martuneac said...

Ps. Ernsberger:

Thanks for making this important contribution to what is taking place in IFB circles. History is repeating itself in this generation. One must wonder why the current set of men who want to embrace and minister along side non-separatist evangelicals think they will not themselves become what they seek to be in fellowship with. BTW, I set up several links to this good article from a few of my recent articles. It is a worthwhile read.

Thanks again,


Lou

Brian said...

Lou,appreciate the exposure with the link at your blog.

Gary said...

Brother Brian,

Thank you for your serious and sobering assessment of what is happening today within Fundamentalism. I can only hope that what you are saying will resonate with many. You have sounded a timely warning. As the old saying goes: "Those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it!"

Gary

Brian said...

Yes, Gary, that old saying is still so very true, even though some of today's men are trying to redefine, revise our history to suit their desires. Those things don't alter what really happened. They are just deceiving themselves and those who accept their view.

Joel said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Brian said...

Joel, post again your comments without the link. I have nothing against the conference panel discussion you linked to but I do wish to not start down rabbit trails by adding other material to this thread. BTW, yes, I have listened to that panel discussion.
To answer them your questions. Yes, I am serious. These men (Bauder, Doran, Jordan, etc.) are just getting started down this road. Joel, read and see what they are doing and compare that with our Scriptural injunctions that I've listed. Sorry, these men are not following those injunctions. And they would have us to believe that what they are doing is perfectly fine. NO, it's not! Bringing in Michael Vlach, Bruce Ware, Rick Holland, sharing the platform with Mark Dever, these things are not "innocent, innocuous" events.

Lou Martuneac said...

Joel:

They never start out to become what they eventually did, but it does start with those first early steps of compromise. Falwell did in his day and Bauder/Doran/Olson/Jordan are in these recent times.

The slippery slope is an incremental slide into ever increasing forms of compromise. Our men have taken the first steps. Lately it’s been NIU with Rick Holland, Wayne Simien, Bruce Ware; Doran with Michael Vlach, Conrad Mbewe, Bryan Ferrell.

Do you think this convergence with so-called “conservative” evangelicals will end with Mark Dever at Lansdale? This is just the latest and precursor for more to follow. The whole T4G leadership is just ahead and that means fellowship and ministerial cooperation with Al Mohler and that means they will cave on ecumenical compromise such as Mohler’s signing the Manhattan Declaration (MD). In fact, both Doran and Bauder have already dismissed Mohler signing the MD. Bauder wrote it was, “an occasional inconsistency...single episode,” which is not true. Doran excused Mohler- telling his seminary students that signing the MD was merely, “a wrong decision based on bad judgment.”

These steps of early compromise, such as took Falwell and van Impe to where they wound up, are not hard to see among these men today.

There will be more steps of compromise unless these men are recovered and repent. In the meantime some of us are going to sound the alarm, with tears warn them and the unsuspecting of the dangerous composites so that the impressionable do not follow KB/DD/MO/TJ down this “winding road which ends up in a theological wasteland.” A “theological wasteland” that includes the false interpretation of the Gospel known as Lordship Salvation.


LM