An Open Letter from Dr. Matt Olson of Northland International University
Dear Friends in Ministry,
Thank you for your demonstration of true friendship over these past few months. So many of you have called, emailed, and written me. Yes, God has been doing great things. Yet, when He does, the pot gets stirred. Conflict often follows.
What God has been doing among us…
I thought it would be helpful for me to share a few thoughts concerning recent events at Northland as well as our process of thought. My prayer each day is that God would give us grace to work through our present opportunities and challenges in ways that fulfill His purposes for us and that please Him most. Never has there been a more exciting day to prepare this next generation for Great Commission living or to advance kingdom causes!
January 2008: I began praying for God to do “greater things” here at Northland. It seemed to me that the church as a whole had grown cold with the works of men and was crying out for the works of God to be manifest. I prayed to that end:
- For God to give us vision and clarity for what He wanted at Northland.
- For wisdom in navigating from where we were to where we needed to be.
- For boldness and grace—as we knew the process would be difficult.
- For abundant provision.
- For His name alone to be magnified.
In many ways God has been answering those prayers and has blessed Northland beyond our expectations. We felt, however, that this was only the beginning.
August 15, 2010: I began a forty day journey of fasting and prayer for the works of God to be manifested and for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. I took this step of faith with some uncertainty—not really knowing how I would do or what God would do. I was certain that I was not content to coast through this final stretch of life and ministry without seeing God do something much more. I have been longing for “greater things.” Dr. Ollila, the administration, faculty, and staff joined me in this. I wish I could share all that has taken place. It has been an incredible time!
What I did not expect was the testing that would follow. Yet, now I realize this to be a familiar pattern in scripture and in history. So, we take it from the Lord and respond with strength and grace that He gives. Sometimes our motives and actions can be misunderstood and miscommunicated. I know that happens. I have always felt that the best response would be to communicate in a positive way. The following are a few points of clarification on what is happening at Northland:
1. The Way of Discipleship
We have superseded our demerit system with what we feel is a biblical model of discipleship. In reality, it is a re-commitment to a means of discipleship that has already been present at Northland. We just took away an artificial demerit system that was awkwardly laid on top of our student system of governance. Our standards and expectations remain the same. But, the way we confront and encourage is relational and the consequences practical. Quite honestly, it is a lot more work with this new way. But, it’s more biblical. And it already appears to be yielding better results. We see “The Way of Discipleship” in the spirit of Matthew 5 where Jesus “raised the bar” from the Old Testament law. We believe grace expects more—and deepens more. While we see our system as a “work in progress,” we have been very pleased with the responses of our students, faculty, and staff.
2. Our Music Philosophy
Philosophically, it is unchanged. Let me say it again…unchanged. What we have always been trying to do, and will continue to do into the future, is to make sure Northland’s practice of music (as with every aspect of the Christian life) is built principally on clear teachings from the Bible rather than on reactionary, extra-biblical reasoning that has proven to be troublingly insufficient when exported to cultures beyond American borders. We believe the Bible is sufficient to bring us to right and God-honoring positions regardless of time and culture. Even though we haven’t changed our music at a philosophical level, we are changing our music on a missional level. Where you will see changes is in our intent to expand our training to prepare students for worship and music globally. This only makes sense because, as you may have noticed, Northland International University has become more and more an international, global ministry with a passion to take the gospel where it is not proclaimed. Over 41% of the world’s population is still without a Gospel witness. This has become our students’ burden. Our Director of Fine Arts, Kevin Suiter, has recently informed us he does not believe he can take us forward in this way and thus has announced his plans to move on. We wish Kevin and Grace the best and thank them for the investments they have made here.
3. Our Guest Speakers
We invited two speakers that have generated some questions.
a. Rick Holland. Dr. Holland is the Executive Pastor at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, where John MacArthur is senior pastor. Since we get many questions concerning John MacArthur and where he is in regard to fundamentalism, we decided that the best way to address this was to meet him face to face. In April of this year, Les Ollila, Doug McLachlan, Sam Horn, and I went to California and sat down with Dr. MacArthur, Rick Holland, and Phil Johnson (Executive Director of Grace to You). We had an excellent visit and found that while we did not agree on everything, we did agree on the most substantive issues of life and ministry. While we realize we function in different circles and with different constituencies, we appreciated what they were doing. I invited Rick to visit our campus to see what we were doing at Northland, meet with our Bible faculty, and speak in chapel. This was an opportunity to get to know one another and discuss significant issues of our day.
b. Bruce Ware. Dr. Ware is a professor at Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville. He is a well-recognized teacher and author. We have invited him to teach half of an advanced-degree seminar on a specialty subject our leading pastors need to be fully versed in. Why? Because Dr. Ware has written so skillfully and authoritatively on this particular topic. This seminar is for experienced, mature pastors who are presently in ministry. We see this as appropriate in the academic context and the type of thing we have done in the past for the very same reasons. In fact, most seminaries bring adjunct professors in to address key issues that they believe helpful. Never has this been intended as a move to align with any other group.
We did not see that having these speakers would be a significant problem. Biblically, we worked through a process of decision making and felt these choices and the context in which they were made were consistent with what we have always believed. Knowing now that these decisions might be confusing, misunderstood, or miscommunicated, we would likely have planned differently. We have no desire to distract from our focus here or on the field of ministry.
We affirm that Northland stands in the historic tradition of Fundamentalism and is committed to remain as an independent, Baptist, separatist institution. We will do our best to serve the local church, which we believe is the primary institution ordained of God to carry out the Great Commission. We respect the autonomy of the local church, the priesthood of the believer, and individual soul liberty. We know that other Fundamentalists will develop different applications based on biblical authority and the principles that flow from it. We will do our best to defer to our brothers in Christ but refuse to be swayed by party politics, threats, and pressures. While deference brings unity, the fear of man paralyzes our ability to serve Christ. In the spirit of Galatians 1, we will serve Christ.
Sometimes I have to smile when I think about the politics in college ministry. Early on I found that I had to just keep it simple: do the right thing, keep a right spirit, communicate the best I can, and leave the results to God. That is all I can do. That’s what I will do. I am not disappointed with differing views and opinions or even challenges that come from healthy critics. These help me grow. What I do think needs to be confronted in our movement is the lack of biblical process in responding to one another when we have questions or disagreements.
We must keep our focus. A friend of mine shared this with me, and I found it to be a great encouragement:
Stick with your work. Do not flinch because the lion roars; do not stop to stone the devil’s dogs; do not fool away your time chasing the devil’s rabbits. Do your work. Let liars lie, let sectarians quarrel, let critics malign, let enemies accuse, let the devil do his worst; but see to it nothing hinders you from fulfilling with joy the work God has given you. He has not commanded you to be admired or esteemed. He has never bidden you to defend your character. He has not set you at work to contradict falsehood about yourself which Satan’s or God’s servants may start to peddle, or to track down every rumor that threatens your reputation. If you do these things, you will do nothing else; you will be at work for yourself and not for the Lord. Keep at your work. Let your aim be as steady as a star. You may be assaulted, wronged, insulted, slandered, wounded and rejected, misunderstood, or assigned impure motives; you may be abused by foes, forsaken by friends, and despised and rejected of men. But see to it with steadfast determination, with unfaltering zeal, that you pursue the great purpose of your life and object of your being until at last you can say, “I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do.”
If you have further questions or comments, please feel free to write or call me. I welcome that. We have never been more excited about our future than we are now. Doc O and I believe that God is moving in a very special way and that the evidence is seen in both the abundant blessing of God and in the attacks of the Devil. We have the greatest and most exciting opportunity in the world—preparing this next generation of servant leaders for Great Commission living. Pray with us as we move boldly forward for the cause of Christ.
Your friend and fellow servant,
MO
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For the sake of transparency, let me first acknowledge that I am Matt Olson’s pastor. As such, I know him to be highly esteemed for being faithful to the gospel and as a defender of the Word – for decades. Perhaps his present leadership at Northland should not be seen as a deviation from past consistency so much as a continued and accurate response to that which endangers historic orthodoxy and fundamentalism. It is more likely that a long and deeply held desire to defend the name of God, His word and a pure gospel has stirred him to take the steps he has taken rather than some of the disreputable motives mentioned the last few days.
That some cannot see the danger of extra-biblical pressures being exerted in American fundamentalism to the detriment of sound orthodoxy does not remove the duty of those who do see it to act against it. Those who habitually suspect anything outside of their tradition and constantly warn us of every trend as evil imply that anything old is always better than anything new. That type of leadership may encourage the most ardent traditionalist among us but does nothing to equip the body for the mission ahead of us. Reaction against modernity alone is an insufficient strategy. Embracing historical arguments to the exclusion of self-criticism and contemporary analysis is a sure remedy for eventual implosion of any community. Yesterday’s battlements do not fare well in today’s guerilla warfare. While knowing the history of the battle is valuable, knowing the nature of the enemy is more so. While some are throwing up more walls as though anything old and opposite the modern world is good, others are calling out enemies within our own walls. I would suggest that Dr. Olson has made a proactive effort to be rid of extra-biblical baggage that is no mere encumbrance but a literal endangerment to the mission. Too many of his critics sound like modern Eliabs accusing David of a naughty and evil heart of presumption. As with David, history will reveal who’s heart was presumptive.
Fortunately, Matt Olson is a man of genuine conviction birthed through a devout walk in the word and much prayer. I pray he will remain steady in his resolution to equip our young people to carry out biblical, Spirit-enabled ministry for the sake of the mission we have been called to. When one who has been godly and faithful for decades leads in such a manner, those with sober humility pause and listen first. Could it be that the years and time he (and other men mentioned) has faithfully served has lent him wisdom and insight that the rest of us could gain from? May God enable us to discern who the enemies of God are today, the dangers they portend for our children tomorrow, and how we should equip them now for then.
May I be allowed to attest that he is deeply respected by our body for his wisdom, piety, and humility? May I encourage you to consider the possibility that such a man could be following God’s leadership. I am thankful for him, support him accordingly and happily defend him.
Pastor Bill Phillips
Bill Phillips
I appreciated your post!
[Wm Phillips] That some cannot see the danger of extra-biblical pressures being exerted in American fundamentalism to the detriment of sound orthodoxy does not remove the duty of those who do see it to act against it. Those who habitually suspect anything outside of their tradition and constantly warn us of every trend as evil imply that anything old is always better than anything new. That type of leadership may encourage the most ardent traditionalist among us but does nothing to equip the body for the mission ahead of us. Reaction against modernity alone is an insufficient strategy. Embracing historical arguments to the exclusion of self-criticism and contemporary analysis is a sure remedy for eventual implosion of any community. Yesterday’s battlements do not fare well in today’s guerilla warfare. While knowing the history of the battle is valuable, knowing the nature of the enemy is more so. While some are throwing up more walls as though anything old and opposite the modern world is good, others are calling out enemies within our own walls. I would suggest that Dr. Olson has made a proactive effort to be rid of extra-biblical baggage that is no mere encumbrance but a literal endangerment to the mission. Too many of his critics sound like modern Eliabs accusing David of a naughty and evil heart of presumption. As with David, history will reveal who’s heart was presumptive.With all due respect, bro Philips, these are only so many platitudes.
Could you please point out where Matt’s critics are simply “reactionaries against modernity”? Or that we (I include myself as a critic) are simply “habitually suspecting anything outside our tradition”? I don’t think this is an accurate reperesentation of the critics in this case.
[Wm Phillips] Fortunately, Matt Olson is a man of genuine conviction birthed through a devout walk in the word and much prayer. … When one who has been godly and faithful for decades leads in such a manner, those with sober humility pause and listen first. Could it be that the years and time he (and other men mentioned) has faithfully served has lent him wisdom and insight that the rest of us could gain from? … May I be allowed to attest that he is deeply respected by our body for his wisdom, piety, and humility? May I encourage you to consider the possibility that such a man could be following God’s leadership.Why should we not take this as, “Trust us, we’re spiritual”?
Matt said in his letter:
[Matt Olson] We did not see that having these speakers would be a significant problem. Biblically, we worked through a process of decision making and felt these choices and the context in which they were made were consistent with what we have always believed. Knowing now that these decisions might be confusing, misunderstood, or miscommunicated, we would likely have planned differently.My first criticism is that it is simply preposterous to believe that Matt didn’t see criticism coming over the decisions to invite Holland and Ware. All of us who have called ourselves fundamentalists for any length of time know that these invitations are a significant change, especially in light of the brouhaha that ensued for Les Olila over the same Rick Holland only five years ago.
As for the issue of the invitations itself, the reasons these men are controversial for fundamentalists are fairly well known. There are associations that have caused fundamentalists to keep their distance from them for many years. Perhaps Matt thinks this approach has been wrong. Your letter seems to imply that, but Matt’s open letter does nothing to assert that point. I would have more respect for what he was doing if it did.
Instead, Matt seeks to assure us:
[Matt Olson] We affirm that Northland stands in the historic tradition of Fundamentalism and is committed to remain as an independent, Baptist, separatist institution.Is there some way that this should be taken other than as an attempt at assurance that Northland is maintaining the position it has been known for in all its years of existence?
Those of us criticizing the letter (and the invitations) are not branding Holland and Ware as the enemy or as “spots in your feasts of charity” (Jude 12). But we can point to specific things in their associations and practice that heretofore have been problematic for fundamentalists.
Why would you attempt to brand such critics as mere “reactionaries against modernity”?
I do think that the debate over our relationship with such men is worth having, but could we please do it with frank and honest speech and spare the platitudes?
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Truly, what a reality.
In 2010, no longer is it the red coats versus the blue coats.
1 Kings 8:60 - so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.
I’m sorry, James, but I really have no idea what you’re talking about or why it is helpful (or relevant) to the conversation.
-------
Greg Long, Ed.D. (SBTS)
Pastor of Adult Ministries
Grace Church, Des Moines, IA
Adjunct Instructor
School of Divinity
Liberty University
[Todd Wood] In 2010, no longer is it the red coats versus the blue coats.The red coats were the good guys….
heh, heh
(maybe this one will throw this thread off the rails…)
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
[Greg Long] Don, I have no reservations about NIU’s overtures to Holland or Ware, and in fact I welcome them. But I do see your point about the open letter. But on the other hand Dr. Olson seems caught in the middle, getting shot at from both sidesMaybe so, but I think to deny that these moves are changes is simply not helpful. They are changes. Obviously, one would think, Matt et al think they are the right changes to make. Equally obviously, there are also a number of people who do not think these moves are the right way to go.
Alright, then, let those making the moves articulate their rationale for them and convince us, if they can, that these decisions are right.
Here are some of the objections they would have to overcome for me:
1. The terrible music that Rick Holland promotes in his youth ministry.
2. The fundamentalist bashing that regularly comes from MacArthur et al
3. The cooperation of MacArthur et al with Billy Graham (speaking at The Cove, writing for Decision magazine)
4. The complicated continuing association of Southern Baptists with Southern Baptist ‘moderates’
5. The compromises of Southern Baptists like Al Mohler such as the Manhattan Declaration and other missteps
If it is a good thing to enter into cooperation with men with these complicating factors, why is it good? Why should I embrace this change? Why should I encourage young people to attend schools that embrace this change?
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Matt gave an open letter as to why they are doing what they are doing. I don’t think he was trying nor does he have to convince anyone Don. You would have to believe there are these family heads and to be a true fundamentalist you must kiss the ring. Wait, this is getting awkward. Moving right along.
Instead of explaining why it is okay to have Ware and Holland, I wish he would explain what they are moving away from:
1. The terrible music that embraces a finneyistic approach to people’s salvation/sanctification. The black plague thinks fundamentalism is bad off because of it.
2. The fundamentalist bashing of anything not contained within that particular corner of “fundamentalism.” See this thread for examples.
3. The sad attempts to connect MacArthur with heretical ideas of the blood (BJU never did actually repent of that and the fundies still tied to BJU I guess still perpetuate that lie). Seriously Don, do you really think MacArthur approves of Graham? Try again.
4. The complicated continuing association of some fundies with the fringe elements of fundamentalism.
5. The compromise of all fundies who embrace conditional salvation, or salvation as a buffet bar, which is not the gospel.
Moving away from neofundamentalism is a good thing. It is good because neofundamentalism was never a strict philosophy. It was a hodgepodge of various families, er, groups maneuvering for power to control the other families, er, factions.
Too many neofundamentalists with their hit pieces trying to remind others not to go against the family.
1 Kings 8:60 - so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.
[James K] See post 156 above for an example of a made man with a hit on now Matt’s pastor.James … don’t take this personally, but there is something I don’t like about this comment. You can disagree with Don Johnson but I don’t think a comment like this adds to the conversation
Don in my view has raised appropriate issues such as music in the Resolved conference and that the current direction is a departure from earlier NBBC policy
My 2 (or 3) cents
AND
[James K] neofundamentalismWhat is neo-fundamentalism? (I almost had to laugh at this as it seems like any variance from the perceived norm has a prefix like “pseudo-“, “neo-“, and there are I’m sure more (like FINO - fundamentalist in name only) etc
[James K] The sad attempts to connect MacArthur with heretical ideas of the blood (BJU never did actually repent of that and the fundies still tied to BJU I guess still perpetuate that lie).I appreciated this point and I wonder why there is no hew and cry to get BJU to publicly repudiate this!
I refer to Ben Wright’s post here with regard to the 1999 congress on fundamentalism
http://paleoevangelical.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-repent.html
Question for Don Johnson. Aren’t you a BjU grad? Have you called BJU on this lie? Separated over how Bob Jones lyingly savaged a brother?
Regarding what I said about Don’s hit piece on Matt’s pastor, I stand by it. Reread what he said to him and see if that was really being said. Maybe the hit was ordered, I don’t know.
1 Kings 8:60 - so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.
[Jim Peet] I appreciated this point and I wonder why there is no hew and cry to get BJU to publicly repudiate this!First a visit from the Malaprop Police: that would be ” http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hue+and+cry] hue and cry ” - no axe work needed…
[Jim Peet] Question for Don Johnson. Aren’t you a BjU grad? Have you called BJU on this lie? Separated over how Bob Jones lyingly savaged a brother?Personally, I don’t think this is that big an issue. I think MacArthur made some poorly worded statements. He has since corrected those statements somewhat, as I recall, but I think his wording in his Hebrews commentary is still not well worded. It is also my understanding that there has been some conciliatory comments between MacArthur and Dr Bob III, but I could be wrong on that.
In any case, I think far more is made of this than is necessary.
And as for Dr Bob lying, one would have to know whether he knew any statements he made were false. To make a false statement unwittingly is not a lie, although it is not a good thing to do. And he is now past the point of being able to speak to it.
Of course, the snark crowd can choose to continue to make it their BJU whipping boy point. There isn’t much that can be done about it now, even if I am mistaken in some of my facts above. One of the principles is dead. It is time to get over it.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
[James K] Regarding what I said about Don’s hit piece on Matt’s pastor, I stand by it. Reread what he said to him and see if that was really being said. Maybe the hit was ordered, I don’t know.That’s just foolishness. A number of people have expressed similar statements to Don’s about Dr. Olson’s letter, whether they agreed with Don on the concerns about the actions that prompted Dr. Olson to write the letter in the first place. Bob Bixby would be a prominent example of someone who would have a definite contrast to Don.
I do think that Dr. Olson’s pastor does what most other defenders of Olson have done- appealed to his perceived motives, spirituality, sincerity and “niceness” rather than take on what Olson actually says- particularly about not anticipating the situations at hand would elicit significant response among Northland’s constituency. I say, if what everyone else is saying about Olson is true (sincerity, etc), he will at the very least publicly explain his publicly-expressed rationale that caused him to think the constituency had made radical mindset shifts since the events surrounding the God-Focused Conference in 2005.
Greg Linscott
Marshall, MN
Discussion