Dave Cloud: "I challenge anyone to show me where the Scripture encourages the believer to treat some doctrine as 'non-essential"
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[Bob T.] I have always taught that all doctrines are equally essential but not to equal consequences. …The consequences are not the same.In what sense essential? Essential to what?
Sorry it took me so long to get back to this … been away for awhile.
“Where does Scripture directly address this issue?”
Simple: 2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
There are others. Many others.
“The DCBC is not a group of sons of Belial.”
Looking at the doctrinal beliefs of a great many of their member pastors and churches, I disagree.
“The Bible says to seek to win your brother first before rejecting him as a heretic.”
Many of the folks in the DCBC, as well as the people who run DCBC, are heretics. They aren’t brothers to you or I, but are enemies of the faith, Demas (2 Titus 4:10) and similar.
“Standing for truth takes many forms, and separation is the last resort.”
Again, look at some, indeed many, of the churches and pastors in the DCBC. If you can’t separate from people like those, then who can you separate from?
About this perfect versus imperfect organizations … we are not talking about a church joining a community civic association for the purpose of staging homecoming parades for the local public high school football team. We are talking about a convention of churches where people affiliate solely among religious lines and for religious purposes. And this isn’t even an “interfaith” group, but a group of Baptists. Among other things, by being in this group, Dever is lending credibility to the false idea that one can deny that salvation is only through Jesus Christ (among other abominations) and remain “a good Baptist.”
Also, I am aware that many fundamentalists are too willing to separate. But there is another side: evangelicals who are loath to practice separation because they are trying to draw a public distinction between themselves and “those fundamentalists.” So, they earn a lot of praise and receive many other benefits from worldly quarters over their being more loving, open, tolerant, intellectual etc. than “those hateful, close-minded self-righteous fundamentalism.” It really is Phariseeism. The difference is that where the Pharisees lived in an environment that rewarded religious piety, the evangelical Pharisees live in an environment that makes topless lingerie model Carrie Prejean into a Christian hero (complete with speaking engagements at Liberty University and at the Dove Awards) and bashes one of their own, Al Mohler, for opposing yoga.
Basically, the only argument for remaining in the DCBC is that Mark Dever is still in it. As stated earlier, that is precisely the sort of thing that Christians should be trying to AVOID in the first place.
“Where does Scripture directly address this issue?”
Simple: 2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
There are others. Many others.
“The DCBC is not a group of sons of Belial.”
Looking at the doctrinal beliefs of a great many of their member pastors and churches, I disagree.
“The Bible says to seek to win your brother first before rejecting him as a heretic.”
Many of the folks in the DCBC, as well as the people who run DCBC, are heretics. They aren’t brothers to you or I, but are enemies of the faith, Demas (2 Titus 4:10) and similar.
“Standing for truth takes many forms, and separation is the last resort.”
Again, look at some, indeed many, of the churches and pastors in the DCBC. If you can’t separate from people like those, then who can you separate from?
About this perfect versus imperfect organizations … we are not talking about a church joining a community civic association for the purpose of staging homecoming parades for the local public high school football team. We are talking about a convention of churches where people affiliate solely among religious lines and for religious purposes. And this isn’t even an “interfaith” group, but a group of Baptists. Among other things, by being in this group, Dever is lending credibility to the false idea that one can deny that salvation is only through Jesus Christ (among other abominations) and remain “a good Baptist.”
Also, I am aware that many fundamentalists are too willing to separate. But there is another side: evangelicals who are loath to practice separation because they are trying to draw a public distinction between themselves and “those fundamentalists.” So, they earn a lot of praise and receive many other benefits from worldly quarters over their being more loving, open, tolerant, intellectual etc. than “those hateful, close-minded self-righteous fundamentalism.” It really is Phariseeism. The difference is that where the Pharisees lived in an environment that rewarded religious piety, the evangelical Pharisees live in an environment that makes topless lingerie model Carrie Prejean into a Christian hero (complete with speaking engagements at Liberty University and at the Dove Awards) and bashes one of their own, Al Mohler, for opposing yoga.
Basically, the only argument for remaining in the DCBC is that Mark Dever is still in it. As stated earlier, that is precisely the sort of thing that Christians should be trying to AVOID in the first place.
Solo Christo, Soli Deo Gloria, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Sola Scriptura http://healtheland.wordpress.com
A reader of my blog posted the following update on this situation:
…I sent a note to CHBC to ask about their affiliation with ABC and DCBC. I received the following response:So it’s possible that it is the DCBC trying to claim CHBC rather than CHBC wanting to be a “member” of the DCBC
Dear _______,
I apologize for my slow response. I’m happy to clear up this matter. To
be clear, we only support the Southern Baptist Convention. We are not
members of the ABC in anyway and do not support them in anyway. We do not
support the DCBC. The DCBC has placed us on their list simply because of
our location and because historically our church has given money to the
DCBC. However, shortly after Mark arrived he fought for the right to not
give any financial support to the DCBC and was granted that request. Our
church’s beliefs are represented in our Statement of Faith, which can be
found on our website http://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/ . I hope that
helps.
Best Regards,
XXX
Note:
I corrected the first name.
Striving for the unity of the faith, for the glory of God ~ Eph. 4:3, 13; Rom. 15:5-7 I blog at Fundamentally Reformed. Follow me on Twitter.
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