MacArthur calls for a "biblical (not traditional) understanding of separation."
MacArthur Tells Christians: Don’t Fornicate with the World The church is to be “an absolutely separate entity from anything that defines or describes the belief system or the behavior of the society”
The audio of this presentation is available at Shepherds’ Fellowship - it’s the first general session of the 2010 Shepherds’ Conference. Good stuff…I was listening to it this morning. Video downloads are available as well for IPods or ITunes.
"Our task today is to tell people — who no longer know what sin is...no longer see themselves as sinners, and no longer have room for these categories — that Christ died for sins of which they do not think they’re guilty." - David Wells
Hi Jay, I didn’t see you there, I was looking around for you.
Anyway, that was a great message and afterwards I had two questions I wanted to ask.
One was to Al Mohler: “So, how is signing the Manhattan Declaration not a violation of what John just preached?”
and the other would have been to JMac Himself: “So, explain the music and atmosphere that you guys create at Resolved in light of what you just preached?”
I did get a hold of Al Mohler and asked him that question. Anyone want to guess what his answer was?
Anyway, that was a great message and afterwards I had two questions I wanted to ask.
One was to Al Mohler: “So, how is signing the Manhattan Declaration not a violation of what John just preached?”
and the other would have been to JMac Himself: “So, explain the music and atmosphere that you guys create at Resolved in light of what you just preached?”
I did get a hold of Al Mohler and asked him that question. Anyone want to guess what his answer was?
[WilliamD] I did get a hold of Al Mohler and asked him that question. Anyone want to guess what his answer was?Don’t leave us in suspense!!!
Ok, enough suspense…his answer was this more or less:
“Any sane person will have to use ‘Christian’ in two senses. The Manhattan declaration is a ‘Christian’ statement on abortion and same sex marriage as opposed to an ‘athiest’ or ‘muslim’ declaration. So by signing it, I’m not saying that Catholics are ‘born again Christians’ because that would be the other sense in which we who understand those terms would not consider them Christians. However, when the government begins to make laws against ‘Christians’ in the broader sense because of these issues, I want it to be known that I’m willing to go to jail over that, and that we won’t cooperate. When me and the Catholic priest are in jail together for this issue, there will be some interesting conversation about the gospel with him.
So, I can sign that document, not as a spiritual or kingdom endeavor with good conscience. Anyone who knows me, knows that I don’t consider Catholic doctrine to be within the bounds of orthodoxy. I am not endorsing their theology. The document, as I see it, is a human rights statement from the Christian worldview.”
Not verbatim, since I don’t have a photographic memory, but that’s pretty much his answer. I thanked him for his willingness to answer my question and told him that I just wanted to know what his rationale was on the issue. I still don’t agree with it and don’t think it was wise.
God will judge.
“Any sane person will have to use ‘Christian’ in two senses. The Manhattan declaration is a ‘Christian’ statement on abortion and same sex marriage as opposed to an ‘athiest’ or ‘muslim’ declaration. So by signing it, I’m not saying that Catholics are ‘born again Christians’ because that would be the other sense in which we who understand those terms would not consider them Christians. However, when the government begins to make laws against ‘Christians’ in the broader sense because of these issues, I want it to be known that I’m willing to go to jail over that, and that we won’t cooperate. When me and the Catholic priest are in jail together for this issue, there will be some interesting conversation about the gospel with him.
So, I can sign that document, not as a spiritual or kingdom endeavor with good conscience. Anyone who knows me, knows that I don’t consider Catholic doctrine to be within the bounds of orthodoxy. I am not endorsing their theology. The document, as I see it, is a human rights statement from the Christian worldview.”
Not verbatim, since I don’t have a photographic memory, but that’s pretty much his answer. I thanked him for his willingness to answer my question and told him that I just wanted to know what his rationale was on the issue. I still don’t agree with it and don’t think it was wise.
God will judge.
Discussion