In the meantime my reading and research has shown me that the current trend toward ecumenism by the likes of Al Mohler, Ligon Duncan, et. al. is eerily similar to a previous generations slide toward New Evangelicalism. There may be some greater measure of restraint in this generation, but nevertheless there is tangible evidence of a slide toward New Evangelicalism.
If there is one book I would recommend to help contemporary Fundamentalists get a handle on the danger at their doorsteps it would be The Tragedy of Compromise: The Origin and Impact of the New Evangelicalism, 1994 by *Dr. Ernest D. Pickering. For their consideration I am going to share select excerpts from Pickering’s classic on the subject. The following excerpts come from Chapter Seven, Gray Hairs Are Here and There. Afterward I will close with some personal commentary.
From The Subtle Drift Toward the New Evangelicalism, p. 155.
The ancient prophet Hosea was concerned about gray hair also, but for a different reason. In a brokenhearted lament over his beloved nation, Israel, he wrote: “Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth it not” (Hos. 7:9). Gray hairs are a mark of aging, of deteriorating strength, and, in the spiritual sense employed by Hosea, of a loss of spiritual vitality. The saddest note in this lament was the fact that the nation did not realize it was losing its spiritual moorings.From The Appeal of New Evangelicalism to the Fundamentalist, p. 156.
All over America and the world at this hour there are churches that are drifting into New Evangelicalism without the remotest knowledge that they are doing so. They are being carried along with the shifting winds of compromise and have long since departed from the solid biblical position established by their predecessors. Young pastors, many without firm doctrinal underpinnings, have led their churches to believe that in order to reach the masses they must abandon the strict biblical principles of yore and embrace more fluid and attractive positions. They have changed, but they do not realize that they have changed.
Many contemporary fundamentalists are being wooed by the siren call of New Evangelicalism. It seems especially compelling to younger men (though not exclusively so). Born in a different generation and without personal involvement in the battles against the early forms of New Evangelicalism, some are impatient with the fray, do not see the relevance of the conflict, and are inclined to adopt the attitude “a plague on both your houses.” What is there about the New Evangelicalism that seems to attract some from within the fundamentalist camp?2From Gradually Sliding into New Evangelicalism, p. 159.
David Beale warned against those who bear the label fundamentalist but whose personal philosophy is essentially New Evangelical. “Unlike present-day Fundamentalists, they refuse to regard the militant defense of the faith and the full doctrine and practice of holiness as intrinsically fundamental.”3 In other words, there are fundamentalists who are either becoming or already are New Evangelicals. Some are actually adopting New Evangelical philosophies while still proclaiming that they are not New Evangelicals. The basic problem is this: Many fundamentalists, when speaking of the New Evangelicalism, are referring to the original positions and writings of the early founders of New Evangelicalism such as Carl Henry and Harold Ockenga. They repudiate heartily the thoughts of these earlier leaders, but either in ignorance or willingly they fail to recognize the updated version, the “new” New Evangelicalism. It is always safer to berate the teachings of those historically farther removed than of those who are currently afflicting the church.The first step toward New Evangelicalism is refusing to live in fidelity to the Scriptural mandates that call for separation when it is clearly warranted. Unfortunately some men in Fundamentalism, who presently identify with biblical separatism, appear to be “either in ignorance or willingly” greasing their own skids and may not be too far behind the direction of men like Dr. Mohler. The trend of some well-known men in Fundamental circles toward the “conservative” evangelicals appears to be:
How can I keep my fellowship with evangelicals instead of what does the Bible mandate for me in principle and application?
Some pastors and Bible college leaders have begun laying out in stark terms to their congregations and student bodies the dangers of ecumenical compromise, and are referencing both the Manhattan Declaration and its signatories as a prime example of it. I am grateful for men who have marked certain signatories to the Manhattan Declaration. When we speak of to “mark” we must, however, speak of it in terms of mark AND “avoid” (Rom. 16:17).
“Paul admonishes believers to ‘avoid’ those whom we have marked. The form of this verb indicates that it is a present imperative, which indicates that this avoidance is neither a suggestion nor advice, but, in fact, a command. We are commanded by God to continually avoid the person who has been marked!”4Unless men determine to set the right example (Phil. 3:17) putting fidelity to Scripture in principle and application ahead of tolerating doctrinal aberrations and methods of ministry among the conservative evangelicals that they (fundamentalists) would never tolerate in their own ministries they will inch their way closer to New Evangelicalism. With each step of tolerance for and compromise with the disconcerting actions of evangelicals the mature Fundamentalists are showing the younger generation, under their influence, the way there.
LM
1) Dr. Dave Doran, A Bronx Declaration, Dec. 2009. Ironically, while recognizing signing the Manhattan Declaration compromised the gospel, Doran dismissed Mohler’s signing the document as nothing more than, “a wrong decision based on bad judgment.”
2) Pickering goes into detail as he answers that question under the subheadings of: A Lessening of Tensions; A Wider Working Relationship; A Greater Attractiveness to the Masses; The Perception The New Evangelicals are More Loving; etc.
3) In Pursuit of Purity, pp. 261-ff.
4) In Defense of the Gospel, p. 212.
*Dr. Ernest D. Pickering (1928-2000) “was a fundamentalist pastor, author, college administrator, and mission board representative…. Pickering criticized the ecumenical neo-evangelism of Billy Graham in print as early as 1957, and his chief contribution to twentieth-century evangelical Christianity was as a Baptist theoretician of separatist fundamentalism.” I recommend three more works by Dr. Pickering that may be helpful to those who are concerned over modern day compromise with evangelicalism. They are:
Should Fundamentalists and Evangelicals Seek Closer Ties? (PDF downloadable)
Biblical Separation: The Struggle for a Pure Church
Holding Hands With the Pope: The Current Evangelical Ecumenical Craze
Are Fundamentalists Legalists?
Previous Articles in this Series Include:
Al Mohler Signs The Manhattan Declaration: Is This a Clear Case for (Dave Doran’s) “Gospel-Driven Separation?”
Al Mohler Signs The Manhattan Declaration, Part 2: Was This a First Time Foray Toward Ecumenism?
Al Mohler Signs TMD, Part 3: Tolerance & Compromise Will, In Its Wake, Leave Casualties
(First published Dec. 2009, with revisions for this reproduction.)
Bro. Lou,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting. One thing has caught my attention. I downloaded the article, Should Fundamentalists and Evangelicals seek closer ties? Dr. Pickering lists 7 arguments that Dr. Dobson presents. Dr. Bauder has rehashed these same arguments in his current multi-part series. In essence it would appear he is agreeing with Dr. Dobson's assessment of Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism. Interesting indeed.
Brian:
ReplyDeleteThanks for noting that. In the previous article another guest noted the similarities from Pickering’s book The Tragedy of Compromise to arguments being offered today to justify embracing evangelicals. He wrote,
“I’ve been reading Ernest Pickering’s, The Tragedy of Compromise Chapter 2 - speaks of 'Fence Straddling.' The parallels in Ch. 2 (Pickering exposes the thinking that led to new evangelicalism) to today’s situation are striking.”
Who’s moving and in which direction? The irony here is that we have men who primarily ID with fundamentalism (Bauder, Doran, Tim Jordan and Matt Olson) and they are the ones building bridges in the direction of and moving toward evangelicals. We don’t see any of the evangelicals trying to move in our direction; do we?
No evangelical I am aware of is moving in the direction of Fundamentalism's fidelity to the God-given mandates for separatism from unbelievers and disobedient brethren. Quite the contrary- the evangelicals are steadily moving in the direction of hob-nobbing with unbelievers and apostates, such as Al Mohler and Ligon Duncan did when they willfully signed the Manhattan Declaration along side Roman Catholic priests and remain unrepentant.
Think about this and I have written small notes in my blog threads along the lines that our men who claim to be separatists are moving in the direction of the evangelicals who disdain separatism. What does that tell us? Our men are the ones moving both in principle and application, not the evangelicals. Doran and Olson are building bridges to evangelicals through men like MacArthur. Doran had Michael Vlach at DBTS as a result, NBI had Rick Holland as their result and it won’t end there.
IMO, this is not going to be a one-way street. The evangelicals are going to reciprocate and begin inviting men like Doran and Bauder to their schools, like Masters and their conferences like T4G (it's sister The Gospel Coaltion), Desiring God and Shepherds.
Lou