Site Publisher’s Update (2/1/13):
Dr. Lance Ketchum publishes a response to Kevin Bauder’s Open Letter. See, Defining Points
Dr. Lance Ketchum publishes a response to Kevin Bauder’s Open Letter. See, Defining Points
“The contradiction of all this is that men like Dr. Kevin Bauder, Dr. Doug McLachlan, Dr. Timothy Jordan, Dr. David Doran, and Dr. Matt Olson all profess to be independent, fundamental Baptists. However, their new definition of the practice of separation is like that of the interdenominational Fundamentalism. They want most other doctrines other than the Gospel to be eliminated from the practice of separation. Independent, fundamental Baptists do not agree and do not like what they are trying to do. They are convoluting what it means to be an independent, fundamental Baptist.”We have been conducting a critical review of Kevin Bauder’s Open Letter to Lance Ketchum. Previously we published,
As we progress
through this series on Kevin Bauder’s Open Letter we are going to expand
our reach. That is because Kevin has had a great deal more to say in the
discussion thread under his Open Letter that appears at the pseudo-fundamentalist Sharper Iron (SI) site. Pastor Don Johnson posted a series questions to Kevin
about elements of the Open Letter. Kevin has been answering Don’s
questions in a series of thread comments. I will say this about the interchange
between Don and Kevin. Don asked some pointed questions and is getting
responses from Kevin that are exposing the real Kevin Bauder.
For those with
eyes to see and ears to hear, Kevin is removing any doubts about his
congeniality with evangelicals and personal disdain for objections that others
may have over his lavish praise for, defense and embrace of them. We
will excerpt from Kevin’s comments at SI and have some reaction to them here
and in upcoming articles.
Dr. Bauder
tries to act the gentleman in his Open Letter to Lance Ketchum. His
words, however, seem as though his kindness toward Brother Ketchum is
artificial. This is especially born out in his thread comments at SI. Sadly,
Dr. Bauder’s public ministry in recent years has demonstrated his on-going
unwillingness to deal specifically and directly with the errors of the
so-called “conservative” evangelical crowd. He has frequently pointed
out what he perceives to be the errors of fundamentalism in a very public way
(Danny Sweatt, Lance Ketchum, Bob Jones, Jr., John R. Rice, the FBFI, etc.) and
castigates them with impunity.
No one will
forget Kevin’s 2009 three part series from his blog and SI in which without
provocation he attacked the legacy and ministry of Bob Jones, Jr. and John R.
Rice. Missionary John Himes (Rice’s grandson) responded with,
“Again, I am very disappointed at the language Bauder uses against his fellow fundamentalists, evidently chiefly against Rice: ‘pugilistic and bellicose,’ ‘alpha males,’ ‘the big boys,’ ‘bullies,’ ‘chieftains,’ etc. Is this the kind of language a fundamentalist leader should use?”1
“Bullies,
alpha-males, Chieftans…?” For his reaction to Bauder’s harsh rhetoric
John Himes was gang-tackled and run off by the SI moderators. That is the
historic pattern of SI moderators. See, SI’s Deplorable Moderator Actions Run Off Another
From the
platform of the 2009 FBFI Annual Fellowship Kevin, without provocation, and
instead of answering a direct question put to him by the moderator Dr. John
Vaughn on the evangelicals, chose to besmirch Bob Jones University. These are
but two examples of Kevin discrediting fundamentalists from a previous
generation and a fundamentalist institution. Even today, at SI, he attempts to
demonize and dishonor men and/or their fellowships.
Where is Kevin’s indignation over the theological errors, ecumenical compromises and worldly methods of the evangelicals?Where does he publicly “admonish” them? Where does he call on to repent and obey the Scriptures? Where does Kevin publicly warn the Fundamentalists he claims to speak on behalf of to “withdraw from, mark and avoid” the most theologically off-base and brazen non-separatists of the evangelical camp?
When it comes
to the evangelical crowd Kevin Bauder portrays them as theological
champions. Only rarely has he dealt with disagreements, but in a very
“professional way” – (i.e. - private dialogue and conference). The confusion
that Kevin Bauder has spawned is widespread and frightening. Today, at the pseudo-fundamentalist
Sharper Iron we read where Kevin acknowledges that “hazards do exist”
and yet is willing to accept casualties among the next generation because
of and for the sake of his dialogue and cooperative ministries with
non-separatist, compromising evangelicals.2
Kevin seems to
think that to “leave fundamentalism” is the hazard. The
real danger is not necessarily leaving fundamentalism. The danger
is where they are going to wind up, who will be their mentors and what they
will become theologically and in practice. If the trend that is already
in place3 continues we will seen young men who were once balanced,
militant separatist fundamentalists become practitioners and defenders of the
modern charismatic movement, ecumenical compromise and a host of cultural
compromises. These young men have already been drawn to and are learning
these things from so-called “conservative” evangelicals. Add to that
Kevin Bauder heaping “lavish praise” on the evangelicals, refusing to
articulate any meaningful Bible based reproof, admonition or warning about
the aberrant theology and practices of the evangelicals and relentlessly
redefining or castigating historic, balanced fundamentalism we will see
mounting causalities in his Bauder’s wake.
As a man who
has inherited the legacy of R.V. Clearwaters and Ernest Pickering, Kevin has
not promoted their militancy. Nor has Kevin Bauder disseminated words of
warning like his predecessors. Instead Kevin perceives, maybe self-appoints
himself as the historian and spokesman for a brand of “biblical
fundamentalism” that in reality is increasingly indistinguishable from
non-separatist evangelicalism.
“If Kevin Bauder desires to take Dr. Clearwaters’s venerable institution a different direction from the founder, he should do so without pretending to be guardian of the legacy. I knew Doc well enough to know that he would not be at all happy with the direction of Central Seminary under Bauder’s leading. It’s bad enough that his school is headed in a decidedly leftward direction. Please, Dr. Bauder, don’t make it any worse by pretending some affinity with one of the greatest separatist Christians of the last century.”4
Dialogue is
Very Appealing to Academics
Our
fundamentalist forefathers would have warned that dialogue of the sort Kevin
Bauder and Dave Doran have participated in and encouraged others to emulate
will always lead to disaster! These men may wind up becoming causalities to
having thought that through dialogue they could influence the
evangelicals. It nearly always works the other way around. In short or
long term memory can we identify any high-profile evangelicals moving toward
absolute fidelity to the Bible, especially in regard to obeying the God-given
mandates for separation? We can, however, observe that
Kevin Bauder, Dave Doran, Matt Olson and Tim Jordan have become apologists for and are shape-shifting into what the evangelicals are.The dialogue, therefore, is achieving results, but not the results Kevin thinks or hope it will. His dialogue is causing confusion and casualties like that of Andy Naselli who has just joined ranks with John Piper at the Bethlehem College & Seminary. Given enough time this dialogue with non-separatists won’t have any better outcome than it did for Jerry Falwell and Liberty University.
The most
obvious evidence of contemporary disaster is in what both Calvary Baptist
Seminary (Lansdale) and Northland International University have become.
Northland’s disaster of dialogue began in April 2010 when Matt Olson,
Sam Horn, Les Ollila and Doug Mac Lachlan traveled to California to call on
John MacArthur, Phil Johnson and Rick Holland.
“In April 2010 Matt Olson, Sam Horn, Les Ollila and Doug McLachlan traveled to the Grace Community Church (GCC) to meet with John MacArthur, Phil Johnson and Rick Holland. After a day of discussions the NIU men came away finding no reason not to have and increase fellowship with them. Inviting GCC’s executive pastor, Rick Holland, to speak in chapel confirms a new alliance for NIU with evangelicalism.”5
Calvary
Seminary’s disaster of dialogue is through their conferences featuring
Mark Dever and Haddon Robinson. Central Seminary’s disaster of dialogue
has been fomenting for several years in large part due to Kevin Bauder’s
inflammatory articles, apologetics for compromising evangelicals and, in the
opinion of some, a revisionist history of fundamentalism. Bringing Central
Seminary closer to disaster was its appearance as an official vendor at John
Piper’s 2012 Desiring God conference.6
There is much
more to address from and about Kevin Bauder’s Open Letter to Lance Ketchum.
This series will be continued.
LM
New Critical Review: Please see Kent Brandenburg's new article, A Really Nice, Gentle, Loving OpenLetter, Because That's What I'm Calling It, to Kevin Bouder (sic)
“Do you [Kevin Bauder] have available a similar kind of criticism of any evangelicals like you have criticized Lance Ketchum? I could appreciate your wordsmith applied to John Piper, instead of what seems like only glowing praise… Piper doesn’t believe and practice like you. Ketchum doesn't believe and practice like you. It seems that perhaps the deciding difference between Piper and Ketchum is that Piper doesn't criticize you at all. He's only praised you that I have read… And your guys would be upset about criticism of Piper, diminishing your legendary status with them.”
Related
Reading:
“It is astounding to me that in many of your recent writings on a professedly fundamental, Baptist site, you seem to constantly extol the ‘virtues’ of evangelical Protestants while, at the same time, deriding the ‘vices’ of Fundamental Baptists. Reading your posts would lead some to wonder if you weren’t just writing a resume for some ‘conservative evangelical’ seminary to read and then hire you…. Dr. Bauder, all given appearances seem to indicate you are intentionally trying to lead those who follow your writings, the students of Central, and even Central itself away from the Testimony upon which it was founded and into the compromising orbit of protestant evangelicalism. As Samuel of old who, after his death, confronted Saul in his error, I plead with you to turn back ‘to the Law and to the Testimony’.”
“But a man is more than his pulpit message. He brings to the pulpit a lifetime of associations, actions and perhaps writings. He comes as a total person. Is he in his total ministry the type of person you would want the young people at the separatist college to emulate? If he is a compromiser, his example would be harmful, and the college president would be at fault for setting him up as such. The separatist cause is not advanced by featuring non-separatists.” (Biblical Separation: The Struggle for a Pure Church, Implementing Separatist Convictions, Whom to Invite to Your Platform, p. 229.)
Footnotes:
1) Today, at
SI, Kevin chose an unflattering term in which to portray one unnamed FBFI
leader. Kevin refers to him as a “muckety-muck FBFI official.” Such a pejorative to be used in describing a bishop, an official, sad!!! With his pejorative today and how he demeaned Jones and Rice Kevin is really helping produce a negative spirit, an angry spirit among the younger men seeking mentorship from Bauder, and it shows.
2) An Open
Letter to Lance Ketchum, SI, January 30, 2013.
3) See, Andy
Naselli’s Five Reason Were Excited to Serve at Bethlehem College &
Seminary, Thoughts on Theology blog, Jan. 16, 2013.
Central Baptist Theological Seminary (CBTS) is bleeding cash. See What’s the Costof Change? $2.7 Million Dollars. In the business community one might refer to what they see at Central as “the death rattle.” John Piper started his Bethlehem College & Seminary in 2009. Bethlehem Seminary is situated just 10 miles east of CBTS. One might reasonably conclude that it is only a matter of time before Central folds—and Kevin Bauder goes to work for Piper. One pastor wondered if Kevin’s Open Letter and his relentless defense of evangelicalism seem like he is making overtures to Piper for a position.
