Archival Series: Kevin Bauder, “Hauling Out the Trash” in Your Own Home, First!

In recent days [Feb. 2013] we have been working our way through a critical review of Dr. Kevin Bauder’s Open Letter to Lance Ketchum.  Just before we tie off the Kevin Bauder, Al Mohler and Manhattan Declaration issue we are going to take another look at a comment made by Kevin Bauder in the discussion thread under his Open Letter at Sharper Iron.

In our previous article we noted that Dr. Kevin Bauder stated there is a,

“Duty to clean up the FBFI,”
 and that he (Kevin Bauder) is “the last and best hope for old Fundamentalist institutions like the FBFI?”1

Returning to Kevin Bauder’s comment he continued with,

“…because it [FBFI] is my home, I have a duty to take responsibility for cleaning it up… But you can’t clean up without occasionally hauling out the trash.”2

Kevin wants to clean up and haul the trash out for the FBFI. Kevin presumes to have a mandate, decreed by none, to clean up the FBFI. Instead, he should begin with a serious assessment of what has become of Central Baptist Theological Seminary (CBTS) while and since he was its president.  Whoever and whatever policies that authorized, supported and participated in Central Seminary’s official participation at John Piper’s Desiring God conference would be a good place to begin.3  

John Piper believes and teaches that the 1^st century miraculous sign gifts (the modern Charismatic movement) are active and should be sought after today.  John Piper eagerly promotes and ministers alongside Rick Warren and Mark Driscoll.  His cooperative ministry gives credibility to their aberrant theologies, ecumenism and contemporary ministry practices. With CBTS active in Piper’s conference they are now lend tacit endorsement to Piper’s theology, associations with Warren and Driscoll and the worldly methods of ministry of all three.

Now, consider this: Kevin recently applauded his alma mater, Faith Baptist Bible College (FBBC), for removing Saylorville Church (formerly Baptist) from their approved list. Students can no longer attend there. He titled the article “A Tale of 2 Colleges.” Here’s the irony – he applauds FBBC while his own seminary is displaying as an official vendor at Piper’s Desiring God.

Kevin Bauder establishes himself as a critic who will not accept proper partnership in order to responsibly deal with issues. His public criticism of the “place he belongs,” is like the husband or wife who likes to criticize their family while with strangers – public criticism of one’s family is typically considered unkind and unethical – especially if one is not invested in the family.

Open Commentary to Kevin Bauder:

Kevin: You were CBTS president for seven years.  You are a remaining member of Central Seminary’s dwindling faculty. Do your duty where you are!  Take some responsibility for hauling out the trash where you find it in your own home (CBTS).  In light of CBTS’s partnership with John Piper’s ministry you have a big job ahead of you. Begin with cleaning up the home that bears the marks of your presidency. Do the work in your own home before you presume to clean up another’s (FBFI) house where you are merely a dues paying guest.

LM

Originally published Feb. 11, 2013.

Footnotes:

1) Dr. Kevin Bauder at Sharper Iron, February 2, 2013.

SI is a pseudo-fundamentalist site.  In its years of existence SI has never posted any main page article that is thoroughly positive toward Fundamentalism and uplifting for fundamentalists.  See, “SI May Fit the Description of Being 'PSEUDO-FUNDAMENTALIST’.”

2) Ibid.

3) What Does Central Seminary & John Piper’s Desiring God Conference Have in Common? Each Other!

Dr. Sam Horn is the current president of CBTS. In the current President’s Corner newsletter he wrote, “For us [CBTS], the road ahead involves a renewed dedication to the original vision and mission of our seminary.” The original vision and mission of Central Seminary never included participating in conferences to hobnob with New Evangelical non-separatists; Charismatics and ecumenical compromisers, such as you have with John Piper.