Archival Series: Ominous Signs of Lordship’s Coming Storm

In May 2008 I received an e-mail from a Pastor Norm Aabye.[1] Pastor Aabye shared a unique view of events that predate the modern day Lordship Salvation controversy, which was reignited in 1988 with release of Dr. John MacArthur’s first major Lordship Salvation apologetic The Gospel According to Jesus.

From Pastor Aabye’s first hand historical perspective you can see that ominous signs of Dr. MacArthur’s Lordship Salvation interpretation of the Gospel were coming into view as much as seven years prior to the release of The Gospel According to Jesus. Pastor Aabye includes a reference to a related matter I have covered here, the IFCA meetings with John MacArthur in 1989.

I asked for and received permission to share Pastor Aabye’s e-mail, which follows.

Dear Brother Lou,

I “accidentally” came across your site while doing some research for a message I am preparing on the substance of the Gospel. Let me say that you are doing an admirable job of providing pertinent information on the Lordship Salvation issue.

My wife and I are currently involved in a ministry to the elderly in nursing homes in northwest PA and northeastern OH, but for 18 years I was the pastor of an independent Baptist church in Connecticut. But prior to my call to preach, I was employed for several years by Moody Press (this was before my wife and I determined that we were really more fundamental in our doctrine and beliefs than the Moody crowd, which has slipped further into New Evangelicalism!).

I clearly remember a staff meeting at Moody Press (MP) where Phil Johnson, who was then an editor at MP, presented one of John MacArthur’s newest books to us, The Ultimate Priority[2], which had to do with worship.

A controversy ensued at the meeting because of the back cover copy, which implied that a person’s eternity destiny was dependent upon how they worshipped. I clearly remember the director of MP requiring Phil Johnson to go back and rewrite the copy because of what was believed to be its erroneous implications. I believe this was around 1981 and John MacArthur was Moody’s “fair-haired boy” at that time. If I remember correctly, it was shortly after this that Phil Johnson left MP to work full-time with MacArthur in California.

When The Gospel According to Jesus was published in 1988, MacArthur’s favor with MP apparently quickly diminished.

Dr. Charles Ryrie was one of our key authors at that time, with his study Bible being the flagship product. His clear teachings on the substance of the Gospel were diametrically opposed to MacArthur’s Lordship view of the Gospel. I knew Dr. Ryrie and he was solid on all he taught, and a real Christian gentleman.

Years ago I was in a personal conversation with John MacArthur during a Christian Bookseller’s Association convention in Anaheim while I still worked for Moody. We were making some observations about Kenneth Hagin’s ministry and MacArthur began conversing with me about the charismatic movement in general. His knowledge on that topic is extensive, as it may be on other topics. While he demonstrated himself to be very capable in dealing with “certain” issues, I lost confidence in his [MacArthur's] ability to discern the simplicity of the Gospel itself. Dr. MacArthur’s Lordship Salvation is, of course, wrong primarily on the very basic issue of what constitutes saving faith, and certain other issues we are contending for.

The escalation of the Lordship Salvation debacle, as well as the blood issue and the eternal sonship of Christ [3], quickly made me lose confidence in him. Over the years, I have watched him plunge deeper into Reformed theology and was aware of his fall from favor from the IFCA International (I still have the tapes of the 1989 IFCA meeting in which John was asked to explain his views).

I have only begun to peruse the articles on your site, as there is so much to read, but I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate what you are doing and the importance of a clear Gospel of grace in our day of confusion. May God continue to bless you in your efforts.


Pastor Norm Aabye
Saegertown, PA

Site Publisher Addendum:

For additional reading on the IFCA controversy with John MacArthur see these articles that include links to transcripts from the 1989 IFCA interview with John MacArthur-

IFCA Statement on the Nature of Saving Faith

Insights From the IFCA Interview with John MacArthur

John MacArthur Requested to and Resigns From the IFCA

Footnotes:

[1] Pastor Norm Aabye was born and raised in Connecticut ; USAF veteran; saved in 1970, while serving in the Philippines; graduate of Colonial Hills Baptist College, Danbury, CT; ordained in 1987; founded River Valley Baptist Church in Ansonia, Connecticut in 1987, and pastored there for 18 years; taught in the Bible department for 9 years on the faculty of the New England School of the Bible, Southington, CT; founded C.A.R.E. Ministries (Christ’s Ambassadors Reaching the Elderly) in 2006, a nursing home ministry in northwestern PA and northeastern OH. Pastor Aabye and his wife, Priscilla, currently reside in rural northwestern Pennsylvania, serving as full-time missionaries to the elderly in nursing homes.

[2] You can view the back cover of John MacArthur’s The Ultimate Priority as it appears today.

[3] “Those who teach this view would include Ralph Wardlaw, Adam Clarke, Albert Barnes, Jimmy Swaggart, Finis J. Dake (Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible), Walter Martin (author of Kingdom of the Cults). Popular Bible teacher John MacArthur, Jr. for many years denied the doctrine of the eternal Sonship of Christ, but he has changed his position and now embraces this doctrine.” For detailed study see- The Eternal Sonship of Christ by Pastor George Zeller. But has MacArthur truly repented of that view? Serious questions raise doubts over whether or not MacArthur has repudiated his former view and genuinely abandoned it. See John MacArthur: Christ’s Eternal Sonship for a discussion of this controversy.

“Another Look at the New Evangelicalism,” by Dr. George Houghton

 At Brother George Zeller’s site I perused his series on Understanding New (neo) Evangelicalism with multiple submissions under that heading. Among the submissions is an article Brother Zeller includes written by Dr. George G. Houghton, Th.D. (Senior Professor, Faith Baptist Bible College), which appears under the sub-heading, 4) New Evangelicalism in the Twenty-First Century. I will reproduce Dr. Houghton’s 2002 article without editing.

As you read, however, see how many of the trends Dr. Houghton notes you can identify as evident and in some cases more pervasive today among the so-called “conservative” evangelicals than they were in the years since this article’s original publication (2002). Trends such as: CCM, ecumenism, challenges to a young earth creationism and Charismatic theology. See if you can, furthermore, recognize how many of these disturbing trends, identified by Dr. Houghton, or the openness to and tolerance of these trends have made their way into Fundamentalist circles particularly among the so-called “Young” Fundamentalists, aka., the “Emerging Middle.” See if you can recognize what Dr. Ernest Pickering warned of in The Tragedy of Compromise,* which is the “new” wave New Evangelicalism making inroads into Fundamentalist circles. This trend is due in large part due to an unchecked affinity, among certain men in fundamental circles, for the so-called “conservative” evangelicalism, and their aversion to the biblical mandates for separation. Those trends crept into Pillsbury Baptist Bible College, Tennessee Temple, Clearwater Christian College and Northland International University, which contributed to the closure of them all. Those trends (and more) that contributed to those schools closing are strongly in evidence at Bob Jones University, especially having escalated during Steve Pettit's tenure at president.


The following is excerpted from Dr. George Houghton's article entitled, “Another Look at the New Evangelicalism” (Faith Pulpit, May/June 2002, a Faith Baptist Theological Seminary publication)

Today, as we are now in the twenty-first century, and a few generations separate us from the beginnings of the new evangelicalism, there are some from within fundamentalist circles who are saying, “New evangelicalism was at one time a reality, but today it is non-existent (or at least, not a formidable foe any longer).” Is this really accurate? The answer to that is an emphatic, “No!” The issue is not the term “new evangelicalism.” Terms come and go. The question is, “Are the issues and attitudes raised by the new evangelicalism gone?” And, again, the answer is an emphatic “No!”

This is seen today in several areas.

(1) The rapid rise of the church marketing movement from the early 1990s to the present with its emphasis upon relationships and experience, drama and contemporary music, to reach and hold people. The Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, has a Willow Creek Association of many other churches (into the hundreds) which are following the Willow Creek model.

(2) The positive response of evangelicals to the programs and ministry of Robert Schuller and his Crystal Cathedral.

(3) The broad acceptance (or at least toleration) of the Contemporary Christian Music movement and rejection of fundamentalism’s personal separation standards, so that Charisma magazine (April 1997, 26ff.) could write that “British Christians Use Techno-Dance to Reach Youth.” Their article talked about alternative worship services, evangelistic night clubs and “a revolutionary Christian dance movement.” In describing this, the article said “strobe lighting, smoke effects, DJs, dancers, Celtic music and tribal rhythms were served up for this worship feast. The trend can be found everywhere.”

(4) The influence of the apologetic writings and lecturing of Dr. Hugh Ross, who teaches that the earth is billions of years old, and began with a “big bang,” that death and degeneration existed in the beginning and have continued for billions of years, and that neither the fall to sin nor the flood resulted in significant physical changes in nature.

(5) The positive attitude of many evangelicals toward the charismatic movement, especially as it is seen in the signs-and-wonders movement.

(6) The acceptance of religious teachers and institutions which have not held the line on belief in eternal punishment. Fuller Seminary modified its doctrinal statement in this area, and individuals like Clark Pinnock have opened the door to people hearing the gospel after death and having a chance to respond positively, or hell being viewed as annihilation.

(7) The hearing being given in evangelical circles to “the openness of God” concept which rejects His absolute foreknowledge, among other things.

(8) The toleration by some evangelicals—especially in academic settings—of deviant sexual lifestyles, particularly homosexuality.

(9) The willingness of evangelical publishers to publish works which allow for aspects of higher critical views of the Bible, including redaction criticism, in interpreting the life of Christ in the Gospel accounts.

(10) The broad acceptance of the Promise-Keepers movement, even though it tolerates working with Roman Catholics and has strong charismatic overtones.

(11) The willingness of major evangelical leaders to sign their names to the “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” document, and still others to sign the later statement entitled “The Gift of Salvation.” While recognizing traditional differences (including sacramentalism), there is the willingness to call each other “brothers in Christ.”

(12) The belief by some evangelicals that the head of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope, is an evangelical.

If those attitudes and issues do not seem to be of such concern today, it is only because the new evangelical position has become mainstreamed into many Bible-believing circles to the extent that speaking against them puts one in a rather small minority. Issues such as ecumenical evangelism are still very significant today, but we hear little about them because many whose voices might at one time have spoken out in opposition have been quieted by a changed or at least a relaxed position. The new evangelical attitude has become so prevalent that one may be tempted to tolerate it as inevitable and normal.

Although addressing doctrinal and positional issues is not all that Christian leaders should be doing, it is one such important thing (note Paul's admonition to the Christian leaders in Ephesus [Acts 20:25 -31] and Jude's comments in his brief letter [Jude 3-5, 7-21]). Specific terms and titles may change, but there are always those from without and from within about whom the warning alarm needs to be sounded. This is biblical militancy. The issues and attitudes expressed by leaders within the new evangelicalism over the last 50 years are still important enough for biblical fundamentalists to address today. God's people must be informed and educated; they need to know where we as contemporary Christian leaders stand on these very significant topics. (bold added)

(Originally appeared March, 2010 & June 2014)

Editor’s Note:
The final two paragraphs by Dr. Houghton predates and likewise warns against what we have read from Dr. Peter Masters in his June 2009 article The Merger of Calvinism with Worldliness. “The ministry of warning is killed off, so that every -error of the new scene may race ahead unchecked” in regard to the disturbing trends of the conservative evangelicals. Today we are witnessing among some elder self-described separatists in Fundamentalist circles the loss of biblical militancy to the harm of the cause of Christ.

*See, Are We Recognizing the "New" New Evangelicalism? For example,

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. (Dr. Ernest Pickering, The Tragedy of Compromise, p. 159)

BJU Presidential Profile: A Choice Between "Respect for" and Returning to the "Vision of Its Founder," or the Status Quo

In the previous article BJU Partners With Tim Challies we saw our first piece of concrete evidence that the Executive Cabinet and Administration intend to continue with former president Steve Pettit’s agenda to transform the university.1

Today let's consider and react to the BJU Presidential Profile (see link below). The BJU Board has called for input toward their search for a new president. Within the Profile the following appears.

"The Board of Trustees invites BJU administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the University to review the current Presidential Profile and join the Board in suggesting additions, deletions, and/or revisions to the Profile."

Following are suggestions we have submitted for Board consideration.2

Ministry Qualifications
*Committed to the whole counsel of God including the biblical mandates for separation from unbelievers, disobedient brethren, ecumenical compromise and expressions of the world's anti-God culture in fine arts productions, the curriculum, and classroom instruction. See- 

Image from BJU Production

BJU's Compromised Spiritual Sanctification for Secular Pragmatism

BJU's Sacrilegious Fashion Show

BJU Entangles Student Body with Franklin Graham's Ecumenical Movement

*Committed to closing the campus to persons and organizations affiliated with apostate churches and new evangelicalism. See- 

Herb McCarthy and Save the Storks

Roman Catholicism Isn't the Only Thing Come to BJU

"Over a mere two weeks [April 2020] BJU gave its Bible Conference offering to an ecumenical organization headed by a new evangelical, and rented the university [auditorium] for a Roman Catholic to take the platform. Looking at...these, as well as similar BJU sponsored events or affiliations (Tim Tebow, Ken Ham, Billy Kim, Cantus, BJGrass, the SBC, the Presbyterian Church of America...a conclusion can be fairly drawn. Evidence from on campus shows that the university is turning ecumenical."

*Has no history of affiliation, endorsement or participation with non-separatist, so-called "conservative" evangelicals and their conferences such as (but not limited to) Together for the Gospel (T4G), The Gospel Coalition, Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), Promise Keepers and the Resolved Conference.

*Rejects CCM in all its forms including Getty Music, Bill & Gloria Gaither and Sovereign Grace Music.

*Rejects the modern-day Charismatic movement (popularized by John Piper).

*Committed to a Dispensational hermeneutic, rejecting Covenant theology. See- 

The Dangers of Covenant Theology

Dispensational Theology by Myron J. Houghton, Ph. D, Th.D.

"Many people do not know what dispensationalism really is or how it affects the beliefs we hold. The purpose of this [brief] article is to explain dispensationalism by looking at some of our major beliefs."

Leadership Qualities
In part it states, 

"...with a personal awareness and respect for the history of BJU and a strong personal commitment to provide continuity in the advancement of its mission and the vision of its founder."

Does the Board mean to say that the next president must "respect" and restore the university to the fundamentalist, separatist "vision of its founder" or only certain, some other, elements while maintaining the status quo? 

Steve Pettit, the Executive Cabinet and Administration set out to erase and replace much of "the vision of its founder." A mission that continues to this day as we have just shown in BJU Partners With Tim Challies. While the process of identifying candidates for the presidency of BJU current leadership continues transforming the school into what many believe will become the first cousin of Liberty University and Cedarville.

One pastor (BJU alum), having read the Presidential Profile commented, "As written John Piper, Al Mohler and Tim Challies could be viewed as qualified candidates."

Based on the current profile, and current leadership continues executing Pettit’s transformation of the school, we believe it's possible, even likely, that the next president of BJU will be a compromising evangelical who will not fully "respect [nor restore] the vision of its founder."


LM

See- Presidential Profile

Site Publisher's Correction: On 8/27 I posted a reply in the thread below to an anonymous person whose comment I accidentally deleted rather than publish. Yesterday I discovered that a portion of my comments about BJU's invitation to the male vocal group Cantus was in error. An employee of BJU informed me the portion in error was the following, "Cantus was invited with the foreknowledge of the group's homosexual members."

My source, having read that portion, sent an email to the person who invites and signs contracts with all the performers at BJU and has done it for the last 20 years. He asked him about what I alleged, that BJU had invited Cantus with the "foreknowledge of the group's homosexuals members."  That man replied emphatically, "We had no idea when we signed the contract with Cantus that they had homosexuals in the group. These groups change members all the time."

I have no reason to doubt the veracity of that first hand account and have therefore deleted the original comment and reposted a corrected version in the thread below. I offer my apology for the misinformation originally uploaded.

Update: This afternoon (8/23) I returned to the Presidential Profile page to submit the following under the Leadership Qualities section.

This phrase cries out for clarification, ",,,strong personal commitment to provide continuity in the advancement of its mission and the vision of its founder." Consider that statement in light of these questions:

1. What is, define specifically, the mission(s) and vision(s) you require an individual to have a personal awareness of, respect for and a strong personal commitment? 
2. Are you suggesting the mission and vision solely of its founder Bob Jones, Sr? 
3. Or the mission of Steve Pettit, the Executive Cabinet to transform the school, but the vision of Bob Jones, Sr.?

Footnotes:
1) The partnership with Challies demonstrates the BJU Executive Cabinet and Administration's on-going commitment to Steve Pettit’s agenda for erasing the university's fundamentalist, separatist legacy, embracing so-called "conservative" evangelicals and the proliferation of Reformed and Covenant theology.

2) The Ministerial Qualification suggestions above were submitted (Aug. 21) through the BJU portal.

Related Reading:
FACTS: An Enlarged Discussion by Dr. David Beale

“After being the premier fundamentalist academic institution for eighty-seven years, BJU elected Dr. Steve Pettit in 2014, as the president who steered the University out of separatist Fundamentalism into the inclusive, Broad Evangelical movement,” David Beale, Christian Fundamentalism in America (Maitland, FL: Xulon, 2021), 179, 530.

Dr. Mark Minnick Upon Steve Pettit's Resignation, "The Issues Nearly Everyone Would be Familiar With"

"I shared with him [Pettit], in all honesty, 'you need to know, I need to say, what I feel I have to tell people now.' I've never told people not to go to Bob Jones University. In most cases I usually end up saying, 'I hope that you're able to do that and if you can I want to encourage you.' But I had to tell Dr. Pettit that, 'parents are going to have to be far more vigilant, they're not going to receive the same kind of reinforcement if they've come from conservative homes, the same kind of reinforcement in many, many of the situations'."

BJU Foundations Conference: An Intrusion of Reformed/Covenant Theology, New Calvinism & Lordship Salvation

BJU: A Ministry in Flux With Its Future Unsettled

The Driving Force Behind BJU's Departure From its Historic Legacy

An Analysis of BJU's Position Paper on Calvinism, Arminianism & Reformed Theology

Steve Pettit's Break with the Conservative Base

"I cannot recall any of the main talking points other than that Steve was constantly saying, 'Millennials this and millennials that'.”

BJU Partners With Tim Challies

BJU (the seminary) is in partnership with Tim Challies, a non-separatist evangelical, Reformed theologian. See- Challies

This partnership with Challies demonstrates the BJU administration is committed to former president Steve Pettit’s agenda for:

• Erasing BJU's fundamentalist, separatist legacy
• Embracing compromising evangelicals
• Accelerating the proliferation of Reformed theology

Partnership with and advertising at Challies, furthermore, demonstrates BJU pins its survivability on expanding on-going recruiting efforts of and pandering to the evangelicals.

LM

Continue to- BJU Presidential Profile: A Choice Between "Respect for" and Returning to the "Vision of Its Founder," or the Status Quo

Related Reading:
Will BJU Recover From Steve Pettit’s Presidency?

BJU: A Ministry in Flux With Its Future Unsettled

Steve Pettit: An  Advocacy for the Advancement Reformed Theology

The Driving Force Behind BJU's Departure From its Historic Legacy

Archival Series: Will They Never Learn? "Every Failed School Veered From Its Conservative & Historic Base..."

 Today [June 8, 2020] I am drawing your attention to a message by Dr. Will Senn given at the FBFI Annual Fellowship on June 12, 2019. His message title was, What are the Qualities of True Christian Fellowship?1 You will appreciate the relevance of the latter part of his message as it has a direct bearing on our discussions about the changing face of Bob Jones University (BJU).

Where the message begins to move toward what is applicable to BJU begins at -20:50. Later the message hones in on specifics that precisely addresses what is happening at Bob Jones University (BJU). To appreciate the impact of what was said you must listen to the balance of Pastor Senn’s message from -17:20 through the end.

Dr. Will Senn

Dr. Senn begins closing his message with an illustration from a graduate class he was teaching at International Baptist College & Seminary (Spring 2019).  His concluding remarks are drawn from the students’ answers to the final exam he had given them. Their assignment was, “I am giving you five colleges where the doors are now closed…. You’re going to make an oral presentation…. Why did they close?” (-17:20) Dr. Senn’s assigned the final.

“Why did Clearwater close, Northland close, Pillsbury close, Calvary Baptist Seminary close, Tennessee Temple close…. why did they fall, what happened and what can we learn? I want you to do the research. I want us to learn something from history because it will have a current application and future application as it relates to our fellowship.”

Dr. Senn then assigned the students a second portion to the exam.  He said, “You’re going to take the lessons learned and I am going to ask you to put yourself in the context of addressing five current Christian schools where if you had the opportunity to talk to their boards what would you say to those board members from the lessons just learned?”

The five current schools assigned were: Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, Faith Baptist (Ankeny, IA), Maranatha Baptist University, Bob Jones University and International Baptist College & Seminary.

The student answers are as revealing as they are factually correct. Dr. Senn read samples of the reasons students arrived at for the five schools closing, for example:

•    Guard against sports becoming the focus of the school, rather than the focus being disciple making, loving Christ and other type of school.

•    Maintain sound doctrine; do not compromise to broaden the school’s base of support.

•    The need for the school to solicit input and support of the pastor and churches that are sending their students to the school.

•    Be true to your mission statement. Do not try to be something that you are not.

•    Southern Baptists and other evangelicals have their own well established and attractive schools. They are not looking for new schools, but are content with their current choices.

•    Sports programming can become overbearing and expensive especially if you seek to compete in higher divisions.

The excerpted student answers above (there were thirty in all) boiled down to a summary statement. Dr. Senn prefaced their summary, “Why these five schools collapsed and then what would you say to the other five schools that I love?” Their summary statement was,

Every failed school veered from its conservative and historic base to accommodate a new base…and each time it was the death knell of the school.

BJU president Dr. Steve Pettit was in the auditorium under the sound of Dr. Senn’s message. From that day to this it appears virtually none of those student admonitions made a dent with Steve Pettit and his mission for BJU. Does Steve Pettit think he can veer from the university’s base to accommodate the SBC and evangelicals and the university will survive it? If that is Steve’s plan then he is not learning from history the lesson that the five closed schools learned the hard way.

Drs. Horn & Pettit

During the tragedy that became Northland’s closure objective observers knew that Matt Olson, with Sam Horn “veered from its conservative and historic base to accommodate a new base.” Today, objective observers recognize that Steve Pettit and Sam Horn “veered from [BJU’s] conservative and historic base to accommodate a new base.” BJU’s “conservative and historic base” recognize what Pettit and Horn together have done. The base has been alienated, disenfranchised and their admonitions ignored.  Consequently much of the base has abandoned the school, plus the SBC and evangelical students Steve Pettit is trying to attract, “are not looking for new schools, but are content with their current choices.”

At this blog I have in various forms been writing statements like this, “For NIU the lesson from TTU [Clearwater, Calvary Seminary] and Pillsbury is the same, ‘You can’t come in and turn a hard right or left and expect to have your alumni with you’.”2 Today we can take that statement with some editing to read as follows, “For Bob Jones University the lesson from NIU, TTU, Pillsbury, Clearwater and Calvary Seminary is the same, “You can’t come in and turn a hard right or left and expect to have your alumni with you.”

Closing with Dr. Senn, 

“You can’t build that [SBC, evangelical] relationship fast enough. So what happens is you are pushing the good people out, the Calebs and Joshuas. And you start listening to the ten spies.”

BJU is well on its way to joining the five failed schools. You cannot alienate your core constituency and expect them to remain loyal. On its current trajectory BJU should not expect to survive Steve Pettit’s presidency.

LM

Originally appeared June 2020 under the title, Why These Schools Collapsed & What Does It Mean for [BJU]?

Site Publisher Addendum, June 2023:

With Steve Pettit's departure from BJU and the university reeling in a crisis of his making we may soon hear the death knell and witness its failing like that of Pillsbury, TTU, Clearwater, Calvary Seminary and Northland. They never learn! In his Reflection article Pastor Travis Smith said,

"I have observed 'from the back pew, a repetition of the same failures at Bob Jones University that initiated the demise of CCC [Clearwater Christian College] and other Bible fundamental colleges. Unfortunately, led by the current president of the university and his administrators, the same compromised ideologies (and many of the same personalities) that drove those institutions to their demise are perpetuating the same at BJU. They have rejected the university’s fundamental Bible legacy and voided the disciplines that shaped and instilled Christian character in generations of graduates."

Footnotes:

1) What are the Qualities of True Christian Fellowship?

2) What Do Pillsbury; TTU & NIU Have in Common? (October, 2012)

Related Reading:
BJU: A Ministry in Flux With Its Future Unsettled

Steve Pettit's Break With the "Conservative" Base

In March 2017 Evangelist Tom Farrell coordinated a meeting for a large number of conservative pastors to share their concerns with Steve Pettit over the direction he was taking BJU. Steve dismissed the importance of the meeting from the outset.

Sam Horn in Historical Perspective: Northland & Bob Jones University

The Northland/BJU pattern is virtually the same, casting off its fundamentalism, separatist roots, and the common denominator is Sam Horn. BJU is learning what the colleges learned the hard way when they went down the road of embracing evangelicalism.  And that lesson is: You cannot turn a college to a hard right or hard left and expect to have your alumni with you. 

The Closure of Calvary Baptist Seminary: Predictable & Repeatable (August 2013)

Is NIU “UnChanged?” NBBC Position Statement on Contemporary Issues in Christianity

What tires objective observers is letters like those from Les Ollila and Matt Olson where they…use subjective imprecise language to quell any concerns…. Northland’s new trajectory has a historic parallel. The devastating effects of introducing Evangelicalism’s [non-separatist] philosophy and practices into a Fundamentalist setting are no starker than the demise of Pillsbury Baptist Bible College.

NIU Closes: Continuation of the Pattern of Demise (April 2015)

This is the predicted result of Matt Olson’s Experiment with the “new wave” of new evangelicalism. It was clear that the school would not survive Olson’s changes. Matt Olson and his team [Sam Horn] had pounded the nails into the coffin of a once fine, fundamental, Baptistic, separatist school. 

This Pastor’s Perspective on the Closure of Clearwater Christian College (June 2015)

From the front pew it has been my sorrow to observe CCC’s decline over the past 13 years.  From a college with a strong following of biblical fundamental pastors and churches, CCC appeared to have lost her way.  Many reasons will be given for the doors of CCC closing.  Some will cite economics, a dwindling number of conservative churches, low student enrollment and competition from other colleges. Although all of the above no doubt contribute to the demise of CCC; I suggest from my vantage point that the leadership of the college over the past 10 years steered the college away from its founder’s purpose, philosophy and vision.



Steve Pettit: An Advocacy for the Advancement of Reformed Theology

Former BJU president Steve Pettit will be a featured speaker at an upcoming conference for the advancement of Reformed Theology (RT). Sponsorship of the conference is by the Reformed  Baptist Network. Conference host is Grace Baptist Church, Taylors, SC.

Steve Pettit's attachment to and advocacy of RT is not a new revelation. His participation in the conference is merely a continuation of his years long commitment to RT. He continues in cooperative ministry with men whose doctrine (RT) he is in close agreement with. (For a primer on Reformed Theology see below.)

Some men believe when Steve Pettit first arrived at BJU to assume the presidency he merely inherited what RT was present at the time. We have irrefutably proven, and offered a new proof today, Steve Pettit is passionately committed to the advancement of Reformed theology. During his tenure as BJU president he promoted a proliferation of Reformed theology in his personal ministry. He invited, almost exclusively, Reformed speakers for campus conferences (CoRE, Foundations, Dr, Stewart Custer Lecture Series). See for example, 

Dr. David Beale's FACTS: An Enlarged Discussion

BJU Foundations Conference: An Intrusion of Reformed Theology...

This is Not Your Father's BJU, A Continuation

Steve Pettit is soliciting for and receiving invitations to appear at churches, camps and conferences.  Before you host and/or attend any events where Steve Pettit would be speaking you might ask, "Do I want to expose myself, my family or people under my ministerial care to a man..." 

• Who advocates The Dangers of Reformed Theology?
• Who for nine years at BJU compromised spiritual sanctification for secular pragmatism?
• Who turned the university away from biblical separation to appease the desires of millennials?
• Who entangled BJU students with Franklin Graham's Ecumenical Movement?

LM

What is Reformed Theology?

Reformed Theology is a theological system of thought based upon Augustinian theology of the 4th century. Augustine, the founder of the Roman Catholic Church, based his doctrines on the Bible and substantial philosophical thinking of his day. As it follows a literal-historical-grammatical hermeneutic combined with allegorical interpretation that results in a misunderstood eschatology. 

The Reformers recovered much truth which had been lost, for which we are thankful. The Reformers, however, never totally freed themselves from the allegorical, non-literal method of Origen and from the church/kingdom concept of Augustine (as reflected by the “kingdom now” proponents of today).  Most Reformed men deny the rapture and the millennial reign of Christ, and many embrace Preterism (the belief that most prophecies relating to the tribulation and second coming were fulfilled on or around 70 A.D.).

Reformed Theology is often identified with five-point Calvinism, although Luther and Calvin both taught that Christ died for the sins of all men without exception.  Thus, Calvin was not as Calvinistic as many who now bear his name. Today most men (though not all) who embrace Reformed Theology embrace Covenant Theology, rejecting Dispensationalism. 

I encourage visitors to read Dispensational Theology by Dr. Myron J. Houghton.

Future Events: If God's program for Israel is distinct from His program for the Church, then those Scripture passages describing God's program for Israel should not be used to determine our understanding God's future program for the Church. With this in mind, we understand that Matthew 24 describes God's program for Israel and not the Church.

Related Reading

The Danger of Covenant Theology

The Danger of Teaching that Christ Died Only for the Elect

Bob Jones University: A Ministry in Flux with its Future Unsettled

In an email blast we have been informed, "The Bob Jones University Board of Trustees today appointed Dr. Alan Benson acting CEO, effective May 17, 2023." The BOT added, "Teaming with Benson will be Dr. Gary Weier and Dr. Bruce McAllister."

In recent weeks the Board of Trustees (BOT) has appointed four men to leadership positions. They are:

• Samuel Dawson- Chairman BOT
• Gary Weier- Acting CEO (temporary)
• Alan Benson- Acting CEO
• Bruce McAllister- Team Support (?)

Weier and Benson had been supportive of Steve Pettit's agenda. They signed the April 3 demands and ultimatum letter addressed to the BOT. Dawson is a bit of a mystery. Did he support Pettit's agenda? He has been on faculty at Dave Doran's seminary for many years.  We're hopeful he does not embrace Doran's rejection and redefinition of "militant" biblical separation.* Why the inclusion of Bruce McAllister? We trust his appointment is not merely a facade showing allegiance to separatist Fundamentalism.

The mixed bag of appointees, allowing Pettit's resignation to stand and a permanent successor to Steve Pettit yet unnamed indicates the BOT and the transition is in flux. Nothing is settled.

In a previous article Steve Pettit's Resignation Stands we asked, Will the revamped BOT:

• Roll back Pettit’s disastrous agenda?
• Restore integrity and trust?
• Restore a balance in biblical separation?
• Reach out to and reassure the disenfranchised base?
• Put in place safe guards and boundaries for leadership as conditions of remaining employed?

The wave of recent appointments and pending permanent successor to the former president suggests the answer is, "to be determined."

LM

*Dave Doran is no friend of Fundamentalism. Doran (and Kevin Bauder) has a track record of tolerating, allowing for, excusing and ignoring doctrinal aberrations and worldly compromise for cooperative ministry with the so-called "conservative" evangelicals.

Previous Articles in the Series

BJU: The Driving Force Behind the Departure From its Historic Legacy

When we reflect on the definition of New Calvinism and note the radical shift in doctrine, practice and culture Steve Pettit engineered on campus we conclude he is a passionate advocate for the advancement of New Calvinism.  Steve Pettit stands alongside well known gurus of New Calvinism. New Calvinism is the driving force behind the departure from BJU's historic legacy.

Steve Pettit's Break With the "Conservative" Base.

Steve dismissed the importance of the meeting from the outset by recognizing the number of students represented by the pastors in the room as if to say, “you pastors are not sending that many students.” The better question would have been, “You pastors sent X number of students five years ago and only Y number now. What’s happening?”

Steve Pettit's Resignation Stands

With the 2014 announcement Pettit would become BJU president objective observers instinctively questioned whether the agenda that led to Northland's ruin might be attempted at BJU. We didn't have long to wait to find out. Spiritual sanctification was sacrificed for secular pragmatism, pandering to millennials became the guiding principle, Reformed & Covenant theologies quickly permeated the school, with New Calvinism the underlying driving force behind it all. The disastrous results of the Pettit and executive administration agenda brought BJU to the current crisis. 

Transitional Fundamentalism

As Transitional Fundamentalists crusade for change we must be aware that the change envisioned is not a return to orthodoxy and orthopraxy; it is a compromise of the truth. It is informative to note that mainstream evangelicals have gone on record as stating that there is no appreciable difference between Conservative Evangelicalism and Fundamentalists who are in transition.

BJU: A Refection From the Back Pew...

I have observed 'from the back pew,' a repetition of the same failures at Bob Jones University that initiated the demise of CCC [Clearwater Christian College] and other Bible fundamental colleges. Unfortunately, led by the current president of the university and his administrators, the same compromised ideologies (and many of the same personalities) that drove those institutions to their demise are perpetuating the same at BJU. They have rejected the university’s fundamental Bible legacy and voided the disciplines that shaped and instilled Christian character in generations of graduates.

Steve Pettit Resigns: The Issues Nearly Everyone Would Be Familiar With

Dr. Mark Minnick said, "I shared with him [Steve Pettit], in all honesty, 'you need to know, I need to say, what I feel I have to tell people now.' I've never told people not to go to Bob Jones University. In most cases I usually end up saying, 'I hope that you're able to do that and if you can I want to encourage you.' But I had to tell Dr. Pettit that, 'parents are going to have to be far more vigilant, they're not going to receive the same kind of reinforcement if they've come from conservative homes, the same kind of reinforcement in many, many of the situations'."

Dr. John Lewis Resigns BJU Board

Steve Pettit Resignes BJU Presidency

We Deserve Our Troubles, But He Deserves None

Maranatha Baptist University Announces New President

Dr. David Anderson, currently senior pastor of Heritage Baptist Church of Roscoe, Illinois, has been named the sixth president of Maranatha Baptist University. He will take office on August 1, 2023, in preparation for the fall semester. Dr. Anderson will succeed Dr. Marty Marriott who has served as the school’s president since 2009 and was named chancellor at the MBU commencement program on May 5.

For more see- MBU Names Dr. David Anderson as President

LM

Bob Jones University Appoints CEO

The Executive Committee (EC) of the BJU Board of Trustees (BOT) "unanimously appointed" Dr. Gary Weier as "temporary" CEO.1 

Why appoint a temporary CEO when the BOT has a chairman? One friend suggests the SACSCOC is behind this appointment. When the office of the president is vacated SACSCOC guidelines may require the position be filled with an appointee who at least temporarily takes on that role. In any event, there may be a need to ensure all matters going forward meet legal and/or ethical requirements.

According to the EC announcement the full BOT meets on May 16 to decide "how [BJU is] to proceed." With the SACSCOC requirement in mind and the appointment of Dr. Weier to expire at the end of the day (May 16) we might conclude a new college president will be named on May 16.

Fwiw, Gary Weier was the lead signer of the April 3rd appeal letter to the BOT. Of course, the "respectfully request" points within the letter were demands in addition to several accusations. Will Dr. Weier be a voice to impede rolling back Steve Pettit's erasure of BJU's fundamentalist, separatist foundation and deep infusion of Reformed, Covenant theology into the university and seminary?

Once the board decision "how to proceed" is announced we may have a better idea of what's in store for the university- it's faculty, staff and student body. Until then speculation runs the gamete.

LM

Footnote:
1) See Here

Dear Faculty, Staff, GAs, and Retirees,This afternoon, May 11, 2023, the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees unanimously appointed Dr. Gary Weier as acting CEO until end of day Tuesday, May 16, 2023. The full Board is scheduled to meet on that Tuesday and will decide as a Board how to proceed. The Executive Committee expressed appreciation for Gary’s willingness to serve in this temporary position. 

Previous Articles in the Series

BJU: The Driving Force Behind the Departure From its Historic Legacy

When we reflect on the definition of New Calvinism and note the radical shift in doctrine, practice and culture Steve Pettit engineered on campus we conclude he is a passionate advocate for the advancement of New Calvinism.  Steve Pettit stands alongside well known gurus of New Calvinism. New Calvinism is the driving force behind the departure from BJU's historic legacy.

Steve Pettit's Break With the "Conservative" Base.

Steve Pettit's Resignation Stands

Transitional Fundamentalism

BJU: A Refection From the Back Pew...

I have observed 'from the back pew,' a repetition of the same failures at Bob Jones University that initiated the demise of CCC [Clearwater Christian College] and other Bible fundamental colleges. Unfortunately, led by the current president of the university and his administrators, the same compromised ideologies (and many of the same personalities) that drove those institutions to their demise are perpetuating the same at BJU. They have rejected the university’s fundamental Bible legacy and voided the disciplines that shaped and instilled Christian character in generations of graduates.

Dr. John Lewis Resigns BJU Board

Steve Pettit Resigns: The Issues Nearly Everyone Would Be Familiar With

Steve Pettit Resignes B JU Presidency

We Deserve Our Troubles, But He Deserves None

Bob Jones University: Will the University Recover From Steve Pettit’s Presidency?

Now that Bob Jones University (BJU) is free of Steve Pettit's presidency the question is: Will BJU recover from or fail to resist his erasure of the university's fundamentalist, separatist foundation for compromising evangelicalism, Reformed theology and New Calvinism?

The challenges facing the Board of Trustees (BOT) cannot be underestimated. And who knows if the BOT even has the numbers or will to reverse the worst elements of Pettit’s tenure. 

New Leadership
Certainly naming a new or interim president is a high priority. Will there be infighting over candidates among members of the BOT? Whoever is selected will, by name alone, send a signal to the public.1

Because of the sharp partisan split in the BJU community, whoever is named will likely trigger a new wave of protests with students electing to depart. During Pettit’s tenure, scores of pastors were disenfranchised because of his stubborn rejection of their concerns, resistance to biblical counsel and the pleading of friends of the university. Without a concerted effort by the BOT, those pastors may never return to the BJU fold, no matter who becomes interim president. 

How can current and prospective students make an informed decision with BJU's future direction uncertain and undeclared?

Enrollment

According to US News & World Report (fall 2021) BJU had an enrollment of 2,705 undergraduates. The BJU enrollment figures I was given for the end of 2023 I have since found out were wrong.  BJU ended the year with nearly 2,700 undergrad students and 300+/- present students have not left for colleges like Cedarville. An employee from BJU recently (August 2023) informed me, "Enrollment numbers for this year look to be right around 2,670 (around 30 below what we were at the end of school year 2023. Around 20 of those 30 who left were student-athletes who left because we dropped our NCAA affiliation. We will know the final figures for enrollment in a couple of weeks. Last year’s freshman class was the largest (705) that we have had in several years."

The Board of Trustees
Can we hold the Board of Trustees partially responsible for Pettit and his executive administration descending the school far into non-separatist, compromising evangelicalism? To be sure, some members saw where Pettit was taking the school and argued for a solution. Nevertheless the BOT did not act decisively when it was abundantly clear (early on) what Pettit intended for the university, which brought on the current crisis. The inability to act decisively only emboldened Pettit to accelerate his radical transformation of the university.

That said let's consider the following:

• The BOT went through a significant reshaping to become an accredited school.
• The existing members of the BOT needed to be sure of a conservative majority before implementing a plan to deal with Steve Pettit.
• The current BOT is conservative.
• Genuine fundamentalists were trying to intervene to bring about a change.

All of those things took time.

What Can We Do?

• We should thank the BOT for not letting Pettit stay or return and encourage them to continue to move the school clearly to the right.
• Pray that the BOT finds the wisdom to recover the school to its foundational moorings.
• We encourage the BOT to humble themselves, acknowledge a corporate failure, and ask for forgiveness and assistance.

The BOT does not have the luxury of time on their side. Assuming the BOT wants to salvage the university they should reach out to all the disenfranchised pastors and former board members who resigned in recent years and invite them to a closed board meeting to discuss the future of BJU,

The Choices for the BOT Are Clear

The BOT needs to act soon and decisively! Either:

• Announce an end to Pettit’s agenda with a plan to reverse course back toward a balanced fundamentalist, separatist stance. Remove administrators complicit in Pettit’s compromises, and replace faculty and staff who resist and do not support BJU's Bible fundamental legacy.
• Allow the school to continue the leftward trajectory that Pettit engineered and implemented.
• Guide the school into closure if finding it unsustainable. And if closure comes accept it contentedly as the Lord's doing.

Closing
While some board members resigned rather than contest Pettit’s agenda others stayed in the fight. One pastor said,

"The conservatives on the BOT said, 'I’ll stay and fight rather than leave and watch it die.' The fighters on the Board have won the majority of the board. Sadly, they’ve lost the school because of Steve Pettit. I do not see how BJU survives. The constituency is gone. The spirit is broken. The purpose is in question."

If the BOT does not have the numbers and will to reverse Pettit’s agenda then BJU may close. The cause of Christ would be better served with BJU's closure rather than slip deeper into the abyss of worldly culture, non-separatist and ecumenical compromise.

LM

See the comment section below for an important addendum to Pettit's departure.

Previous Articles in the Series

BJU: The Driving Force Behind the Departure From its Historic Legacy

When we reflect on the definition of New Calvinism and note the radical shift in doctrine, practice and culture Steve Pettit engineered on campus we conclude he is a passionate advocate for the advancement of New Calvinism.  Steve Pettit stands alongside well known gurus of New Calvinism. New Calvinism is the driving force behind the departure from BJU's historic legacy.

Steve Pettit's Break With the "Conservative" Base.

Transitional Fundamentalism

Steve Pettit's Resignation Stands

BJU: A Refection From the Back Pew...

I have observed 'from the back pew,' a repetition of the same failures at Bob Jones University that initiated the demise of CCC [Clearwater Christian College] and other Bible fundamental colleges. Unfortunately, led by the current president of the university and his administrators, the same compromised ideologies (and many of the same personalities) that drove those institutions to their demise are perpetuating the same at BJU. They have rejected the university’s fundamental Bible legacy and voided the disciplines that shaped and instilled Christian character in generations of graduates.

Dr. John Lewis Resigns BJU Board

Steve Pettit Resigns: he Issues Nearly Everyone Would Be Familiar With

Steve Pettit Resignes B JU Presidency

We Deserve Our Troubles, But He Deserves None

Footnote
1) We've seen Richard Stratton being floated as a potential candidate for next president. Fresh off Stratton steering Clearwater Christian College away from "its founder’s purpose, philosophy, and vision, driving it into extinction" Pettit hired him. Stratton brought CCM, MTV, and unlimited cable programming into the Clearwater student center and chapel services. The college closed later that year. When you're looking for men to appease millennials with a bona-fide track record of destroying a fundamentalist school it made sense for Pettit to bring Stratton aboard to help him erase BJU's legacy.

Related Reading

Accountable for Failure and Won't Own Up to It  (from Sept 2019)

BJU president Steve Pettit, Sam Horn and the board would do well to heed the warning. They are making many of the same mistakes made by the men at Calvary, Baptist Seminary, Northland, Clearwater, TTU and Pillsbury. BJU is on a course that, if history is our teacher, will in all likelihood lead to its eventual demise.

BJU: An Intrusion of Reformed/Covenant Theology, Calvinism & Lordship Salvation

Steve Pettit Entangles BJU With Franklin Graham's Ecumenical Movement

BJU's Blasphemous Fashion Design Run way Show

FACTS: An Enlarged Discussion  by Dr. David Beale