Kevin Bauder: There He Goes Again, Redefining Fundamentalism

Pastor Marc Monte

In his recent essay, “Another One Bites the Dust,” Dr. Kevin Bauder, Research Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary, analyzes the unfortunate trend of the dissolution of Fundamentalist institutions of higher learning.  Dr. Bauder is a brilliant man and prolific writer who has bequeathed a wealth of thought-provoking material to the Lord’s church.  His book, Baptist Distinctives and New Testament Church Order, is a poignant defense of the Baptist position concerning both the polity and the practice of Baptist churches.  This author uses Dr. Bauder’s book and he recommends it widely.

Dr. Bauder’s recent article seeks to address reasons for the demise of many prominent Fundamentalist colleges and seminaries.  Going beyond the standard arguments of cultural shift and constituency alienation (both of which, he postulates, are legitimate issues), Dr. Bauder presents additional, not-often-considered factors pertinent to the death of these institutions.  His analysis deserves thoughtful consideration as Fundamentalist institutions move into the “brave, new world” of the 21^st Century. 

In such a thoughtful article, it is unfortunate that Dr. Bauder could not resist his penchant for trashing what he describes as the “King James Only orbit.”  It appears to this avid Bauder reader that the good professor harbors unreasonable angst toward fellow fundamentalists who hold to a view of manuscript evidences different from his own.  His classification, “King James Only orbit,” paints with a broad brush, thereby unfairly dismissing legitimate theological positions within that orbit.

More than most men, Dr. Bauder understands that precise theology is nuanced theology.   For example, Dr. Bauder would not accept the tenants of every form and presentation of Calvinism.  He would be careful to distinguish his brand of Calvinism from others, emphasizing the nuances of his position as opposed to others.  This author contends that the same careful, nuanced approach should apply to the “King James Only orbit.”  There are some within the “orbit” who hold to a false theory of double inspiration.  There are others, however, who simply appeal to the Textus Receptus manuscripts as their authority, rejecting other differing manuscripts as spurious.  Such a view is not heterodox.  It is a legitimate, nuanced theological position.  To hold such a position does not place one outside the fundamentalist theological sphere.  Indeed, the Lord’s church held to the infallibility of those apographs (manuscript copies) for over 1800 years.  Only in the late 1800’s did the text of the New Testament suffer significant destabilization with the publication of newly discovered, variant manuscripts.

Dr. Bauder’s most jarring and politically charged statement appears with his textual position playing loudly in the background:

“The King James Only crowd likes to boast that schools like Pensacola Christian College and West Coast Baptist College are thriving, and that may be true. These colleges, however, are not representative of fundamentalist institutions, and their prosperity does not do anything to help normal fundamentalism.” (Emphasis added.)

Herein, Dr. Bauder grievously errs. To say that Pensacola and West Coast are not “representative of fundamentalist institutions” redefines, once again, fundamentalism.  Neither school denies nor do they adulterate any point of the classical fundamentalist credo.  Their doctrinal statements are readily available for anyone’s inspection.  In addition, both schools practice personal and ecclesiastical separation, the hallmark of fundamentalism. The fact that these schools specify allegiance to a specific Greek text in no way diminishes their fundamentalist credentials.  In addition, both schools have a strong fundamentalist heritage.  In the case of Pensacola, it has flourished within the sphere of fundamentalism for decades.  Many fundamentalist churches recommend both Pensacola and Bob Jones as options within the fundamentalist realm.  Dr. Bauder’s needlessly divisive statement lacks both theological and historical support.

The second portion of his statement is even more troubling:  The prosperity of these colleges “does not do anything to help normal fundamentalism.”  Frankly, this author could scarcely believe a man of Dr. Bauder’s intellectual stature would make such an all-encompassing, condemnatory statement.  To claim disagreement with a nuanced theological issue is one thing; but to claim that these schools do “not do anything to help normal fundamentalism” demeans the work and dedication of sincere servants of Christ.  His statement slanders thousands of pastors who recommend Pensacola and West Coast, classifying godly men as somehow as not “normal.” And his statement simply isn’t true.  Thousands of fundamentalist pastors find in these schools a place of believing scholarship for their students.  Both of these schools have sent out thousands of Christian workers into the harvest fields of the world.  Both of these schools proclaim and defend the “faith once delivered to the saints,” (Jude 3).  Both take missions, church planting, and evangelism seriously and both have seen stellar success in these areas.  Both are filling the fundamentalist pulpits of America with men sound in the faith and zealous for the redemption of the lost. 

Succinctly stated, Dr. Bauder’s declaration is both irresponsible and indefensible. 

While Dr. Bauder has presented much good analytical material in his article—material that deserves thoughtful consideration—he has, once again, marred his work with an unnecessary rant against Christian people—fellow fundamentalists—who love and serve the Lord.  He seems bent on making enemies where he could have found friends, and, in so doing, he repeats an error plaguing fundamentalism from its inception—an error which increasingly alienates intelligent young men and women from the fundamentalist movement.


Ps. Marc Monte
Faith Baptist Church, Avon

For a continuation of this discussion from Pastor Monte, please see:

An Antecdotal Answer to the Demise of Fundamentalist Schools

Previous Articles by Ps. Monte:

Muddying the Clearwaters 

Bauder’s position differs markedly from the strong stance of R.V. Clearaters. “Doc,” as he was called, had no trouble “calling a spade and spade.” Bauder struggles with that…. For reasons known only to himself, Bauder mocks those whose doctrinal concerns include bibliology, the blood atonement and sovereignty/free will.

Kevin Bauder: It Won’t Fly With Those of Us Who Know

“If Kevin desires to take Dr. Clearwaters venerable institution a different direction from the founder, he should do so without pretending to be the 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.”

 Genuine Integrity Demands a Simple Admission 

What troubles [me], however, is the nagging feeling that Jeff Straub was attempting to convey more than just mere admiration for stands well taken. His not-so-subtle mention that both of these pastors are entrenched in the SBC appears to lend tacit approval to the denominational organization…. Dr. Clearwaters was not one to speak well of the “denominational machine.” Genuine integrity demands a simple admission from institutional leadership that they are moving from the separatist principles of their founders.

Related Reading:
A Letter From Dr. Richard V. Clearwaters to Kevin Bauder

Kevin, while reading your articles I have observed an inordinate affection towards pseudo-intellectual teaching, and a disdain for old-fashioned, confrontational Bible preaching.  Make no mistake, old fashioned, confrontational Bible preaching is exactly why I founded Central Seminary.  My burden was to train men with an air-tight understanding of the Scriptures, with the ability to stand in pulpits across the land and preach, “thus saith the Lord,” with the desire to start churches and win souls to Christ.  To the contrary, I did not start the school over which you [Bauder] preside, for men to flounder in unbelief, for them to wonder for decades where they stand, or for them to be given to counseling, teaching and academic idolatry.  I often told the men I was training, “We use the mind here, but we do not worship it.” Dr. Bauder, all given appearances seem to indicate that you are intentionally trying to lead those who follow your writings…away from the testimony upon which [Central Seminary] was founded and into the compromising orbit of protestant evangelicalism.

Piedmont/TTU: A Predictable Pattern of Mergers With Only One Survivor

What Do NIU, Pillsbury and (NOW) TTU Have in Common?

Piedmont/TTU: A Predictable Pattern of Mergers With Only One Survivor

Tragic, isn’t it? It has not been a delight to report on a pattern of the predictable demise of once fine, not perfect, schools. That’s right, “demise.”  One survives and the other goes away.

“…but the merger effectively means that come May 1, Tennessee Temple University will no longer exist.” (The End of Tennessee Temple in Chattanooga, Times Free Press, March 3, 2015).

Last time we considered Tennessee Temple’s demise, being folded into Piedmont International University.1 Look at the schools that already have or may be near to folding.  Is there common denominator?  There are, in my opinion, two factors, to be considered.  First, and foremost, was these schools becoming in practice like, and aligning with the non-separatism of so-called “conservative” evangelicalism.

Second, while possibly less of a negative impact than the former, these schools also drifted into allowing for and tolerating two major doctrinal errors.  Those errors are: 1) Reformed Theology, which includes Calvinism and Covenant theology. 2) Lordship Salvation (LS), which is a works based, man-centered message that corrupts the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Cor. 11:3) and frustrates grace (Gal. 2:21).2 That said, some of our schools have been or lean toward Calvinism and enjoyed relative health.

Schools that get dislodged from their biblical separatist roots, and veer away from their constituencies cannot survive. Pillsbury, Northland, Central Seminary and TTU learned this the hard way. On the theological grid, I think many of our separatists are regrettably willing to endure Calvinism and even LS more so than they are willing to endure a false eschatology and hermeneutic (“the church is Israel” – “Historic Premill,” etc.).

Consider the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC), formerly known as NANC, and their link to Jay Adams. That marriage paved the way for Reformed Theology to make deep inroads into our own ranks.


I would, furthermore, offer and repeat a serious caution: When it comes to the star personalities of the so-called “conservative” evangelicalism, including cooperative ministry, Drs. Kevin Bauder and Dave Doran are willing to tolerate, allow for, ignore and excuse all sorts of aberrant theology (including Reformed, Covenant theology) ecumenical compromises, cultural relativism and worldliness.  Those men (Bauder, Doran, et., al.) through casting aside authentic biblical separatism, paved the way for Covenant Theology to make deep inroads into our circles, and essentially ruin nearly an entire generation of young preachers.  Dr. Ernest Pickering wrote,

“Some leaders operate on the principle that they will use speakers who are well-known even though they may be shaky in their convictions in some areas-because they have special abilities that are helpful and thus can be a blessing to their congregations. The wisdom, however, of following this course of action is very doubtful…. 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.”3 (Biblical Separation: The Struggle for a Pure Church, Implementing Separatist Convictions, Whom to Invite to Your Platform, p. 229.)

Predictions:
Where we stand today gone are Pillsbury Baptist Bible College, Northland Baptist Bible College (NIU), Calvary Baptist Seminary and Tennessee Temple.  As for my personal opinion of other schools traditionally in our circles: I suspect Central Seminary will soon join the others in closing. How Bob Jones University fares will in part depend upon how new president Steve Pettit aligns with some of the drifting churches in Greenville, i.e. Heritage Bible, Hampton Park, etc.

Maranatha Baptist University, I believe, and am hopeful will be with us well into the future.  Ambassador Baptist College is debt free, and I believe is being lead well by Ron Comfort’s successor, Alton Beal. The Baptist College of Ministry & Theological Seminary is on sure footing for a long term future.  It seems to me that Pensacola Christian, West Coast and Crown College will around for many years to come.

In all of these closures I wondered where does Piedmont fit it.  TTU is not the first to be absorbed by Piedmont.  Previous to TTU Piedmont absorbed Spurgeon Baptist Bible College of FL., and Atlantic Bible College, VA.  Piedmont also got libraries from other sources. While Piedmont claims to keep the schools alive they have simply digested them.  These were not, “unlike most mergers,” “[un]like a marriage,” because only one entity (Piedmont) has, thus far, survived and the other(s) have gone away.


LM

Related Reading:
Discussion…the Closing of Pillsbury Baptist Bible College

“Although Pillsbury struggled for a number of years to recover itself [from its slide into evangelical compromise], it never really dealt with, in any real tangible way, its ruined reputation. Although this was repeatedly brought before them by many people, they never really did what was necessary to regain the trust of the Gatekeepers who send students.” (11/06/2008)

Northland…Culmination of a Modern Day Tragedy

“For the many fine former NBBC faculty, staff and graduates this is indeed a tragic and closing chapter for their alma mater.  Northland once was unique and unwavering in its fidelity to the whole counsel of God.  Under Matt Olson’s tenure as president the school was steadily lead into compromise and ultimately ruined for the cause of Christ.” (10/15/2014)

Closure of Calvary Baptist Seminary: Predictable & Repeatable

“Calvary joins Pillsbury in its demise. I…believe we will see the closure of NIU and Central Baptist Seminary (MN). For drifting far from their original markers as fundamental Baptist separatist schools NIU and Central will not survive. NIU and Central will not survive having become non-separatist, evangelical schools. They will not survive having alienated their base and alumni!” (8/20/2013)

CBS is Accountable for Failure & Won’t Own Up to It

“My opinion is that these men fell prey to the desire to be somebody and became very focused on their own motivations and what they wanted out of life. Unfortunately they’ve gotten the outcome of what happens when you do things that way. It’s obvious they are upset about the failure and they have tried to put the best face forward on the closure by calling it a success or celebration. The reality is that they are accountable for the failure of the seminary and just won’t own up to it.” (6/15/2014)


Footnotes:

1) What Do NIU, Pillsbury and (NOW) TTU Have in Common?

2) See, Summarizing Lordship Salvation From a Single Page of John MacArthur's books

3) For Dr. Pickering’s complete comment see, The Separatist Cause is Not Advanced by Featuring Non-Separatists

“What Do NIU, Pillsbury and (NOW) Tennessee Temple Have In Common?”

Just announced by Dr. Charles Petitt, President, Piedmont International University,

“Thank you for your prayers and support over the years, and we now need those more than ever as we move into an exciting new phase in the history of Piedmont. A few minutes ago the Trustees of Tennessee Temple University voted unanimously on a plan to merge with Piedmont International University on April 30, 2015….  Unlike most mergers that result in winners and losers with one entity surviving and the other going away, this will be more like a marriage in which two become one.” (See: PIU/TTU Merger)

Dr. Pettit says, “Unlike most mergers,” one survives and one goes away. To that we read,

“[Tennessee Temple] Students have the option to move to Piedmont with assured admittance and continue their education at a discounted price, but the merger effectively means that come May 1, Tennessee Temple University will no longer exist.” (Kevin Hardy, Alex Green: The End of Tennessee Temple in Chattanooga, TimesFreePress, March 3, 2015)

From the Archives: “What Do NIU, Pillsbury and TTU Have In Common?” (First published 10/2/12.)

In 2010 we were informed of the closure of Pillsbury Baptist Bible College (PBBC). I reported and shared some reaction to that sad event.1

“The suddenness and clearly new direction that Alan Potter steered the school toward was for many Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) men an indication that PBBC had just set foot on a path away from its Fundamentalist heritage for Evangelical tendencies. PBBC tried to recover its heritage and perception as solidly Fundamentalist, but the damage was done.”

A few weeks ago it was announced that the Highland Park Baptist Church would be relocating and that it would have a name change. We referenced that in Community is Being Elevated Above Theology.2 On Sept. 17 the Times Free Press ran a companion story on Tennessee Temple University (TTU).3

At Temple’s peak in the 1970s, more than 5,000 young men and women intent on winning souls crowded the 55-acre campus…. Today, there are only 300 students on campus, and fewer of them are drawn by the school’s conservative heritage.

It has been a slow decline, but enrollment has declined to the point of what may be its ultimate demise. At the pseudo-fundamentalist Sharper Iron4 a thread was opened to discuss the report on TTU’s decline. I do not know Jonathan Charles, but I do appreciate two comments he posted there. As you read these comments see if you can recognize any parallels to what is going on at Northland International University (NIU) right now.

“I graduated from Tennessee Temple-twice. When I was there the KJV was used, the dress code still fairly conservative (girls could wear pants off campus) and music was still conservative. This mirrored most of the Temple constituency. After Roberson there came two successive pastors who did not understand who the men and women were who made up the nearly 10,000 alumni who had graduated from the school. Change was implemented very recklessly and thoughtlessly. The vibe I got from the leadership was ‘We’re going to make X change and people are going to have to live with it.’ The alumni decided to live without Tennessee Temple. The switch to the Southern Baptist Convention was necessary because Temple was a school without a constituency. It is sad to drive through the campus. Last time I was there it seemed like a ghost town, grass growing over side walks, buildings dirty and in need of repair, etc.” 

“At the same time that Temple was being sucked into the whirlpool, schools like [Pensacola Christian] Crown and West Coast have thrived. I don’t buy the argument that Temple’s demise was inevitable. The post-Roberson leadership didn’t appreciate Temple’s heritage. To me it is just a matter of preference if you use the KJV, prefer a particular style of music and want students to dress in this way or that way, both of which would be modest. But you can’t come in and turn a hard right or left and expect to have your alumni with you. When the Jennings/Bouler leadership got the school away from its IBF roots, the school found itself in a wasteland with no constituency. Maybe its association with the SBC can save it, but it is probably too late.”

NIU’s president Matt Olson and its Board should take note, for Jonathan Charles has put a window on what is going to become of NIU through TTU’s similar historical precedent for it.

“But you can’t come in and turn a hard right or left and expect to have your alumni with you.”

NIU president Matt Olson has the pressures of declining enrollment, loss of alumni support and the prospect that NIU could fold as a direct result of the changes he brought in. His legacy will be one of either: taking the school successfully into a new evangelical orbit or having brought the school down to the point of closure. As all of this unfolds Les Ollila stands by silently and in seeming approval for either outcome.

I have been researching to ascertain enrollment figures from NIU. Sources told me that the current enrollment is at approximately 320 students, which is significantly lower than enrollment up until 2010. Figures for the years 2002-2010 were in the mid to high 600’s with a time period of their being between 700-750, maybe a bit higher. The administration, of course, doesn’t like to talk much about enrollment these days.  We also understand that part of the men’s dorm has been sealed off to keep costs down and the Patz endowment is being eaten through.

These enrollment figures are estimates, of course and not hard data. One reason for some ambiguity is that actual enrollment numbers were rarely made clear. In fact, through accreditation approval with TRAACS, several times in faculty/staff meetings included cautions against offering to the accreditation team our enrollment numbers, as it was “a complicated equation” that was used to determine that.

Folks in the Midwest might remember the Bill Knapp’s chain of restaurants. Bill Knapp’s (founded in 1948) had a very loyal following of primarily senior citizens. In 1998 the management decided to remake the Bill Knapp’s image. The restaurants were given a modernistic face-lift. The most significant part of the remake was changing the menu to attract the younger generation of families. The menu change was radical, favorites were discontinued and recipes were changed. The chain faltered almost immediately. The base customers did not like the changes and made their displeasure known by not coming in. Once company leadership realized what was happening a marketing campaign was initiated to announce Bill Knapp’s was returning the menu to its original form, but it was too late. The former Bill Knapp’s customers had moved on, never to return. Three months after filing for bankruptcy in April 2002 the chain folded.

Just a few days ago I was driving through SW Michigan. At Exit #28 on I-94 I saw the shell of what was once a vibrant, thriving Bill Knapp’s restaurant. My family stopped there every time we traveled through on the way to visit my wife’s parents in mid-Michigan. Several times we would rendezvous there with her parents for lunch. My favorite was Bill Knapp’s bean soup and club sandwich. The picture at right is the very Bill Knapp’s we used to stop at. There is nothing left there, but a boarded up empty building in obvious disrepair. Instead of cars in the parking area you find weeds.

For NIU the lesson from Bill Knapp’s, TTU 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.”

Does Matt Olson believe he can succeed where others have failed? Matt Olson’s hard left turn put NIU on a trajectory to suffer the consequences, which began with losing most of the alumni. Significant numbers of alumni have already seen enough of Matt Olson’s leftward turn to decide they’re not going with him. The university has already realized a significant decline in enrollment.

“Tennessee Temple and its leadership pursued a path of ‘relevance.’ accommodated carnality, and today even secular media can’t help but notice that there is a parallel between the institution’s decline and its accommodation of the world at the sacrifice of Biblical, Christian distinctives. Let those pastors, churches and institutions who abandon their fundamental heritage, have disdain for those who have gone before, and pursue a path towards ‘Conservative Evangelicalism’ be forewarned…their end is tragically predictable.”5

The empty classrooms and barren grounds of Pillsbury Baptist Bible College and the image of a shuttered Bill Knapp’s restaurant illustrate what NIU may very well look like in the not-too-distant future. Whether in secular business or a Christian college you cannot alienate your core constituency and expect them to remain loyal. Without the support of alumni NIU has no reason to expect surviving Matt Olson’s changes, but instead find itself a wasteland with no constituency.

We asked, “What Do NIU, Pillsbury and TTU Have In Common?” Answer: Each took a hard left, lost their alumni and began a trajectory toward an ultimate demise.


LM

Proceed to the new, companion article, Piedmont/TTU: A Predictable Pattern of Mergers With Only One Survivor


For Related Reading see,

NIU Joins Southern Seminary: The Culmination of a Modern Day Tragedy

The Closure of Calvary Baptist Seminary: Predictable & Repeatable

Calvary Baptist Seminary: "They Are Accountable for Failure and Won't Own Up to It."

Footnotes:
1) Discussion Over the Closing of Pillsbury Baptist Bible College

2) Dr. Douglas McLachlan: Community is Being Elevated Above Theology

3) Temple Carries On Despite Steady Decline in Enrollment

4) SI May Fit the Descriptionof Being Pseudo- Fundamentalist

5) Excerpt from e-mail received from a “Biblical Fundamentalist Baptist Pastor.”

Addendum:
In April 2011 Brother David Cloud published, The “Old” Highland Park Baptist Church: Death in the Pot.

“This is a dramatic change from the philosophy and attitude that prevailed in this same place just 20 years earlier. The ‘new’ Temple crowd criticizes the ‘old’ Temple crowd, but of course they ‘haven’t changed.’ And of course, they don’t believe it is right to criticize, unless you are criticizing some old extreme fundamentalist, then it is no holds barred, let ‘er rip.”

To one critic of Dave Cloud’s article who said it, “is less about TTU than it is about CCM,” Alex Guggenheim wrote,

“Indeed Cloud refers to changing music standards, but this reference only comprises about 1/10th of the entire article. Cloud does a commendable job covering many of the weaknesses of Temple and Highland Park which can be said of a sizable portion of the independent fundamentalist Baptist movement during this era while acknowledging the evangelistic strength. But even in acknowledging the evangelistic strength he points out the problem or the weakness of quick prayerism.”

Let’s Talk About The Holy Spirit!

“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”

(John 7:37-39)

 

Dr. Rick Flanders

It is a wonderful fact that Jesus Christ has blessed those He has saved with the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, Who has come to meet all of our needs and to work through us to meet the needs of the world!  What a wonderful truth, and what an amazing blessing!  He is figuratively described as a well of living water springing up to satisfy our inner thirst forever, and gushing out with rivers to satisfy the thirst of others!  Let us not lose our grip on this wonderful metaphor and the truth it pictures.

According to the writer (the apostle John), the book of John was written to convince the reader that “Jesus is the Christ” (see chapter 20, verse 31) so that he “might have life through His name.”  Jesus came to give us Life, His Life!  This is why the book introduces us to Jesus and His claims, and then presents proofs to back up those claims.  The purpose of it all is that those who read this remarkable book “might have life” in Him.  The life that is offered is the life of Jesus Himself (see this in John 1:4; 6:32-35; 10:10; 11:25; 14:6)! It is described as “everlasting life” (3:14-16; 4:13-14; 5:24, 39-40; 6:27, 47) and those who receive it are able to live “more abundantly” (10:10).  The adjectives “everlasting” and “eternal” which often describe this “life” in the book of John refer more to the quality of the life He came to give us than to the quantity of it (its length).  Those who receive His life can live “more abundantly,” and enjoy an existence on earth more fulfilling, successful, peaceful, and joyful than any other way of life!  We find the theme of the abundant life first in chapter 4, where a spiritually thirsty woman is told that Jesus will give her “living water” if she would just ask for it (verse 10).  Jesus explains this metaphor with these powerful words.

“Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

(John 4:14)

The symbol of living water becoming a well inside the one who drinks it is expanded in chapter 7, where we read of “rivers of living water” flowing out from the believers inner self (verses 37 and 38).  The living water not only satisfies the needs of the believer, but also meets the needs of those around him.  Then it is explained that this stunning metaphor speaks of “the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified” (verse 39).  The Holy Spirit is given in the gift of eternal life, and the ministry of the Spirit is essential and basic to the abundant life that Jesus gives.  Of course, the Spirit (Who is God, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity) came to abide in believers on the great day of Pentecost as the New Testament Age began.  His presence and power in our lives is the chief distinction between the life of Old Testament believers and the daily life of New Testament believers who have learned to live abundantly.  What a wonderful thing it is to have the Spirit of God actually living inside us!  How many blessings surrendered Christians enjoy because of Him (look over the words of Jesus about Spirit-filled living in John 14:15-21, 25-27; 15:26-27; and 16:7-14)!

But sadly, for decades now, teaching and preaching about the Holy Spirit has diminished in most fundamentalist pulpits.  In some pulpits it has almost died out.  After a hundred years of neglecting Him, whole segments of Bible-believing Christendom are now saying foolish things about the ministry of the Spirit, warning us not to speak much about Him, or to give Him much attention.  We can be thankful that more and more preachers are remembering the many reasons for us to renew our interest in the Person and work of the Spirit, and to correct the problems that have been created through our neglect of Him.  It will be a healthy part of the work of revival in our midst to start talking about the Holy Spirit.  Here are some of the reasons why.

1. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS IN SOME SENSE THE KEY TO VITALITY AMONG CHRISTIANS.

Remember that the Spirit was given to bring us life.  Many, many churches these days can be characterized as virtually lifeless in spite of the fact that the members have eternal life, and God Himself lives within them!  This seems to be especially true of churches that cling to the honorable label of “fundamentalist,” even though the early fundamentalist churches were far from dead.  The eighth chapter of Romans is a section of scripture that can point us to the reason why our churches are dying.  The Holy Spirit is given great prominence in this important chapter, as even a quick scan of the verses will demonstrate.  He is mentioned nineteen times in Romans 8, which is part of the segment of the book about deliverance from the power of sin.  In this chapter, He is called “the Spirit of life.”

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

(Verse 2)

In the experience of Christians the influence of the Spirit of life is what gives us life and overcomes the influences of death.  And He is in conflict with the impulses of our “flesh,” which means the moral depravity inherent in human nature because of the fall of man.  This conflict was highlighted back in chapter 7, where we learn that our “carnal (fleshly)” selves are “sold under sin” (verses 14-20).  Our “members” (the parts of our bodies) are dominated by “the law of sin” so that the physical body of a believer can be called “the body of this death” (verses 21-24).  Yet Jesus Christ has delivered the believer from his sinful self by the salvation He bought for us on the cross and by the Holy Spirit He gave us when we believed (Romans 7:25-8:4).  So now, according to Romans 8:12-16, we are no longer “debtors…to the flesh, to live after the flesh,” but are called upon “through the Spirit” to “mortify the deeds of the body.”

“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

(Verse 6)

It is the Spirit that quickens the revived believer, and gives him the “spark” we have all seen in those who catch fire for God.  When we neglect the Holy Spirit in our life and work, we are left with the flesh.  And fleshly living is death.  Only by the Spirit of life do we experience the life of Jesus in our daily walk and in our church.  The retreat from solid teaching about the Spirit that came in reaction to false teaching about the Spirit (Pentecostalism) has enveloped the lives and ministries of many good people in the death of carnality.  We must come back to conscious dependence upon the Holy Spirit for His power and enabling if we are to survive!  We will enliven our dying churches if we get back to walking and working in the Spirit of life!

2. THE LORD JESUS GAVE THE SPIRIT A CENTRAL ROLE IN CHRISTIAN LIVING.

The night before He died, the Lord taught His disciples the principles of New Testament living.  The talk He gave them, beginning with the washing of their feet in the upper room and followed by a prayer they heard Him pray, is recorded for all of us is John, chapters 13 through 17.  Many have called it “The Upper Room Discourse” because it began in the famous “upper room.”  In this talk, He told them He was going away, but exhorted them not to be troubled over it.  When He would leave them, He would be going to the Father to begin the work of interceding for us, which would open the door to phenomenal privileges in prayer (14:12-14).  He would also be sending them His Replacement, “another Comforter” (14:15-17), who would live in them and would never leave them.  This is the Person of the Holy Spirit.  Because of the mystery of the Triune God, when the Spirit lives in a man, the Father and Son also live in Him, and many phenomenal benefits result (14:18-27).  The ministry of the Holy Spirit in and to and through the Christian is presented as key to the victorious, liberated life that Jesus had promised them and us (John 8:12, 31-32, 34-36; 10:10).  As a matter of fact, in the five chapters that give us the Upper Room Discourse, three of them are devoted to teaching about the Holy Spirit (John 14, 15, and 16).

Some have misinterpreted one of the statements Jesus made about the Spirit in this section to mean that the Spirit does not talk about Himself but only about the other Persons of the Godhead.  That misunderstood and misapplied statement is in John 16:12-14.

“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

The phrase “he shall not speak of himself” has been misapplied to mean that He doesn’t talk about Himself.  Of course, it is obvious that the Holy Spirit, Who is the true Author of all scripture (Second Peter 1:20-21), says a whole lot about Himself, from Genesis 1:2 to Revelation 22:17, including the statements in John 16!  The mistake in interpreting this verse is in taking “of himself” as meaning “about himself.”  The actual meaning of the word, both in the Greek and in the English of John 16:13, is “from” instead of “about.”  Can you see this in the passage?  The Holy Spirit would be speaking, not from Himself alone, but from the entire Trinity of God.

The teaching here is that the Holy Spirit was going to give us in the New Testament scriptures truth that would proceed from the Father and the Son through the Him.  That is the meaning of the verse.  It does not say that the Spirit is reluctant to speak about Himself, nor does it imply that we should be reluctant to talk about Him.  It means that He doesn’t speak from Himself.

We have learned, especially in John 13 through 17, that the Lord Jesus taught us to live the Christian life with the help (“Comforter” means “Helper”) of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore it is important that we talk about Him.  Ignoring the Comforter in our sermons and lessons has wrecked many lives and ministries.  We must make up for lost time and go back to the emphasis on Spirit-filled living that our forefathers had.  Baptist pastor A. J. Gordon of the late 19^th century spoke and wrote much about the ministry of the Spirit, and we must start reading him again.  Fundamentalist giant W.B. Riley believed and preached the importance of relying on the Holy Spirit.  The books that great Baptist F.B. Meyer left us are full of uplifting references to the Spirit.  Fundamentalist leader R. A. Torrey wrote many good books that will get us back to the right relationship with the heavenly Dove, and we ought to dust them off and read them again.  We must start talking and learning about the Holy Spirit as godly generations before us did!

3. WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO TREAT THE SPIRIT AS LESS THAN GOD.

The Holy Spirit is God, you know.  It has been the false teachers that have relegated Him to some lower identification.  When normally orthodox teachers seem to reduce Him to a force or a power or an influence behind the scenes, they do not do the Spirit justice nor treat Him as deity in the way that the scriptures do.  He is the Creator Who was active in the creation of heaven and earth as were the Father and the Son (Genesis 1:1-2).  He is the other Comforter, like Jesus the Son, who came in a sense to replace the personal presence of Jesus with believers when Christ went back to the Father, and when He is in us, so is the Father and the Son (John 14:18-23).  The apostles dealt with Him as God in the spreading of the Gospel and the function of the first churches (read Acts 2:14-18; 4:29-31; 5:1-11; 8:29-35; and 13:1-4).  He appears in the visions of the apostle John with the Father and the Son (Revelation 1:4-6; 4:2-11) and is worshipped with Them.  He is honored in the baptismal formula equally with the Father and the Son (Matthew 28:18-19).  He leads the children of God and is to be followed by them as Lord (Romans 8:14-16 and Second Corinthians 3:17).  He intercedes for them before the Father as does the Son of God (Romans 8:26-27).  He gave us the very Words of God (Second Peter 1:20-21), which are His Words.  He is a divine Person, with the heart and will and mind of Deity (Romans 8:27, Romans 15:30, First Corinthians 12:11).  As God, He possesses all the divine attributes (Psalm 139:7-10, First Corinthians 2:9-10, Hebrews 9:14).  Therefore we ought to give Him all the reverence and obedience and trust that we owe to God.  To do less is nearly blasphemous and heretical.

4. THE NEW TESTAMENT VIEWS THE SPIRIT AS WORKING IN HARMONY WITH THE FATHER AND THE SON.

The Persons of the Trinity are not in competition; They are in perfect cooperation, and are never jealous for attention in conflict with the Others.

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.”  [Serving the Son in the Spirit is acceptable to the Father]

(Romans 14:17-18)

“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.”

[The gifts of ministry are the works of the Spirit, the Lord Jesus, and God the Father]

(First Corinthians 12:4-6)

“Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him…”

[We are to pray to the Father, Who is the God of the Son, for the enlightenment of the Spirit]

(Ephesians 1:15-17)

There are many passages in the New Testament scriptures like these that present the works of God among us as cooperative actions of Father, Son, and Spirit equally.  Look up passages such as Second Corinthians 13:14, Galatians 4:4-6, Ephesians 2:13-22, and Titus 3:4-7 for examples.  In the rituals of the Temple in the Old Testament, which typify the Person and work of Jesus Christ, the use of oil (which stands for the Holy Spirit) plays an essential role (read Exodus 29, 30, and 40, to get an idea), indicating again the importance of the Spirit to the work of the Trinity.  It is vital to understanding God the Father and God the Son for Christians to learn about the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit glorifies the Son, we find in John 16:14, and He is sent both by the Father and by the Son as our Comforter, according to John 14:26 and 15:26.  We cannot divorce the Person and work of the Spirit from the Persons and works of the Father and the Son.  To neglect or minimize the Holy Spirit will be to neglect and devalue the other two Persons of God.

5. REVIVALS ALL INVOLVE THE RESTORING OF THE SPIRIT TO HIS PROPER PLACE IN CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK.

All New Testament revivals have come about through the work of the Holy Spirit.  One such revival is described by the Bible in these terms:

“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”

(Acts 4:31)

Normal New Testament Christianity is Spirit-filled Christianity, and every great revival has involved new interest and faith in the Holy Spirit.  It’s the way in works.   We pray to the Father in the name of the Son with the help of the Spirit.  We honor the Father by abiding in Christ and being filled with the Spirit.  This is the norm, and the goal to which revival takes us.  Therefore we must speak and teach and learn about the Holy Spirit if we want revival.

It is indeed high time for renewed focus on the ministry of the Spirit because so many have neglected Him so long.  Because of the spread of false teachings about the Spirit, it is important that the truth be told about Him again.  The essential role He has in our lives and in our work must be emphasized, and the thoughtless and scriptural arguments against doing so cast aside.  He is not less than Almighty God, and He is not to be slighted or diminished in our thoughts.  Let the people of God again turn wholeheartedly to their Comforter for the help and power we need to turn the multitudes to our Savior.

Dr. Rick Flanders

Revival Ministries