STATEMENTS THAT PREACHERS MAKE ABOUT OTHER SERVANTS OF THE GOSPEL
Part Two

So how do you learn the REAL TRUTH! What is the Biblical teaching on Truth? What is truth about living life. Listen to Dr. Wayne Dyer. Who? Ask Charity. Really he does say a lot of good common sense things. But is it true?

How often when I was the pastor/teacher at FBC that visiting preachers would say, "Charles, you teach correctly, but you need to be more Baptistic." So to be correct you needed to be Baptist!

I had made the comment that there are some preachers who are not Baptist who could possibly be saved and go to heaven. That went over well with the brethren.

I remember when I introduced the teaching of John MacArthur to our church. Of course they didn’t know who he was, but if I liked him they would. Boy, did we have some very wonderful people.

But outside our church, once the pastors found out I liked MacArthur, I was in real trouble. Of course that has never really bothered me a whole lot, to be in trouble with other preachers.
My father-in-law thinks that is my calling–to see just how much I can get other preachers riled up.

SO WHAT IS TRUTH? WHAT IS THE BIBLICAL FORM OF TRUE CHRISTIAN LIVING?

Every body has their own idea of what a true Biblical Christian looks like and acts like, and believes, don’t they? Isn’t God great to allow so many of us to believe a little bit different on this and still be a Believer. Thank the Lord.

Of course, I am almost afraid to tell people what my theological position is. (That really is not true.) But I am afraid to say that my position is totally 100% correct.

For example, over the last month, there have been some good debates. Lordship Salvation vs. Free Grace. The Emergent Movement is a new debate today. Separation debate. The form of Worship debate. Fundamentalism vs. Evangelicalism. Postmodernism. The Cultural debate. Then the debate over John Piper and John MacArthur as well as those in the Emergent Movement

"Postmodernists are generally suspicious of rational and logical forms. They especially do not like to discuss truth in plain propositional terms." MacArthur quote in his book coming out in the spring. That ignited a great debate of terms. And it got me studying this issue.

One of the favorite topics on the evangelical agenda these days is how the church should "engage the culture." Do Christians need to imitate the boorish aspects of a quickly-decaying civilization in order to remain "relevant"? Some evidently think so.:" MacArthur again made this statement.

"We keep hearing from evangelical strategists and savvy church leaders that Christians need to be more tuned into contemporary culture." Well, I have heard that statement many times in different forms. Of course fundamentalists think you need to keep the old landmarks, or you have fallen prey to the culture.

John MacArthur has said a lot about this issue of engaging in the culture. But our Baptist friends think he is wrong because he is not a Baptist, and when Grace Church might use a different form music than the fundy that they think like

"MacArthur is a hypocrite who has an electric guitar shaped beam in his own eye."

"I hope everyone here agrees that such a statement is not only overstated, but it is patently unkind. It is a gross exaggeration and misrepresentation of John MacArthur. But it makes life easy. Just paint your opponents the darkest shade of black you can––that’ll make you look white on any account." Bob Haydon over at Fundy

I have discovered that just about every preacher, Christian leader, every pastor, who holds to the truth as he knows it, will have a different slant on that truth, and a different idea of how that truth is fleshed out. Is not the Lord so good to give us the option to have different points of view on the same truth.

Drafted by Charles E. Whisnant, proof ready Charity 12 19/20 2006