Dare I say this...hmm...thinking...I may regret this later...well, here goes... You all know that I have been critical of Dr. MacArthurs broad sweeping denouncements of an entire spectrum of people within the Pentecostal / Charismatic movement. Its unfair to be dismissive of the many believers in those camps who love Christ and live faithfully the Word of God. I stand by my position there. On the other hand, as much as I disagree with Dr. Mac on many points, the man is a phenomenal scholar and seems to be a solid, mature Christian who has avoided moral and fiscal scandals for the past 40 years. I deeply admire that. I love hearing the Word of God taught faithfully by brothers who know their Bibles. Men like John Piper, R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, Wayne Grudem, Albert Mohler, Erwin Lutzer, Warren Wiersbe, etc. know their Bibles. I dont always agree with their conclusions, but I love their commitment to the authority of Scripture, and their faithfulness to God, their spouses and their churches. If push came to shove, Id rather go to one of those guys with a question on the Bible than the myriad of 30-something hipsters who wear Abercrombie and Fitch and sip Starbucks while they are preaching. I might relate more to them in some ways than the old-school, starched-shirt guys who sleep in a suit and a tie, but in the end, I want to hear from someone who knows the Bible. Even if I disagree with their conclusion, I know that it will be well-informed and rooted in their best ability to Exegete the Scripture (as opposed to a pop-culture reference from a TV sitcom, or their lame, uniformed personal opinion off the top of their head). I have a ton of respect for the generals. Even when they get it wrong, they are our brothers, and our seniors. We need to show proper respect (and appreciation) to them. I hope this helps to better clarify my position for those who are confused. Im not on anybodys side. I just want the truth. I want Christ to be exalted and the body of Christ to grow up into holiness and maturity (and unity in the Faith). We will never accomplish maturity as a Church if we dont listen carefully and prayerfully to our elders. They dont always get it right, but theyve been around the block, they know their Bibles, and we need the wisdom of the older generation in the Church.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 22:02:02 +0000