Rabu, Desember 22, 2010

MARK DEVER’S AFFILIATIONS

In the article “In Essentials Unity,” December 7, 2010, I made the following statement:

“Dever’s church, Capitol Hill Baptist in Washington, D.C., is also a member of the liberal American Baptist Church, which is affiliated with the horribly apostate National Council of Churches and World Council of Churches.”

I have been challenged on this, as the Capitol Hill Baptist Church’s web site only lists its affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention.

While Capitol Hill Baptist Church is not a member of the American Baptist Church directly, it is definitely partnered with the ABC, as well as the very liberal Baptist World Alliance and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, by dint of its membership in the District of Columbia Baptist Convention.

For documentation of this see http://dcbaptist.org under “DCBC Directory of Churches” and “Partner Organizations.”

Tod Brainard, author of “The Convergence of Fundamentalism and Non-Separatist Evangelicalism,” The Projector, Fall 2010, wrote to me on December 8 as follows:

“Before the publication of my article I contacted the DC Baptist Association in Washington to verify Capitol Hill Baptist Church’s membership with them. The DC Baptist director told me personally that Capitol Hill Baptist Church was a paying member of the association and current on their dues. He further indicated that they had not questioned or expressed concerns over the DC Baptist Association affiliates including all those listed in my article. By the way, Jesse Jackson is a member of the National Baptist Association [which is partnered with the DC Baptist Association].”

In “The Convergence of Fundamentalism and Non-Separatist Evangelicalism,” Pastor Brainard wrote:

“Capitol Hill Baptist Church is a member of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention which is affiliated with the following three national associations: American Baptist Churches, USA; Southern Baptist Convention; and the Progressive National Baptist Convention. The American Baptist Churches, USA and the Progressive National Baptist Convention are both members of the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches, which are both blatantly apostate. In addition the American Baptist Churches, USA and Progressive National Baptist Convention maintain affiliation with the Baptist World Alliance which in turn maintains ecumenical relations with the apostate Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (Roman Catholic Church).

“It does not take a person long to realize that Mark Dever’s associations and that of his church reveal associations with apostasy. If I am playing Ring-Around-the-Rosie and I join hands with Mark Dever, and Mark Dever joins hands with the District of Columbia Baptist Convention, and the District of Columbia Baptist Convention joins hands with the American Baptist Churches, USA, Southern Baptist Convention, and around to the Baptist World Alliance and the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, sooner or later we come full circle and we realize that we all are holding hands together. To say that my hand-holding of Dr. Dever is a separate issue from Dr. Dever’s hand-holding with compromising associations is disingenuous and deceptive. Dr. Dever writes eloquently on many Biblical subjects, but rejects Biblical Separation. He is like many of our time who like to have the appearance of holiness, but deny the basic premise of holiness, the doctrine of Separation.

“The late Carlton Helgerson, who served on the New England Chapter of the Billy Graham Crusades, wrote this after separating from New Evangelicalism: ‘From Genesis to Revelation the doctrine of a moral law of God, namely the Biblical Doctrine of Separation is there. More is said in the Bible on this subject than on salvation. In fact, the Doctrine of Separation is involved in the doctrine of salvation. God’s Word clearly teaches separation from alien religions, from idolatry, and from apostasy. Furthermore, it teaches that true believers separate themselves from professing believers who are disobedient. But this new religion, calling itself evangelical, not only ignores the doctrine but treats with scorn those who adhere to it.’ Helgerson further remarks, ‘Its attitude toward the doctrine of separation is that it is outmoded, unrealistic, and incompatible with the contemporary emphasis on love. Pride of intellect is characteristic of this movement. It looks to the demonstrable, takes the position that the only passages of Scripture to have validity in our day are those which the human intellect can recognize as worthwhile’ (Helgerson, The Challenge of a New Religion, Burlington, MA: The Church of the Open Bible, 1971, pp. 11, 19).

“Mark Dever, C.J. Mahaney, and R. Albert Mohler were contributors to a document issued Together for the Gospel (T4G) which lists the imperatives of the movement. they write: ‘We deny that any church can accept racial prejudice, discrimination, or DIVISION without betraying the Gospel.’

“Who can argue that the church should accept discrimination and racial prejudice, but to say that ‘division’ betrays the Gospel is to say exactly what the New Evangelicals said in the late 1940’s and the early 1950’s. Division over error is how the Gospel (which by the way includes the whole of Scriptures, not just salvation truth) is kept pure and protected for God’s glory, yet we are led to believe that ‘division’ betrays the Gospel. Unity at all costs is the heart throb of New Evangelicalism” (Tod Brainard, “The Convergence of Fundamentalism and Non-Separatist Evangelicalism,” The Projector, Fall 2010, pp. 6, 9).

I thank the Lord for Pastor Brainard’s courage in exposing the error of the popular evangelicals today. It costs a lot to do this, just as it cost a lot to expose Billy Graham in the past. A true fundamentalist pastor once told me that his church could easily be twice as large if he would just keep quiet on one thing: Billy Graham and ecumenical evangelism.

The talk about “secondary separation” is a smokescreen and a strawman. The issue is not the degrees of separation; the issue is whether or not God’s people are going to separate from compromise and error in this apostate day. The Bible warns,

“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Evangelicals, including Southern Baptists which make up a large part of the New Evangelical movement, have been deceived by this for 60 years, and now many “fundamental” Baptists are following in their foolish footsteps. They deceive themselves by thinking, “I can associate with whomsoever I please. It won’t hurt me. I know what I believe. I know where I stand. I am strong; I can eat the fish and throw out the bones.”

Harold Ockenga, the inventor of the term “Neo-Evangelicalism,” said that to himself, but within a few decades a Catholic priest was preaching in his church.

Billy Graham said that to himself, but within decades he was denying the literal fire of hell and believing that there is power in infant baptism and hold the heresy that men can be saved apart from personal faith in Christ and praising the pope as a great evangelist.

Be not deceived.

An excellent article on this is “A Limited Message or a Limited Fellowship” by the late David Nettleton. It can be found at the Way of Life web site at the following link:

http://www.wayoflife.org/files/6e9f1dab02bb50314a0c93f364a38d5d-598.html

December 9, 2010 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org)

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