Featured Can a church avoid theology but only teach the Bible?

You said

First of all you never mention Lordship salvation in the OP. I can't guess what you are talking about. Your OP was talking about dodging controversial issues, dodging MacArthur's controversial books and later dodging theology. You never mention Lordship salvation until your reply to Annsni.

I'll raise my hand as far avoiding Lordship salvation. I will never teach a so-called doctrine that will not stand the biblical test.

Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Sola Gratia, Soli Deo Gloria. You don't even have to be a Calvinist to stand there.

 

If you don't even realize that your view of "depravity" is built on systematic theological doctrines and presuppositions that these doctrinal interpretations are true I strongly suggest you meditate on the following verses and take them to heart concerning this issue!


(Eph 4:14) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

(Col 2:8) Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

 

Never heard of them? He wrote "The Gospel According to Jesus" in 1988. This Lordship salvation stuff might be new to you but some of us have been around the barn once or twice.

Next, the word is Wesleyan not Weslyan.

Third, you obviously don't know anything about Wesleyan reasoning. Wesley expanded on the Anglican position that Scripture is the primary source and standard for Christian doctrine. Subsequently Scripture is viewed through the lens of tradition, reason and experience. It's call the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. Google it.

Here's how it works. Paul wrote:

nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.
Galatians 2:16 NAS77

Step one: Scripture is the primary source of doctrine. Scripture says I am justified by faith in Jesus Christ and not of any work of the Law.

Step Two: Tradition. Lordship salvation wasn't even a phrase used in theological circles until the 1950's.

Step Three: Reason. You brought up themes. Try this one on for size:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 NAS77

That is a theme repeated throughout Scripture. It is repeated in Romans 3

24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;
26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.
28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

Reason says that if the Bible repeatedly say man is justified by Grace through faith that man is justified by Grace through faith. Reason also says that if a man is saved outside of works the the whole premise of Lordship as a condition of salvation is false

Fourth: Experience. Experience says that when God has set the conditions for the redemption of His elect nobody has the right to change the rules regardless of how many books he has written.

 

REally? Show me those posts that have convinced you of that!

And by the way you still have shown you have no idea what you are talking about. I do not know what school you went to to put you in so much debt, but you need to go back and actually take a theology class.

 

Evangelist6589:

My friend, it's certainly your prerogative to disagree with the philosophy in which a particular missionary organization has established in order to reach the lost if you wish to do so.

I'm not sure of the extent of your investigation(s) into this program that Lighthouse Christian Fellowship is sponsoring, but I do have my doubts that you have done much of it concerning the goals that the Center for Global Missions' Next Generation Leaders Conference is hosting at LCF this coming June.

By the tone of your comments in your post from which the above quote was taken (#23), it seems to me that you believe that the NGLC is merely a gathering of flashy, high-powered, and flesh-appealing speakers.

If that is the case, my brother, then you are sadly mistaken---because the NGLC is anything but that.

Perhaps you have a completely different philosophy with regard to how an individual or organization ought to "do mission work." If you do, that's fine with me.

OTOH, to openly condemn another organization's approach (which is exactly what you've done) to doing global mission work seems to me to reflect a rather negative "It's-My-Way-Or-The-Highway" attitude.

Personally, I wish that you would try to see things differently concerning this vitally important aspect of reaching the world's lost people groups.

To me, I find it quite sad that we, as Brothers In Christ, have to discuss such matters as this in a public forum on Baptist Board [something that I feel would have been better done by means of BB's PM options], but, since you've opted to openly condemn the NGLC in your post in this thread, I find no other alternative than to say what I have said about this matter in this post.

May God Bless you, my friend, in your efforts to which He has called you to evangelize those with whom you come in contact.

 

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

Furthermore, no one has to date informed me as to what exactly a "seeker-friendly" church is all about. We have MANY people who visit, attend and SEEK to know what God and Christianity are all about. Often they are folks who have lived their lives with no consideration of a creator much less a redeemer. In most cases the events and circumstances of their lives have brought them often to the point of being broken.

If this is a seeker friendly church, I am HONORED to be a part of such. HONORED to be a church that points people to the redemption and restoration that awaits them in relationship to their creator and redeemer.

 

I read quite a bit Evang. Just don't read many books that you find interesting. I suspect too, that if I suggested YOU read something I find interesting and/or edifying You would not be so inclined.

 

If you do not like the way I express my appreciation and agreement with something said. Tough Cookies.

There are numerous "When will you.....questions that I could ask of you, but I refrain from doing so.

 

Answer to OP: what do you mean by "theology"? I believe everyone is a theologian to SOME degree. We all think about God....even fool who says in his heart that there is no God. Just my $0.02.

 

:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

Could'nt help it!:saint:

 

"a study of God"? One would be totally ignorant of God he didn't study or meditate about God at least just a little bit. Even the atheist knows "there is a God" whom he refuses to acknowledge