http://media.townhallstore.com/jm/rs/jm_rs_20100312a_Fri_47ccca4a-eadc-4e99-ba40-9c86fcaac7f5_radio-show_Hi.mp3
Carl Trueman on the decline of mainline Protestantism.
Dr. Carl Trueman on the Janet Mefferd Show re: liberalism.
Dr. Trueman is Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary. The high price of compromise.
Yes, Mainline "Protestant" churches are pretty kaputt. But, maybe the reason is that they gave up on real theology long ago. Give so-called Evangelicals another generation on the same trajectory, and they'll be at the same place.
ReplyDeleteThat my sense in sectors of the evangelical world, to wit, one generation away from a doctrinal collapse. Concur.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that they were taken afield by a misapprehension of the Reformation principle of sola Scriptura. Intellectuals in almost every generation--at least since producing some new thesis became de rigueur in obtaining a doctorate--start with the premise that they know better than all who have gone before them.
ReplyDeleteSo they, beginning in the 18th century, became dissatisfied with the Bible text delivered to them. Biblical theology became divorced from dogmatics, and gradually attempted to become more
"scientific".
From there it was not hard to de-theologize the study of the Bible. The problem with that was that with that came a less reverent approach to the Bible--a belief that this was just another ancient document like the Ras Hamra Tablets, the Book of the Dead, etc., to be examined, criticized, and theorized over.
The problem was, the men doing that taught the pastors of the "main line" churches. Until about sixty years ago, the pastors kept those things out of their preaching, but they have gradually let the cat out of the bag--and it is a hungry tiger, devouring the people it was supposed to feed.
Ken, I am always edified by your presence and comments. Ad fontes.
ReplyDeleteThis has been on my mind for some time..... It does lead to other issues...
ReplyDeletefrokostordning
I'm not completely against understanding the history behind the biblical text. After all, a lot of biblical theology is remembering (passover and the Lord's Supper, for starters).
ReplyDeletePerhaps another "cat out of the bag" was, from our Presbyterian/Reformed standpoint, the idea of social compact. When large swaths of our people failed to internalize the theologize that originally nurtured such an idea, the social compact idea "secularized", turned around, and devoured its Christian parent.