1. Some observations on Dr. John MacArthur’s “The Truth War” (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2007), ix-xx.
2. John is a Pastor, dispensational Baptist, and Calvinistic but is not Confessionally Reformed or liturgical…defects we believe. Nevertheless, he writes with boldness and accuracy at many points. His writing is clear, accessible, pastoral, evangelical (non-Confessional), and bold.
3. John turns his guns on Emergent distortionists like Rob Bell and Brian McClaren. The Emergents are an informal affiliation of communities who want to revamp doctrine, the church, worship, piety and approaches to truth. ... See More
4. Truth is “inherently hazy, indistinct, and uncertain--perhaps unknowable.” McClaren in Christianity Today says: “I don’t think we’ve got the Gospel right yet…I don’t think the liberals have it right. But I don’t think we have it right either. None of us has arrived at orthodoxy.”
5. John points to Zondervan’s “Emergent/YS” product line for youth specialties. In addition to John, we’d add that Zondervan is a bottom-line organization that has lost it’s Reformational roots, like Christianity Today. It’s about a buck and accommodation.
6. John points to martyrs in history who died for the truth. All the apostles were martyred, with perhaps the exception of St. John. Early apostolic leaders were martyred, such as Ignatius and Polycarp, both friends and disciples of St. John the Apostle.
7. Before the blood-thirsty mob in the Roman stadium, Polycarp was pressed to recant his faith. His response: “Eighty-six years have I served him, and he never once wronged me. How then shall I blaspheme my King who saved me.” We would add that Polycarp didn’t have the advanced teaching of the TBN-wolves to “blab and grab it,” “name and claim it, “and speak it into existence.” Polycarp hadn’t read Osteen’s, “Your Best Life Now.”
8. As a Reformed Anglican, the lives, stories and theologies of the Calvinistic Anglicans who were martyred under Queen Mary are near and dear to this scribe. John doesn’t mention it; he's a Baptist so it does not figure alot. But he's correct about the early church. We also think of the 1000's of French Calvinists murdered in 1572 in Paris. We scarcely doubt that the Emergents like Bell and McClaren have read a lick on the English Reformation. But John is making his point about early martyrs--men and women--who died for their faith.
9. John whacks the “entertainment-hungry churchgoers who pack today’s mega-churches.” Whack. While John has areas of theological error on our view, he’s bold and spot-on about many of them wouldn’t “take a bold stand for the truth…” Standing for the truth is the “furthest thing from most churchgoers thoughts.” Whack! Where’s the “slap button” on Facebook.
10. John refers to St. Paul’s admonition to the younger protégé, Timothy. 2 Tim.4.1-4 (NKJV):
“1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” The itching ears of goats. They turn their ears from truth by instinct.
11. Doctrine is “uncool” as John says and as the mega-churches allegedly advance. We know that Paul Crouch, Sr., of TBN says doctrine is “dooh-dooh and I’m tired of these heresy hunters.” Poor Paul. But John has the Emergents in his targets. We add that “Goat-Herding and Goat-Pleasing Ministries” might be appropriate titles.
12. John points us to the cosmic battle that Satan wages against His Majesty, Three-in-One. He observes that real Pastors are needed who will feed the flock with knowledge and understanding (Jer.3.15; Acts 20.28-31). He gives the doctrine on special and general revelation with the usual biblical texts. We won’t develop that now or here.
13. We find this book quite charming, delightful, correct, clear, very readable, and a salutary contribution for our times. It’s date is 2007.
14. We would recommend a few things: Modern Reformation, a skilled magazine, is running a series throughout 2010 on recovering the Scriptures at: http://www.whitehorseinn.org/modern-reformation/blog.html For the inclined, it’s worth the subscription.
15. Also join our engagement on Facebook entitled “Exposing the False Prophets—Reformation Christians Against TBN” at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=308173344359
16. Also, Reformation Anglicanism at: http://reformationanglicanism.blogspot.com/ provides a variety of postings from a Confessional Calvinist and Anglican.
17. Lest we forget. John’s frontispiece has a commendable quote from Spurgeon along these lines. We summarize. 1) The Church is an Army (we’d prefer Marines, actually, but we love and respect soldiers, sailors, airmen and coasties…this is not in Spurgeon’s quote). 2) Christ is the “Prince of Peace,” that is the Gospel is the good news of reconciliation, justification, adoption, sanctification and the several other benefits that do accompany or follow from them. And good news it is! However, 3) the Church is the Church Militant on earth. As Spurgeon says, “The spotless purity of truth must always be at war with the blackness of heresy and lies.” Hear! Hear, Charles!
We stand right alongside John's position for truth and the Gospel. There is no other choice.
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