Announcing…The KJV Only Debate Resource Center!

Announcing...

Announcing…a new resource center for the KJV Only Debate. I have put together a blog (functioning more like a website) devoted to the KJV Only Debate. I hope it will become a portal where one can find all the best resources on the issue along with simple, straightforward explanations of the terms and main points of the debate. I also hope to present both sides of the debate offering links to the more reasoned pro KJV-only material.

If you click on the banner below, you will see the site and what I have compiled so far. It is not much, I know, but I believe it represents the best of the best. Just so you are aware, notice that this is linked to from my sidebar as well.

 

The King James Only Debate Resource Center, click to enter

 

The reason I mention this here is that I would like some help! My readers may be aware of other books, websites, and helpful articles worth posting. Bible version debate forums you know of, and any other relevant info (historical stuff, etc.) would be helpful. Just go ahead and leave comments here, or feel free to email me. And again, remember, I would love to have info from the more rational/reasonable KJV-only side as well. I have not yet listed any pro KJV resources but plan to, as I figure out just how I will design the site. (Hey, if anyone has site-design ideas, I would appreciate them as well!)Thanks, and God Bless!


∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 “¢ Rom. 15:5-7

Self Updating Categories for Blogger–At Last!

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I love Blogger. Hey, it’s free! But I disliked the fact that it does not let you have categories. I tried to work around this by updating my own auxiliary blog where I had posts with running lists of each post in the category. Now I came across different blogger hacks and tricks (a good list of them is available here) out there and discovered various methods to get categories by using tags and del.icio.us (a free bookmarking service similar to what FlickR does with photos and tags)–see here for one way to do categories with del.icio.us). But I wanted something simpler.

At first my idea of an auxiliary blog was working great, but the facts of life soon reared their ugly heads. Updating an auxiliary blog takes time, and is far too easy to put off. The result? An inaccurate list of my categories which frustrates more than helps my readers.

But then I discovered another solution to categories! It is so simple really: why didn’t I think of it? Anyway, I am very thankful for the person who did. Now my category links in the sidebar, go to a Blogger Blog Search for the name of the category. Since I have subtitles, with the category name for each post, a complete list of the posts in a particular category is the result! And it self updates!!!

Some people may want to use this trick with the titles for their categories in their post titles. But if you have very unique category titles, like I do, there is no need.

Now I can go on my way overjoyed that I need never trouble over categories again (other than adding the subtitles and postscripts to each post)! If anyone else is interested in how this is done, check out this link.

Update: As of July 16, 2006, I said goodbye to Blogger and hello to WordPress.com. Categories are cake in WordPress!


∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 “¢ Rom. 15:5-7

The Seven Dwarfs –An IFBx Sermon!

100 Posts!

In honor of this my 100th post, I felt I should post something fun. Now the subject of this post is not exactly fun, but it is fun reading! So here is my long promised sermon outline of a sermon preached at Fairhaven College chapel entitled, “The Seven Dwarfs at Fairhaven”.


Date: 8/30/1999
Place: Fairhaven Baptist College Chapel
Speaker: Pastor —- ——– (from TX though)Title: “The Seven Dwarfs at Fairhaven

Text: Eph. 4:11-14 and 1 Cor. 13:11

Intro: The seven dwarfs represent seven kinds of people at Fairhaven today. They are spiritual dwarfs. Now, two of the dwarfs are good dwarfs, but the rest are not.

1) Bashful — to shy to do anything for God. He can talk, but is afraid and has excuses, when he is asked to walk (ex. Moses in his call).

2) Grumpy — never in a good mood. He lives by circumstances and not God.

3) Dopey — immature. Strong in the flesh but weak in the Spirit. 1 Pet. 2:1 — he’s starving for the Word.

4) Happy — he is always joyful. Joy is a state of mind (Phil. 4:4). This is a good dwarf.

5) Sleepy — sleeps in church. He doesn’t conquer wandering thoughts. He has spiritual indifference.

6) Doc — he cares. He cares for spiritual matters, and has patience. He is also a good dwarf.

7) Sneezy — he bases everything on his feelings.

I hope you are as dumbfounded to see this as I was when I listened to this message! So we are to start with a Disney movie, and then go to Scripture to see what we can spiritualize from it? And this is Bible preaching? Some might object that it is merely a method to gain a hearing. Yet a whole message like this? It just does not seem to be a very Scripturally based sermon to me. This is not the model I would give young preacher boys for them to model their messages after. That is for sure.

While this sermon is a little extreme as an example, there were many others with the same basic premise. Sermons are designed according to the speaker’s whim and not the mandate of a passage of Scripture. This problem is not exclusive to IFB/IFBx’s to be fair, yet this sort of preaching is very pervasive. This tends to a trivializing of preaching and contributes to a poor hermeneutic which negatively impacts Bible study and even personal Bible reading. Rather than Bible thumpers, we need Bible trumpeters!


∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 “¢ Rom. 15:5-7

A New Banner for a New Motto

Fundamentally Reformed

Note: the banner above used to adorn my Blogger blog. As of July 16, 2006 I switched to WordPress.com.

How do you like my new banner?? I have been toying around with redesigning my template, but being not all that HTML savy, I have opted for merely adding this banner. The banner highlights my new motto, “striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God.” I give five Bible verses in support of my motto:

Eph. 4:3 “…eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Eph. 4:13 “…until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,…”

Rom. 15:5-7 “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”

These verses stress that God desires us to be in unity. Moreover, “the unity of the Spirit” and “the unity of the faith” result in a unity of praise from God’s people.

The purpose of my blog has been to promote unity. And by the grace of God this will continue.

Now some might say, “How can Bob truly be promoting unity when he continually rants and raves about the errors of fundamentalism?” Well, first off, make sure you understand exactly where I am coming from in my critique of fundamentalism. If you do not want to read my extremely long (sorry :)) personal story, at least read this post and maybe even this post. And do not neglect to read my earlier clarification post. But beyond what I have said previously about the issue, consider this. My concern over fundamentalist doctrinal and practical errors, is really a concern for more unity in the church. And unity is by no means at odds with doctrinal clarity.

Let me explain. Although I believe that the fundamentalists often inflate the importance of minor doctrines at the expense of unity, I still think it is important to promote the importance of minor doctrines. I think it is so important that much of this blog discusses them. The more we agree on minor doctrines, the better our practical unity will be. Yet we still share a huge degree of unity with those who may disagree with us on some clearly minor issues. Why? Because we share agreement the most important and fundamental doctrines in Scripture! For a better defense of this, see Nathan Pitchford‘s latest article on unity–he does a masterful job presenting how unity and doctrinal precision are not at odds.

Now, why am I so hung up on fundamentalists? I mean Evangelicalism has its fatal flaws too. I know, but I was raised a fundamentalist. Thus, I know their flaws, and want to see them fixed. Further, too often fundamentalists seem to cushion themselves from any personal evaluation due to their loud defaming of evangelicals. Often such loud speech merely covers for problems equally appaling of their own.

In conclusion, I have brought forth this new motto to stress the fact I am promoting unity. I think fundamentalism–even its best representations–practically distorts unity. It is a hindrance to unity. Yet I want to realize that fundamentalists–all of them–are my Christian brothers, with whom I have real unity (whether they {or I} acknowledge it). So this banner will help me remember to disagree and fight for doctrinal truth in a loving way. The previous subtitle I had, was more of an explanation of my blog’s title. “Out of the fog of independent fundamental Baptist extremism, into the light of Reformed Theology–a journal.” This clued you in on the nature of this blog, and what kind of topics I would discuss. This is still valuable and so I have kept it as a title for the banner–hover your cursor on the banner, and you should see that line. Yet, I think it brought a connotation that I was all out to bash IFBs or something. This is not the case, as this post has labored to explain.


∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 “¢ Rom. 15:5-7

Clarifying My Critique of Fundamentalism

Recently, Jeff Voegtlin (Vice President of Fairhaven Baptist College, and an assistant pastor at Fairhaven Baptist Church) posted a clarification on his blog as to his view regarding my departure from fundamentalism. He had made one of the first comments on my blog in response to “My Story and Critique of Fundamentalism”, and apparently someone read a little too much into that comment. An email exchange ensued to see what exactly Jeff’s take on my story really was. Jeff posted an edited version of that exchange (as well as linking to my story) to make it clear that he does not support my positions.

Well, since Jeff’s post will introduce my departure from fundamentalism to his readers, I decided to comment on his blog. I wanted to clarify what my position exactly is concerning Fairhaven and fundamentalism in general. In doing so, I actually provided a more succinct critique of fundamentalism than my long biographical letter. So I thought posting this response to Jeff’s blog post would be beneficial to my readers as well. [I will link to this briefer version of my critique of fundamentalism in my original critique to let others opt for the smaller version if they desire.] So here is my response in full.


Pastor Jeff,I would like to say a few things and clarify my point of view for those now introduced to my departure from fundamentalism, if I may. (This will enable them not to have to read my long letter in order to understand my position.)

First, I want to stress that I thank God for you and your ministry. I learned much from you, and treasure the years I spent on your bus route. You, more than any other staff member at Fairhaven, had a tremendous impact on my life. Your example encourages me to think, learn, study, trust, and selflessly serve. There are few people who are as busy and devoted in God’s service as you. And through it all, you remain serious yet joyful. I want to emulate your example.

Second, let me add, that I also am grateful for my time at Fairhaven. I have no cause to question the seriousness or genuineness of any of those who have taught me during my years there. They are men (and women) of God who desire to please Him with all their heart. I have great respect for Dr. Voegtlin and his attempt to avoid being just another fundamentalist “big shot”. He humbly serves God with all his heart, and has left me an example of what sincere faith in God can accomplish. During my time at Fairhaven I was impressed with how the college was striving to improve and grow to be an even better place for education. I am thankful for the friends I had and the personal interaction with teachers (not to mention the many valuable things I learned from my classes). I also am glad the college stressed our involvement in the various ministries of the church.

Third, in light of this perspective, why have I abandoned fundamentalism? I explained that in my letter, which you have linked to in this post. But let me summarize (and clarify) that letter a bit. I have come to disagree with some of the interpretations of Fairhaven on certain issues. These issues include the KJV-only issue, local-church only ecclesiology, their position on Calvinism, their categorical rejection of pants on women and modern/contemporary music styles, their fundamentalist view of separation, and their stance on dispensationalism (and pre-trib. rapture). I also have come to see certain emphases of fundamentalism as being potentially very dangerous, such as the ease with which a performance-based Christianity (legalistic sanctification) finds root (both consciously and unconsciously) in the structures set up by fundamentalism, the tendency toward an extreme view of pastoral authority accompanied (usually) by a rejection of the Biblical (I believe) position of rule by a plurality of elders, a tendency toward emphasizing stylistic elements of preaching more than a careful and studious treatment of Scripture (which doubtless accompanies an avoidance of real scholarship as somehow antithetical to spirituality), and the tendency toward a hair-trigger approach to separation (looking for reasons to separate from others rather than for trying to unify with other believers) which results in real schisms and unnecessary divisions in the universal body of Christ (this can tend to a self-righteous, holier-than-thou view of other non-fundamentalist Christians which is extremely unChristian and unhealthy). Since there is a great degree of autonomy promoted within fundamentalism (which is not necessarily wrong) there exist many different forms/versions (or camps) of fundamentalism. My criticisms apply less to some groups than others. I do view Fairhaven as an example of extreme fundamentalism, yet only in this sense: there is now a large group of fundamentalists who agree that making such matters as the use of the KJV Bible only, pants on women, and a rejection of Calvinism a test of fellowship is wrong and that groups who do so are extreme examples of fundamentalism. [This sphere of fundamentalism is represented by Central Baptist Theological Seminary/Fourth Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN; Bob Jones University; Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary/Inter-city Baptist Church of Allen Park, MI; Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary/Calvary Baptist Church in Lansdale, PA; and also SharperIron.Com.] This group within fundamentalism sees such positions as minor differences which should not separate believers. They understandably see these positions as being held most often by groups which even Fairhaven would consider extreme (Hyles Anderson College/First Baptist Church of Hammond, IN; Texas Baptist College/Longview Baptist Temple of Longview, TX; the views of Peter Ruckman and Gail Riplinger; etc.). I would consider Fairhaven a “modified extreme” or a “reasoned extreme” version of fundamentalism. This assessment has less to do with the practice of Fairhaven and more to do with the beliefs held by Fairhaven. I would say that all Independent Fundamental Baptists have inherited structures and procedures which were used by the extreme versions of Fundamentalism, and these structures have a negative impact to a varying degree on the practice and positions of every example of fundamentalism.

Fourth, let me state the obvious: I may be wrong. Further, I am not an authority on this issue. I have made personal conclusions based on my (short) lifetime within fundamentalism and have found such things to be true. I have come across many others who are wiser than I am who say the same things (some are even within fundamentalism still), though. I do not want to posit myself as the Know-It-All. But I understand some will write me off as such (since they know it all!). Nevertheless I feel compelled to speak out against these problems with fundamentalism, since I believe they are serious and have hindered my growth (and others’) in Christ. My blog is an attempt to think through the issues and discuss what I believe concerning fundamentalism, as well as to be a catalyst toward greater unity.

Fifth, I have tried to make it clear that I do not view fundamentalists as enemies [see this clarification post as well as my original reply to your comment to my letter/(story & critque)]. I greatly respect their high view of Scripture and their adherence to the Bible as the only rule of faith and practice. I would say I share that belief. I further respect their courageous stand for truth. I too strive to stand for truth (my applying separation differently does not mean I do not believe in and practice separation). I am very encouraged that fundamentalists make the gospel central to all they do and emphasize salvation by grace through faith alone (although some segments of fundamentalism–Fairhaven not being part of them–have abandoned a Biblical doctrine of repentance for an easy believism/1-2-3-repeat-after-me view of salvation). From my perspective I can agree to disagree on the truly minor areas of disagreement I have with fundamentalists and unify around the huge gospel truths and essential/fundamental doctrines of Scripture that we tenaciously hold to in common. Yet, having been on the other side of the fence, I understand that from their perspective I have abandoned the faith, practically. I cannot be associated with or fellowshipped with for fear of my negative influence or in respect to their position on separation. This does not change the fact that I desire to have a greater unity with fundamentalist brethren around the great Name and cause of Jesus Christ.

Sixth, let me say that I was encouraged by your original comment in response to my story/critique. You did not summarily write me off as others have, and rather seemed to welcome criticism of fundamentalism. I took that as your being sincere in trying to pursue the truth for yourself, yet I also understood that for you it most definitely meant you were just trying to ensure your brand of fundamentalism was Biblically rooted and you were interested in how others saw your positions. Your clarification of that comment here is basically what I gathered from your comment. I am encouraged to see you have been thinking about some of the excesses and errors perpetuated by some fundamentalists, and I am glad you are trying to avoid those errors. I also originally understood the tongue-in-cheek nature of your coming “to know the truth also” comment. I took your comment partly as a plea for me to treat fundamentalists with more grace. And that comment and other feedback I received led me to clarify my views and attempt to be sure I was not overstating my case and just simply bad-mouthing a group of people who are sincere in their desire to please God and hold the doctrines the Bible teaches. It ultimately lead to this post, which reflects my desire to glorify God in and through everything on my blog.

Seventh, I want to let you know I did listen to one or more of your sermons, and was impressed (as I usually was with your preaching back in college). I also have read almost everything on your blog. I particularly enjoyed your post about the ditch. I purposely did not comment for a few reasons. I did not want to be seen as aggessively attacking Fairhaven or seeking to gain recruits away from fundamentalism. I wanted to respect your church and ministry and not disrupt it. Also, the circumstances surrounding the correspondence you disclose here made me uncomfortable in commenting on your blog before now. In the future, I probably will not comment much, if at all. And if you request me to not comment at all, I would certainly understand. I do not want or intend to change your blog into a debate forum on fundamentalism.

Finally, let me explain that I disagree with your friend’s interpretation of my story. That is probably obvious to you. I am currently still planning on answering a letter posted by someone else on my blog which gets into specifc discussion of the doctrinal beliefs I hold; but in light of other discussions I have already had, I will probably not continue my correspondence with your friend in question. That discussion has broken down into a he said/she said debate. It is my word against his, and since memories are fallible, I cannot absolutely prove he is trying to destroy my reputation or something. I still hold him in high respect, although that has lessened somewhat from the recent exchanges. If more needs to be said from me, I will let you or your friend ask for it. It is already clear we disagree. It seems pointless to continue marshalling arguments back and forth in a lost cause.

I pray God’s blessing on your family and ministry. Oh, and unfortunately you were right in regards to the length of my writings! 🙂

In Christ,

Bob Hayton


∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 “¢ Rom. 15:5-7