CDM Archive

Discipleship Ministries of the PCA

Church Leadership

WHAT ABOUT SMALL GROUPS?

by

John and Mary recently joined First Church professing their faith in Jesus. They attended an Inquirers’ Class and heard the pastor describe the church’s basic beliefs. They were sold on the church and its message because of the attention the pastor and other leaders lavished on them as they got involved. Now they are members and the leadership seems focused on the latest group of newcomers. How do they connect with others in the congregation? It’s an important question because if they don’t connect within a few months or so, they will be gone.

Bill and Sue are struggling at home with a variety of issues. The cumulative effect is their relationship is being destroyed. What can the church offer? Is there a safe place for them to deal with some of their problems?

For parents, children can be the source of great joy…and considerable pain. What role can the family of God play in addressing the dramas and the tragedies that occur in our homes?

In spite of the wealth enjoyed by many in our church family, significant numbers of us are burdened with thousands of dollars in credit card debt. Add that to car payments, mortgages and all the other bills due every month. Is there help in the Christian community? Too often difficulties at home end in an affair and then the disintegration of the marriage, leaving parents and children with horrible wounds that never heal completely. We believe in the sanctity of marriage. But we also know that Jesus calls us not simply to hold up a standard, but to offer help to those painfully aware of their failure.

Perhaps the most common problems voiced are those related to a job loss, an accident, serious illness, or the death of someone close. Is there a support system in the Christian family that extends beyond the initial crisis? If all this were not enough, many Christians simply don’t know the Bible. As important as that is, at best it’s a first step. The Bible must be taught, not simply as an abstract philosophical system, but with the life-changing message it carries in the power of the Spirit. Small groups are another means of addressing the situations described above.

Much has been written about small groups and millions participate in them. Groups are defined as usually three to fifteen people meeting regularly for a common purpose. There are support groups, therapy groups, fellowship groups, those addressing certain needs or interests (i.e. alcohol abuse, auto repair), and those committed to common tasks (a choir, etc). A group within the church ought to have a Christian purpose and that will often include significant Bible study.

I have been involved in such groups since the mid-1960s. Secular groups were beginning to proliferate and as the methodology was brought into the church there was a backlash. Some of the criticisms were justified. However, congregations began to see groups as a way to help people get to know each other and God in a better way while providing pastoral support for fellow members.

Groups in the church are not a recent phenomenon. Sunday school has been around for well over 200 years, and it has been mostly a small group movement. In fact, the demise of the ongoing adult class in the 1960’s and the beginning of adult electives in Sunday school accelerated the need for another small group model. Where ongoing classes have been reconstituted, the issue is the distinct role adult Sunday school and small groups are expected to play.

Let’s take a closer look at small groups.

OUR SOCIETY

It is no coincidence that the growth of small groups paralleled the cultural upheaval we experienced over a generation ago. The civil rights movement. The war in Vietnam. The search for truth. A desire to wrestle with ultimate questions. Baby boomers wanted some way to break down the sense of alienation and isolation reflected by the warning to “never trust anybody over 30.”

We’re not grappling with ultimate questions today. The search for truth has been abandoned. We’re united in our war on terrorism, and the attacks on September 11, 2001 temporarily shook many into a search for someone beyond ourselves who could offer help and solace. Racial reconciliation is still a long way off, but there’s something of a truce, a willingness to live and let live as people of every racial and ethnic group attempt to accumulate all the stuff necessary to live the good life. With some notable exceptions, the poor and diseased of society have been forgotten.

Groups today are often a lot less intense than they were 25 years ago. The boomers who once felt alienated by the system now run it. Families are fragmented, literally and figuratively, like never before. Neighborhoods have ceased to exist. We don’t even know the family next door. Networks of friends have become casual acquaintances or business relationships. This has also happened in the church. That’s where the small group can demonstrate its worth.

THE CHURCH

In a typical congregation, it’s possible to attend for years and hardly know anybody. I discover this every time I lead a group in an introductory activity. Recently I heard, after people had shared some basic information about their backgrounds and interests, “I’ve worshiped with these people for years and tonight I learned things I never knew.” The casual greetings exchanged in many congregations hardly provide a basis for sharing the burdens that threaten to overwhelm us. One means by which people can begin to get connected is through the Sunday school. Another is involvement in special activities. Service is the means by which some make friends. For many others, it’s the small group.

However, if groups are to maximize their effectiveness, getting assimilated into the life of the church is just one component. Groups need to be part of the disciple making process. Using Matthew’s 28:16-20 record of the Great Commission, there are two principle ingredients, baptism and sound teaching.

Baptism could be defined as introducing people to Jesus. Using the word baptism suggests that evangelism is the work of the church. Evangelism can happen in a small group, where real people with real struggles help each other honor Christ in various activities and circumstances of life. The person who doesn’t know Him will see what it means to follow Him and perhaps begin the pilgrimage.

I have had great experiences with groups made up of the people in the church and those interested in exploring the basics of the Christian faith. Materials are available to assist with such a group – among them John Stott’s Basic Christianity. The big challenge will be gathering a group. Addressing certain areas like the issues facing those separation or divorce will attract people outside the Christian community. Their needs might be great enough that they will be receptive to the gospel. Beyond that rests the challenge of integrating them into the life of the larger congregation. Both should be in view as you work and pray.

The second principle of disciple making is teaching to the end that we will obey everything that God has commanded. A group in the church should move beyond fellowship – even if it entails significant sharing. To fulfill a Christian purpose, issues need to be evaluated by the biblical message. One can grow out of the other, starting either with the Bible or a concern. The small group is probably the best forum for that in today’s church. Such a Bible study will lead to great prayer times.

Effective disciple making groups don’t just happen. It’s so comforting to hear Jesus telling us He has the power. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” and “I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.”

One additional component in a Christian group is a willingness to take on a task. That produces at least two things: someone is helped and the bonds that knit you together are brightened.

THE DOWNSIDE

Divisive?

Groups, like any activity, can become problematic. There are some where dissatisfaction with the church becomes a major topic week after week. That’s destructive no matter how much it’s couched in language suggesting the desire to make things better. This is not to say that churches don’t have faults, sometimes glaring ones. The small group, however, is not the forum for dealing with such issues.

Ingrown?

It’s relatively easy for a group that has clicked to become ingrown, in the same way that some churches do. In such a setting the newcomer is made to feel like an intruder. My practice has been to have groups go for a year, occasionally two, then start over. However, all it would take to change the dynamic would be one or two new members. That might mean that the same member would need to cycle out because of the size, though there are groups that grow well beyond fifteen or twenty people. They spend part of their time together and part in small groupings.

Another factor is whether groups should be open or closed. My strong preference is for an open group. I have found that it is much easier to assimilate new people than is sometimes suggested. This, too, keeps a group from becoming ingrown.

Heresy?

Given the nature of small groups, there will be opinions expressed that might make us cringe. For the most part these will die a natural death. A greater concern is to exercise enough control so that there is confidence in the leadership. If a group leader is off track, the group will be too. Either that or the group will likely disintegrate.

An End in Itself?

Sometimes the small group becomes a substitute for participation in the worship of the larger body. I have occasionally encouraged group members to attend Sunday services more regularly, but there wasn’t a positive response. Yet those same people would do everything they could to get to a small group meeting.

A bit of perspective might be in order. I’m happy to have a person involved in a small group even if he or she doesn’t attend anything else. Better some involvement than no involvement. It is helpful to keep in mind that we want group members to be involved in the full orbit of life in the congregation. I’ve seen people go from virtual dropouts to highly committed church members, in part through involvement in a small group.

Our Commitment to You and Your Church’s Ministry

by

Welcome to the November/December of Equip for Ministry. As we have looked back over the year, EfM has been a vital link in our ministry at Christian Education and Publications. Our objective has been to think about you, the reader, and your local church ministry. At a recent Equip seminar in Pennsylvania someone said to me, “I really look forward to Equip for Ministry. It is a good, quick, but substantive read. I don’t have the time to read like I would like and EfM is a help.” A pastor from the west coast called to thank us for the book reviews, saying they helped him plan his reading list. We strive to provide articles dealing with issues, resources, ideas, and nuts-and-bolts tips for ministry to increase your effectiveness in service to our Lord Jesus Christ. We trust this last issue for 2002 will do the same.

We also bring other books and ideas to stimulate and challenge your thinking and spiritual growth. As we have stated before, we see dozens of books pass by our desk almost monthly. Because of limited time and space, we attempt to carefully select what we believe to be the most strategic ones at this moment in time. Occasionally, a classic reprint falls into that category or even a book that is not necessarily written from a Christian perspective. We do not choose those books lightly. Even in this issue, we had to overlook a host of good books in order to bring our short list to you. The book relating to the history of hymns, one might say, is not really a strategic book, but we believe it could play an important role in the worship and growth of God’s people.

We have frequently written about postmodernism and will continue to because it is the overarching philosophy of the world and impacts our entire lives. While we have only skimmed the surface, we will continually keep this topic before you. In this issue for example, we have reviewed an excellent book by Millard Erickson on postmodernism. God willing, we will continue to challenge you to read and think about crucial subject.

We encourage and challenge our readers to develop their Christian minds, not in order to create an intellectually elitist people, but to “bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” CE&P offers a variety of ministries for your churches’ various specialized groups such as youth, children, women, officers, leaders, teachers, and men. Our resource topics deal with doctrine and theology in a life-oriented way. Themes such as stewardship, prayer, and evangelization of today’s postmoderns are constantly addressed.

Since 9-11-01, we are living in a different kind of world, one that has indeed changed forever. We would like to think the change is for the better, but that is not certain. We do know that God has called us to be salt and light, and as part of His church, to represent His truth and kingdom in all of life. We also know from Scripture, as well as from practical experience that as individuals and as churches, we can be more effective together than alone. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own ministries that we tend to forget others who are also involved.

In this issue, we feature the topic of small group ministries written by our coordinator of training, Robert Edmiston. Bob is an expert in the area of small groups. He has not only helped local churches develop small group ministries throughout the PCA, he is presently overseeing such a ministry in his home church. George Gallup Jr. states that small group ministry is one of the most effective ways for churches to minister to people. Robert Wuthnow, sociologist from Princeton, writes that 40% of American people are involved in small groups. Since groups can enhance a local church’s ministry if done well or hinder it if not done well, our seminars and resources are designed to help churches lead small groups well.

Because this is specifically a CE&P publication, the staff, regional staff, committee members, or someone who has served CE&P in some way usually writes the content. For example: in the last issue, we had a lead article by Ken Sande on abuse. He has participated in some of our conferences. Many PCA churches and agencies have used his materials on conflict management to help them deal with sticky situations. Even the advertisements are chosen not primarily for the revenues used to print the magazine, but because we believe local church leaders need to be aware of those for their ministries.

With this issue we also welcome Michelle Estile as the new managing editor replacing Amy Downing Veerman. Amy and Erik welcomed the birth of their little girl, Marguerite Lynn, as we were preparing this issue. Michelle’s husband Daniel works for MTW in the Internship department.

Our prayer is that each issue will encourage and assist you in living for and ministering on behalf of our Lord. Our entire staff is your resource for Christian education, disciple making, teacher training, and other leadership areas. We pray that God will use you in 2003 in a special way and allow us to play some small part in helping you to be more effective in your Christian life and witness.

Is Scripture Alone Sufficient?

by

As Christians, we are people of the Book. Without being embarrassed or having our egos shattered, we own up to the fact that we believe the Bible is the Word of God, “our only infallible rule of faith and practice.” One of the phrases of the Protestant Reformation, Sola Scriptura-by Scripture alone-, has become a clarion call for evangelical and reformed Christians. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, containing the historic sixty-six books of the canon, form the basis of our belief in the Triune God. (We wrote about this in the last three issues of EfM.)

Another phrase that is a part of our heritage is “the sufficiency of Scripture.” This is significant because if our faith and practice are not based on the authority of God’s Word, we are left either with rationalism, sensory-experientialism, or solipsism, or we can believe whatever we want to believe.

The Westminster Confession of Faith makes one of the clearest statements on Scripture that one could find. It declares the Scripture’s authority, clarity, sufficiency and necessity for faith and practice. The WCF echoes the testimony of Scripture itself that the authors of the Bible were writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. While He did not dictate every word, He worked in and through them so that while they wrote from their particular circumstance and moment in history with their own styles, they wrote the truth that God wanted us to know.

The WCF also states that the Scriptures, though inspired in their original languages, are to be translated into the “vulgar” or common language of the people, indicating that all people should be free to read the Word of God. Therefore, the Scripture is written in such a manner that it clearly communicates the grand metanarrative of redemption.

The WCF’s statement on Scripture reflects the thoughts of John Calvin. “If true religion is to shine on us we must grasp the necessity of beginning with teaching from above and that it is impossible for anyone to gain an atom of sound doctrine without being a disciple of Scripture.” As we reflect on the statements of Calvin and the WCF, we remember what the Reformation was all about. Though the first wave centered on salvation and the second on the sovereignty of God, both waves attempted to call the church back to the authority of the Bible. At that time, authority had been posited in the Roman Catholic Church and only the church could interpret the Scripture. Until it was translated into the languages of the people, only the priest could read the Word. People believed what the church told them, though the church did not always tell them what the Scripture actually taught, especially about salvation.We could say that the church and its tradition had become the authority upon which faith and understanding were to rest. Tradition was elevated to the place of authority in the life of the church.

Here is what we need to understand! As reformed and evangelical Christians, we also have our own tradition, which is important as long as it is kept in its place and does not usurp or misinterpret Scripture’s authority. Luther, Calvin, and company came to believe that the church was committing both errors, hence they “protested.”Having said that, we must also say that there is a right and wrong way to use the two phrases. Concerning Sola Scriptura, by Scripture alone, the WCF makes two important points. 1. “The only infallible interpreter of Scripture is Scripture,” not man individually or collectively. It is God’s Spirit working through his Word that determines the meaning of Scripture; hence Sola Scriptura and the Holy Spirit. 2. The WCF also underscores the words of 2 Peter 1:20 that “no Scripture is of private interpretation or comes from someone’s own interpretation.“ While the Holy Spirit is the Word’s final Interpreter, He usually works in the context of the church and the church’s tradition, past and present.

One thing that fed New England’s quick turn to liberalism in the early 1800s was the New Light Movement, which taught that only the Bible was needed. Its proponents maintained that we do not need creeds or confessions; nor do we need the church in order to understand the Bible. From that position, many people began interpreting the Scriptures personally and privately. According to historian Mark Noll, liberalism, along with many cults, developed during that time.

It is in the context of the church, its creeds and confessions, even its traditions, that we come to understand the truth of God’s Word. Therefore, we must not take “Sola Scriptura” to the extreme of the New Lighters and others who developed their own cults using the Bible. We study Scripture in the context of God’s covenant community, which holds us accountable to proper interpretation.

The second phrase that we must not misunderstand is “the sufficiency of Scripture.” Some take this essential truth of our faith to the extreme and say that all we need is the Bible. True, Scripture is sufficient in all that God intends it to be. It is our only infallible rule of faith and life. But the Scripture does not teach us everything that we need to know. God teaches us about Himself and many other things through what we call His general revelation and particularly through common grace. (See the review of He Shines In All That’s Fair in this issue.)

For example, John Frame suggests three types of questions that must be discussed in making ethical decisions. “1. What is your problem? What kind of situation have you gotten into? 2. What does God’s Word say about it? 3. Are you the sort of person who in this situation is capable of doing what Scripture tells you to do? Hence three foci: the situation, the Word, the person,” (Medical Ethics, page 4).The Scripture is not sufficient to teach us all that we need to know regarding things like science, mathematics, economics, human behavior, etc. What the Bible teaches in those areas is true. Yet, as the WCF indicates, for example, there are some things that can be gleaned from our circumstances that can help us in our worship and government of the church, as long as they are consistent with Scripture.

Why is it necessary to say this? Some people, believing they are promoting the sufficiency of Scripture, attempt to proof-text everything from the Bible, though it cannot and should not be done. Some within the Christian community often misuse, misinterpret, and abuse Scripture by attempting to provide a proof-text for everything while wanting to discard anything for which one cannot be found. I remember the frustrations that I felt when we were putting together the PCA’s Book of Church Order. As committee chairmen, we were to provide proof-texts to the BOCO similar to the footnotes in the WCF. We could not footnote from Scripture every detail of the BOCO and such was unnecessary. I was glad when the Assembly finally dismissed our committee.

The Scripture alone must be our authority and rule for faith and practice. We must not add to nor subtract from it. Yet, we must not use it in a manner that God never intended. To do so brings the same false conclusions as does deliberate tampering with the Word. The Scripture gives us the framework for understanding life, its circumstances, and God’s revealed will. However, it does not bypass the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, individually or collectively, in processing that truth.

So, in case you’re asked, do not hesitate to affirm your belief in the sufficiency and authority of Scripture. Just be careful not to make the Scripture into more than God intended it to be by forcing it to say things that it does not really say. But by all means use it as your grid for understanding truth whether from general or special revelation.

A Better Way to Handle Abuse

by

By Ken Sande. Sexual abuse in the church does not have to end in broken lives, agonizing lawsuits, and divided congregations. When people follow God’s instructions, these terrible incidents can result in healing, justice, and healthier churches.When victims of abuse first come forward, I have found that most of them are seeking four reasonable responses. First, they are looking for understanding, compassion, and emotional support. Second, they want the church to admit that the abuse occurred and to acknowledge that it was wrong. Third, they want people to take steps to protect others from similar harm. And fourth, they expect compensation for the expense of needed counseling.

As national headlines reveal, many churches have unwisely ignored these legitimate needs. Instead they have blindly followed their lawyers’ and insurance adjusters’ textbook strategy to avoid legal liability. They try to cover up the offense and deny responsibility. All too often they distance themselves from the victims and their families, leaving them feeling betrayed and abandoned.

Many frustrated victims eventually run into a lawyer who tells them they could win a million-dollar damages award. Soon everyone is locked in an adversarial process that reopens wounds and generates even more pain and anger. Whatever the verdict, both sides lose, since money alone can never heal the wounds of abuse.There is a better way.
God has designed a powerful peacemaking strategy for dealing with offenses between people, including sexual abuse. When churches follow it, the cycle of abuse is broken and restoration can begin.

COMPASSION

If there is one place that victims of abuse should find understanding, compassion, and support, it is the church, which God commands to respond to suffering with tenderness and selfless love. “Be kind and compassionate to one another.” “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.” “Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others” (Ephesians 4:31; Philippians 2:3-4). Instead of pulling away from victims, churches should draw closer to them, listening to their stories, mourning with and praying for them, and bearing their burdens. Responding with love and compassion is one of the best ways to show that the church abhors abuse and is committed to serving the victim.

CONFESSION

Attorneys instinctively instruct their clients to “make no admissions.” Hundreds of churches have followed this shortsighted counsel in recent years, prolonging the agony of abuse victims, infuriating juries, and triggering multimillion-dollar punitive damages awards. In contrast, everyone benefits when people trust God’s promise, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy (Proverbs 28:13). A church should acknowledge its contribution to an abusive situation and encourage the abuser to confess his sin, take responsibility for his actions, and seek needed counseling. These steps can prevent a court battle and speed healing for victim and offender alike. (Since an impulsive admission could allow an insurer to cancel coverage, church leaders should consult with their insurer, lawyer, and a Christian conciliator to plan their words carefully.)

COMPENSATION FOR COUNSELING

The Bible places a strong emphasis on requiring a wrongdoer to repair any damage he has caused to another person. “Pay the injured man for the loss of his time and see that he is completely healed” (Exodus 21:19). Therefore, churches should be earnest to do whatever they can to bring wholeness to victims of abuse. As soon as abuse is revealed, the church should immediately come to the aid of the victim and his family, holding forth the redeeming power of the Gospel and offering to provide or cover the cost of needed counseling.

CHANGE

When abuse takes place, statements of regret are not enough. Genuine repentance is demonstrated by making changes to protect others from similar harm. “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” “Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Luke 3:8; Psalm 82:4). This requires removing the abuser from his position and implementing screening and supervision procedures to prevent other abusive people from being in counseling or child-care positions. Such actions not only protect others from harm but also relieve abuse victims, who are deeply concerned that others not be treated as they were.

CONCILIATION

It may be difficult for a church to implement these steps if a victim’s family is already threatening legal action or an insurer refuses to support personal contacts. These situations can still be resolved without a legal battle, however, by submitting the matter to biblical mediation or arbitration. “If you have disputes, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church” (1 Corinthians 6:4). Christian conciliation by outside neutrals can provide a constructive forum to deal with both the spiritual and legal issues related to abuse. This legally enforceable process provides appropriate confidentiality and promotes confession and restitution, which help to bring about justice and reconciliation.

These five steps are not theoretical. I have seen many churches follow this process, usually with great success. In one case, a pastor discovered that a man had abused several children in the church, including the pastor’s daughter. In spite of his own personal anguish, the pastor prayed to respond to the situation in a way that would reflect the love of Jesus. After consulting with a Christian conciliator and the church’s insurer, the pastor and his elders ministered to everyone who had been hurt by this dreadful sin.They persuaded the abuser to confess his sin to the families of the children and to turn himself in to the police. He willingly accepted his prison sentence, and was even grateful that his destructive behavior had finally been stopped.

The leaders spent many hours with the families themselves, grieving and praying with them, and making sure they received needed support and counseling. In addition, the leaders improved their screening and supervision policies to guard against similar incidents in the future.They also reached out to the abuser’s wife and children, who were so ashamed that they planned to leave the church. But the leaders understood what being a shepherd is all about. They ministered to this broken family, reassured them of God’s love, and kept them in the fold.

Instead of being dragged through an excruciating lawsuit, the victims and their families, the abuser and his family, and the entire congregation experienced the redeeming power of God. This remarkable process culminated months later during a Christmas Eve service. As the church prepared to sing “Silent Night,” two young girls came forward to light the candles. One of them had been abused. The other was the daughter of the abuser. As they finished their task and smiled at each other, the congregation saw tangible evidence of God’s love and grace.Abuse in the church does not have to end with catastrophe. When a church follows its Lord, even this great tragedy can result in healing and restoration.

Keep the Church on Target

by

Welcome to the September/October issue of Equip for Ministry. We hope that you will find it helpful and encouraging. There are a number of conferences and training events listed for your information and the solicitation of your prayers. You will also find numerous beneficial resources through our advertising and articles.

We continue to hear comments such as: “What CE&P has to offer is the best kept secret in the PCA.” The word “secret” always puzzles and confuses us because through staff and regional trainers, we are constantly in local churches, training and consulting. Plus, we try to keep churches aware of our resources through our seminars, brochures, website, etc.

Our Christian Education and Publications mission statement is to help you “know the Lord, know the Word, know the world, and know yourselves.“ Christians are constantly bombarded with things of the world that seek to hurt us, knock us off course, or trip us up in our Christian lives. We do not live in a vacuum, we either confront the world or it confronts us. Although, thinking biblically and strategically should be our strong suit, trends reveal that we generally think much the same as non-Christians. One of the sad results of that is it is not always easy to distinguish Christians and non-Christians.

Several participants at our recent PCA General Assembly thanked us for challenging them through the pages of Equip for Ministry to read and think biblically. I have always appreciated when someone says, “You have certainly made me think.” Of course thinking is not an end in itself but a means to knowing and serving the Lord better. If we encourage readers to that end, then we have succeeded in our mission.

In the early part of the 20th century, the church retreated from the world, isolated itself from challenging the ideas and issues of that time, and as a result became irrelevant to the world. Instead of challenging the world and penetrating it with the Gospel of truth, the church withdrew its influence and walled itself off from the world. However, God raised up great men of reformed and evangelical faith such as J. Gresham Machen, Carl F. H. Henry, Billy Graham, John Stott to sound the call of the Gospel in the marketplace. Since the 1940s a few more Christians have emerged from hiding to do the same, but in miniscule numbers.

Christians must be disciplined to think holistically about life. They must become kingdom-oriented people who not only can come alongside one another for encouragement and stimulation, but can also confront the world and its ideologies. We must not attempt to preach and teach the Gospel in a vacuum. People must understand how the Gospel penetrates all areas of life. We cannot hide our lights under a basket.

The lead article in this issue, “A Better Way to Handle Abuse”, was written by Ken Sande, the director of Peacemaker Ministries. He has helped a number of our PCA churches and institutions deal with conflict from a biblical perspective. We have sold Peacemaker materials in our bookstore for a number of years and worked with Ken in our conferences. Although the article recently appeared on PCANews.com, we chose to print it because local church leaders need to deal with this topic in the context of their ministry. We addressed the issue at our 2002 Children’s Ministry Conference, but it needs to be considered more broadly. Read the lead article and encourage others in your church to do the same.

“In Case You’re Asked” continues to address basic questions relating to authority, truth, and the Word of God. The topic of the “sufficiency of Scripture” has much significance to us, but it can also lend itself to some abuse, if we are not careful. The four main book reviews in this issue are carefully chosen to build on that theme. They should be high on your priority list of books to read.

We continue to be challenged by which books to review in Equip for Ministry. We receive many fine books well deserving of reviews, but because of limited space, we have to make choices. We pray about which books we believe to be strategic for you in your life and ministry. We do offer broader selection of books through our CE&P bookstore, which is accessible by phone and the Internet (1-800-283-1357 and www.cepbookstore.com).

Reading is simply one of those things that we must do if we are to grow spiritually and learn more clearly how to think God’s thoughts after him. In one of the books reviewed, Engaging God’s World, Cornelius Plantinga reminds us that we do not automatically think like a Christian nor do we automatically know what to think about. We must learn and encourage others to do the same. I coined a phrase several years ago, “If we only think what we have thought, then what we think is what we have thought.” We must be growing in our thought and Christian life. Thinking biblically and living out those thoughts are God’s avenues for challenging the world’s ways.

Our prayer for this issue, as with all others, is that you will take the time to read the content and then find means of living more fully and wholly for the Lord. Our mission and calling are to serve the Lord’s purpose to this generation. We will be grateful for any opportunity to challenge and assist you in this calling.

The Openness of God

by

God is sovereign and controls all things that come to pass. That is a basic belief of the Christian faith. Or is it? God knows all things, we say. But, does he really? In Titus 1 Paul writes, “For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers, and deceivers especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.” This is one text which reminds us of the necessity to teach sound doctrine. Paul writes about the consequences of false teachings. They have a negative impact on relationships, upsetting whole families and, by implication, broader social units.

Paul’s words are important to us because in our pluralistic postmodern context, we are encouraged to believe that we can create our own reality. But if we have a wrong view of God, our view of ourselves will be flawed since we are his image and likeness. From those two faulty views grow all kinds of weeds and thorns that will choke and destroy other relationships. When we are wrong about God, every other major truth is affected-Scripture, the Trinity, Christ, the atonement, eschatology, God’s requirements for us, and reality itself.

In the March/April issue of Equip for Ministry we reviewed John Frame’s No Other God, A Response to Open Theism. We encouraged you to read and study that book because it deals with a topic that sadly is becoming more popular, especially among those who call themselves evangelicals. Though the church has dealt with this issue in the past, it still exists. It has several different names: “open theism,” “free will theism,” or “open view of God.” Like Frame, I do not accuse those who teach this of being intentionally heretical, but their teachings are wrong and distort God. They are capably articulate, but even granting them the benefit of the doubt that they are trying to be biblical, we still must conclude that they are in error.

They maintain that those who have a traditional view of God are not considering all of Scripture, and that when we do read the passages on which they build their case, we are turning cartwheels to make everything work according to our traditional system. Their teaching strikes at the heart of who God is and who we are. It challenges his sovereignty, his foreknowledge, and man’s “free will.” From there it challenges the sufficiency of Christ’s death and what it accomplishes. Can we really believe that God did not know whether Jesus would sin or not, that the Protestant Reformation would take place, or the September 11 disaster would happen?

Open theism begins subtly with the idea that God has humanlike characteristics that are not emphasized in traditional teaching. As the proponents develop their “movement in theology,” they have simply bought into a paradigm or model of God that differs from our Calvinistic and view of God. They claim that God does not know beforehand what is going to happen because to know would require his control to see that those things actually happened and that would infringe upon man’s free will. As Clark Pinnock, an advocate of open theism states, he is a “self-limited God.” He does not know all things, only the past and the present. He does not control all things to his predetermined end because so much depends on what man does. He doesn’t know beforehand who will or will not be saved. He can predict the future, only in part, because the future is not yet known. He is changeable and will alter his plan according to what man does; hence man has the ability to change God’s mind, determine the course of history, and play on God’s “humanlike” emotions.

I believe these teachers are reacting to an extremely deterministic view of God that makes man less than responsible for his actions, because God has predetermined all things. As you read Openness of God or The Case for Freewill Theism, you cannot miss their caricature of the sovereignty of God. According to their representation of the traditional view of God, it does not matter what man does or does not do. God is set in his ways and man’s actions make no difference. God does not even have serious interaction with man. Human decisions make no difference in their paradigm. Richard Rice, an open view of God advocate, frequently refers to God’s actions in relation to man as dynamic not static. That is, God is open to persuasion and change, even altering his plans, depending on man’s actions. He is not a stern, inflexible, all powerful God. Rice writes, “What he actually decides to do depends directly on the actions of human beings.”

What this really means is that God, like man, reacts to circumstances and those circumstances determine God’s course of action. Sound familiar? It is not a new teaching. It has been around for a long time under different names. For example: libertarianism, which teaches that man has total free will to choose and decide what he is or is not going to do. He has the freedom and often the power to make those choices, hence the designation “free will theism.” Another name for the open view of God is Socinianism, a sixteenth and seventeenth century heresy that challenged the traditional view of God, the Trinity, and the atoning work of Christ on the cross.

Frame quotes Robert Strimple, of Westminster Theological Seminary (Escondido), “But Socinianism also held to a heretical doctrine of God. The Socinian doctrine can be stated very briefly, and it must be contrasted with both Calvinism and Arminianism. Calvinism (or Augustinianism) teaches that the sovereign God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, and therefore He foreknows whatsoever comes to pass….The Socinians insisted that it was a contradiction of human freedom to believe in the sovereign foreordination of God. So they went ‘all the way'(logically) and denied not only that God has foreordained the free decisions of free agents but also that God foreknows what those decisions will be. That is precisely the teaching of the ‘free will theism’ of Pinnock, Rice, and other like-minded ‘new model evangelicals.’ They want their doctrine of God to sound very ‘new’ very modern, by dressing it up with references… but it is just the old Socinian heresy rejected by the church centuries ago,” (No Other Gods, page 33, 34). This is a good example of the importance of knowing church history. This teaching has been dealt with in the past and the conclusion can be helpful today.

In case you’re asked, being Christians of a biblically reformed Calvinistic persuasion, we respond, yes, we believe that God is the sovereign Lord who determines all things whatsoever that come to pass or he would be less than God. Yes, we believe that man has been given certain responsibilities and his actions can make a difference in how God’s plan plays out; yet, man cannot thwart the plan of God. Yes, we are certain that God does reveal himself as having certain humanlike characteristics, such as emotions, thoughts, and feelings. Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, has particularly experienced in his incarnation, all of our emotions, temptations, and limitations. Hence the writer of Hebrews states, “we do not have a high priest [Jesus] who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need,” (4:15, 16).

Because we are not God with unlimited abilities, we cannot always understand everything from a logical, rational perspective. But that is not a problem because we know that God’s ways are not our ways. We are aware that he is above logic, reason, and all parts of his created order, while being present within it. When we realize that God is the supernatural sovereign God, we are not bothered by not knowing everything that God knows. In fact, it is really refreshing not to have to believe that we have to know all things.

Does God know everything that will happen? According to the open theists, not before it takes place. Does God ever change his mind? Absolutely, they say. They even quote Scriptures to prove it. If man’s actions and behavior were totally foreknowable by God, then man would be less than free because God would have to see to it that those actions actually happen. But we believe that God is sovereign and controls everything in this creation, including man and his actions. Yet, we also believe that man is responsible for his actions before God. God does know all things, even the number of hairs on our head. He knew that Jesus would live a sinless life and not fail in his mission of going to the cross to die for our sins.

While we realize that these teachers claim to emphasize the part of God with which we can relate, the human side, we totally disagree with the extreme positions they take to get to that point. And, while we emphasize the sovereignty of God, we also realize that he is our personal God with whom we can interact with the deepest intimacy and love.