Has the Train Derailed or Just Taken an Unforeseen Track?
by Peggy Drinkard
Jeff Miller’s recent post was very helpful to me as I tried to figure the recent, troubling “book banning” thing out. In fact, this post originated as a response to Jeff, but became lengthy enough and enough of a rabbit trail to necessitate its own space. Because of respect I hold for some of the book-banners, I could not easily write them off as paranoid kooks or power-hungry autocrats….but identifying it as an issue of CONTROL makes more sense to me….an earnest fear that “this thing will get out of control” and everything will take a new and never envisioned direction….the loss of control by the “old guard”…that makes sense. When I have created something I tend to want to maintain control over the direction it goes. Of course, this is quite at odds with my intellectual understanding of God, His sovereignty and His ways, but I understand it. Most parents, I assume from my own experience, have this kind of battle with themselves and their children from time to time. I lay a certain foundation, and even though I can see the stamp of that foundation in my children…they sometimes take it in directions I did not envision…which makes me nervous! I prayed a lot when my sons were small that they would be warriors, men’s men. Now that my first born is preparing to be a “navy nuclear emergency diver,” planting and defusing underwater mines and going into the guts of torpedoed, nuclear-powered ships to repair them enough to limp back to port… “well, Lord, could I make some amendments to that prayer?”
This reminds me of something a former pastor, Dr. Summers, (who wrote the Communion Hymn we occasionally sing at Riverwood), once counseled me about. He said, “The problem we encounter with our aging parents is, they increasingly want and need us to assume their responsibilities, but refuse to give up the decision-making power that the responsibilities entail.” That helped me a lot. In this same vein, I am reminded of a prayer for sons that has always been valuable to me. In part, it says, “I want you to be one of the best men that ever lived-to see God and to reveal him to men…I ask, I implore, that Christ may be formed in you, that you may be made not in any likeness suggested by my imagination, but in the image of God-that you may realize not my, but His ideal-however much that ideal may bewilder me, however little I may recognize it when it is created. I hate the thought that out of love for me you should accept my presentations, my feeble ideal, of the Christ. I want God to reveal His Son to you independently of men-to give you a first hand knowledge of Him whom I am only beginning to see.” (Forbes Robinson.) I think this speaks to the issues our denomination is wrestling with. I do not believe either “side” of these arguments really involves heresy or wolves among the sheep. Christianity, like children, continues to grow up. It must. Surely none of us think we have it all figured out. But there is that problem of control…and the needed ability to discern the difference between heresy and growth pains.
Posted by Peggy Drinkard at June 5, 2007 01:50 PM
Peggy, I know you and Jeff have been kindly circumspect about naming people and labeled factions or groups— I think that is helpful, but to a point.
I think you bring up an excellent point about delineating between “heresy” and “growth pains.” Although, I find troublesome aspects about the FV or the NPP, I would hesitate strongly about calling these respective positions heretical. That is a dangerous word to throw about so freely and carelessly. There are some (including myself) that find some difficulty about NT Wright’s expression of full justification, BUT they have attempted to discredit all of his academic work and discourage anyone from viewing him as a godly man who is integral to the larger Church. I believe that this is the mistake. To call NT Wright a “wolf” is irresponsible— according to my own understanding, a biblical “wolf” is one who is actively seeking the spiritual destruction of believers. I repeat, NT Wright is not a “wolf.” In fact, I believe him to be godly and wise man. (That can also be said for DW, PL, RL, and SW, for that matter: Note: I also disagree, at times, with godly and wise men.
What is, perhaps, more troubling in our own regional evangelicalism, is that Armenianism has not been taken to task to the degree that NT Wright’s work has been scrutinized. Why have we not read a detailed report concerning the SBC’s understanding of justification? Certainly, they would be a greater regional cultural influence than the Bishop of Durham. (Regionally, speaking)
I agree, Tim. Yesterday as I considered these issues the same thought occured to me about Armenianism, not only as a problem in the predominate denominations in the South, but even as a problem within some of our own PCA churches. One day the church will be ONE…not split by our different viewpoints. When the bride is fitted and adorned with truth for our Bridegroom, I think we will all see our own misunderstandings of some important things. Our belief in absolute truth militates that there are true answers to every issue that arises out of our study of theology, so someone is always closer to the truth about any particular than others and no one has it all figured out yet. We also have to remember how we are “prone to wander”…(you would think this would be elementary for those of us who believe in total depravity) and so be vigilent to guard against slippery slopes. Nonetheless, as we all continue individually and collectively to grow up in Christ, we do really need to exercise care to maintain respect and love for the entire church, even in all her messy manifestations, and to be extremely reticent to dismiss individuals or groups of Christians as heretics. We had enough of that sort of abuse during the Inquisitions!