Tag Archives: Separation

Lessons from the Reformation for Biblical Fundamentalists

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Fundamentalists today face the challenge of wanting to reach more people but still guard the purity of their churches. In this article Dr. Ken Rathbun, a graduate of Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary and the academic dean of Fairview Baptist Bible College in Jamaica, gives us insights on this matter from the Reformation period. In his second article he applies the lessons from the Reformation to contemporary fundamentalism. One of the ironies of the Reformation is that though the Reformers had separated from the Roman Catholic Church, the Reformers attacked other groups of the time for separating from them.

Faith Baptist Theological Seminary: Celebrating 25 Years of God’s Blessing

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In 2011 Faith Baptist Theological Seminary celebrated its 25th anniversary. From its modest beginning in 1986 FBTS has become a leader among fundamental Baptist seminaries. This article recounts the early history of FBTS and examines what distinguishes it from other seminaries. 2011 also marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of the Faith Pulpit. This edition of Faith Pulpit (number 230) gives a comprehensive index of the past 25 years of publication. The roots of Faith Baptist Theological Seminary go back to 1962 when the college, then known as Omaha Baptist Bible College, added a five-year Bachelor of Theology program to the standard four-year program.

Keeping Institutions True

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Keeping Fundamental Baptist institutions true to their original purpose and position demands constant vigilance. In view of the transition of the academic leadership at Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary (see announcement on page 4), we present this article by Dr. Robert Delnay, the founding dean of Faith Baptist Theological Seminary. This article expresses Faith’s continuing commitment to its historic Fundamental Baptist position. As fellowships of churches get on toward middle age, certain patterns keep repeating. One pattern is that nothing stays fixed.

Definition and Direction Statement, Part 2

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FBBC&TS Exists as a Baptist institution of Christian Higher Education. As a Baptist institution, we believe in the primacy of Scripture over creeds and the formulations of councils. We consider the New Testament, especially the Epistles, to be foundational for faith and practice. We hold to the two ordinances: communion as a memorial of Christ’s death and believer’s baptism by single immersion as a public testimony to the truth of the gospel. We believe in the New Testament origin of the Church and so we distinguish between the Church and the nation of Israel.

“Fundamentalism” Distorted and the Baptist Distinctives Resounded, Part 2

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In 2003, the University of Chicago Press published Strong Religion: The Rise of Fundamentalisms around the World, a “revised and elaborated version” of the “Fundamentalism Project.” This accessible overview (281 pages) was written by R. Scott Appleby, along with Gabriel A. Almond (Stanford University) and Emmanuel Sivan (Hebrew University of Jerusalem). According to Strong Religion, “Fundamentalism” is a “hypothetical family,” “a reactive, selective, absolutist, comprehensive mode of antisecular religious activism” (14). Thus “the resistance to modern forms of secularization is a defining common feature of religious fundamentalisms” (20).

Seeker Sensitive or Sinner Sensitive? Part 2

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In the last issue I presented what I believe to be the short-comings of the Seeker Sensitive movement. It has been my observation that this movement, though beginning with good intentions, has strayed from the biblical model of evangelism. “Seekers” have become a marketplace and the gospel a commodity, the price of which has been continually lowered to meet the demands of the consumer. The tragic loser is the sinner himself, who has been misled to believe that salvation can be on his terms rather than God’s.

Seeker Sensitive or Sinner Sensitive? Part 1

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Maybe it’s just me, but does it seem as if many are saying that no one has been “sensitive” to “seekers” until the end of the twentieth century? One gets the feeling from such writers that, until recently, most Christian evangelism was overly aggressive, mean-spirited, and did everything possible to turn sinners off to the gospel. But, now, thanks to contemporary cultural relevancy, the world can finally be won because now we can understand and truly reach out to the sinner.

Economic Wisdom as an Analogy to Prudence of Separation, Part 2

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We have previously demonstrated that economic prudence involves the judicious allocation of limited resources. Economic wisdom also reminds us that personal freedoms must be balanced by public necessities and a shared communal well-being. Samuel Gregg argues that “it is irresponsible for people studying public policy from a Christian perspective to ignore not only the self-evident fact of scarcity but also the likely economic consequences of different choices.”1 Therefore, economic ethics “involves discerning the object of an act and the intention underlying the act, as well as considering the side effects of the act and the circumstances surrounding it.”2

Economic Wisdom as an Analogy to Prudence of Separation, Part 1

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Sound economic theory assumes the fundamental and undeniable reality of “limited resources.” Lionel Robbins, former Chair in Political Economy at the London School of Economics, defined economics as “the science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses.”1 Robbins wrote, “But when time and the means for achieving ends are limited and capable of alternative application, and the ends are capable of being distinguished in order of importance, then behavior necessarily assumes the form of choice.

The GARBC A Rich History and Heritage, Part 2

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A continuation of a literature review showing the historic position of the GARBC on primary and secondary ecclesiastical separation, personal separation standards, and an attitude of militancy regarding its historic convictions. Likewise Dr. Robert Ketcham wrote, “We received a letter which deplored what has been called the present ‘trend’ of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. The ‘trend’ which is referred to has to do with what is called the ‘present policy’ of the GARBC in relation to the matter of separation.