This post has been revised and is now part of my full critique of Strange Fire.
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Official Blog of Author & Speaker Frank Viola. Digging below the surface and moving beyond the shallows in today's Christianity.
Strange Fire: A Refutation – Part IV
Strange Fire: A Refutation – Part III
To sum up a teaching I will be doing on the error of John MacArthur and Strange Fire all with the letter “S”:
1. Seminary Based more than Biblically and Historically based)
2. Self Experience Driven (look at the responses on his website, “I was part of a wacky charismatic church). And they accuse Charismatics of being experience driven
3 Superior (MacArthur’s refusal to meet with leaders, even those of his own camp who are concerned he went too far). Totally against both the spirit and practice of leaders in the Bible
4. Separatist – totally against the priority Jesus expressed in His prayer in John 17
5. Spirit Blasphemy – comes dangerously close and maybe even crosses the line in attributing the work of the Spirit in the church to the devil.
6. Sad – very sad, the very thing MacArthur is attacking, the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit is the very thing our nation needs. The culture is embracing the supernatural of the devil because of the absence of real power and breakthrough in most churches of America.
6.
Frank, maybe you could clear something open for me.
As you understand it, does a cessationist believe that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit (healing, prophecy, and tongues) do not exist today, or do they believe that it is the anointing necessary to exercise these gifts that does not exist today? Or both?
They believe those gifts ceased – hence, cessationist. Continualists (or perpetuitists) believe the gifts are still operative today. They hold to the perpetuity of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit today.
I’m with the comment about harnessing (refocusing) the energy away from fighting within the Christian community. Consider Heb 10:24-25, also Phil 2:1-5, and Gal 6:1.
God is bigger than all of this, than all of this – maybe I am Panmillennial, because I know that in Him this will all pan out.
I really do believe this – we need to remember that we are finite and we are limited, and the Lord is infinite and unlimited. If would be amazing if we could all get caught up in the vastness of the Lord Jesus Christ and realize we are empowered to be His representatives in the earth today.
The fields are white for the harvest, pray for laborers. Luke 4:18-19
It’s difficult to know for sure, not knowing his context. That said, it most certainly sounds elitist/sectarian. That is, it DOES NOT sound graceful, accepting, or inclusive.
I’ve re-read your post several times to make sure I didn’t misunderstand, but when you said “If you are looking for examples of the above, just read the blogs of Scot McKnight and Roger Olson for multiple examples of this tendency among many Calvinist teachers and followers” it sounds like you were saying that they are examples from the New Calvinist movement that is filled with sectarianism, elitism, and exclusivism. But, knowing what I know about them and you, I’ve got to think that either I’m misunderstanding you or that what you wrote was worded incorrectly. Can you clarify?
No, they are examples of public writers who critique these elements in the New Calvinism. I’ll clarify this in the critique.
Thanks for clearing that up, I read it the same way.
Romans 16:17 says we should stay away from those that cause division in the body. Stay away and pray for him and those that believe as he does.
Looking forward to the critique, and thanks for your even response to this stuff. One thing about this very much distresses me though (not from you)and that is the posts from both sides of this story. I think we could use a little more 1 Cor 13. When we respond to each other are we living this act of love that Christ has called us to. John 13:34-35 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Perhaps it would serve us all well to examine our consciences and measure our words and actions against these verses, I know I will. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Who is the “we” MacArhtur is referring to? I don’t think it’s that complicated to identify other believers. I look for fruit of the Spirit, not all the other stuff we may not fully agree upon. The Spirit of Christ in me will see the Spirit in others on a person-by-person basis. This whole thing just makes me sad. We are to be one in Christ.
Frank, I appreciate your time and effort to take this challenge on. I am just so saddened and dismayed that in this time in history of the church that so much effort is being expended by some church leaders to stir strife and division in the church when the priority (as I see it) should be on kingdom work to build a strong and united church ready and able to stand and fight in the last days. I guess I should not be surprised. For the enemy of our soul it is the perfect thing to do, get God’s people to fight each other and thereby, forget or neglect the real mission!
If we could just harness all the energy of Christians attacking one another and redirect that fire to the REAL enemy, we’d all end up postmillenials.
Great line.
I wish I understood the pun :-(! Can you explain?
Postmillennialism is one of 3 (4 if you include Preterism) views of Eschatology (end times – Jesus’ return).
Postmillennialism believes that we are living in the millennium now, and that the Church is (by the power of the Spirit) being prepared/sanctified for the return of Christ. The Church in essence is ‘ushering’ in Christ. It’s sorta dependent for the Church (by the Spirit) to have it’s act together and will gradually be conquering Satan as the kingdom visible grows.
So what Steve is saying, is that if we put effort into expanding the kingdom, rather than dividing the Body of Christ, that we’d all be postmillennial because the Church Visible would be so apparently set apart from the world in the way it operates.
Hope that makes sense.
*note: I am not postmillennial – I am amillennial 🙂