I was pointed to a profoundly insightful article describing the split between James Packer and Martyn-Lloyd Jones. This is probably the most succinct and to the point explanation of why Packer sold out to ecumenicalism rather than standing for the truth of the Protestant Reformation.
Martyred for the Gospel
The burning of Tharchbishop of Cant. D. Tho. Cranmer in the town dich at Oxford, with his hand first thrust into the fyre, wherwith he subscribed before. [Click on the picture to see Cranmer's last words.]
Saturday, October 17, 2009
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4 comments:
Charlie:
Am struggling with this issue.
A few clues in my thinking.
1. Quest for social prominence by evangelicals for evangelicals.
2. Quest to rehabilitate the image of Evangelical Anglicans in the C o E after 1970. JIP and Stott? Evangelical Anglicans had, as do we, argued that their perspective was the continuuing and true vision and version of historic Anglicans. That had produced some hard feelings and tough image. Somewhere, efforts were re-developed to fix that.
3. (1) and (2) may have been operational in US as well.
4. "Experientialism," a hangover and leftover from revivalism, inherent in much of evangelicalism, TRUMPS biblical authority and confessional allegiance.
Here's the bottomline in my thinking:
Quest for prominence, experientialism, and a quest for better image TRUMPS fidelity to God's Word and the Reformation Confessions.
I wish an historian would track down the known, documented antecedents to JIP's awful behaviour with ECT.
He was not a leader. Good technician, but not a leader. Then, or now.
As Marines would say, "It's a leadership problem." Leader, JIP is not. High-level technician, yes. But, not a leader, except for the gullible.
Hi, Phil..
I am no expert on Packer. But Gerald Bray, who also signed ECT, was critical of Alister McGrath's biography of Packer. I wonder if it is because McGrath criticized Packer for not standing with the more Puritan elements of Anglicanism?
I'm going to part with some money here and get some modern books, one being McGrath's.
The entire ECT-debacle was an opportunity to call Roman adherents to the Gospel.
Bray's signature is, well, an Anglican's.
"Weakness" comes to mind.
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