Although R. Scott Clark is no longer active on the blogosphere, there are bits and pieces here and there. He posted the following comments about the theology of John MacArthur:
R. Scott ClarkNovember 30, 2006 9:49 PMHi,
There are several misapprehensions in your post.
1. You assume that John MacArthur is "Reformed." So far as I know, the main thing John MacArthur has in common with Reformed theology is a belief in predestination.
2. MacArthur does not pastor a Reformed congregation nor does he confess the Reformed confessions (e.g., the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort or the Westminster Standards). If the Reformed churches get to define what "Reformed" means, then those public, ecclesiastical statements are the objective standard of what is to be Reformed.
3. MacArthur's account of justification in some of his books anyway has been criticized by those who are actually Reformed in Michael S Horton, ed. Christ the Lord.
4. It is recognized by anyone who actually knows what the Reformed confess on justification that the Reformed doctrine of justification sola gratia, sola fide is utterly incompatible with the Roman doctrine of justification. If anyone doubts this he need only consult the Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent Session 6, 1547, where the Reformed doctrine of justification was condemned.
5. The Reformed doctrine of justification is absolutely explicit that works are nothing but the logical and necessary fruit of justification and that justification is nothing but the forensic declaration of God about sinners. The ground of justification is the righteousness of Christ imputed and the instrument is faith resting and receiving Christ.
6. The Roman doctrine of justification is that only those who are instrinsically righteous can be justified and only those who are infused with grace and who cooperate with grace shall be justified.
7. The Reformed Confessions explicitly reject the Roman doctrine of justification by sanctification (i.e., by grace and cooperation with grace).
8. Many ill-informed but enthusiastic predestinarian evangelicals who, in reaction to antinominianism, have re-stated the doctrine of justification in ways that are incompatible with the confessional Reformed faith. Among these are Daniel Fuller, Norm Shepherd, and the Federal Vision folks. Doubtless there are others.
9. Among the leader proponents and defenders of the historic Protestant doctrine of justification have been and continue to be confessional Reformed theologians such as R C Sproul, Mike Horton, and Bob Godfrey.
10. The fact that Scott Hahn or some other RC apologist attended WTS is immaterial. WTS is a school. It is the duty of Reformed churches to make decisions about whether a person is Reformed. Reformed seminaries routine [-ly] admit students and sometimes graduate them [those] who do not understand or agree with Reformed doctrine. WTS does not have a doctrinal test for its graduates. Therefore the actions and words of its graduates do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal convictions of the school or its faculty.
Cordially,
R. Scott Clark
Assoc. Prof. of Historical and Systematic Theology
Westminster Seminary California
http://www.wscal.edu/clark
Free Grace Theology: A Catholic Apologist's Take on John MacArthur and Zane Hodges
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