Tagged “Beyond Promises: A Biblical Challenge to Promise Keepers”

“The Humpty Dumpty Syndrome”

The Humpty Dumpty Syndrome
Who could forget the memorable interchange between Alice and Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass. At one point, Alice protests Humpty’s bizarre use of words. “When I use a word,” responded Humpty in a rather scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” Getting the better of him, Alice retorts, “The question is . . . whether you can make words mean so many different things.”

After seeing how some Promise Keepers speakers and writers press Scripture into service to justify all sorts of teachings, one is left to ask Alice’s penetrating question all over again — whether Promise Keepers can make the words of Scripture mean so many different things. We call this problem the Humpty Dumpty syndrome, and it is more prevalent than most would care to admit.
Douglas Wilson

The Federal Division Part 2

“Heretics are slippery with words”

covenant

Douglas Wilson’s problem isn’t a failure to use clear terminology. His problem is his willingness to use clearly deceitful terminology. Continue reading

Wednesday, January 25, 2017 |

Beyond Promises, Beyond Belief

Beyond Belief

Pastor Doug Wilson of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, abetted Jamin Wight’s criminal behavior. He approved of the young man’s false oath; he taught him to escape accountability by blame-shifting; and he restored him to ministry in the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC) in violation of his written assurance to the local community. Continue reading

Sunday, January 15, 2017 |

“the verse bluntly excludes false oaths”

While the name of God is used comprehensively to refer ultimately to God Himself, the phrase translated in vain means ‘falsely’ (cf. Is. 59:4). The word translated ‘taketh’ means ‘to bear’ or ‘carry,’ as believers bear or carry His name when they are called Christians. But of course if we cannot live in a false manner under His name, still less may we speak or swear falsely in His name. So the verse bluntly excludes false oaths. ‘Thou shalt not swear (utter) the name of God to emptiness (vanity).’ Simply put, we should refrain from appealing to the name of God to confirm or bear witness to a falsehood. When we appeal to God by means of vows, we must honor God by honoring our vows. In the eyes of God, vows are serious business.
Douglas Wilson