Thursday, March 15, 2007

Contending for the Truth - Pt 3 RC Sproul, Jr



R. C. Sproul, Jr lives in VA, and is the son of the founder of the Ligonier Conference and Ministries.





Key post-modern text


Gen 3


Rom 1



The flowers and the fields will wither (so will all these new philosophies), but the Word of the Lord stands forever (because its author is eternal).

The Bible does not call us to have a solid worldview, the Bible calls us to attain wisdom. We need wisdom. We need to want wisdom.


The craftiness of the serpent at work in Gen 3 is still at work today.


The Bible calls us to exhibit humility. Then the serpent confuses us to know what that means.
Arrogantly thinking we are right or being humble - can we be both humble and right? There is no greater sin in our world than to think we have the corner on truth.

Before we got to post-modern Bible studies - we had postmodernity in the church. We speak about our testimonies "I" style. (Is there anything wrong with that?). Who can argue with our story? Are we telling anything of historic reality or are we just telling our story? Who cares about what happened to us - I care about Truth that happened. You telling me that you were a drug attic has no value in my life - but the Cross of Christ has truth in my life - has value. No ones story can be false. The trouble comes in the church when she drives homes inclusivism. The "emergent church" wants inclusivism and affirm that Jesus will redeem many who will not call upon His name, there are many names on which we can call, sin is a modern concept built on law and not on relationship. It wants to say these things while keeping its evangelical mood and credentials. It wants to be all things to all people. It doesn't deny the resurrection of Christ or object to substitutionary atonement or the miracles that appear in the Bible - instead it objects to the objectifying/exclusivity of conservative truth claims.

God did not begin the Bible how we explain our periodic table or our systematic theology. He just says "in the beginning". He doesn't have to provide any rational. He tells us His meta-narrative.

Craftiness - then perseverance. He only has one weapon - his downfall - his pride. Pride drives the modernist to build the Tower of Babel, storm the Bastille in France, and also that responds to the devil when he asks us like he did Eve - "I don't want to answer that definitively". I can't tell you that you are wrong. Pride causes us to fail to say "amen" at everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Father.

Our answer is found in the garden (gen 3). Did Eve need a PhD in Philosophy - would that have caused her to succeed in this test? We don't need to become Mars Hill (Acts). We need to only understand this simple truth: the problem lies in "we don't believe God." Eve failed, we fail - when we don't believe what God has told us. If we have all the knowledge in the world and all the degrees we could hold, but still don't believe God - they mean nothing.
Do we work at affirming our story or HIS story? Is it still all about us or is our sharing of the gospel (witness, evangelism) about HIM.

We need to not be scared or intimidated at sharing "thus saith the Lord." He we stand. We can do no other.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know that R. C. Sproul Jr. is the son of R. C. Sproul and that at one time he was an ordained Presbyterian minister. But come on! Wasn't he defrocked for being a drunk? This just isn't right having him speak at a conference like that!

kd said...

I don't know so I won't say, but I do know about amazing grace and changed lives, 2 cor 5.17

Pam Rankin said...

KD, with all due respect you should really take a few minutes to examine the evidence re: RC Sproul Jr. According to Pastor James McDonald, the man that ordained him in the Covenant Presbyterian Church, RC Jr is "a wolf in sheep's clothing." He demitted his ordination in the CPC so he could evade potential charges over marrying a 3x divorced woman. He's still masquerading as a "Pastor" and "Rev" even though he has no ordination. Some are alleging he's literally lost his mind, and there seems to be considerable evidence to support that belief.
Has RC Sproul Jr Gone Completely Insane?

Ministerial Experts said...

Ministerial Expert Rev. Pastor Dr. RC Sproul Jr, D.Min. is now available for consultations with ministers embroiled in scandals. Areas of damage control expertise include, but not limited to, DUI (booze and opioids), online adultery accounts, encouraging women to divorce their husbands in marriage counseling sessions so you can marry them yourself, sexting penis pics to married women, tax fraud, identity theft, pilfering church coffers, fundraising scams, travel expense scams, church keggers, plying minor children with booze, spiritual abuse, bullying congregants, defrockings, and so much more. Rev. Pastor Dr. Sproul Jr provides guidance in pretend-repenting as you arrange being suspended, with full pay. A year later you can return from suspension/paid-vacation as you arrange the terms of your "restoration," along with a pay raise. Should any scandal be of a criminal nature Rev. Pastor Dr. Sproul Jr will counsel you how to resign "for personal reasons" while arranging a massive severance package. Rev. Pastor Dr. Sproul Jr will further guide you how to arrange a steady six-figure paycheck as an independent contractor from the ministry you pretend-resign from. After waiting a year or so for the dust to settle (i.e. memories of your scandals begin to fade) Rev. Pastor Dr. RC Sproul Jr can guide you how to incorporate a 501c3 "church," appoint yourself as its "Pastor," and declare yourself "restored," all because God forgives you. As the head of your very own "church" you can solicit donations to pretend-construct a church building. Not that any donations need be escrowed for land purchase and construction costs though. Just use it to pay yourself a six-figure salary. While it may not be ethical or moral, it's all "legal." Faux-repentance is your key to success. Family connections (nepotism) further enhance your odds of success. For a fee schedule contact RC Sproul Jr via his Ashley Madison account email: coramdude@gmail.com