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FEBC Under Siege by Life BPC:
Pray for Peace and Unity Based on
Truth and Charity
DOGMAS AND DOCTRINES, CREEDS AND CONVICTIONS BY
BRUTUS BALAN
Curiouser and
Curiouser
Re: ‘A Statement from
the Board of Elders on the Relations of Life B-P Church with
Far Eastern Bible College’ (25 Jan. 2008).
“In a statement that
was made on 8 November 2005, the Board of Elders had declared:
However, for the
sake of brotherly love and harmony, we do not want to discriminate against any
persons who, on grounds of their own personal conviction, would choose
to believe that the texts or copies underlying the KJV are an exact replica of
the original autographs. We believe "there are truths and forms with respect
to which men of good character and principles may differ. And in all these, we
think it the duty both of private Christians and societies to exercise mutual
forbearance toward each other." (Article 5.5, Constitution of the Life
Bible-Presbyterian Church).
This was stated in
the context of the teaching of VPP by the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC).
However, since then, it has become increasingly evident that FEBC regards
VPP not merely as personal conviction, but as dogma and as a touchstone of
Christian fundamentalism. Those who disagree on VPP are unkindly branded
by the college as Neo-Evangelicals, Neo-Fundamentalists, Agnostics and
Modernists, and believing that the Bible has many mistakes.” (Italics and
emphasis mine), (http://www.lifebpc.com/ourstand/stmtfaith.htm).
Is A Dogma Not A
Personal Conviction?
1.
The Chambers
Dictionary defines the noun DOGMA as:
A.
A belief or principle
laid down by an authority as unquestionably true.
B.
Such beliefs or
principles in general.
2.
The Chambers
Thesaurus gives the synonyms of DOGMA as:
Doctrine; Creed;
Credo; Code (of belief); Belief; Precept; Principle; Article (of faith);
Tenet; Teaching; Opinion; Maxim and CONVICTION.
To Charles Seet and
Life BPC Session,
Your bizarre attempt
to differentiate between synonyms is symptomatic of how carnal and
careless the Life BPC leadership has become in the unnecessary opposition of
FEBC. All dogmas are born out of personal convictions. Christian
denominations are the result of personal convictions of kindred people
assembling together and stating their commonly held beliefs as Biblical
truths in creedal forms. Dogmas written on paper are not impersonal
doctrines in a vacuum but rooted in the heart of its proponent. All sound
Biblical doctrines are induced and deduced from Biblical texts and
reduced to doctrinal tenets for the purpose of common creedal
statements. That is a touchstone fundamental to faith. To have a personal
conviction contrary to the collective creedal statements of a Church or an
institution is to break its unity. Christian dogmatics is the studied
convictions of persons. You cannot divorce dogmas from personal convictions.
It is a matter of conscience not hypocritical convenience. Confession without
conscience is profession without conviction. All fundamental DOGMAS are a
PUBLIC PRESENTATION of COLLECTIVE CONVICTION born of PERSONAL CONVICTIONS.
FEBC has the right to
regard Verbal Plenary Preservation of the originals in the Received Text “...on
grounds of their own (collective) personal conviction” “that the texts
or copies underlying the KJV are an exact replica of the original autographs.”
Others may not accept the restored view of the 1611/RT as the perfect copy
of the originals, BUT IT IS NOT HERESY. No fundamental tenet is
denied. You have not established what this heresy is and mantric
repetition of the word ‘heresy’ is deliberate deception. FEBC and Life BPC
since it’s founding by Rev Tow and under his pastorate upheld the Received
Text and the KJV. And so did the other daughter BP churches. Do not forget,
this stand is not new but was a position held by Rev Tow since the beginning
of the LIFE BP which you ignored in your statement without even mentioning his
name. Rewriting history again? In your statement, ‘Why we use the King
James Version’, (www.lifefebc.com/ourstand/whykjv.htm),
this is how you championed it:
“For the past 55
years, Life B-P Church
(under the
pastoral leadership of the founding father Rev. Timothy Tow) has been
upholding the use of the KJV because we believe that it is the best English
translation of the Scriptures, made by godly translators from the best Greek
and Hebrew texts. The KJV will continue to be used for all ministries of
Life
B-P Church and for our members’ use.
Our doctrinal
position
with regard to the
Word of God and the KJV Bible is as follows: “We do believe that the Hebrew
and Greek texts that were used for the King James Version of the English Bible
(KJV) were providentially preserved by God and are therefore closest
to the original autographs of the Bible.” (In the Golden Jubilee
magazine, October 2000, 50 Years Building His Kingdom, p.64; emphasis added).
(Bold
emphasis and bracketed words mine).
So do FEBC!
But the
difference between your PP position (Providential Preservation) and
FEBC’s VPP (Verbal Plenary Preservation of the 1611/RT) position is:
a.
Your PP of the 1611/RT
KJV Bible has slight errors and therefore closest to the original
autographs.
b.
FEBC’s VPP of the
1611/RT Bible has absolutely no errors therefore the exact copy of the
originals.
According to your
statement in, ‘Why we use the King James Version’, “The more
reliable Majority text was multiplied and copied from generation to
generation, and the great majority of existing manuscripts (about 99.44% of
the 5,000 or so manuscripts) exhibit a faithful reproduction of the true
text.” So this accusation of ‘heresy’ against FEBC for holding a
perfect VPP of the 1611/RT position is a minuscule .56%? Is this the grounds
for the legal threat to evict FEBC?
Claiming the KJV to
be the best is akin to calling the 1611/RT as the best text. In other words
the KJV is the best because it is translated from the 1611/RT. Life BPC
champions the KJV calling it the Word of God, etc. FEBC holds to a similar
view. It is inconsistent and hypocritical to lampoon FEBC while championing
the KJV and continue its use in Life BPC. Why is it heretical if FEBC believes
by faith and logic born of Verbal Plenary Inspiration that the Received Text
underlying the KJV as THE virtual copy of the originals? They are stauncher on
the RT based KJV than you. All the other accusation against FEBC is petty and
is a lame excuse for mature Christians to be so precious about.
Your statement in 8
November 2005, was a fair and true expression of “...brotherly love and
harmony” in which you did not want to “...discriminate against any
persons who, on grounds of their own personal conviction” because,
“...there are truths and forms with respect to which men of good character and
principles may differ. And in all these, we think it the duty both of private
Christians and societies to exercise mutual forbearance toward each other."
Now your attempt to wriggle out of brotherly love and harmony by the
deceptive use of synonyms is a dishonest attempt to mislead your membership.
Dogmas are collective personal convictions and without conviction is
nominalism.
A golden opportunity
is lost to you and all opposing BPC Churches in this important and welcoming
debate on the providential preservation of Scriptures. To stagnate in
yesteryear’s understanding of fundamental doctrines is dead theology. The
Church of God must be constantly looking for a better understanding of all
articles of faith. Have we rightly divided the Word enough? Isn’t there more
to rethink, refresh, and research for a better light on the sure matters of
sound doctrine? To engage our minds constantly on theology is to appreciate
the PEARL of great price in its revealed glory. It is the task of a
theological institution to preoccupy in these matters for the benefit of the
Church.
The wonderful
opportunity not entered into in this debate to pit mind against mind in holy
interaction has impoverished the BP churches. Iron sharpeneth iron so doth
mind sharpeneth other minds. When minds clash emotions may rise and words fly
crisp and brisk. But when truth is the focus, all will end in making us better
men. Where is the Berean mind of a fair hearing and searching? Even on the
things we think we know so well is full of ignorance. A man who doesn’t change
his mind is a fool. This debate has sharpened my focus and God knows the ocean
of ignorance in me still. When the body will prevail no longer, all will die
ignorant still. But blessed is the one who is less ignorant.
‘Reverend Tow has
changed.’ ‘FEBC has changed.’ ‘They do not hold to the VPI like yesteryear.’
‘Now they are VPI and VPP of the 1611-RT,’ so goes the rumble. To charge Rev.
Tow and FEBC of not adhering to a past understanding of the VPI position only
and accuse of a heretical shift is phobic leadership. Age is no barrier to
thinking, and learning, and the changing of mind. Who has not changed views
over the years? Only the dead do not think. An argument stands or falls on its
merits. Debates are not always to defend an old position but it is a door to a
discovery of new light to former views. All dogmas must be tested with an open
mind. In the end one may not buy all of it but at the same time one will not
remain unchanged by it. Truth discovered because of it, changes everyone in
the end, thus profiting the Church of God. Furthermore, why fear error, when
truth taught will win the day. Differing view is a chance to refine and define
truth. Truth articulated will make even the ‘blind’ to see. Learning theology
is the constant task of teachers of the Word. The rusted on the pew membership
are mostly indifferent to dry as dust theology. They mostly go by what is
presented to them as truth. But is that the Berean truth?
The man who is the
bastion in Gilstead is now considered too old and weak to stand on his own
merit. He is thought of as being manipulated. His so called ‘stipend’ which
was refused (but still given as a love gift but redirected by him to FEBC) and
his continued dwelling in the parsonage is considered as charitableness,
kindness and grace shown by the new leadership of Life BPC. Old ‘Joseph’ is
already forgotten and his history soon a mystery to the young membership. Now
this is the man who is Mr. Bible Presbyterian and FEBC! Life BPC was born by
him there. FEBC was born by him there. Who has the right to continue there but
his approved legacy, the FEBC?
Again the challenge
of the measure of the leadership of Life BPC will be to start on your own.
That will be the conscientious thing to do. I wonder how many will follow you.
Do you have the tenacity and the godly zeal to work for your own harvest? It
is easy to cruise comfortably and speak loudly on theology sitting on another
man’s life-work. The Far Eastern Bible College must remain in Gilstead as its
birth right. The Church sanctuary must be the inalienable ministry of and for
FEBC as conceived by Rev. Timothy Tow.
Brutus Balan
Hobart
Tasmania
AUSTRALIA
4 Feb 2008
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