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FEBC Under Siege by Life BPC:
Pray for Peace and Unity Based on
Truth and Charity
"MARK THEM WHICH CAUSE DIVISIONS"
MY COMMENT BY BRUTUS BALAN
Dear
brother Charles Seet,
This is in response to the invitation to me by the admin of Life BPC to peruse
the attached article (viz. MARK THEM WHICH CAUSE DIVISIONS, Life B-P Church
Weekly – 13 January 2008) for a better understanding of the VPP issue as
perceived by you and the session of Life BPC. I will presume the directive was
given by you and my comments are therefore addressed to you which I hope you
will share it with your session.
I have
read and re-read and opened all the grey of my brain matter, over loading all
neurons to the max and was weary in the end trying to find the alleged
gangrenous ‘heresy’ of Rev Timothy Tow and FEBC. I also perused with an open
mind and read your Church’s position on this matter in Life BPC website, BUT,
‘heresy’, I did not see. I do recognize the limitations of my puny mind but
generally I have gathered some understanding of what a heresy looks like over
the years. I try to look at things through the eyes of a layman-child and
complex things do simplify making it palatable to even a Sunday school child.
God’s deep truth kept simple disseminates great theology to even an
indifferent saint. So I asked,
‘What is this soul sapping, lives destroying, brethren dividing, destructive,
divisive, deceptive, distorting, infectious, churches ravaging, gangrenous,
new heresy of Rev Timothy Tow and FEBC that must be stopped?’
In
your article there is a verbal avalanche of medical explanation of the effects
of heresy, a little explanation of VPP history BUT not a word on the
alleged heresy. Bible verses were thrown in about heretics to alarm the
reader but where is your charge? The best I could gather from the
perused article sent to me by email is this quote as summarized by you from an
essay written by Dr Jeffrey Khoo, entitled ‘From the RSV to the KJV’:
‘That God used these
(KJV)
translators to restore absolute 100% purity to the (Received) texts in
the year 1611. The result of this is that only the Greek and Hebrew texts
immediately underlying the KJV are the exact words of the original writings,
i.e. the very words used (‘... which is word and letter perfect,
exactly the same as the original’ [C Seet]) when God first gave His
word by inspiration to the Bible writers.’ (C Seet, Bracketed words mine)
Is
this the heresy? What is the heresy? Where is the denial of the first and THE
foremost foundational tenet of the Christian doctrine which is the uniting and
distinguishing corner stone of all fundamentalists? This VPP view is an
affirmation of an absolute faith in the foundational doctrine you yourself
claim to stand on and operate from. That is, that the Bible (as represented in
the translation of the KJV), is THE Word of God. It is to be celebrated by
all, even by those who disagree. No denial here and so, where is the heresy?
In
fact you have called those ‘who promote this teaching (as) quite noble’ in
your paper. So your
problem with this view then is a matter of personal opinion and preference.
You did not call it heresy but as an untenable argument. Okay,
do disagree! But why disparage fellow ‘noble’ brethren with the charge
of ‘heresy’ when there is none? You have not established the alleged
heresy of the VPPists in your article. What is untenable to you is very
tenable to others. ‘Noble Bereans’ must search their own scriptures and come
to their own conclusions of sound theology and the VPP ‘Bereans’ are no less
noble than you.
You
have rightly acknowledged and stated in the clearest term in the concluding
paragraph of D. 3 of ‘Our Stand on the Preservation of Scriptures’ of
Life BPC (1 Dec 2002) as follows:
‘Although we consider the “Perfect Bible” view to be untenable, 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 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 with each other.’ (Article 5.5,
Constitution of the Life Bible-Presbyterian Church) (Emphasis is mine).
AMEN
and AMEN! What a Christian spirit! How peaceable! How loving! How united! How
charitable! How holy! How open hearted! How amicable! What a testimony to the
world!
The
above statement alone negates and demolishes your
false and defaming charge of heresy of FEBC.
So,
it is not a question of heresy
but ‘personal conviction’ of ‘which men of good character and
principles differ’. In other words you will agree to disagree peaceably,
for it is a matter of personal conviction among Christian brethren including
you to hold either view and therefore happily co-live in harmony, peace, and
love, co-existing and cooperating whenever and wherever possible for the
kingdom sake. Furthermore, if this is the holy duty required of
‘both private Christians and societies to exercise mutual forbearance
toward each other,’ why the false charge of gangrenous heresy against the
VPP fellow champions of kindred fundamental faith? Where is your holy duty?
Forbearance is to
refrain from calling those VPP brethren heretics and to be tolerant as
they must tolerate your view and to bear up one another not demonize
the other as heretics. Well now, where is this application in Life BPC
leadership? Not walking the talk is shameful hypocrisy. With regard to FEBC
you wrote in your article, ‘...the mouth of heretics must be
stopped. To allow them continued freedom to promote heresy within our
Church Sanctuary is to make us bear part of the blame for the grievous damage
it is causing to the body of Christ.’ Whatever happened ‘... to men
of good character and principles differing’ about this view of the Bible?
You
have demanded that the VPPist stop propagating their view and ‘return to
the truth.’ Why is your theory of divine preservation superior and does
your truth mean your theory in this matter?
To
threaten legal action against FEBC re the request to use the ‘sanctuary’ for
night study classes is the breach of your own Life church’s clear statement.
The Bible College is the conjoined twin of the Church complex Rev Tow
pioneered and pastored over 50 years. You may want to counsel your people not
to attend the FEBC classes in the ‘sanctuary’ but forebear the FEBC
brethren its use of it for you have no moral right to it. The very presence of
FEBC in close quarters with the Church sanctuary ought to be the testimony to
the forbearance you eloquently spelt out but fail to honor. This is
indefensible and ungodly.
Why
is your theory of an imperfect Bible not heretical and the theory of a
perfect Bible heretical?
The VPP view of Scripture is a
logical flow of VPI as understood by its proponents. One can easily refer to
many bible texts to support the VPP view even though the reality on earth is
problematic. Many good men, eminent bibliologists and Bible seminaries
differed and still differ over these views. All readers of theology must
accept this reality of dispute without labeling one another as heretics. One
may ask, if your theory of a Bible-with-errors is true, where is your
Scriptural support for a ‘holey Bible’? Where is your ‘true exposition’
of the ‘truth’ for it? Without Scriptural support your view is nothing
but a theory too. Your theory of ‘Divine Providential Preservation’
does not produce a ‘perfect copy’ of the originals giving absolute
certainty but only ‘maximum certainty’ and reliability.
Words, words, words! It is gobbledygook to the nonplussed saint in the pew. We
have problems with explaining what it means by ‘kept pure’; providence not
miraculous; maximum certainty; ‘fully reliable;’ ‘singular care’; etc,
etc. Why the maximum certainty of one’s theory if we are still searching for a
common explanation? Can others charge you with heresy for this view? Is this
not a human theory by conjecture? The unbelievable arrogance to damn the VPP
as a heretical theory and not see the blinding log in one’s own indefensible
theological eye is malicious. All camps must have humility of heart in this
mammoth task of explaining this subject.
Being
dogmatic about the errorless original autographs is bleeding the obvious. The
biased statement by the eleven BP pastors did not refer to the VPP stand as
heresy but that it is ‘schismatic’. Rev Quek Kiok Chiang in his
statement to you says he doesn’t see any ‘main contradiction’ between
the BP Constitution and the VPP view but did not call it heresy. Life BPC’s
Constitution as pointed out earlier states that it should not be
“DISCRIMINATED” against. You have taken a quantum leap from ‘untenable’
to ‘heresy’? You seem to stand all alone with a personal agenda and
mission to diminish Rev Tow and defame FEBC.
The
perfect and the not-so-perfect Bible theological positions are one of faith
and fact. It is not simply a matter of biblical exposition. If it were so
clear-cut to the Church of God this would have been an undeniable fundamental
doctrine today. Since time immemorial, saints and scholars alike have wondered
and pondered over this issue. Church fathers left it standing in broad
statements of faith for the future generation of scholars to research. Other
than the body of fundamental truths (sound doctrines), there are many
other interpretations of theology that we all differ with happily. Are these
brethren a pack of ravenous wolves out to destroy and devour? On the
non-fundamentals we may even consider some views loosely as ‘heretical’. But
what unites all the beloved of the Lord is the fundamentals of the faith.
Don’t we share the pulpit with those of the deferring views? We should respect
the differences and raise the common truths.
Differences in theology over the centuries have caused divisions among good
people. These divisions among fundamental brethren have birthed new
denominations. Multiplication by design or theological division is not really
a bad thing. They have all grown and are fulfilling the Great Commission.
Groups that were once branded heretics are today fellow brethren. History
records that good ‘Bereans’ of faith were often called by established churches
as heretics because of ‘new’ truths. The fear of the ‘new’ is the fear of a
new horizon and many fail to sail beyond the familiarity. Much precious truths
are undiscovered lest labeled, heretic. Many fear to query, lest he is shouted
down. Theology suffers for the fear of the ‘new’. There is a numbing silence
in the pew.
Quoting ad nauseam other men of old doesn’t make a hollow argument a
fact. These men grappled with the issues of their time and we must with ours.
The Reformation did not start and stop with Luther and Calvin. It has moved on
from these two men to the eminent theologians of our time. Theology is
dynamic, not static. So new understanding of old truths is not heresy if it
can be defended among peers. ‘New in theology’ is not necessarily bad
theology. VPP is much more than 77 years old and that’s a long time.
Regardless of its source, we must be cautious not to throw the baby with the
bath water. Truth stands on its own. Truth is not a human product to own.
Truth is always discovered, sometimes through study and other times through
controversy. Controversies, divisions, renewals and new works will continue
till Jesus returns. Let’s all get used to it.
The
most unkindest and sinister of all is the attempt to rewrite the pages of Life
BPC history. The Lord has blessed Life BPC and FEBC for the
faithful undivided heart of one man, Timothy Tow. He has never wavered
in his fervor even in his frail years. When the foundations for the sanctuary
were laid, he was there. When the palm trees were planted he saw them grow.
When the church bell first tolled he was there to hear it. His footsteps have
greeted every grain of gravel around the Gilstead complex. It is a robbery to
write off a man of his spiritual right to his labor. Unkind and unloving words
are said about him now even by those who were blessed on account of him.
Mouths that praised him now raze him. Hear the words of one deacon of Life BPC
in a recent email:
“He is
not the founder of Life BPC, God is”. (My mother didn’t give birth to me,
God did?); “He is not the pope.” (No! He did preach HOPE); “He is
not a legend.” (He is leaving behind for you a legacy); “He is a well
respected leader used by God in the past.” (He is still a man of great
reverence, used of God in the present); “We did not wish him to resign.” (How
can he stay with many words unkind?); “He taught me many things ... but
now, I am very clear” (He taught me so well and now I am his teacher?);
“We all loved him dearly.” (But not deep enough to stand up for him and
‘loved’ in the past tense?). “I was totally disappointed.” (Why didn’t
you stand with the appointed?); He “is splitting churches, stumbling the
weaker ones.” (God have mercy on you, O you foolish of heart!); “But
now, I am clear...I have to separate the sin from the sinner.” (The final
declaration: Timothy Tow a heretic, a ‘sinner’?)
Signed
as, “His unworthy servant.” (You are unworthy of His servant,
Timothy Tow).
Charles you have misled your people feeding them with not pasture but smug
spirituality. And why is there so much of bad blood between holy brethren of
the same faith? Now who caused this discord and controversy? How big is your
stone? Is there absolute clear conscience to cast it?
Want
to know the grief in the heart of the man you deposed?
Leave with your
session and all who would follow you. Start your own movement. Lay your own
foundation. Build on it your own sanctuary. Build a wall around it and call it
your bulwark against heresy. Unroll your own banner. Unfurl your own flag on
the tower. Ring the
Bell. Raise your anthem. And let everyone sing your praise. Let 57 years pass
God willing, and then you will know the pain you have caused him.
Don’t
rob Rev. Tow his name and legacy. You have no moral right to it. You have no
spiritual right to it. You have turned even those who have known him for so
long against him. Now every one in your session thinks they are smarter, more
spiritual and superior scholar of the Word than this man of God. May the Lord
quicken your conscience and give wisdom to do the right thing.
Your
brother in Christ,
Brutus
Balan.
Hobart, TASMANIA
Australia
17
January 2008
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