"No Christian can avoid theology. Every Christian has a theology. The issue, then, is not, do we want to have a theology? That's a given. The real issue is, do we have a sound theology? Do we embrace true or false doctrine?" R. C. Sproul
Have you ever had a "wow"moment? I am refering to a moment when your jaw drops in utter astonishment?
Well I had such a moment recently when I read an article by a man named Dr. Sam Storms as he described his theology. I was astonished because on just about every issue, I was in full agreement with him. Coming to understand what I now believe the Bible to be teaching has been a long and sometimes painful experience, for it is hard to allow firmly held traditions to be held up to the light of scripture, and then be prepared to forsake anything that cannot be substantiated by the Scripture.
I asked the man I consider to be my pastor, Bruce Brock, of Faith Community Church in Tucson, Arizona to read it. He did so and immediately called me on the phone. In hearing his reaction, it was clear that he was equally as amazed as I had been. He told me that he could have written just about everything, word for word, the way Dr. Storms had done.
Agreeing with Dr. Storms on these things does not mean that Pastor Bruce and I are correct, of course, but it is certainly encouraging to find a Christian scholar who is so like minded on these important issues.
YEAH, I BELIEVE THAT TOO!
Inspired by the article I had read, I thought I would write something along that line myself. I already have a statement of faith written on the web site here, but I am aware that it does not address certain issues and I would like to address them here.
As I thought further, I said to myself... "self.. if you do not need to alter what has been written by Dr. Storms, except in perhaps a few very minor details, why fumble around trying to say the exact same thing using different words? Why not just use his words, and give him the necessary credit? ...as long as you do so, you are not really plagiarising his material - you are just simply saying 'yeah, and I believe that too.'" I want to avoid plagiarism at all costs.. but hopefully, letting people know where I got the material, will help me avoid this accusation.
Here then is my theology (or what I believe the Bible to teach) for anyone interested in knowing... (oh, and thanks Dr. Storms!!)
On numerous occasions I've had people ask me about my theological convictions, most likely because I appear to be an odd mix of views that cannot be found in any one confession of faith or reduced to a single label, system, or denomination. So, I've decided to yield to the pressure of these repeated inquiries and briefly explain what I believe, with only a brief comment on why and a few references to material I have written that will provide support. My aim has always been to be biblical. But, of course, everyone would say that about his or her beliefs. So here goes.
I am a Calvinistic, charismatic, complementarian, Christian hedonist. If that weren't enough to confuse you, I am also amillennial and baptistic, though I believe in rule by a plurality of Elders and maintain a moderately sacramental perspective on the spiritual presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper.
Please understand that the issues below are not regarded as fundamental in the sense that one must believe them in order to be a Christian. I have not listed such foundational truths as Trinitarianism, the inspiration and infallibility of Scripture, the virgin conception, sinless life, penal substitutionary sacrifice, and the death, burial and bodily resurrection of Christ, or the doctrine of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone because of Christ alone.
I'm focusing, rather, on issues that differentiate men and women who are all Christians. In other words, I trust you understand that I believe someone who is an Arminian-cessationist-egalitarian-dispensational-presbyterian (I dare say I've never heard of anyone being all those!), or some other odd mixture thereof can also be a Christian. I hope those who regard me as an even odder theological mixture will extend the same generosity.
So, let's look briefly at each of these and a few related sub-points.
(1) I am a Calvinist (all five points, by the way). I hardly think this needs much explanation, and I refer you to the article "the Five Points of Calvinism" here on the website. There are several related issues that bear mentioning:
a. I believe that regeneration, or the new birth, precedes and is the cause/source of saving faith. In other words, we are born again in order that we may believe, not the other way around.
b. In view of the present controversy, it is important that I affirm my belief in the forensic nature of justification in which the righteousness of Christ (often called his active and passive obedience) is imputed to the believer through faith alone.
(2) I am a Charismatic. When asked if I am "charismatic" I typically respond by saying, "Tell me what you mean by the term and I'll tell you if I'm one." More times than not, what people have in mind is far and away different from what I believe. So let me simply identify several relevant issues.
a. I believe that all spiritual gifts are valid today and that nothing in Scripture suggests otherwise.
b. I believe that baptism in the Spirit occurs at conversion for all Christians. This sets me apart from classical Pentecostalism and much of the contemporary charismatic movement. See Wayne Grudem's "Systematic Theology" book for an written explanation of what I am saying here.
c. Although I do pray in tongues (daily), I do not believe that this or any other spiritual gift is designed by God for all Christians. Every Christian has at least one gift while no Christian (at least, none I know) has every gift (nor should they).
d. I believe healing is in the atonement in the same way I believe all spiritual and physical blessings are in the atonement. Were it not for the death, burial and resurrection of Christ we would have nothing but the eternal damnation that we deserve. But not all such blessings are experienced in their fullness until the consummation of all things in the New Heaven and New Earth. This would certainly be true of the healing of the body.
d. Although I do believe God heals today, I do not believe that the so-called "Health and Wealth and/or Prosperity Gospel" is in any sense a "gospel" and I ask all Christians to cease referring to it in such terms. Call it a "movement" or "philosophy" or even a "theology", but stop calling it a gospel! The same applies to what typically is called "The Word of Faith" movement, in much of which I struggle to find the presence of true, biblical "faith".
e. I believe in both (1) the finality, sufficiency, and authority of Scripture, on the one hand, and (2) the validity of revelatory gifts such as prophecy and word of knowledge, on the other. And no, the latter (2) is not a threat to the former (1).
(3) I am a Complementarian. A few words of clarification are in order.
a. If I am to err, I choose to err on the side of flexibility and freedom. In other words, I hesitate to restrict women from any form of ministry that does not have explicit biblical sanction.
b. As I read the New Testament, it appears that Paul and others restrict women from serving in what I call senior governmental authority, which would include the office of Senior Pastor (i.e., that individual or pastoral office responsible for the regular, authoritative exposition of Scripture) and Elder (or Bishop, depending on which term you prefer). Therefore, I believe a woman can serve as a deacon or worship leader or counselor or any other expression of Christian ministry that does not violate Paul's injunction against women exercising authority over men (1 Timothy 2:11-15; 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).
(4) I am a Christian Hedonist. Simply put, I believe it is impossible for us to desire pleasure too much, and that the pleasure we cannot desire too much is pleasure in God and all that he is for us in Jesus. For more on this, I direct you to Dr. John Piper's book, Desiring God, and Sam Storm's Pleasures Evermore: The Life-Changing Power of Enjoying God (NavPress) and One Thing: Developing a Passion for the Beauty of God (Christian Focus).
(5) I am an Amillennialist. This is a huge topic so I'll limit myself here to only a few specifics.
a. One of the primary reasons I am not a Premillennialist (neither Historic nor Dispensational) is because of what I read in the New Testament concerning the Second Coming of Christ.
To be a Premillennialist of any sort, you must believe that physical death and the curse on the natural creation will continue to exist beyond the time of Christ's return. You must believe that the New Heavens and New Earth will not be introduced until 1,000 years subsequent to the return of Christ. You must believe that unbelieving men and women will still have the opportunity to come to saving faith in Christ for at least 1,000 years subsequent to his return. To be a Premillennialist, you must believe that unbelievers will not be finally resurrected until at least 1,000 years subsequent to Christ's return and that unbelievers will not be finally judged and cast into eternal punishment until at least 1,000 years subsequent to Christ's return.
But my reading of what happens at the Second Coming of Christ indicates that then, and not 1,000 years later, physical death is swallowed up in the victory of Christ, never again to exert its power; the natural creation is delivered fully and finally from its bondage to sin; the New Heavens and New Earth are inaugurated; all opportunity for salvation of the lost comes to an end; and both the final resurrection and final judgment of all mankind occur.
b. I find no biblical support for a pre-tribulation rapture, Christian Zionism, a distinction between Israel and the Church, or a future seven year period known as the Great Tribulation.
c. I am a partial preterist - I believe Matthew 24:1-35; Mark 13:1-31; and Luke 21:5-33 (otherwise known as the Olivet Discourse) refer to events that transpired in the first century, beginning with the exaltation of Christ and consummating with the destruction in 70 A.D. of both the city of Jerusalem and its Temple. For more on this, I would recommend Hank Hanegraaff's book "The Apocalypse Code" and R. C. Sproul's "The Last Days According to Jesus."
(6) I am a Baptist (or, "baptistic", as some prefer). If you've recovered from (5), and I suspect many of you haven't, let me turn briefly to another broad subject and focus on several important items (rest assured, of course, that being baptistic would entail far more than simply what I mention below).
a. I believe only those who are able to provide a credible testimony of personal faith in Jesus Christ should be baptized (immersed) in water.
b. I believe that a local church should be governed by a plurality of Elders, of which the Senior Pastor is one. I see no biblical basis for a church being led by a single Elder or Pastor.
(7) I am a . . . I needed a seventh point to satisfy those who are obsessed with biblical numerology ("6" will never do, or so they tell me), so here is a brief list of other, often contentious, issues.
a. I believe that Open Theism is heretical.
b. I believe that eternal punishment in Hell is conscious and unending.
c. I believe that the New Testament leaves open the possibility for some form of apostolic ministry today (although without the Scripture-writing authority of the original company).
d. I believe Christians can be demonized (note, I did not say demon-possessed).
e. I believe that Jesus Christ is spiritually (and therefore, really, but not physically) present in the elements of the Lord's Supper and that the elements are more than merely a symbol of his body and blood. They are (one of) the sacramental means by which the sanctifying (but not saving) grace of Christ is mediated to the believer. For a biblical defence of this, I would recommend the book "Given for You: Reclaiming Calvin's Doctrine of the Lord's Supper" by Keith A. Mathison.
So, there you have it.. my present understanding of what the Bible teaches. I think that's enough to get myself into trouble with just about everyone! I must confess, however, that I'm not in the least bothered by that. My only desire is to be biblical and to continually test my own traditions by the study of Holy Scripture. As my friend Dr. James White says so well, "everyone has traditions, and those most blinded by them, are those who don't believe they have any."
Semper Reformanda (Always Reforming)
