Another Bayly Bros Excursus: A case study
The Bayly Bros really hate the 2K Theology. They show it again in this post on Escondido Theology. This post is the epitome of all that is wrong with this debate. This post makes Frame look sane and in control of himself.
Just take the name "2K Sanhedrin". Wow. Horton, VanDrunen, and the others are modern day examples of people who put to death Stephen and whipped Peter and John? Really? That is insane. I still don't understand this vitriol.
But the majority of the post is a screed against Reformed ministers as a whole for not speaking out against social ills and basically calling the Escondido crowd liars for pretending it is a real problem. That is clear from this line: "These R2K men working hard to gag Reformed pastors and elders really have no one at all to gag. And they know it." I find it hard to believe that these guys manufactured this stuff. But I guess the Bayly Bros know best.
They insult all of us by calling us cowards and claim there are no men who preach against the ills of such things as abortion. Never mind the RCUS has passed something specifically stating that God will not long hold back judgment on a country that slaughters its young. But I guess that does not make the Bayly Bros point, so they get to ignore it. I know pastors who write letters to papers, and make phone calls, and yet the Bayly Bros think such men don't exist. There is nothing like someone throwing around insults of cowardice without actually having any proof.
But more important to our current line of investigation is the picture of the Christian ministry painted by the Bayly Bros. It is not just abortion they think should be denounced from the pulpit. In addition to abortion he mentions euthanasia, picketing nursing homes (that have been "Third Reichified"), and politics in general. Perhaps an argument can be made for some of this, but then they go to NSA wiretaps and possible data mining. This I don't get. Preaching against NSA wiretaps. Preaching against data mining. Now, I can agree that these wire taps are against the Constitution. But let us not confuse the Constitution with the Holy Word. What text should one choose to condemn such behavior? Surely not the "be quick to listen" verses of James. That might be taken wrong. And what application is there for the people in the pew? What exactly are they going to do? Not pay their taxes in an attempt to send the NSA out of business? Throw away their cell phones?
This is the sort of extreme behavior that make the 2K guys look very attractive.
4 Comments:
Wow, that was kind of a crazy article that you linked to. Straw men abound.
Dear Lee, my point wasn't that all these things should be preached against or publicly opposed by pastors, but that I don't see any Reformed pastors doing so. And thus the R2K Calamity Jane men are off the mark--snd carefully so. Warmly,
Tim,
That strikes me as disingenuous. You said that the Escondido men were covering the "naked cowardice" of Reformed pastors everywhere who do not preach on those things. Your claim was not that the Escondido men just made up some threat to rail against, but that they railed against something that wasn't happening, that should happen, to give cover to those who weren't making it happen as they should. Otherwise you'd just accuse the Escondido men of creating straw men, and that you actually agreed that nobody should preach against the "Third Reichification" of our nursing homes, for example.
You said, "Rather, they [R2K men] exist to legitimate the universal behavior among Reformed pastors and sessions of absolute silence over the mass bloodshed and growth of secular totalitarianism prevailing across our country."
First- universal behavior? You've surveyed all Reformed churches to know this? Come on.
Second- this passage clearly contradicts the claim you make in your comment. You clearly believe that Reformed pastors should be preaching against these things. Otherwise, why would this allegedly universal behavior need legitimized?
I only have a certain amount of time in the pulpit each Sunday. Tell me Tim, what percentage of that time should be spent talking about abortion specifically as opposed to talking about justification, sanctification, glorification? Since you're so willing to accuse your brothers of abdicating our duty, perhaps you'd like to tell me what my duty is? I'm a Reformed pastor, therefore either I'm guilty of the "universal behavior" you criticize, or you owe me an apology.
And FYI Tim, I'm no R2K guy. Head over to my blog if you care- wheatchaff.blogspot.com- for plenty of criticism of the position. I do try to avoid ascribing the absolute worst motives to the proponents of that doctrine, however.
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