ETex,
I think it is easy to assume a pious attitude of "self-malediction" against the reformed churches at any period of time.
I don't think it's fair to say that the Reformed world was busy with in-fightings and nothing else. Reformed churches were evangelizing the world at the end of the 19th Century, fighting off higher criticism and unbelief at Princeton, shepherding their flocks, speaking before Congress, recovering from the collapse of the republic and reeling from reconstruction, and so on and on.
America rejected the faith of its forefathers (puritanism), and came under God's judgment for it: dispensationalism being merely one aspect of that judgment.
I think that your pity for many dear saints who were misled is noble, but I would not make too much of the supposed or real mistakes of our reformed forebears. I'd be interested if actual historical examples were brought forward rather than a mere accusation. For instance, the life of J. Gresham Machen is a glaring contradiction to the basic idea you seem to have stated.
Teachers are subject to harsher criticism, and shall give a stricter account of their actions. Thus, when Anton argued that the Reformed faith was before them, he's spot on. A teacher who does not know ecclesiastical history is not to be pitied, he is to be educated, and to be silent until he understands that he doesn't need to reinvent the wheel.
As the point has been made by others, the congregants are to be pitied, but the teachers deserve no such pity.
Just my
Adam
Quote:
Originally Posted by etexas  Brother, when I said sympathy as stated in my OP it was in the Historic sense, the period I write of was one in which you had good Bible believing Christians who were starting to hear German born higher criticism, many of these folk were simple good people, farmers, mill-workers, teachers. They were afraid that the basics of faith were slowly being stripped away, they wanted a "champion" for the fundamentals of faith, they embraced men like Scofield. You say they "had the reformers" tell me, do you think these people had personal libraries with 4000 books? They did not. Most had a Bible and not much more. There is almost a collective guilt here. Where were the Reformed thinkers at this juncture? Most were involved with "in house" squabbles and infighting. "We" were not there for them. we left them in the cold! Read some American Church History from this period. So yes, I in a sense feel sorry that these people were grasping for a defense of the basics. (Or what they saw as basics) so YES, I do have sympathy for these people in that period. Now, someone threw Ruckman in my face. Did I mention him in my OP? I did not! My sympathy is in retrospect. I am talking about a time prior to such men. I am Reformed to the marrow, but I am going to say this: If the solid reformed minds of that period had not been sitting in Ivory Towers taking pot-shots at each other (RATHER than reaching out to the farmer in the Midwest) perhaps teachings like those of Ruckman might not have have emerged. Grace and Peace. |