Do anyone see any negative implications of a church that holds to MacArthur-like dispensationalism? This is an issue I have been struggling to understand more clearly. This question has to do with there not being any churches in my area that hold to the 1689 LBC so I am limited in this respect.

__________________
Mark
Atlanta, GA
http://www.hereiblog.com

[quote:bb5d3767e2="john_Mark"]Do anyone see any negative implications of a church that holds to MacArthur-like dispensationalism? This is an issue I have been struggling to understand more clearly. This question has to do with there not being any churches in my area that hold to the 1689 LBC so I am limited in this respect.[/quote:bb5d3767e2]

Mark,
In your signature, you describe the church as a 'MacArthur-like, Calvinistic Baptist church'. From your observations so far, which of those descriptions would you say stand out the most? If a person went to the church for a month or so, would they come away with the impression that its a Baptist church, or a Calvinistic church, or a MacArthur-like dispensational church, based on what the church emphasizes?

I used to attend a Bible study and the teacher taught very strongly against dispensationalism. Because of his views, he had been kicked out of many a church over the years because of the stand he took on the Bible. Last I heard, they were attending a dispensational church because it was the best church in the area. I spoke with his wife and she said they really liked/respected the pastor and enjoyed going to the church, as long as they don't 'harp' on the dispensational stuff.

How much do they 'harp' on dispensationalism? Could you become a member if you told them that you were a Calvinistic Baptist, but that you didn't believe in dispensationalism (assuming you don't)?

__________________
Bob Howes
Framingham, MA

A reoccurring thought:

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Can someone explain "MacArthur-like dispensationalism" to the uninformed?

uzzled:

__________________
Andrew Walling
Brandon, MS
Grace Baptist Church - Reformed Baptist
http://www.gracejackson.net

Bob,

Thanks for making me think through this from such a perspective. Good and fair questions.

One thing that *might* give it away is that the Sunday school class has been going through Revelation for 2.5 years and their "last things" in the SoF pretty much matches MacArthurs. I really don't know how to answer as far as them being explicitly dispensational. Put it this way, a baptist friend of mine attends a Presby church because he thinks my church is "too Southern Baptist". He believes that end times influence that way one teaches scripture more so than credo vs peado. The pastor describes himself as a premill, futurist rather than a dispensationalist, but their SoF really emphasizes the end times. It also makes a distinction between the church and Israel. One cannot become an elder though if they don't subscribe to it. (Not that I am trying to become an elder.)

They have no problem with me being a Calvinist as they are also. Although, they don't like to use the name "Calvinist". So I don't think that's an issue. The main reason they don't hold to the 1689 is that they don't believe in the "Lord Day's" as defined in the 1689. Now, the elders are open to change their views by being shown their error using scripture, but I am hardly the one man army to do that.

All in all it is a very solid church that uses church discipline and calls it's members to committ and be accountable. I am just looking for someone to spell out for me any possible negative implications along the lines of this type of dispensational teaching.

[quote:7e14220d82="4ndr3w"]Can someone explain "MacArthur-like dispensationalism" to the uninformed?

uzzled:[/quote:7e14220d82]

MacArthur's Dispensationalism is really a stripped down form where he throws out a lot of the old hard liner garbage and embraces some of the more Reformed ideas. He gets hit on both sides, by the disepnsationalists for being too Reformed and the Reformed for being too Dispensationalist. He says that if you understand Isreal and the chruch to be to seperate entities you understand his dispensationalism.

On www.Biblebb.com if you look through the John MacArthur questions and answers section you will find, I think 6 or so, answers he's given when asked about dispensationalism. The one at: http://www.biblebb.com/files/tonyqa/tc00-92.htm was given when he was being interviewed by the Independent Fundamental Churches of America.

Personally I think his dispensationalism is a step in the right direction. considering the background he has it's quite a large step for himself. I think he need to go further still...I could see him becomming a historical Pre-Mill one day...

Bryan
SDG[/url]

__________________
Bryan Neufeld
Faith Community Church
Manitoba, Canada

Go to the website and check it out for yourselves.

http://faithcommunitychurch.org/index.cgi?xl=Doctrine



I am still studying eschatology so I am not in any camp. Not one is totally correct so which one is less wrong? :book:

Bryan, you are correct that MacArthur is not a full or half dispy but just in the sense that the church is distinct from Israel proper.

The main reason the SoF has the end times in it is because one will not be suprised when it is preached on and you sit there and think that you thought it would be different. And also they can be held accountable if they in any way waiver from it. They let you know up front what is the foundational belief of the elders. You can make your decision to visit on it or not.?

__________________
For the sake of the Name,

John Hill
Faith Community - Woodstock, Ga
Adopted. Husband for 13 years. Father of 5 children.
http://faithcommunitychurch.org- My home church
Rocky Top, you'll always be, home sweet home to me.

I'm interested in their definition of the Lord's Day. The 1689 is identical to the Abstract of Principles, 1925 and 1963 Baptist Faith and Messages. It only changed in 2000:

[quote:f25085cf5e]The sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their common affairs aforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employment and recreations, but are also taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy. [/quote:f25085cf5e]

__________________
Ranger
SBC, but personally confess the 1689 LBCF
Yunnan, China

"If we regularly beheld the glory of Christ, our Christian walk with God would become more sweet and pleasant, our spiritual light and strength would grow daily stronger and our lives would more gloriously represent the glory of Christ. Death would be most welcome to us." - John Owen

For whatever it's worth, a guy like MacArthur (who's a Reformed-asitwere Dispensationalist) helped a guy like me (old Scofield die-hard Dispensationalist) take the plunge to being Reformed. There are negative implications from any teaching that is not fully biblical, but MacArthur seems to be headed the right direction in many areas.

__________________
Voided user

Texas Ranger,

As the Lord's Day is concerned there is no problem but when it pertains to the Day of the Lord then isn't the LBC 1689 amil?