A.W. Pink and the Visible Church

[TaylorOtwell]

I have heard that, at least later in his life, A.W. Pink totally forsook attending any visible church. Is this true? If so, could someone please provide a reference and quotation for this?

If this is indeed the case, where did Pink go wrong in his thinking regarding the visible church, if at all?

** Edit **

Here is an excerpt from Pink's "Call to Separation" that shows some of his thoughts on the matter:

"Be ye not unequally yoked together." This applies first to our religious or ecclesiastical connections. How many Christians are members of so-called "churches," where much is going on which they know is at direct variance with the Word of God—either the teaching from the pulpit, the worldly attractions used to draw the ungodly, and the worldly methods employed to finance it or the constant receiving into its membership of those who give no evidence of having been born again. Believers in Christ who remain in such "churches" (?) are dishonoring their Lord. Should they answer: "Practically all the churches are the same, and were we to resign, what could we do? We must go somewhere on Sundays," such language would show they are putting their own interests before the glory of Christ. Better stay at home and read God's Word, than fellowship that which His Word condemns.

 

[jrdnoland]

Stop Me Before I Turn Into A.W. Pink | internetmonk.com

This is all I could find on Pink. I'm going to get the biography and read more about it.

 

[TaylorOtwell]

Thanks for that link. Let me know if you find anything interesting in his biography on the topic!

 

[21st Century Calvinist]

Taylor, I remember hearing in the past that Pink had abandoned church going in his latter years on the Isle of Lewis. It was suggested that perhaps Pink was of a Reformed Baptist persuasion. At that time I do not believe that there were any credo-Baptist churches on the island. In the book Banner in the West: A spiritual history of Lewis and Harris (Birlinn: Edinburgh 2008) John Macleod discusses Pink in pp. 245-248 and there states that he had stopped attending the Free Presbyterian Church and never attended any other island church.

 

[PhilA]

This may be of interest:

Banner of Truth Trust General Articles

From memory his isolation is covered in Murray's book. I can't find me copy at this moment!

Regards

 

[PhilA]

Found it!

Mr & Mrs Pink moved from the South coast of England to NW Scotland in Sept 1940 to avoid the ever increasing night air raids and machine gun strafing.

The Free Church & Free Presbyterian congregations, both evangelical and Calvinistic were Gaelic speaking congregations. Pink attended a few English speaking services but found the services “lifeless” and felt treated as an “outsider”.

Murray writes that “while Pink felt his isolation more than he generally revealed, it is also true to say that he viewed Stornoway as a “delightful place” and neither he nor Mrs Pink thought to leave there after the Second World War”

Murray also suggests that rejection often encountered in earlier years (presumably relating to his pastoral ministry) had hurt him deeply.

Regards

 

[jrdnoland]

Taylor - I just received the Pink biography. It sounds like Phil was quoting from it also. If I can add more detail later I will.

I've read the first three chapters and so far it's a real page turner, Pink was a very interesting man with very godly parents and his conversion, in my opinion, shows the power of God in a most definite way.

 

[Jack K]

Stop Me Before I Turn Into A.W. Pink | internetmonk.com

This is all I could find on Pink. I'm going to get the biography and read more about it.

Thanks. That article is an excellent word to those of us who're tempted to find any available church intollerable.