What are your thoughts about this article? Do you think Reformed churches are overly reliant on reformed tradition?
The Danger of Reformed Traditionalism » It Is Written
The Danger of Reformed Traditionalism » It Is Written
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What are your thoughts about this article? Do you think Reformed churches are overly reliant on reformed tradition?
The Danger of Reformed Traditionalism » It Is Written
Instead of “confessionalism,” we need to promote and cultivate “something close to biblicism.” Instead of expending the bulk of our energies exegeting the Confession and the writings of Luther, Calvin, and the Puritans, we need to go back farther in history and find the answers and solutions to modern questions and problems as they’re provided in the writings of Moses, the Prophets, and the Apostles.
In the view of the author, there are three factors essential to a sound dogmatics. The first is that dogmatics must be faithful to the Scriptures, and therefore thoroughly exegetical. The second is that fundamentally all of dogmatics must be theologically construed, and must therefore be theocentric. The third is that a sound dogmatics must be faithful to the Reformed creeds and to the dogma of the church
What are your thoughts about this article?
Ben
I'm assuming he's talking
a) mainly to RB's
b) to those who do not accept Frame's revisionistic perspectives (all three of them ) on worship and the regulative principle
c) those who maintain that said revisionistic perspectives are not in keeping with the reformed 'tradition' and confessions and call us back to those confessional positions.
That said I'm back where you are when he writes,
"Instead of expending the bulk of our energies exegeting the Confession and the writings of Luther, Calvin, and the Puritans, we need to go back farther in history and find the answers and solutions to modern questions and problems as they’re provided in the writings of Moses, the Prophets, and the Apostles."
Where are these preachers and pastors spending the bulk of their energies exegeting the Confessions etc.? Who are these pastors and preachers ignoring the Scriptures?
I can think of no pastor or preacher and not even most theologians who match that description. The ones that do, do so as legitimate scholars - but in the main beyond a shadow of a doubt the vast majority of us spend the bulk of our energies exegeting and preaching Scripture. And if that just happens to match up with historic Reformed confessional orthodoxy - I feel no shame in saying so!
That said I'm back where you are when he writes,
"Instead of expending the bulk of our energies exegeting the Confession and the writings of Luther, Calvin, and the Puritans, we need to go back farther in history and find the answers and solutions to modern questions and problems as they’re provided in the writings of Moses, the Prophets, and the Apostles."
I wish therefore, to declare that I sign these standards not as a necessary form which must be submitted to, but gladly and willingly as the expression of a personal and cherished conviction; and, further, that the system taught in these symbols is the system which will be drawn out of the Scriptures in the prosecution of the teaching to which you have called me—not, indeed, because commencing with that system the Scriptures can be made to teach it, but because commencing with the Scriptures I cannot make them teach anything else.
I agree that confessionalism and "Biblicism" are compatible, and ignoring that everyone is in some sense a "traditionalist" can be dangerous, but I think an overemphasis on Reformed tradition has demonstrated it's dangers in the form of some of the Auburn Avenue folks. Regardless of whether you think they are misrepresenting Westminster, it's reformed tradition and specifically Calvin's view of Baptism that they appeal to.
To neglect the creeds is to neglect a deposit of illumination given to the Church down through the centuries by the Holy Spirit, but the creeds derive their authority from Scripture, not the other way around.
It seems a number of non-traditional movements have caused trouble in the Reformed church in America in recent decades. Without "traditionalism" and creedalism, more folk would have floated off in novel and unbiblical directions.
I agree that confessionalism and "Biblicism" are compatible, and ignoring that everyone is in some sense a "traditionalist" can be dangerous, but I think an overemphasis on Reformed tradition has demonstrated it's dangers in the form of some of the Auburn Avenue folks. Regardless of whether you think they are misrepresenting Westminster, it's reformed tradition and specifically Calvin's view of Baptism that they appeal to.
Surely the Federal Vision also thrives on a "no creed but the Bible mindset". Its desire for novelty is one of the reasons why they reject the Covenant of Works, as monocovenantalism is key to their whole theological system. Moreover, whenever reports have been published by church courts pointing out that Federal Vision teaching is unconfessional, they nearly always immediately respond by arguing that it does not matter if their teachings are contra-confessional, as they are only concerned with whether or not their teachings are biblical (even though they have often taken vows which stated that they believed the Westminster Standards were biblical). I have no problem with people asking for biblical reasons why they are mistaken, but I also have no problem with people who have professed allegiance to certain standards being called to account for teaching dogmas at variance with such professed standards.
I’m a conservative Biblicistic protestant (my phrase)