Secondary Separation

[scottmaciver]

I read an article on secondary separation by Peter Masters.

Would you agree or disagree with the thrust of the article? Should we practice secondary separation?

 

[KMK]

It depends on who 'we' is. The article presents MLJ and Spurgeon acting as dictators over their churches. I doubt that was the case. Churches should be led by a plurality of elders. The elders (with input from the congregation) should decide which churches to associate with or not associate with.

 

[scottmaciver]

Thanks Ken, I agree that the 'we' would refer to the church as led by the eldership. Perhaps I should have said, should reformed churches practice secondary separation?

 

[KMK]

Thanks Ken, I agree that the 'we' would refer to the church as led by the eldership. Perhaps I should have said, should reformed churches practice secondary separation?

If by 'Reformed' you mean 'Confessional', then, yes. All confessionally reformed churches practice secondary separation by definition. Only the most broadly evangelical, anticonfessional churches don't.

 

[scottmaciver]

I suppose it goes beyond merely ecclesiastical matters per se, as per the article. If we apply the issue to ministers who belong to reformed congregations, rather than to the congregations as a whole, there seems to be an increasing number of reformed ministers today willing to share a platform with Roman Catholics & liberals.

The stance Lloyd-Jones took with Billy Graham was commendable. On the other hand I heard John Macarthur saying he would preach in the Vatican, if they wouldn't tell him what to preach. I don't think that these two positions would contradict each other, as Lloyd-Jones sought to avoid portraying fellowship with those who preached another Gospel, whereas Macarthur saw it, not as fellowship but as an opportunity to preach the Gospel to the lost.

 

[KMK]

there seems to be an increasing number of reformed ministers today willing to share a platform with Roman Catholics & liberals.

Again, it depends upon your definition of 'reformed'. Some call MacArthur 'Reformed', but he certainly doesn't hold to any of the Reformed confessions. I think there are too many variables to make one-size-fits-all regulations upon ministers and who they can and cannot associate with. Oftentimes, we don't have enough of the details to adequately judge the choices that pastors make.

If a church really embraces its confession of faith, then I think issues of separation work themselves out. It's when churches do not have a confession, or don't take it seriously, that confusion arises.

 

[scottmaciver]

That's a fair point on Macarthur. Would that be down to his views on dispensationalism?

 

[Edward]

Should we practice secondary separation?

No, not as defined at the link.

The question can be re-stated as 'should the visible church, the house and family of God, be split?'

Let's also keep in mind that those who would advocate the secondary split are 1) sinners and 2) members of churches which are subject to mixture and error.