Pensees: Rules in Colleges, Fundamentalism, and an Evangelical’s Perspective

It’s amazing how warped the institutional integrity argument has become. For instance, fundyism’s most unusual school discriminated for decades against Blacks and thought it squared perfectly with Scripture and their institutional integrity.

Yet that same bastion of orthodoxy would forbid young ladies from wearing pants on campus or to classes for reasons of institutional testimony and integrity. To say the least, it’s breathtaking how perverted and misvalued can things become!

Indeed, wisdom is justified of her children.

Bob, this was very interesting. Probably one of the best discussions of the subject that I have ever seen. No surprise considering the source. Lots of food for thought, and ideas for blogs of my own. Later, though, I am jammed for time.

I am wondering, however, a couple of things about the article itself. I noticed a couple of typos in it and also the conclusion seemed to me to end a little abruptly. Do you know if this paper is a ‘work in progress’? Or perhaps there is another version somewhere?

I did notice a couple of things that I would class as minor quibbles, but not really much to disagree with.

Two things that particularly stuck out to me was the notion of ‘lawlessness’ in 1 Jn 3.4. I think a very important and telling point was made there.

Also point 2 in the conclusion with respect to our attitude to forbears in the faith was, I think, very important.

So thanks for providing this. It is very good, I think.

Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3

Don,

This was actually a private letter that he thought had possibility for future, more public, use. I asked him if we could post it here and we had volunteers go through it and clean it up. It is not publisher ready. He may extend the article or size it down. He is very much inclined to cut out the history part, but I told him that my audience would be interested in his take on that particular subject.

Hi Bob, and all those involved in this. I just wanted to add that I am VERY enthusiastic about this article. The more I think about it, the more delighted I am with it.

I am very interested in bro. Hesselgrave’s take on the history side. That was where I had one minor quibble, but he might be more accurate than me! After all, he lived through more of it than I have and I have only read about it.

The area I was wondering about is where he discussed the formation of the NAE, etc. The way he said it, he seemed to say that the NAE and other organizations of that sort (I almost said ‘ilk’!!!) were purposefully softer in tone from the beginning and didn’t include fundamentalists. My understanding of the history was that fundamentalists were a part of some of these broader organizations at the beginning, but split when the Billy Graham compromises began to happen. For example, Dr. Bob Jr was a vice president of Youth for Christ in the early days, I think. I also think there were fundamentalists involved in the NAE in the beginning, too, but I could be mistaken.

Anyway, that is a minor quibble. All in all, I am so very impressed with the article I don’t know how to express it well enough. If you have regular contact with bro. Hesselgrave, convey my thanks for it. I have read through his Planting Church Cross Culturally as well, found it very helpful.

Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3

Thanks for posting this, Bob.

I thought enough of its value that I condensed it, put it in a powerpoint, and took 3 weeks reading and explaining it to my youth group on Wednesday nights.

If anyone would like my adaptation, email me…

JP

I just wanted to bring this article to everyone’s attention again. I have begun a series of messages using the article as the backbone of what I am teaching. My notes on the first two messages are available here.

Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3

This post was just pointed out to me - I missed it the first time around. There is certainly mich to think on here. Thanks for sharing this with us.