My friend Garret is planting a church outside the PCA.
When I first met Garrett and their family, they were on their way to Covenant Theological Seminary–sent and funded because he was supposed to plant a PCA church. Not being stupid, nor wanting to torpedo Garrett, I never publicly mentioned his visit or his appreciation of my work (which is what prompted his stayover in OKC and our evening visiting when I was still in Minco). But eventually the truth came out. The mere report of association with certain PCA ministers in good standing was enough to lead to this result and a sudden change of course.
Anyway, for those looking in from the outside wondering what is going on. Here is some testimony of interest:
After 30 years of teaching and educating, why did you decide to leave Westminister and move to Reformed Theological Seminary?
It would take a lot more hours than I have available to answer this question adequately. To give a bare summary: between me and WTS/C there were personal issues and theological ones. The personal issues were basically sins of my own, which I confessed on a number of occasions and in some cases received forgiveness. Still, some of these relationships were never put right.
The theological issues as I see them: Over the 1990s, the seminary became more and more the tool of a faction, rather than representing the Reformed faith in its fullness. In the view of this faction, my theology was not “truly Reformed.” In my view, their narrowness prevented me from recommending the seminary to prospective students. I could not, of course, teach at a school that I could not honestly recommend, and I could not teach at a school where my Reformed commitment was not respected.
It will be interesting to see how a presbytery thrives with this quality (or lack thereof) of theological gate-keeping. I think those who want to see what the future of the PCA will be if it decides to become a southern Presbyterian version of the Protestant Reformed Church would do well to keep their eye on church growth and demographics in Southern California.
Personally, if churches sold stock, I’d be dumping my PCA shares and dividing my portforlio between the EPC and the CREC.
Ironically, those who are gate-keeping see themselves as independent and broad. In the final analysis, however, they stand in union with the “TR” faction, I believe, without realising it. This is why having relationships and being involved and dialoguing outside ones immediate theological circle is important. Echo chambers are dangerous places which tend to get smaller and smaller.
Speaking of Westminster East, Bruce Waltke said “The conviction [of Murray] that the whole counsel of God has priority over confessions allowed the faculty to breathe, expand, and become the first-class academic institution that Machen intended. Murray freed the seminary from a restricted and narrow intellectual orthodoxy”
A stone’s throw from the WTS-E campus here. What happened to Philip Edgecumbe Hughes and Norman Shepherd was the writing on the wall. Even then, the noose was tightening.
The only surprising thing is that Vern Poythress is still there.
Wyclif, the reference is not to WTS-E, but to WTSCA.
Tim, I realise that. WTS-E was referenced in the comments.
my chances seems to be shrinking daily. I wish their was a way to resist this, but anything you do just gets you labeled.
Why is it suprising that Dr. Poythress is still at WTS East?
Because it would be so easy for the gatekeepers to do a guilt-by-association number on Dr. Poythress in the same way it was done to Frame and for the same reasons; they even share a website.
I’ve learned a lot from reading Dr. Poythress. He interacts with secularists in the realm of the biological sciences, and his concerns are much more broad than the “safe” theologians that major on justification by faith and soteriology to the exclusion of nearly all else.
Or it could be that both Frame and Poythress deal with postmodernism in a manner different than the gatekeepers:
http://markhorne.blogspot.com/2005/10/ebook-on-metatheology.html
I am not sure who the “gatekeepers” are you are talking about, but I don’t think any of them are here at WTS. I certainly do not think anyone at the seminary is opposed to Dr. Poythress being here. As a matter of fact, I think it is safe to say that everyone here would conisder him to be one of the most respected, valued and wisest members of the faculty.
Ben