By What Standard?

“Why do denominations and seminaries tend to become theologically liberal? I believe that there is one major reason: the people of God long to have the approval of the world. So we start flirting with their ideas, and we adopt their vocabulary. We want them to think that our academic papers, sermons, and books have amazingly transcended the narrow-minded confines of our Bible-thumping seminary or denomination….The simple teaching of the Bible begins to look old fashioned and unrefined, so more and more we talk about political issues, occasionally throwing in a dash of scripture just to prove that we are, at least for now, holding to the inerrancy and sufficiency of scripture. When we are confronted with the plain, unfashionable, sin-condemning statements of scripture, we put on our tolerant, educated faces and say, “Well, we know that this teaching is limited to the culture of the first century, and so it is irrelevant to us today.”...You will find none of this in this book. Instead what you will find is solid biblical reasoning from godly men who are not afraid to say, “Jesus is my Lord. The Bible is my standard of what I believe and teach. The despised people of God are my people.”

“Diversity, tolerance, inclusivity, and social justice are the chief values of postmodernity and political correctness. In a culture where these are deemed some of the last remaining virtues and biblical principles are routinely scorned, what should the church’s posture be? Should Christians adjust the gospel, remodel our message, and bring our statements of faith more in line with the world’s thinking? To ask that question is to answer it. But in case the answer isn’t clear, these superbly-written essays spell it out in brilliant detail. I’m grateful for the courage of these men and the clarity of their voices. This is a vitally important volume, sounding all the right notes of passion, warning, instruction, and hope.”