In this book, the author traces the theological history of iconoclasm from Erasmus to Calvin. He shows that this iconoclasm, this smashing of idols, far from being an incidental factor in the Reformation, was, in many places, the very means by which the Reformation was established.
The work begins by showing the critique offered to Catholic piety by the early humanists such as Erasmus. Eire moves on to an analysis of the Lutheran response to images, which was very conservative when compared to what happened elsewhere in the Reformation. When Luther was confronted with the choice of whether to remove all images or the image-breaker Karlstadt, he removed Karlstadt. When it came to the war on idolatry, the reforms under Luther were real, but nevertheless modest.
When Eire comes to Calvin, the antithesis between pure worship and image worship becomes most apparent. He spends some valuable time discussing the theological underpinnings of Calvin's total and complete intolerance of idolatry. An example of this intolerance (and intolerance incidentally is not a bad word) is seen in a very interesting section on Calvin's important opposition to what was called Nicodemism. This was an external conformity to the Catholic cultus on the part of those who had come to embrace the truth of the gospel. The conformity was out of fear and concern over reprisals, particularly by French evangelicals, who were confronted with a centralized and powerful opposition to the gospel. But in Calvin's thought, no compromise was possible. Only God may be worshipped, for any reason, under any circumstances.
This book contains two points where lessons from this time in history may be applied by modern Christians. The first has to do with a continued application of the Reformed theology of images, and the ramifications of this theology to other areas of our worship and practice. As Zwingli argued, idolatry begins in the heart, and the external image is simply the externalization of a previously-loved invisible idol. Thus, a church can be bare of images, and still be full of idolatry. Or, closer to home, a Reformed church, mouthing the regulative principle, can be sliding into idolatry.
As Eire rehearses Calvin's case against idolatry, he emphasizes the importance Calvin placed on maintaining a constant vigilance against idolatry. The human heart, argues Calvin, contains incredibly fertile ground in which the weeds of idolatry readily and quickly grow. Given this perverse fertility, we cannot be too careful. About what? One place where modern Reformed believers need to take care is in the view they take of their spiritual
leaders. It does not do much good to ban the altars and sacrifices, but then keep the priests. All forms of Protestant clericalism are simply a means of dressing our elders up without giving them anywhere to go. It will not be long before they find somewhere to go. A man with a robe and a Rev. by his name looks positively lost without a wafer to lift up or a cup to consecrate.
This means that we must guard against painting ourselves into the corner of disobedience. We must never say, "But all we wanted to do was set the statue up in the foyer. We didn't want to worship it!" Some might think this is an idle disputation, but think for a moment -- have you ever seen, in a Protestant church, images of Christ or passion plays? And do any Protestant pastors magnify themselves in the name of the dignity of their office? These are not unimportant questions.
The other area of modern controversy where this book provides valuable food for thought is that of Christian resistance to the atrocity of abortion. As the history of iconoclasm shows, sometimes the revolutionary toothpaste is difficult to get back in the tube. With one exception, all forms of organized resistance to rule of the magistrate are revolutionary in character. That exception is when the resistance to tyranny is organized and led by lesser magistrates.
Christians who are involved in Operation Rescue need to think through the implications of the truths contained in this book. The fact that an action is not intended to have certain consequences will not cause those consequences therefore to evaporate. The action of shutting down abortion clinics is admirable in itself. But if this strategy is successfully pursued, what will the political consequences be? This book will show the importance of organizing rescues in such a way that they are protected by, as the Reformers would say, "the lesser magistrates."
If this is not done, the long-term effects will eventually horrify the Christian pro-life movement. The recent murder of an abortionist in Florida is just the beginning -- unless pro-lifers adopt a comprehensive biblical worldview. It is not enough to be "against abortion."
This 318-page book may be ordered for $16.46 from Still Waters Revival Books/4710-37A Avenue/Edmonton, AB Canada T6L 3T5. .
The Revival of the Ecclesiastical Text and the Claims of the Anabaptists
In the debates over the original text of Scripture, it is easy to assume that there are only two parties to the debate. On the one hand are King-James-only "crazies," and on the other, whenever they deign to enter the debate, are the scholarly types, who support the modern, "scientific" approach to determining the original text.
This monograph is a fine introduction to a third party in the debate. Because it does involve an implied defense of the "ecclesiastical text," Letis takes great care to show that he does not belong to the tribe which wants to defend King Jimmy with more heat than light. Consequently, one of the important points made by Letis is the fundamental divide that separates his position from that of an anti-intellectual fundamentalism.
Letis stands clearly in the tradition of John Burgon and Edward Hills. He wants nothing to do with the mindlessness which wants, in some circles, to hold to the King James as superior to the Scriptures in the original languages. Consequently, a central point of the small book is to show that modern "fundamentalism" is really not the bearer of the torch it pretends to be.
Incidentally, this general position does not believe that the ecclesiastical text is perfect, or that it is wrong to emend the text. The issue is how it is to be done. Is the church to receive her covenant documents from the hands of neutral, autonomous, scientific scholars? Or is the church to receive them from scholarly, believing, confessing Christians for use in the church?
Letis is insisting that it is a false dichotomy to cast the debate as though it were between liberal (or "neutral") scholars and "fundamentalist dopes." It is possible to have faith govern the work of textual criticism. Not only is it possible, it is necessary. Whether or not a man is in submission to the God of the Bible speaks to his qualification to be part of a guardian of the text of the Bible. A basic objection to the modern eclectic texts is that the scholars who produce them profess to be operating autonomously. And what does this mean? Eventually, it results in a radical skepticism concerning the original text. The search for the historical text is very much like the search for the historical Jesus, and like that search will land itself, at last, in the Slough of Skepticism. There, in the slough, unbelievers will at last abandon their method. And it will be ironic at that time to observe that the only people still adhering to this unbelieving methodology, trying to make it work, will be the believers. Christians cannot tell themselves this often enough: the "scientific method" cannot deliver the goods.
Once the vanity of this neutral approach becomes apparent, the preservation of the text of Scripture may once again be seen as something which was given as a gift by God to the church. In fact, Paul argues precisely this point with regard to the text of the Old Testament law, and the role of the covenant people under the Old Covenant. . . . who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law . . . (Rom. 9:4).
I do have one criticism of the monograph, but it does not rob the force of Letis' central point. While he is very aware of the force of unbelief in textual studies, he seems less aware of it in historical studies -- particularly when it comes to American history. (And incidentally, Letis should guard against others mistaking his thorough familiarity with liberal scholarship for chumminess with liberal scholarship.) Such modern secular revisionist scholars have done a wonderful job in lying to us about what can be called Americanitas -- the old American character. It is quite true that our country has become an ecclesiastical bedlam of sorts, but that is not the way it was for our first two-hundred years. Indeed, at the beginning there was Rhode Island, but Rhode Island under Roger Williams was only a small cloud the size of a man's fist -- just a precursor of the mess to come.
At the same time, we must charge the "mainstream established churches" with contributing their fair share to the creation of this ecclesiastical nightmare. When we consider the dead orthodoxy of previous generations, and the apostasy rampant in such mainstream churches today, it is no wonder the sheep scattered. They scattered because they were looking for food. Augustine once lamented the fact that there were so many sheep outside the fold, and so many wolves within it. So should we.
This monograph can be ordered for $4.00 from Old Paths Publications, 223 Princeton Road, Audubon, NJ 08106.
This is a reprint of the 1872 edition of Cunningham's sermons, including the original preface by J.J. Bonar. The volume includes twenty-eight sermons which span the length of Cunningham's ministry years, including his first and his last sermons.
Few modern-day readers have a stomach for Victorian elocution, which is the style in which these sermons are presented. This is unfortunate, as (in this reviewer's opinion) nineteenth century eloquence in many ways lends itself to a refined presentation of the truth. What it lacks in concision is made up in a masterful command of language. The work of Cunningham bears testimony to this.
In Cunningham's preaching we find the sort of precision of thought and expression that is painfully wanting in the sermons of our era. Too often in our sermons we see doctrinal gnat-straining to the exclusion of sound exhortation, or sharp doctrine altogether abandoned in lieu of a fun anecdote. Cunningham upholds both doctrinal precision and forthright application in each of his sermons. Thus, this collection of sermons is profitable if only as an example for preachers to observe.
We do find one fault in these sermons, which marks another tendency in nineteenth-century homiletics. While Cunningham's doctrine is clearly orthodox, his interaction with the text is not as thorough as it could be -- one area where Cunningham's example should not be followed.
Those with a bent toward stiff theological tomes need books like this. As we study the truth, too often we forget how glorious it is; good sermons like Cunningham's serve as a needed reminder. If you are the studious sort, you probably won't find new insights in this volume. But that's not its purpose; it will serve to elevate your piety. This collection of sermons is a scholar's devotional.
This 416-page book is available for $19.98 from Still Waters Revival Books, 4710-37A Ave, Edmonton, AB Canada T6L 3T5.
In recent years, with one thing and another, we have not had a really good book available in which all the basic tenets of postmillenialism have been set forth, defined, and defended. Until now.
There has been Lorainne Boettner's The Millenium. It is good, but more than a little Pollyannaesque in places. There is David Chilton's commentary on Revelation, Days of Vengeance, which is helpful at points, but still hermeneutically flawed. There is Iain Murray's The Puritan Hope. This is a wonderful book, but is focused primarily on the historical impact of postmillenialism on missions. John Jefferson Davis wrote a helpful introduction to postmillenialism called Christ's Victorious Kingdom. The problem with this book is that it is too short; those coming out of the dispensational, premillenial mindset (and there are many) obviously will have a host of questions, requiring detailed answers. Israel and the New Covenant by Roderick Campbell would meet the need perfectly, but it is out of print.
Obviously, Kenneth Gentry saw what needed to be done, and he did it.
The foreward is written by Gary North, who behaves himself, by and large. As he put it, " . . . I am trying to be a Christian gentleman, since Dr. Gentry is." Unlike previous books published by the Institute for Christian Economics (ICE), there is no polemical bloodbath here that might put off an unwary reader unnecessarily. And the central point which North does make (albeit bluntly) is right on target. The point is that, if dispensationalism wants to survive, Gentry needs to be answered.
I mentioned above that Chilton's commentary (also published by ICE) was hermeneutically flawed -- the approach is that of utilizing an "interpretive maximalism." Such a method really amounts to nothing more than a modern return to the allegorical method of interpretation used by the early church fathers during the Christian church's toddler years.
Thankfully, Gentry avoids this, and adheres rigorously to the grammatico-historical hermeneutic. "Postmillenialists follow the general evangelical approach to Scripture known as the grammatico-historical hermeneutic" (p. 173). This is particularly important because dispensational critics of postmillenialism want to accuse its proponents of "allegorizing" or "spiritualizing" the text. (By which they mean vaporizing the text.) As Gentry ably shows, the problem with the dispensational hermeneutic of "literalism" is that it does not remain historically and grammatically faithful to the text as God gave it to us.
Everything a postmillenial catechumen needs is here. Eschatology is a very broad subject, and a very important one. Gentry masterfully brings all the various aspects of the debate into focus and treats them in considerable detail. He deals with hermeneutics, objections, misunderstandings, the basic texts, and much more.
One small problem: there was some kind of typesetting problem in the chapter on the book of Revelation that interfered with the flow of some of the pages.
This 539-page book can be ordered from Great Christian Books, P.O. Box 8000, Elkton, MD 21922-8000 for $15.95.
Some books and booklets are made to be circulated in large numbers. This booklet is one.
The point of the booklet is to encourage the reader to take Paul's admonition to heart -- to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. It is Christ who is in us, unless of course we fail the test. Elliff's point is to get the reader to see that there is a species of faith which is useless in matters of salvation. This worthless faith -- wasted faith -- cannot bear a moment's honest examination.
Elliff addresses six basic forms of wasted faith. He speaks about faith without the Spirit, faith without Christ, faith without reason, faith without repentance, faith without fruit, and faith without perseverance.
Faith without the Spirit is entirely a human endeavor. It is the result of men attempting, through various means and choices, to save themselves. But without the Spirit there is no regeneration, and without regeneration there is no salvation.
Faith without Christ is also very common. As Elliff asks the question, "Have you trusted the Person of salvation or a plan of salvation?" There is a world of difference between knowing about Christ, and knowing Christ. Real Christianity is a relationship with Christ.
But this relationship with Him is not an unutterable mystical experience. It is not a "leap into the unknown." The desire to embrace a contentless Christ is faith without reason. Paul stated that if Christ has not been raised then Christians are of all men most to be pitied. Elliff introduces Paul's statement with this comment: "Paul deals with this in an elaborate and logically powerful way in 1 Corinthians 15. He concludes that facts are not optional."
We live in a generation which is very much in love with sin. It is therefore not surprising that many want a religion that lets them keep their sin -- they want faith without repentance. But if the religion is Christianity, "you cannot come with the attitude of holding on to your sin." At the same time, Elliff is careful to show that evangelical repentance is not something we can generate on our own -- it must be a gift from God.
This faith without repentance has a cousin -- faith without fruit. Even if a professing believer has externally cleaned up his act somewhat, he may still be guilty of the "most serious of sins . . . the refusal to love." There are many decent church folks who may not have been down at the local pub swinging a beer mug, but nevertheless they did not live and die loving Christ. This is faith without fruit.
Then there is faith that does not last. We do not judge a race by how one comes out of the starting blocks. Nor should we evaluate our lives by our professions at the first. "If you do not have continuing faith, you have never had saving faith. Take a close look at your endurance."
One of the strengths of the booklet is the forcefulness of some of the pictures and images used. For example, in the section on faith without the Spirit, Elliff says this: "A sail has no power to make the wind blow."
This 45-page booklet is available free upon request from Christian Communicators Worldwide, 7104 Commanche, North Little Rock, Arkansas 72116.
