Having spent time in a number of different kinds of churches/denominations over the years, it has been my observation that in every group there are those with a healthy catholic attitude toward other Christians and also those with a proud and condescending attitude toward others who call themselves Christians.
If we are going to follow the Biblical admonition, we should consider the strengths of other kinds of Christians, and not only harp on our own. Since I live at present in the remnant of what was once Calvinism, let me look from a Calvinistic/Reformed/Presbyterian standpoint at the strengths of other kinds of Christians. We Calvinists can argue rather convincingly that our tradition provides the highest and most thoroughly Biblical understanding of God, the creation, and the God-man relationship. Thus far in Christian history, no one has provided a more consistently Biblical understanding of these matters than the Calvinist Cornelius Van Til.
But do Calvinists have good music? Not by Lutheran standards. To be sure, the Genevan Psalter began as a very powerful musical accomplishment, but by failing to allow for musical instruments (a Biblical must), the Calvinists by and large failed to mature musically. It was the Lutherans who developed congregational song, and though there have been ups and downs in that tradition over the years, they still have by far and away the best congregational music and liturgy.
Baptists are better at evangelism. It stands to reason, since they do not understand the covenant, and see “conversion” as the only way of salvation. Still, one finds large numbers of world missionaries and inner-city missions coming from Baptistic circles.
I should argue that Roman Catholics, because of their emphasis on charity, have outdone other Christians in setting up hospitals and mercy missions. When I was in Catholic school as a youngster (though a Lutheran on Sunday), we saw movies about St. Vincent and about Father Damien and the lepers on Molokai. Maybe Catholics have something to teach the rest of us about who real heroes of the faith are. Many Calvinists talk about good works, but seem overly busy telling us that they are optional and that we can be saved by faith alone without acting on our faith.
Methodists certainly outdid Calvinists in America. The Calvinists insisted on an “educated clergy,” which provided a filter that eliminated vast numbers of men with pastoral gifts in favor of a scholarly elite. Men concerned to build churches and save sinners went out and did so, and sadly reacted against the Calvinist snobs by becoming, sometimes, raving Arminians. But men are not saved by asking predestination into their hearts, and are not necessarily fed by clergy steeped in Latin and Greek.
In America, the Episcopalians have been able best to work with the halls of secular power. Since Jesus is lord of the nations, this is a positive aspect of the Episcopalian brand of the faith. Indeed, in their book The Power of their Glory, the Konoliges called America an “Episcocracy.” Democracy is a myth, and all societies are run by elites. I suspect that by and large Episcopalians understand that truth better than other American churches. Certainly, Episcopal church government is closer to the Bible, and has much wisdom to offer other groups.
Finally, and this of course is just a brief and suggestive essay, we can think of the enthusiasm of the Pentecostals. The original Genevan and Lutheran music was rhythmic (looking back to the Ars Nova of the High Christian Era), but this was soon lost. Nor did any of these churches recover the Biblical vision of lots of musical instruments. Indeed, if we are all Levites now, perhaps we should all (or all who are able) come to Church carrying our instruments with us. The Pentecostals and Charismatics, despite errors about “speaking in tongues,” have recovered that spirit. The texts they sing are often not profound, and their music is more like advertizing jingles than the kind of music the Psalter calls for, but having said all that, the enthusiasm and instruments are something we can all learn from.
I have started this discussion. Now perhaps others can chime in with other examples.
James,
Congratulations on getting the Biblical Horizons website launched! I look forward to read the articles.
In Christ,
Luis
Jim,
I once ran in Pentecostal circles not because of their great theology but because they seemed to have something that we didn’t have as Fundamentalists: joy and enthusiasm. Now, having spent the last 17 years in Reformed circles, I look across our small panorama and find an overly intellectual caste that joylessly looks down its nose at those who don’t spend their time under lecture-like preaching, “controlled” worship, and debating everyone else. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Reformed folk need a joy and enthusiasm transplant.
[...] Keith told me about this post… worth a read I think. It’s especially relevant, given the nature of our [...]
I agree with this. Here in my country, with a majority of Eastern Orthodox, we have seen on one side, so many errors, but in the other side so many good things, special and unique, to learn from. As you have emphasised so often, we need to learn from the EO and RC Church. Here are also many charismatics, majority is Pentecostals and I have observed their entuasiasm in worship and evangelism. This should challenge us to work with them, so that with what they have, they may be reformed according to God’s ways, not to come to the Reformed Church, but to be reformed biblically. I have observed also that the Baptist are the most stubborn to refuse liturgical reformation and the charismatics are more teachable. I believe that the reformation should be focused on the biblical mindset and liturgy, to have a steady success. Thanks for this reflection.
I agree with this. Here in my country, with a majority of Eastern Orthodox, we have seen on one side, so many errors, but in the other side so many good things, special and unique, to learn from. As you have emphasized so often, we need to learn from the EO and RC Church. Here are also many charismatics, majority is Pentecostals and I have observed their entuasiasm in worship and evangelism. This should challenge us to work with them, so that with what they have, they may be reformed according to God’s ways, not to come to the Reformed Church, but to be reformed biblically. I have observed also that the Baptist are the most stubborn to refuse liturgical reformation and the charismatics are more teachable. I believe that the reformation should be focused on the biblical mindset and liturgy, to have a steady success. Thanks for this reflection.
Rev. Jordan,
While I agree with the substance of you post, it is my understanding that the willingness of many denomination to take uneducated clergy in the western part of America during the 1700-1800’s led in large part to the anti-intellectual atmosphere of much of American Christianity. While my familiarity is primarily with the “Primitive Baptists” through my father’s genealogical research (because we have a number of PB ministers in our ancestry) I assume it applies elsewhere. I do sympathize with the notion that if you don’t have the best trained you send what you do have, but I can’t help but wonder if American Christianity would be more rooted and stable if churches had been more willing to patiently wait for a crop of men that was trained up for the ministry rather than sending out any who were willing to go.
As I said, I agree with the substance of your post, and maybe this is nitpicking, it’s just a thought.
I think Justin’s point is partly correct–I live in a place that was settled largely by Methodists and Mennonites and the result is a culture that has embraced the American compartmentalization of religion as much as anyone.
The problem, though, wasn’t that there weren’t enough educated pastors to minister to the folks out here on the prairie–the problem was that they weren’t willing to come.
The Eastern Church has managed to hold on to the mystery of the union of God and man in Christ, mixing it up a bit in their Eucharist.
In EO worship, the cross is wonderfully terrible and the resurrection is full of light and joy. CS Lewis’s Till We Have Faces pointed out the smell of Holiness that our Reformed traditions lack. We don’t need incense, but we could use an aroma of fear and trembling in our worship.
May God grant us time to bring Him glory, keeping our candlesticks in place.
Al sends
Regarding Pentecostal music. Yes, I suppose you are right about the enthusiasm but it seems to me that much is lost with electronic (rock band like) music. It degenerates into self centered performance very quickly. I think the Lutherans are a better example to learn from in this respect.
[...] here is one more post asking you to give it a try. James Jordan asks us to consider the strength of other Christian Churches and I think that is a swell [...]
Gary North has made the point that those who can help the poor are the slightly less poor. When the rich reach down to help the poor, they make a mess, since they know little about the phenomena of poverty. It is those who are only a little way above the poor who understand the poor and can help them in a real way.
The same is true in the Church. Educated clergy are not willing to go to the frontier. The distance is too great, psychologically. The tragedy was that the “high” churches were unwilling to live with the “slightly less poor” men who WERE willing to go to the frontier.
When president of an Assembly of God k-12 school and as a calvinistic MS Lutheran I used to call myself a
“Presby-Luther-Bapti-Costal”
Correction-
My first post to a blog ever.
I particularly appreciate the title of this post, since I haven’t seen that actually happen on a regular basis.
Strength of MS Lutheran, having come from a Baptist/Independent background in 1989.
I appreciated these strengths:
- Chanting — especially the Psalms
- Congregational participation in the liturgy from beginning to end.
- A purging of the ‘invisible good’ and ‘material bad’ in worship .. such as flowers, smells, orchestratiion, color changes and processions.
- A new lifetime appreciation of the the Church Calendar and the place it plays in the life of the Church, family and civil state.
- Communion at every worship service including non-Sunday worship services – including the common cup.
- The place of the form of liturgy while having three styles of worship every week.
On another blog, someone commented that I’d left out the Anabaptists, pointing out their strengths of community, community discipline, and willingness to be faithful as a group no matter what the corporate cost. Well said.
[...] Broader Tabernacle Joel Garver has a good post that echoes Jordan’s BH post. Explore posts in the same categories: Joy, church, [...]
I’d take the guy who was willing to go to the frontier even if he had a elementary school education over a guy with 23 PHD’s… Were living our lives from words written by guys that were from fishermen to doctors, but what they had in common was they were willing to follow Christ and take up their cross daily.
What good is knowing Greek unless you live to glorify Christ.
Too many of us get bent out of shape because we did 8 years of school and someone else didn’t. God uses the right person for the job and more times then not it’s the attitude and heart rather then the schooling.