Page 434 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

NEW EVANGELICAL

7:15), and consider His warning: “Woe unto you, when all longer believed in the inerrancy of the Bible, among
men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the both the faculty and the board members” (Harold
false prophets” (Lk. 6:26). Lindsell, The Battle for the Bible, p. 106).
Third, consider how the apostles were treated by these David Hubbard, who became president of the
same religious intellectuals. “Now when they saw the seminary in 1963, mockingly referred to the doctrine of
boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were the inerrancy of Scripture as “the gas-balloon theory of
unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they theology; one leak and the whole Bible comes down.”
took knowledge of them, that they had been with Consider the example of New Evangelicals in the United
Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Kingdom. The intellectual approach was adopted by
Fourth, consider the requirement for church leaders. InterVarsity Fellowship (IVF) within the Church of
God does not require intellectualism and degrees in England beginning in the late 1950s. By the 1980s, they
higher learning (1 Ti. 3; Titus 1). God’s people are, for boasted that there were “fully thirty competent
the most part, common; they don’t need intellectualism; theologians who were from the evangelical
they need simple and practical Bible truth. The truth has stable” (John Wenham, Autobiography, p. 217). The
a basic simplicity that the common man can understand. problem is that these “competent evangelical
“At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O theologians” were deeply affected by a rationalistic
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid approach to biblical infallibility. The definition of
these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed “evangelical” had changed greatly. Consider three
them unto babes” (Mt. 11:25). It is the devil who makes examples:
things complex. “But I fear, lest by any means, as the F.F. Bruce led the way for IVF when he was appointed
serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds to the Rylands Chair of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis in
should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in the University of Manchester in 1959. Bruce continued
Christ” (2 Co. 11:3). to sign the IVF doctrinal statement, accepting “the
Fifth, Paul refused to preach the truth in an Divine inspiration and infallibility of Holy Scripture, as
“intellectual” manner. “And my speech and my preaching originally given, and its supreme authority in all matters
was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in of faith and conduct.” But Bruce did not believe this. In
demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Co. 2:4). his autobiography he testified: “Occasionally, when I
Sixth, the truth is narrow and unacceptable to the have expounded the meaning of some biblical passage
unsaved (“narrow is the way” Mt. 7:14). See also Jn. in a particular way, I have been asked, ‘But how does
15:19; 1 Jn. 4:5-6; 5:19. It can never be made that square with inspiration?’ But inspiration is not a
acceptable in this present world. To gain intellectual concept of which I have a clear understanding before I
respectability requires deep spiritual compromise. come to the study of the text, so that I know in advance
what limits are placed on the meaning of the text by the
Seventh, the New Evangelical approach to scholarship requirement of inspiration” (Bruce, In Retrospect, p.
has corrupted those who have pursued it. “Be not deceived: 311). Iain Murray observes: “There has to be real doubt
evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Co. over his position on Scripture in view of statements in
15:33). To gain scholarly credentials that will impress his autobiography. He regrets evangelical intolerance of
the world requires sitting at the feet of and affiliating the Barthian position. Of his continued assent to the
closely with unbelievers and apostates, which is an IVF’s doctrinal basis he writes: ‘I have been signing the
exceedingly dangerous thing. latter basis annually as a Vice-President of the IVF/
Consider the example of New Evangelicals in the United UCCF for a long time now, but no one imposes its terms
States. Within ten short years from its inception, New on me as a test of orthodoxy’ (In Retrospect, pp. 187-8,
Evangelicalism was deeply infiltrated with skepticism in 310)” (Murray, Evangelicalism Divided, p. 181).
regard to biblical infallibility. Consider the testimony of James Dunn is another New Evangelical who
Harold Lindsell: attained scholarly notoriety in Britain. But as he sat at
“Forty years ago the term evangelical represented those the feet of skeptics and affiliated closely with them for
who were theologically orthodox and who held to the many years that were required to become a
biblical inerrancy as one of the distinctives. ... WITHIN “scholar,” his evangelicalism had become liberalism.
A DECADE OR SO NEOEVANGELICALISM . . . WAS Consider this summary of his speech before the Anglican
BEING ASSAULTED FROM WITHIN BY INCREASING
SKEPTICISM WITH REGARD TO BIBLICAL Evangelical Assembly in London in 1981. “He argued
INFALLIBILITY OR INERRANCY” (Harold Lindsell, The that because some of its [the Bible’s] teaching was once
Bible in the Balance, 1979, p. 319) true does not necessarily follow that it is true for all
“In or about 1962 it became apparent that there were time. Further, the Holy Spirit may give a text a meaning
already some at Fuller Theological Seminary who no for us now which was not the original meaning ...

434 Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity