Posted on 10/06/2011 7:09:38 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
If I wanted to turn thousands of African-Americans and Hispanics away from churches committed to the Reformation doctrines of grace I would create a public event where a couple of white Calvinist pastors publicly argue against a well-known and respected black pastor in Pentecostal circles. This is exactly what could happen on Jan. 25, as James MacDonald, along with his co-moderator Mark Driscoll, will host pastor T.D. Jakes for a public conversation in The Elephant Room.
According to the website, “The Elephant Room features blunt conversations between seven influential pastors who take differing approaches to ministry.” MacDonald, a council member of The Gospel Coalition, organized the event as a way for people to hear from church leaders like Jakes. Conversation and dialogue are always good and can help bring about discernment, but that’s not the problem here. There’s more to this situation than theology. What baffles many evangelical leaders is why MacDonald chose, as his first African-American guest, a pastor that many consider to be a heretic because of his views of the Trinity.
Carl Trueman, who teaches church history at Westminster Theology Seminary, has raised questions about MacDonald’s understanding and commitment to the doctrine of the Trinity and the Nicene Creed because of the way he seems OK with Jakes’ view of the Trinity not as “persons” but as “manifestations”—a view often associated with a heresy called modalism. Trueman also raised concerns about whether there’s any accountability for MacDonald.
What is even more devastating, some argue, is that MacDonald’s invitation to Jakes undermines decades of work by black evangelical leaders and pastors to steer their congregations away from such theological beliefs. For example, an incensed Thabiti Anyabwile, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman in the Grand Cayman Islands and a Gospel Coalition council member, wrote that the Jakes invitation is the equivalent to “Augustine inviting Muhammed.” Anyabwile continued:
“The news of T.D. Jakes’ invitation to The Elephant Room is widespread and rightly lamented by many. I’m just adding a perspective that hasn’t yet been stated: This kind of invitation undermines that long, hard battle many of us have been waging in a community often neglected by many of our peers. And because we’ve often been attempting to introduce African-American Christians to the wider Evangelical and Reformed world as an alternative to the heresy and blasphemy so commonplace in some African-American churches and on popular television outlets, the invitation of Jakes to perform in ‘our circles’ simply feels like a swift tug of the rug from beneath our feet and our efforts to bring health to a sick church.”
Reddit Andrews III, senior pastor of Soaring Oaks Presbyterian (PCA) Church in Elk Grove, Calif., and a Gospel Coalition council member, lamented:
“I must admit my heart sank a bit when I learned of the issue. I felt as though, in the context of the Coalition itself, to provide T.D. Jakes any significant evangelical (let alone Reformed) platform is a slap in the face of many African-American preachers who have made significant sacrifices to partner with Anglo ministers. We have often embraced issues that—if truth be told—have minimal import for our own communities in hopes that eventually we’ll get significant engagement in our native communities. It feels like an unnecessary and uncalled for setback to we who passionately hope to see a return to orthodox views in the black community—along with every other community.”
Anthony Carter, pastor of East Point Church near Atlanta and a council member of The Gospel Coalition, added:
“I agree with Thabiti, that the invitation to Jakes sends a mixed message and carries the potential of validating one the most pronounced purveyors of false teaching in the world. I would hope The Elephant Room (James MacDonald and Mark Driscoll, in particular) would reconsider this invitation.”
The entire situation is such a punch in the stomach to blacks who have suffered to affiliate with gospel-centered evangelicalism that it now “raises association, separation, and accountability concerns for me that I did not have to the same degree before now,” wrote Anyabwile. “It raises significant questions about how members of The Gospel Coalition associate and endorse beyond the Coalition meetings themselves.”
MacDonald could have chosen from dozens of black pastors who have differing views but instead choose Jakes to display, before a mostly white audience, a de facto representative of the black church. Even worse, tens-of-thousands of Jakes’ black and Hispanic followers could easily racialize the conversation if MacDonald or Driscoll seem to be attacking him in any way. One could say that this entire debacle undermines the racial unity and reconciliation sought by The Gospel Coalition and by men like John Piper through his book Bloodlines.
So far there is little expectation that the concerns of Anyabwile, Andrews, and Carter will be addressed so, in solidarity, I plan not to pay to watch the event, either. And should MacDonald move forward, black Gospel Coalition members and evangelicals might be justified in concluding that mainstream leaders like him find their concerns irrelevant and not worthy of consideration.
....“The news of T.D. Jakes’ invitation to The Elephant Room is widespread and rightly lamented by many. I’m just adding a perspective that hasn’t yet been stated: This kind of invitation undermines that long, hard battle many of us have been waging in a community often neglected by many of our peers. And because we’ve often been attempting to introduce African-American Christians to the wider Evangelical and Reformed world as an alternative to the heresy and blasphemy so commonplace in some African-American churches and on popular television outlets, the invitation of Jakes to perform in ‘our circles’ simply feels like a swift tug of the rug from beneath our feet and our efforts to bring health to a sick church.”
Carl Trueman made this comment on his blog:
"....when one claims, as James Macdonald does for the Elephant Room that this is a context where he gets "brothers together who believe in salvation by grace alone through faith alone but normally don't interact" he is making a strong doctrinal claim for the orthodoxy of the men he has invited and the significance of appearing on his show. Further, by pre-empting criticism as `discernmentalism' he is in effect saying, in a manner reminiscent of Charles DeGaulle speaking of France, `L'orthodoxie? C'est moi!' This is further confirmed by his dismissal of Nicene orthodoxy as non-essential. That latter is, of course, about as sectarian a move as one could make. Orthodoxy becomes what these men decide it is and the rest of us can get with the program or get out of the way."
For our Catholic (RCC and Orthodox) brethren, this is rather like my first encounter with the term "pro-cathedral" ~ and there are others I've run into downstream of that of course.
The Muzzies lost me with the Seven Pillars ~
Jakes is a heretic. And, frankly, I don’t care if certain groups can’t get beyond racial identification.
I don’t see any good coming from the Elephant Room. It all seems to be open posturing and self-promotion on the part of a few self-important pastors.
There are countless pastors and men of God out in the world who eclipse these men in godliness and wisdom.
Jakes is a heretic.
Of course. When asked about the Trinity he goes into "weasel word mode".
The wake up call is that an evangelical pastor associated with the Gospel Coalition doesn't see a problem with inviting him. Which is stunning.
Maybe the title should be "Elephant Room invite undermines Nicene Christianity".
“Jakes is a heretic.”
... and, it would seem, most evangelicals are spineless fools only concerned with fame and numbers.
A curse on both their houses.
We should all be brothers in Christ. And I think should try to minimize the discomfort others feels with their racial sensitivities. I don't care if they racially identify, or not. I'm fond of Southern whites, myself, but that's not the point. The point is, much as we should want to make them comfortable, and take their sensitivities into account, if we can, we can't at the expense of the truth or of our own self-respect. And I don't think God requires it of us. In fact, I think He requires us to speak the truth to those in error, and if they can't accept it, they can't accept it
Exactly what are these "heresies and blasphemies?" I ask because I've long been interested in how the "fundamentalist" Black church can hold the political positions (or at least alliances) it does. Are these deviations from "orthodoxy" connected to this political behavior or is it simply an esoteric intra-Protestant disagreement?
... and, it would seem, most evangelicals are spineless fools only concerned with fame and numbers.”
You can say that again...and again...and again...
1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Carl Trueman’s blog post was excellent.
This author at Worldmag is entirely missing the point. He should not be using such a poorly reasoned weak argument to criticize Macdonald. A friend of mine commented:
“it is racist to assume that any controversy or issue involving a black person, is caused by racism. It is as if the person making the claim is saying< “I can’t help noticing you’re black. All this must be happening because of that.””
The problem with using such a weak argument against someone like this: THIS is the one that Macdonald will now focus on, because he’s unable to defend the other.
Stick to the main issue! Don’t use a weak argument!
THAT is the one that your opponent will shoot down and make you look stupid.
Or he will agree with it, fix THAT problem and you will still be left with the main problem... and you will look stupid and HE will look magnanimous and ‘teachable’
I didn’t notice until AFTER I read the article that the author was black. ha.
Team Pyro had an EXCELLENT open letter posted by Tom Chantry which really was convicting.
http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2011/10/open-letter-to-james-macdonald.html
I heartily recommend it. If Macdonald is not convicted by that, he’s going to have to wander alone for a while. It will be obvious to me that he is out in la la land and will have to suffer in the wilderness until the Lord brings him to repentance.
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