The Big Lie At General Assembly, And Why It Matters

Dan Boone committed a BIG lie at the Nazarene General Assembly in Indianapolis, and it matters because he lied to hundreds of voting delegates with the purpose of affecting an election of a General Superintendent. Dan Boone’s preferred candidate, who was leading after about 22 ballots, started losing votes and was trailing another candidate for at least the next five ballots. Dan Boone made a decision to step in and try to make sure that his guy, Scott Daniels, won. And it apparently worked. It could very well be the most despicable lie every perpetrated at a Nazarene General Assembly.

Dan Boone interpreted what were legitimate concerns about Scott Daniels to be the same as spreading lies and disinformation. He made it seem as if there was a conspipracy by a Nazarene group to spread misinformation to voting delegates. He smeared and insulted thousands of Nazarenes who are opposed to LGBTQ acceptance and many other serious issues in the church. He has opened up a can of worms which may backfire on him and the leadership. To influence an election with false information is a highly unethical thing to do, and Dan Boone ought to be held accountable. He should resign from any official Nazarene positions and duties.

This post is not hate speech, as Mr. Boone will undoubtedly say. It is a refutation of the Big Lie. Scripture commands us to expose the false, and to call out those who promote false teachings or who cause damage within the church. That is what Dan Boone is doing. He is trying to create a boogeyman, and then later he can connect this boogeyman to anyone or any group that dares to question the leadership of the church. He will have you believe that a certain group is bad, and then anyone who has the same concerns will then be as bad as that group that he has vilified.

Mr. Boone committed a very serious deception at the General Assembly, with perhaps some assistance from others. It would be interesting to know if anyone else played a part in this lie. This lie, this deception, must be exposed, because it is a believer’s responsibility to shine light on those who lie publicly, especially when they lie to voting delegates at a General Assembly.

The Big Lie

Here is the full text of Dan Boone’s Big Lie

“I’m in possession of emails that are coming into our assembly from outside the assembly and inside the assembly from an organization that introduces themselves as Reformed Nazarenes. My personal experience with this group across the past twelve years is that they are minimally, if even connected, to the Church of the Nazarene. They have been very divisive in the lives of many of our leaders. They are purporting with half truths and innuendo has destroyed many young pastors as well as older pastors. I’ve been the personal object of their attacks along with many of my friends. As we are receiving that, I feel like I have a moral obligation to our delegates who are coming into the United States that have no twelve year history with this particular group, to say to them this is an organization which deals in half-truths and attack and is significantly divisive. My question is what should I do about that?”

Lie #1: “an organization that introduces themselves as Reformed Nazarenes.” From anyone else, this lie could have been an innocent mistake, but not coming from Dan Boone, who knows better. There is no such thing as a group called Reformed Nazarenes (although my ‘Former Nazarene’ blog used to be called that). But I don’t believe he was mistaken. I believe he used “this name”Reformed Nazarenes” intentionally, so as to not use Concerned Nazarenes.  If he did, Mr. Boone would clearly be accusing a group of over 2,500 members of being liars and deceivers.  He would then be accusing not only many Nazarenes, but many of them are also pastors who have sincere and serious concerns about the church and where it is heading.

Lie #2: “they are minimally, if even connected, to the Church of the Nazarene.” Another big lie.  The vast majority of the 2,500 plus members of Concerned Nazarenes are mostly current, with also former Nazarenes who had no choice but to leave their church because of false teaching. Mr. Boone lied to the delegates deliberately to downplay the seriousness of the problems in the church, and to make it seem as if perhaps a small number of “kooks” were unimportant. Mr. Boone has never liked views that oppose his own agenda, and his usual responses are ironically opposite of his own stated ideal of having “a charitable discourse.”

Lie #3: “Their purporting with half-truths and innuendo.”  “this is an organization which deals in half-truths and attack.”
More unsubstantiated lies from Dr. Boone. If Mr. Boone, who claims he is in possession of emails that indicate these “half-truths and innuendo”, let him produce these emails.  Why didn’t he read some of these emails for the delegates to hear? Because he wanted them to take his word for it, that it was all lies.  But the liar is Dr. Boone, who has his agenda to fulfill. Mr. Boone is never specific about his accusations, so why do so many take him at his word? Is he God?

Possible Lie #4: Dan Boone also said “I’m in possession of emails that are coming into our assembly from outside the assembly and inside the assembly.”  Show us the emails, Mr. Boone. Show us the proof of these lies you are talking about. And show us how even if one particular individual did send an email with a lie, show us how you came to understand that a specific group is behind anything.

Why Does It Matter?

Dan Boone lied to protect Scott Daniels, and to help his friend win the General Superintendency.

It matters because it’s an attempt to shut Nazarenes up and squash legitimate debate.

It matters because this could happen again.

It matters because Scott Daniels has a lot of questions to answer.

It matters because a new General Superintendent who is close to Tom Oord and has praised his work, has questions to answer.

It matters because another candidate was robbed of an opportunity to serve.

It matters because it is a sin to be deceptive and lead people astray. It matters a lot.

Dan Boone had to stop the bleeding of votes before someone was elected, so he resorted to playing a card he often plays: smearing others.  It’s not the first time. He may have won this battle, but I believe he made a big mistake. (Many more Nazarenes are waking up to the truth, and in the last two weeks, we have had over 200 new members join the group).

Reasonable people, whether liberal or conservative, believe in accountability for all people. Many a time in history have there been examples of trusted leaders turning out to be caught in a lie. And then, the harm is done, and it’s too late to correct the harm. Often, the liar gets away with it, because those on his “side” will overlook the lie that benefited them. Being well known or well respected does not mean that person should automatically be believed.

Dan Boone has a history of accusing Bible-believing Christians of all sorts of evil.  He has been known to compare these believers to jihadists. He uses the word “fundamentalist” as a pejorative. The use of this term is for the purpose of attacking and discrediting Bible believing Christians who believe the entire Bible.  Dr. Boone does NOT believe all of the Bible, because he is an evolutionist. This is fact, not innuendo, yet Mr. Boone calls out anyone for reporting facts that expose his agenda or his false beliefs.

I call on Mr. Boone to repent. I mean no evil towards him. None of the thousands of concerned Nazarenes mean any evil towards him.  But truth and integrity is at stake, and we are commanded in scripture to call out the false teachers and “reprove them.”

The General Superintendents

I call on the General Superintendents, once again, to do something about the evil forces that are corrupting the church.

Speak out against the LGBTQ agenda.
Rescind the ordination credentials of Thomas Oord, and any other pastor who dares to give the slightest support to same sex marriage or acceptance of homosexuality.
Bring real discipline to the Holland Nazarene District which blesses same sex unions, and report to the people what is happening there.
Start preaching on what matters: salvation, sin…instead of lukewarm topics that are distant from real biblical truths.
Do your job which is mainly to protect the doctrines of the church! It’s not enough to state doctrine, you need to uphold it!

Shine the light on evil, do not let it slide for the sake of keeping memberships, or for fear of losing more money than you are losing already. You have a heavy responsibility, and you know very well what God demands of those in such positions as you are in.

And finally, do not let wolves like Dan Boone take the denomination straight down the road to hell. You will be held accountable if you do nothing.

(This article is from a former Nazarene, and ever since I was forced to leave the denomination, you have lost thousands of members, and you are in real trouble unless you let God guide you to do the right thing, including throwing out the heretics, not those who truly love God and want to obey God).

Relevant Articles Mentioning Dan Boone:

https://reformednazarene.wordpress.com/?s=dan+boone

The Holland Nazarene District Scandal:

Sodom And Gomorrah, And The Church of the Nazarene in Holland: Is There Any Difference?

Church of the Nazarene Adopts New Human Sexuality Resolution, Votes to Dumb Down Sin

Compromise- a bad compromise- has happened again, as the General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene removes clear language that condemns the sin of homosexuality. Instead of retaining a hard but honest truth, the previous statement on Human Sexuality has been further eroded, paving the way for another watering down of biblical truth four years from now.
CA-701_BOG

The following response by a sister in the Lord speaks for me and many other Nazarenes who have been watching and hoping for truth to prevail.

“As I head off to Chicago today for meetings, it will be with a heavy heart. The church is changing in the name of progress, and that’s not a good thing.

While there may be varying degrees of sin in man’s eyes, in God’s eyes there are not. One is as bad as another.

One saint said yesterday that God calls out sin. He calls a drunk a drunkard, a prostitute a whore, and a man who will not work, lazy. He says in his Word that homosexuality is an abomination, and the shedding of innocent blood murder and yet our church feels these words too strong, too offensive and too exclusive.

Where were the sanctified saints yesterday? Why would resolution 701 pass overwhelmingly in a holiness church? What part of the word perversion don’t we understand? Perhaps a refresher on its meaning will help:

“The alteration of something from its original course, meaning or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended” is its definition. It sounds like the sin nature of man to me. We are ALL perverse beings in our lostness. Our perverse nature is the very reason Christ came and went to the cross.

We have drifted far from the message of salvation. We’ve negated the need for the blood bought church to preach the need for repentance. “Why repent? You’re fine” we cry. “We LOVE you as you are. There is no more need for you to come out from among them and be ye separate. We’ll come to you. We will live among you. Your people will be our people.”

We twist and we turn the Word of God into a different gospel. And I’m sickened by it all.

I wonder what Almighty God thinks of our church today. One of the GS’ stated yesterday that God is pleased with us. I hardly think so. In fact, if I were to guess, I’d say we are seconds (if not closer) to be spewed from His mouth.

May God have mercy on us all.”

(Kelli Frazier)

As much as I am not surprised at this continued meltdown of biblical doctrine, it still pains me greatly. What I want to know is what was the reasoning behind this decision. In fact, I would like to know what was the BIBLICAL reasoning. What got into the heads of the folks in the committee, and then finally the general assembly voting body? What got into the heads of the General Superintendents? After all, they drafted this resolution. What drove them to come up with a resolution that essentially takes away from an accurate, biblical description of homosexuality and the perversion that it is! Was God’s word too harsh for them? Are they ashamed at what God’s word describes homosexuality as, that it is an abomination, that it is a perversion of God’s intent for proper human sexuality?

Are they afraid of offending someone? Don’t they know that the Gospel is an offense to those who are perishing? “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Cor. 1:18.

The news of Holland and their “progress and plans for acceptance of homosexuals n the full body of Christ has fallen on deaf ears. The Generals have tuned me out, even an old family friend, and do not care to answer me, nor many Nazarenes who write to them. They are too busy watering down doctrinal statements I guess. And this is not the last troublesome resolution. There is more watering down to be done. This only the next step; wait another four years to see how hard the house will fall.

And so it is. They are all intent on staying on this politically correct, man-pleasing path. They will gain favor with the world for this. In the meantime, they allow groups such as Love Wins:LGBT to promote their deceptive “gospel” message. They cater to homosexuality just like the secular world; they are no different. They talk about love, love, love. And yet, they have forgotten that love without obedience is not love. 2^nd John says in verse 6: “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.” No obedience, no love. Just hollow words.

Yes, this General Assembly will be more remembered for a perverted sinful behavior, than for any hollow-sounding resolutions, sermons, or worship services. Oh, they will be slapping each other’s backs and gushing over the latest and greatest “man of God.”

But they have been duped, the foxes have been let into the hen house, and souls will be led to hell because of it. And yet, perhaps maybe, just maybe, God has called someone from within the halls of power, to stand like Martin Luther and say, stop! Enough is enough.

But if nothing turns the ship around, at least our conscience will be clean before God.

 

“Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason – I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other – my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.” Martin Luther

The LGBT Face of the Church of the Nazarene: Celebrating Sin

The LGBTQ​ Face of the Church of the Nazarene

What an absolute disgrace!  The 2017 General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene is allowing the celebration of sin!

I believe LGBT and homosexuality will be the lasting legacy of the 2017 General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene, and will be the catalyst for splitting this denomination wide open.​  Along with the shameful resolutions introduced by the Holland district, as well as by the New England District, homosexuality is well on its way to being celebrated by many more Nazarenes. The train wreck that is apparently happening in the Holland district will soon become more evident here in the states.  Along with the recurring Roman Catholic themes seen in 2009 and 2013, the face of the Church of the Nazarene is becoming more like the United Methodist Church or the Episcopalians, perhaps with no chance of returning to what once was a Holiness denomination. It no longer is that.  It’s not enough to proclaim holiness.  You have to live it, you have to walk the walk. And the leaders of the denomination, from the Generals all the way down to the district leaders (with exceptions) have absolutely failed in their responsibility to protect the flock, and this is the result.  This is your church now.

Nazarenes, are you still proud to be a Nazarene​?

​ Is this what holiness unto the Lord means?​

An LGBT booth set up at General Assembly.
They were there in 2013.​

Why would they be allowed to be at a General Assembly of a Holiness denomination?

​

The “I’m Nazarene, too” FaceBook group​

​

​ This Nazarene group has over 2800 members, some of whom I am friends with.  Not sure if a few of them understand what this group really su​pports.  he logo is not exactly one I would use to represent a holiness people.

Here is their description:

This group was born out of discussions about the diversity of ideas and people who call themselves Nazarene. Sometimes, events (many of which make the news) may lead us to think that there is little room in the Church of the Nazarene for dissent, and sometimes this leads to talk of “leaving.” However, we are Nazarenes, too. We may be new to the church, we may be third- or fourth- generation preachers’ kids. We may have never missed a Sunday or Wednesday night. We may have left the Church for a while. We may still only occasionally attend. We serve as pastors, students, professionals, farmers, writers, teachers, and in many other ways. We may believe in evolution. We may affirm 6-day creation. We may believe that our gay friends are as fully Christian as we are. We may believe that homosexual acts are sinful. We may enjoy a glass of wine. Or we may not. Our theology may not match precisely that of the powers that be. Or maybe it does. We may be silent. We may be a loud and critical voice. We may turn the tables. We may stir the pot. We may calm the waters. We may rock the boat. But the one thing we have in common is that we are part of the Nazarene Church, and we are not leaving–at least not yet. We may be criticized, we may someday be ostracized, but we will remain the radical and prophetic proclaimers of the Kingdom in which the Church of the Nazarene dwells.

What is happening to the Church of the Nazarene?  And why do so few even seem to care?

Resolutions For Watering Down Nazarene Doctrine At The General Assembly

In my last post, I covered what looks to be a troubling situation coming out of the Nazarene church leadership in Holland.  https://reformednazarene.wordpress.com/2017/05/30/sodom-and-gomorrah-and-the-church-of-the-nazarene-in-holland-is-there-any-difference/

A pastor admitting to blessing same sex relations, the belief that homosexuality is not a sin, and the intent by the Holland leadership to make serious changes at the General Assembly have been exposed. The five papers they have produced over the last several years clearly indicate the advancement of a position on homosexuality that is contradictory to Biblical teaching.  I hope to have all five documents translated for your review before the end of the General Assembly.  You will be able to make your own conclusions as to the direction of the Holland Nazarene churches, and what they plan to try to impose on the rest of the denomination.  (Document #1 (“Starting Over”) is available here as I have completed that translation.  I have highlighted some phrases in red for emphasis).  PART 1 Holland Nazarene paper_Starting Over

There are also a few troubling resolutions to the Nazarene Manual which, if passed, will further weaken the Church of the Nazarene and bring it a step further towards full acceptance of homosexual relations as being in line with Christian doctrine and the erosion of other doctrines.  One of them is from Holland, and another is from the New England District.  Both are very similar, and both are attempts to create a further gray area in the statement on human sexuality.  It is not so surprising from Holland, given the state of moral decline overall in that nation.  But apparently, the leadership of the New England District, and those who voted for this resolution’s submission, are aligned closely with Holland’s attitude towards homosexuality, and are determined to water down Scriptural authority.  New England has often been called a “dark place”, and this is further evidence of the lack of discernment in this district.

Holland’s Resolution
CA-701a

In Resolution CA-701a, the Holland District proposes to strike two paragraphs:

[Sexuality misses its purpose when treated as an end in itself or when cheapened by using another person to satisfy pornographic and perverted sexual interests. We view all forms of sexual intimacy that occur outside the covenant of heterosexual marriage as sinful distortions of the holiness and beauty God intended for it.

 [Homosexuality is one means by which human sexuality is perverted. We recognize the depth of the perversion that leads to homosexual acts but affirm the biblical position that such acts are sinful and subject to the wrath of God. We believe the grace of God sufficient to overcome the practice of homosexuality (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). We deplore any action or statement that would seem to imply compatibility between Christian morality and the practice of homosexuality. We urge clear preaching and teaching concerning Bible standards of sexual morality.]

Their reasoning is similar to the New England District’s reasoning, plus some added excuses.  They say that “the complexity of homosexuality and the tension it causes in churches deserves more and careful attention than a concluding paragraph in a section article on human sexuality.”  This is all an attempt to water down biblical doctrine, and reflects their approach and false teaching in their five documents that are available on their websites.  It is clear that the Holland Nazarene District’s goal is to be allowed to have full acceptance of practicing homosexuals into the church.  I am afraid many of them are already in full acceptance, and if so, they all need to leave the denomination if they refuse to repent.  If this watering down resolution passes, it will be further evidence of the moral decline in the Church of the Nazarene.

New England District’s Watering Down
CA-701b

In Resolution CA-701b, the New England District proposes to strike one paragraph:

[Homosexuality is one means by which human sexuality is perverted. We recognize the depth of the perversion that leads to homosexual acts but affirm the biblical position that such acts are sinful and subject to the wrath of God. We believe the grace of God sufficient to overcome the practice of homosexuality (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). We deplore any action or statement that would seem to imply compatibility between Christian morality and the practice of homosexuality. We urge clear preaching and teaching concerning Bible standards of sexual morality.]

Their reasoning is that it adds nothing to the previous passages in the current statement on human sexuality.  And yet, in an era where homosexuality is praised and accepted in so many church denominations today, one would think that a clear statement such as this is absolutely necessary to remain!  This is nothing but politics, and is a capitulation to the radical homosexuality movement.  It would be a grave error to water down any further the Nazarene statement. Instead, it ought to be reinforced and made as clear as possible where the church stands on homosexuality.  This proposal is weak, cowardly, and lacking in wisdom.

I don’t know if the two districts have collaborated on these resolutions, but they are almost certainly kindred spirits in their intent.  It has been an embarrassment to see the New England District in decline the last 10 years, and to see a district leadership weak and non-responsive to those members who have expressed concerns over the years.  Instead, church leaders are themselves promoting ungodly stances on serious doctrinal matters.  It is an indication that they are being very compliant with the goals of the radicals in the church, who have been promoting a changing view of biblical sexuality, which is in error.

The Board of General Superintendents Resolution
CA-701_BOG

I believe this is the best resolution, but I also believe it is a watering down of the original.  You can make your own conclusions on it.

Other Resolutions

Sanctity of Human Life: In Resolution CA-714, The Mid-Atlantic District is proposing the deletion of an entire statement on the sanctity of human life, replacing with a new version.  Reading it carefully, this resolution seems to be another attempt to water down the seriousness of the issue, and allow for a more liberal gray area regarding abortion.  I believe this is also a tragic mistake and another capitulation to those who are in favor of abortion.  You can make your own judgment on this as you read the resolution.
CA-714

Creation:
CA-719
In Resolution CA-719, the North Arkansas District is proposing that t be amended to include this critical statement:

“We are open to scientific explanations on the nature of creation”

This statement opens the door completely to allow the ungodly view that evolution is a mechanism that God used to create Adam and Eve, and everything else in the universe.  This again is an error that should not be allowed to be inserted, although the acceptance of evolution by prominent theologians and pastors in the Church of the Nazarene has been well accepted throughout the denomination.  It is truly sad when church leaders cannot accept the clear historical account of creation, because they themselves cannot understand everything fully.  Thus they turn to their own imaginations and rationale, all of which is based on a lie from Satan.

This is all tragic for the Church of the Nazarene.  It is encouraging that the Southwest Indiana District has submitted a resolution that strengthens the statement on marriage, and there are several other strong resolutions. But these that I have mentioned will further weaken the church, and bring it even closer in line with the other denominations that have fallen into apostasy.

A Wesleyan Response To The Nazarene Rejection Of Scriptural Inerrancy

At the General Assembly 2013, the Church of the Nazarene’s Scripture Study Committee rejected a proposal to strengthen the statement on Scripture and affirm the inerrancy of the Bible.  I believe that this will prove to be a catastrophic decision for the denomination.  We reported on this decision and commented on its many weak statements and inaccurate reasoning and excuses.  The following is a response to the report by a Wesleyan professor at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.  There is a serious divide right now between the Wesleyan Church, and the Nazarene Church, in their official positions regarding the infallibility of God’s word.  Leaders of the church should take note.  (The full text of the Committee Report, including critiques, can be read in the Final General Assembly Report I posted).

 

THE NAZARENE SCRIPTURE STUDY COMMITTEE’S REPORT ON INERRANCY: A WESLEYAN RESPONSE

By E. Jerome Van Kuiken
Asst. Professor of Religion and Philosophy
Oklahoma Wesleyan University

WHAT’S INVOLVED AND WHY IT MATTERS

The 2009 General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene received a proposal to change the denomination’s Article of Faith on Scripture. The proposed change would have strengthened the Article’s statement on the inerrancy of the Bible.  The proposal was sent to the Scripture Study Committee, which reported back to the General Assembly this past summer. In its report, the Scripture Study Committee recommended against adopting the proposal and gave a rationale for its recommendation. The report has been published at http://didache.nazarene.org. This report deserves the attention of Wesleyan leaders for two reasons: first, The Wesleyan Church and the Church of the Nazarene have considered merger in the recent past; and secondly, the report is being discussed on the Wesleyan Pastors Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/WesleyanPastors/. In what follows, I will describe the context of the report and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses.

 

THE CONTEXT OF THE REPORT

The proposed revision to the Nazarene Article of Faith on Scripture needs to be seen in light of the merger talks that have been going on between the Church of the Nazarene, The Wesleyan Church, the Free Methodist Church, the Churches of Christ in Christian Union (CCCU), and the Evangelical Friends Church. If the Nazarene Article of Faith were revised to say that Scripture is “inerrant throughout, and the supreme authority on everything the Scriptures teach,” it would bring the Nazarene Article in line with the Wesleyan, CCCU, and Evangelical Friends’ statements of faith:

“We believe that the books of the Old and New Testament . . . are the inspired and infallibly written Word of God, fully inerrant in their original manuscripts and superior to all human authority” (Wesleyan Art. 5)

“The Spirit of God guided the Bible writers so that they wrote without error. The Bible contains all we need to know about God, about ourselves, and about life here and hereafter.” (http://www.cccuhq.org/explore/who-we-are/what-we-teach)

“We believe the Bible is the written word of God accurate and fully authoritative in all it says.” (http://www.evangelicalfriends.org/beliefs)

By recommending against the proposed change, the Nazarene Scripture Study Committee has allowed an obstacle to merger to remain in place.

STRENGTHS OF THE REPORT

The report’s rationale for its recommendation begins by building bridges to those who believe that the Bible is “inerrant throughout”: the committee agrees that the Bible is foundational to Christian believing and living. Section 1 of the rationale describes the strengths of the current Nazarene Article on Scripture. This whole section is full of sound teaching on the reliability and sufficiency of Scripture – except for the last two paragraphs, which begin the critique of the “inerrant throughout” position. This critique continues through the remaining three sections of the report. The report’s critique suffers from one major missing piece and several misrepresentations.

 

THE MISSING PIECE

The report nowhere quotes or cites any statement by supporters of “inerrancy throughout.” This leaves the report’s writers free to describe the “inerrancy throughout” position any way they like and leads to several misrepresentations (to be described shortly). In particular, the report never deals with the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (accessible, among other places, here: http://www.bible-researcher.com/chicago1.html). The Chicago Statement is the most enduring, ecumenical authority on the “inerrancy throughout” position. It directly addresses a number of the alleged problems with “detailed inerrancy” (round numbers, topical ordering of events, etc.) listed in Section 3 of the Nazarene report.

 

MISREPRESENTATIONS

At the end of Section 1, the Nazarene report equates “inerrancy throughout” with “factual literal accuracy of every part of Scripture.” No one who accepts the Chicago Statement will make that equation: the place of metaphor, hyperbole, and other literary devices in Scripture is recognized.  Belief in full inerrancy doesn’t require a flat-earth view of Genesis, a “Left Behind” view of Revelation, or a hyper-literalistic view of any biblical book in between the two.

Throughout Sections 2-4 of the report there’s a tendency to equate belief in “inerrancy throughout” with Calvinism and fundamentalism, and so as contrary to Wesleyan theology. I’m afraid that this is a caricature. First, on Calvinism: Belief in full inerrancy is held by a number of non-Calvinist denominations, such as:

·      the Wesleyan and Friends bodies named above (plus others)

·      the Free Will Baptists (http://nafwb.org/?page_id=325)

·      the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) (http://www.lcms.org/doctrine/scripturalprinciples#IV)

·      The Roman Catholic Church up to, and arguably including, Vatican II (http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=8441)

Even if Calvinists pioneered the term or refined the concept, that doesn’t make the doctrine any more Calvinist than using the term and concept “Trinity” makes us all Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox. John Wesley learned much from Catholic mystics and Lutherans; did that make him Catholic or Lutheran? Nazarenes and Wesleyans didn’t get believer’s baptism from Wesley; does that make them Mennonite?

Secondly, on fundamentalism: This is a slippery word. To more liberal Christians, anyone who believes in the bodily resurrection of Christ is a “fundamentalist.” The term connotes anti-intellectualism and disengagement from society. Does belief in full inerrancy automatically mean that kind of fundamentalism? Not unless Wheaton College, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary are “fundamentalist.” The statements of faith of these institutions affirm the full inerrancy of Scripture, yet they are centers of evangelical thought and cultural engagement. I read literature by self-avowed fundamentalists and I find overwhelming differences between them and myself on any number of issues.

 

BOTTOM LINE: “BIG TENT” OR “BIG BROTHER”?

Near the close of its last section, the Nazarene report quotes from an editor of the denominational periodical, the Herald of Holiness. The editor claims that there’s room enough under the present Nazarene Article on Scripture for both those who believe in full inerrancy and those who don’t. This sounds like a tolerant, “Big Tent” approach to the issue. The problem is that the editor, like the report itself, also describes believers in full inerrancy as Calvinist, fundamentalist, and outside the bounds of Wesleyanism. The underlying message is clear: “You can belong to our denomination and still believe in full inerrancy – as long as you accept that you’re wrong.” This demand for doublethink is closer to “Big Brother” than to “Big Tent.” So long as The Wesleyan Church’s affirmation of full inerrancy is viewed by Nazarene leaders as un-Wesleyan, a tragic tension will remain in the relationship between the two denominations. This tension can be relaxed by clearing away the misrepresentations and listening to what responsible, representative teaching on full inerrancy (like the Chicago Statement) has to say.