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Apr 22, 2007 06:46



There is a limit to the charity of Christians, and there can be none whatever entertained to the man who is dishonest enough to occupy a Christian pulpit and to deny Christ.

It is only in the Christian church that such a thing can be tolerated. I appeal to you. Was there ever known a Buddhist acknowledged in the temple of Buddha who denied the basis doctrine of the sect? Was there ever known a Mahomadan Imaum who was sanctioned in the mosque while he cried down the Prophet? It remains for Christian churches only to have in their midst men who can bear the name of Christian, who can even venture to be Christian teachers, while they slander the Deity of him who is the Christian's God, and speak lightly of the efficacy of his blood who is the Christian's atonement.

The quote in its entirety.

God, who is over all, represents himself by masculine names and titles, not feminine ones. He identifies himself as Father, Son, and Spirit, not Parent, Child, and Spirit, nor Mother, Daughter, and Spirit. Jesus taught his church to address God as “Father” (Luke 11:2) and to baptize disciples “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). God’s titles are King, not Queen; Lord, not Lady. God, not mortals, has the right to name himself. It is inexcusable hubris and idolatry on the part of mortals to change the images by which the eternal God chooses to represent himself. We cannot change God’s names, titles, or metaphors without committing idolatry, for we will have reimagined him in a way other than the metaphors and the incarnation by which he revealed himself. His representations and incarnation are inseparable from his being.

(Bruce Waltke, "Old Testament Theology")

"Liberalism on the one hand and the religion of the historic church on the other are not two varieties of the same religion, but two distinct religions proceeding from altogether separate roots."

(J. Gresham Machen, "Christianity and Liberalism")

"They hold that the Pastor or Minister of the word, is not to teach any Doctrine as to the Church, grounded upon his own Judgement, or Opinion, or upon the judgement or opinion of any or all the men in the world. But only that truth, that he is able to demonstrate and prove evidently, and apparently, by the word of God soundly interpreted, and that the people are not bound to believe any Doctrine of Religion or Divinity whatsoever, upon any ground whatsoever, except it be apparently justified by the word, or by necessary consequent deduced from the same."

(William Bradshaw, "English Puritanism")

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