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Thread. The Founders trailer imbroglio—I’ve never had the opportunity to use that word before—illustrates what happens when the culture war trumps gospel truth.
I understand the temptation to put the culture crisis before doctrine. The critics of the Federal Vision theology heard this critique regularly: “you guys are concerned about fine points of doctrine but the social crisis before us is too great to be arguing about that.”
As I noted back in 2008, that was the logic of Harry Emerson Fosdick contra Machen.
heidelblog.net/2008/09/the-so…
heidelblog.net/2008/09/the-so…
Fosdick was a liberal Baptist preacher. The American Baptist Historical Society characterizes him thus: “Harry Emerson Fosdick, pastor, theologian, and peace and justice activist...”.
Read more: abhsarchives.org/harry-emerson-…
Read more: abhsarchives.org/harry-emerson-…
That well describes the SJW evangelical (and Reformed) left and right. Both sides have become theonomists, which is why we now see right-wing theonomists defending left-wing SJWs.
Fosdick’s most famous work was “Shall the Fundamentalists Win?” As the ABHS says, “He presented the Bible as a record of the unfolding of God’s will, not as the literal ‘Word of God.’ He saw the history of Christianity as one of development, progress, and gradual change.”
For Fosdick, the faith was a vehicle for social change. This is apparently where we are now. When I met with some young people a few years ago I warned them about the dangers of the social gospel. I mentioned how it has vitiated every church it has touched.
I mentioned that there’s no gospel in the “social gospel,” that it is born of an over-realized eschatology. Yes, Christians should be concerned about justice, peace, feeding the hungry, etc but *not at the expense of the gospel.*
If we make social justice “the gospel” we lose our Savior bec he fails the test. He didn’t heal *everyone.* He didn’t feed *everyone.* He drove pigs off a cliff. He said (what many today would regard as) rude things to women.
He didn’t come to bring heaven on earth. He told Pilate that explicitly. Had he wanted to do, he could have but he didn’t. He did leave a gospel about salvation from the wrath to come. He didn’t endow his disciples with socio-political power but w/the Holy Spirit.
He didn’t give them a sword with which to overthrow the Romans (not that he was opposed to self-defense) but he gave them a message, baptismal water, bread, & wine. That’s not a great program for social revolution.
He didn’t wipe out the Romans. He let them crucify him. That says everything about the nature of his kingdom.
Ultimately the SJW left & SJW right are two sides of the same coin. Social concerns come first with them. This is why when folk are warned about a plagiarizing federal visionist who has been rebuked by his handpicked committee from his own denomination, for abuse of the sheep
they just ignore it: “but he’s good on social issues.” That response reveals a priority of the social over the gospel. That’s how the trailer came to be made the way it was. The social trumped the gospel and the moral law (the 9th commandment).
What is the gospel? Christ obeyed, died, & was raised as the substitute for his people. All who trust him are saved unconditionally by divine favor alone, through trust alone. Christ ascended. He is ruling his twofold kingdom. He is coming again.
He is providentially ruling all that happens and savingly ruling his church. Through the foolishness of the gospel he is calling all his elect from every tribe, tongue, & nation. By his Spirit is he granting new life to his elect, uniting them to Christ & sanctifying them.
It’s Christ’s kingdom, not ours. Yes, we are citizens in both spheres but we have a clear, special, inspired, inerrant revelation for the charter for the church. He has left a general revelation of his will for the civil sphere.
When we reverse their priority, we act as if the special revelation is for the civil/secular sphere and the general for the church. Thus, the gospel is marginalized & worship corrupted in service of the culture.
The best way for Christians to be of value to civil society (culture) is to be faithful to the gospel. It’s counterintuitive but the gospel is the *only* thing that will ever change this world. The Spirit uses the gospel, not your grand social plan, to change hearts.
