Something is rotten in Denmark
In a couple of weeks we are headed to Toledo for the Toledo Reformed Theological Conference, and I have high hopes. Eschatology is something that I really don't have a good handle on, at least compared to other areas of doctrine where I am still an amateur but have an established position that I can articulate and defend. I sorely need this conference to help me with my position, which sets it apart from other conferences where I am the choir getting preached to on topics we all agree on. This is how it breaks down for me now, holding very gingerly to a fuzzy Amillennialism...
On the one hand, lots of people I respect theologically in Reformed circles hold to an Amillennial view (Al Mohler, John MacArthur and a few others being notable exceptions). Read through the eschatology section on Monergism and it is obvious where most Reformed people come down on the topic, i.e. squarely in the Amillennial camp. It is almost like being Amillennial is part of the membership requirements for being Reformed, along with using the ESV Bible and wearing Monergism T-shirts! Monergism is featuring a great series of lectures by Kim Riddlebarger titled: "Amillennialism 101." Don't hold your breath for a similar series called "Dispensationalism 101".
On the other hand, lots of people I view with a ton of suspicion hold to the dispensational premillennial view. People like Hal Lindsay, Tim LaHaye, etc. are kind of kooks and make me cringe and I hold that much of what they espouse is bordering on heretical so I naturally assume that where there is one aberrant teaching, there likely is another. In other words, I can't put my finger on specifics but something is rotten in Denmark and it makes me nervous. If those guys are fer premillennialism, I'm agin' it!
Now I get that basing a theological position on something other than the Scriptural evidence is bad news, and basing my position on what people I like think is even worse. But I haven't had the time or background to really work out my position, so this conference with three people who are experts presenting the three main positions for two solid days should go a long way towards cementing where I stand. I doubt I will come back from Toledo a pretrib, premil dispensationalist but hopefully I will be able to better declare and defend a millennial position based on something other than being opposed to guys wearing bad suits with bad haircuts.
4 comments:
Looks like a good conference. Reformed theology is historically amillennial; the confessions (and historic Christianity) tend to that.
Too often people in evangelicalism try to tear the Five Points of Calvinism from their theological context. Historically and biblically, the Five points (coined at Dort) must be seen in light of the Beligic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism which came before. Some look more summarily at the Westminster Confession and Catechisms for a more full explication.
I have read good things about Gaffin and enjoyed a book of his over Christmas holiday.
The new look to the blog is pretty Calvinistic... Did you make the template yourself?
I think it is great that you are going into it looking for the biblical perspective and teaching rather than lining up on a certain team because you like their helmut and jersey design. Tell you what, you get if all figured out and I will believe whatever you say is right...
Timothy,
No I stumbled across it when looking for a new template. I was bored with the old one. It is kind of swishy looking if you don't get the TULIP connection! I don't like how squished some of the print gets, but other than that I think it looks pretty good!
Joe, you should come along. It is only a couple of days and it is cheap compared to T4G. We have plenty of room in the 15 passenger van!
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