Neo Orthodoxy

[micah719]

A primer on yet another flavour of heresy. It's not new, just a different kind of the same old thing. The main defence against ever-increasing and ever-changing attacks is to know The Original. Watch out, the heretics will claim to represent the truth and will be subtle in introducing the poison and nasty in the defence of it until their leaven corrupts the majority. A great difficulty is how to discern whether one is dealing with a snake or a deceived sheep. The fruit should make that evident but sometimes it takes a lot of inspection over time to discover, sometimes never. Hence the Biblical doctrines of separation, shunning and rebuke. A related theme is judging. Hypocrites will hit you with the "judge not" club faster than anyone, but in their ignorance or depravity ignore the Biblical call to judge...how else to discern without judgement? Impossible. But there are different kinds and different approaches. That should be a subject for another thread.

A series of 4:

Neo-Orthodoxy # 1
Neo-Orthodoxy # 1
May 25th, 2011

This series of Today’s Nugget comes from team member Dr. Milton Jones, senior pastor to the Heritage Baptist Church, Frankfort, IL

NOG note – With all that is happening in the world today, I believe we are surely living in the last days. The world in chaos, storms, earthquakes, floods, false religions flourishing and a God hating society gone crazy, surely the Holy Spirit gave Luke words we need to heed. Luke 21:28 – “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up , and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” I thank the Lord for a seasoned team of men who refuse to bend, bow or burn. Who refuse to let the landmarks of the Old Book be moved.

2 Peter 2:1-3 – “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”

It is important to understand the roots of Neo-Orthodoxy in order to realize the danger of this system of religious thought. Old mainstream liberalism began to wane after World War I in part because every major war is followed a revival of religious fervor and because the solutions offered by Liberalism were found to be totally inadequate in the face of a world in upheaval. The optimism about human nature was greatly damaged by the cruelty of war and its aftermath. Waiting in the wings was a new satanic device to lure a new generation of unsuspecting people away from the truth of the Word of God. This new system was Neo-Orthodoxy. The foundation of the movement was in writings of a Swiss theologian by the name of Karl Barth, who was in turn greatly influenced by the writings of Soren Kierkegaard. Barth rejected the rationalism that was the foundation of Liberalism in favor of existentialism (human experience over reason). It was his emphasis upon mystical experience in religion that formed the basis of Neo-Orthodoxy. Neo-Orthodoxy was actually an attempt on the part of unbelievers to bridge the gap between Liberals and Bible believers. “The New Modernism, Neo-Orthodoxy, is an amalgam of truth and error. It is a mixture of the orthodox and the heterodox. It is illogical because these two philosophies are incompatible.”[1] It was supposed to represent a “New Orthodoxy.”[2] Orthodoxy is the faithful adherence to the fundamental doctrines of the Word of God. By its very nature orthodoxy cannot be new; it is changeless. Thus the “New Orthodoxy” was not orthodoxy at all but a subtle re-interpretation of the orthodox doctrines to accommodate liberalism.[3] Neo-Orthodoxy “is the old Liberalism in a new and subtly disguised philosophical terminology.”[4]

Without question Neo-Orthodoxy poses a much greater threat to Bible believers, than does liberalism because of its intentionally deceptive nature. In fact the careless way in which many people interpret the Word of God indicates Neo-Orthodox influence. The apostle Peter in his stern warning to the church about the danger posed by departure from the truth gives an excellent characterization of Neo-Orthodoxy. He makes six statements, which bear study.

[1] Fundamental Baptist Congress of North America, The Biblical Faith of Baptists, Book V (Detroit: Fundamental Baptist Congress of North America, 1974), 20.

[2] Neo-Orthodoxy is really Neo-Liberalism. Joseph P. Free. Archaeology and Bible History (Wheaton,IL: Scripture Press Publications, 1969), 343.

[3] “A theological hoax . . . a false or pseudo-orthodoxy.” Charles C. Ryrie. Neo-Orthodoxy, What It Is and What It Does. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1956), 9-10.

[4] David O. Beale. In Pursuit of Purity, American Fundamentalism Since 1850. (Grenville,SC: Unusual Publications. 1986), 248.

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Neo-Orthodoxy # 2
Neo-Orthodoxy # 2
May 26th, 2011

This series of Today’s Nugget comes from team member Dr. Milton Jones, senior pastor to the Heritage Baptist Church, Frankfort, IL

NOG note – With all that is happening in the world today, I believe we are surely living in the last days. The world in chaos, storms, earthquakes, floods, false religions flourishing and a God hating society gone crazy, surely the Holy Spirit gave Luke words we need to heed. Luke 21:28 – “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up , and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” I thank the Lord for a seasoned team of men who refuse to bend, bow or burn. Who refuse to let the landmarks of the Old Book be moved.

Neo-Orthodoxy is Infiltrating – “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you,”

As has often been stated, Satan builds nothing, he just takes over what God’s people have built. This is certainly true where Neo-Orthodoxy is concerned. Many of the institutions, which were founded by God fearing men in the past, are now citadels of devilish doctrine. Satan’s work is best done from within and he never ceases to seek a side door through which to “creep in unawares.” (Jude 4) Because Neo-Orthodoxy repudiated the rationalism of the Liberals and professed a renewed concern for the “Word of God” many Bible believers were hoodwinked and swallowed up in the early days of the movement. So it is today, institutions which are concerned about their credibility with the world in terms of scholarship, are often invaded by Neo-Orthodox professors with great academic credentials and carefully honed usage of the correct terminology.

Neo-Orthodoxy is Influential – “who privily shall bring in damnable heresies”

It is not the professed belief in the cardinal doctrines of the historic Christian faith but the reality of the belief of those doctrines, which must be tested. Anyone can dishonestly sign a creed and announce that he believes the Word of God. This is exactly what Neo-Orthodox theologians have done. The problem is that they have subtly redefined those doctrines in terms of human experience rather than divine revelation. The most dangerous deviation is the one that is closest to the truth. So the devil takes the truth and begins to twist and turn the truth into “damnable heresies.” (Please note the comparison of doctrinal positions in the chart which follows.) Neo-Orthodox theologians frequently used terms readily recognized by Bible believers but attached completely different meanings. Barth believed that the Bible is a human witness of truth and is never infallible.[1] Brunner denied the fall in Genesis 3 as a historical fact.[2] They taught the doctrine of the resurrection but denied that Christ actually rose physically from the dead.[3] Neo-Orthodoxy teaches that “the Word of God is not synonymous with the Bible, and this is the point of deception.”[4] G. Archer Weniger defined the Neo-Orthodox response to the Bible as follows. “The Word is not a word, a statement, a proposition or a doctrine. It is instead a feeling, experience, prompting, urging, an event, an encounter, a meeting of persons.”[5]

Neo-Orthodoxy is Incorrigible – “even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”

When the finished work of Christ upon the cross is replaced by a “divine/human encounter experience” as the means of salvation, the Lord Jesus has been denied and rejected. When mystical experience takes the place of simple faith in the facts of Scripture, Christ has been denied. People who say these things are not saved! They are in reality apostate.

[1] Ryrie, p. 27

[2] Ibid. p. 28

[3] Ibid. p. 30

[4] Ibid. p. 55

[5] Fundamental, p. 119

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Neo-Orthodoxy # 3
Neo-Orthodoxy # 3
May 27th, 2011

This series of Today’s Nugget comes from team member Dr. Milton Jones, senior pastor to the Heritage Baptist Church, Frankfort, IL

NOG note – With all that is happening in the world today, I believe we are surely living in the last days. The world in chaos, storms, earthquakes, floods, false religions flourishing and a God hating society gone crazy, surely the Holy Spirit gave Luke words we need to heed. Luke 21:28 – “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up , and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” I thank the Lord for a seasoned team of men who refuse to bend, bow or burn. Who refuse to let the landmarks of the Old Book be moved.

Neo-Orthodoxy is Inexorable – “And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.”

The relentless attack upon the Bible by Neo-Orthodoxy is the pivotal point of the movement. There is an outright refusal to accept the inerrancy of Scripture. Instead the Neo-Orthodox position holds that “the Word of God” and the Bible are not the same thing. The classic statement of Neo-Orthodoxy is that the Bible contains the Word of God and is inspired when it speaks to individual. So every man becomes a law unto himself, to determine just what portion of the Bible is correct or applicable and what is not. In this area Neo-Orthodoxy surrenders completely to the higher criticism of Liberalism. The end result is that people are left without a Bible that can be believed and trusted. “The way of truth,” which is the Bible, is discredited. When the Bible is discredited and human reason is rejected, there is nothing left but human experience (the existential philosophy).

Neo-Orthodoxy is Insidious – “And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:”

“Feigned words” are words of hypocrisy. It is to claim to believe in the inspiration of the Bible and yet to deny its inerrancy. This hypocritical double talk is part of the battle that now rages in the Southern Baptist Convention. When the presidents of the SBC seminaries say that the Bible is not errant in area of reality, they are not affirming the inspiration of the Bible; they are denying it. Neo-Orthodoxy claims to love the truth, yet to makes the truth relative. This is to preach about God but to make Him inaccessible and impersonal. Barth called God, the “wholly other.” This is to talk about evangelism but practice the “social gospel.” Beware of the man who uses Bible terms with strange definitions. He would ensnare you in unbelief.

Neo-Orthodoxy is Indefensible – “whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”

Neo-Orthodoxy is not orthodox. It does not believe the truth. It is an intentional deception upon which the judgment of God must descend.

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Neo-Orthodoxy # 4 (Final)
Neo-Orthodoxy # 4 (Final)
May 28th, 2011

This series of Today’s Nugget comes from team member Dr. Milton Jones, senior pastor to the Heritage Baptist Church, Frankfort, IL

NOG note – With all that is happening in the world today, I believe we are surely living in the last days. The world in chaos, storms, earthquakes, floods, false religions flourishing and a God hating society gone crazy, surely the Holy Spirit gave Luke words we need to heed. Luke 21:28 – “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up , and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” I thank the Lord for a seasoned team of men who refuse to bend, bow or burn. Who refuse to let the landmarks of the Old Book be moved

Neo-Orthodoxy # 4 (Final)

(micahnote: the table was butchered by the change from html to BB format, so I'll tidy it up and repost it as reply to the thread)

[micah719]

Subject	Liberalism	Neo-Orthodoxy	Fundamentalism
The Bible	A religious book, no better or worse than any other religious book	Contains the “Word of God” and is inspired when it speaks to the individual	Is the infallible Word of God and is absolutely authoritative
Truth	Arrived at by reason and is therefore subjective	Arrived at by experience and is therefore subjective	Received by revelation and is therefore objective
Sin	Denies the existence of sin	Denies original sin, Adam is symbolic of all men who fall	Man is a sinner by nature and by choice
Salvation	Man does not need salvation, he only needs education	A divine/human encounter – universalism – all men are ultimately saved	Salvation is by faith through the merits of Christ alone
Miracles	Rejects the supernatural as unscientific	Dichotomy between a unreal “above history” where miracles occur and literal history	Affirms all the miracles of the Bible
God	Immanent in everything (pantheism)	Transcendent – “wholly other” – impersonal	While transcendent in His attributes God is present and active in the affairs of men
Doctrine	Has no doctrines – favors humanist values	Utilizes the terminology of orthodoxy while redefining the meanings	Affirms without reservation all the doctrines of the Bible
Evangelism	Since all religions are valid, no evangelism is necessary	Substitutes the social gospel and political action toward a just and equitable society	Confrontational soul winning

[ANY MINUTE]

Man is a sinner by nature and by choice[/TD]]

I agree with the listed chart except the bolded and was curious as to what was meant "by choice". Is he talking about the choice made in the garden of Eden or the choice to reject Christ?
As I read through the article I didn't see anything defining what this meant. Any ideas or did I just miss it?

[micah719]

Both.

We chose in Adam (and would have done exactly as he did had we been there in his place....because if we were there we would have been called "Adam"). The good thing about having a federal head is that we can also have another Federal Representative, to die in our place for penalty of our sin/s.

And, we all individually chose to sin in our individual life, because we are sinners by nature, but still accountable.

I'm guilty through Adam and guilty through my own acts....and only in The Lord Jesus Christ do I have hope of salvation. Praise The Lord He is gracious and merciful, and wise, and can save a wretch like me and still fulfil righteousness and justice! Quite amazing really....

[ANY MINUTE]

Thanks for the reply. I agree with your response.
My mind was going elsewhere when I read that, thinking the implication was that we could choose not to sin. Impossible outside of Christ.

Amazing indeed!