Tuesday, February 18, 2014

A Tale of Three Churches

Disclaimer: In calling this presentation A Tale of Three Churches, the term church as used here denotes that each of these fellowships calls themselves a church. It is not the acknowledgment of all of them as true churches in the biblical sense.

This is the examination of three high profile churches and their approaches to ministry in three key areas—leadership, preaching, and mission/evangelism. All three churches are large in size and globally influential.

The Churches

A church in the land without the Spirit is rather a curse than a blessing. If you have not the Spirit of God, Christian worker, remember that you stand in somebody else's way; you are a fruitless tree standing where a fruitful tree might grow. — Charles Spurgeon


Hillsong Church originated in Sydney Australia and has its roots in the Australian arm of the Assemblies of God denomination (which is Pentecostal). It has now franchised itself to many major cities all over the world including London, Moscow, Capetown, Paris, Amsterdam, and New York.

A major reason that I have included Hillsong as one of the churches to profile is because of my long history interacting with them during my time in Australia, and because they are about to open their latest franchise in our own Los Angeles backyard.

You may have noticed that I am using the term franchise for describing Hillsong's strategy of reproducing themselves around the world. It is not meant to sound derogatory ... no, actually it is meant to sound derogatory. I should be up front from the outset that I am a staunch critic of this organization and as we examine them in the areas of leadership, preaching, and mission/evangelism you will get to see a lot of major reasons for that criticism.

The major thrust of Hillsong's global impact has been their music. Their choruses are sung around the world in multiple languages and produced with world leading musicianship and production values. Their music has been a massive magnet in drawing people from all over the world to their many conferences which are equal in scale to anything that happens in the USA. Their youth band, Hillsong United, had their last album make the top ten on Billboard's secular charts. The music is a very big deal and has provided an enormous platform for the preaching ministries of Brian and Bobbie Houston (yes his wife is a "pastor") as well as their books.



Saddleback Church is a multi-site church with its mother ship located in Orange County, California. Originally affiliated with the Southern Baptist movement, Saddleback has risen to massive global prominence through their pastor Rick Warren who is possibly the world's leading proponent of church growth methodology. Warren's status now goes well beyond the role of pastor and he sees himself as a global statesman and activist in transforming the world. And no, I am not describing another episode of Pinky and the Brain.

Undoubtedly, Saddleback's major catalyst for growth in size and influence has been Warren's phenomenally popular books—The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church. Purpose Driven Life has sold over 32 million copies and is the bestselling non-fiction hardback in history. Did I mention that Purpose Driven Life is the bestselling non-fiction hardback in history? The book essentially is Warren's philosophy for life and has gained widespread acceptance even among business organizations and sporting teams. Warren has now actually placed a patent on the word purpose which is why this presentation has cost me $5.00 thus far (five mentions of the word at $1 apiece).


Grace Community Church in Sun Valley California is the third church we will be looking at in this presentation. It is a suburban church that experienced significant growth through the "Jesus movement" of the sixties and seventies.

Though not as large as Saddleback or Hillsong, GCC is a burgeoning mega-church with a major global impact through it's Master's Seminary, Shepherd's Conferences, and the radio ministry of its pastor John MacArthur. On the modern evangelical landscape, GCC is seen as a stick in the mud church with doctrinal rigidity and an aloofness from the various trends that have swept through churches over recent decades.

The Leadership

I exhort the elders among you ... shepherd the flock of God ... exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. — 1 Peter 5:1–4


Leadership: Hillsong Church

The pastor of Hillsong's founding church is Brian Houston. He also oversees all the other Hillsong churches as well as being the National President of the Australian Christian Churches denomination (an amalgamation of Pentecostal and Charismatic churches including those formerly known as the Assemblies of God). He is actually the Senior Pastor of every Hillsong church around the world which must certainly make matters of church discipline and visitations very challenging.

Due to my rather lengthy history of correspondence, investigation, and articles on the Hillsong empire I was not able to ask specific questions regarding their philosophy of leadership and model of church government. While the inner workings cannot be precisely known, due to their high international profile and the mass marketing of their material, a fairly accurate picture can be assembled quite easily.

The pictured book title gives an excellent synopsis of Brian Houston's philosophy of leadership. While he carries the title of senior pastor, he really functions much more as the CEO of a vast organization and marketing machine where mentors his people as a life-coach and motivational speaker. Tony Robbins with some Bible verses for window dressing.

Since his wife Bobbie is his fellow senior pastor it is clear that his philosophy of church leadership is not informed by 1 Timothy 2–3 and Titus 1. Brian is seen very much as the visionary pastor and his staff and congregation are to be zealously protective of that vision. Any criticism is very poorly received. Brian and Bobbie's consuming desire, according to their website bios, is to place value on humanity. Their approach to building the church is very much pragmatic and based upon the various models they have tried and then sticking with the ones that achieve the best numerical results. That is why I used the term franchising earlier. Because there models of success in church growth are the blueprints for every other Hillsong franchise around the world. Listen to Brian long enough and the pragmatism always shines through. He is very slick at not taking sides and not alienating any demographics in what he says. When interviewed on abortion, Houston said:

On the subject of abortion I'm pro-life. But in a way I'm pro-choice as well, because I believe in the sanctity of life and I believe that life begins at conception. But I also believe that ultimately human beings have to make their own choices, and I ultimately can't tell you what you should do.

Attitudes towards money are also an important issue for church leaders as Paul says that those who are elders must not be "a lover of money (1 Timothy 3:3). Although Brian Houston bristles at the suggestion that he is a prosperity preacher, he lays out his financial theology quite clearly in his book titled You Need More Money. In it he encourages us to "become comfortable around money" by "putting on your best clothes and ordering coffee in a fancy restaurant or hotel lobby. Even though you could make the coffee for half the price at home, the total experience may enlarge your thinking. You may even feel better about yourself and life." 

Hillsong is now a very marketable brand and carries a strong allure with it. I can guarantee that outstanding music and musicianship will be an essential part of the new Hillsong that opens soon in Orange County. And the musician's caliber always trumps his character when it comes to selecting the right team. 

Key Quotes:
"I appoint the elders and then the rest of the elders vote on that." — Brian Houston

"When you are doing what is correct in God there is a protection over your life. Like—hello—it is just there. So it is a very powerful thing. Amen. Yeah, fully." — Bobbie Houston


Leadership: Saddleback Church


Saddleback's senior pastor is Rick Warren. I was unable to get any answers regarding Saddleback's leadership philosophy and model of church government. What we do know is that Warren's big picture initiatives do give us a window into his philosophy of ministry.

His approach is very ecumenical when it comes to interfaith dialogue but heavy handed when dealing with Purpose Driven dissenters. Joseph Farah of World Net Daily has pointed out:

While mega-pastor Rick Warren has joined a group of 100 church leaders calling for interfaith dialogue and the building of "common ground" with Muslims, he has a slightly different outlook toward Christians with whom he disagrees. In his latest missive to fellow pastors, he writes: "You've got to protect the unity of your church. If that means getting rid of troublemakers, do it." 

Perhaps this hints at Warren's leadership Modus Operandi. 

Tellingly, Warren had absolutely nothing to say about eldership and church government in an article he wrote on his church leadership website, pastors.com. His article was called Organize Your Church on Purpose and Giftedness. And that is pretty much all he talked about concerning church structure. There was no information I could find on the Saddleback website regarding other pastors or elders. Perhaps the revelation of being complementarian or egalitarian would put a major dent in the breadth of his appeal. Though Warren is seemingly silent on that issue, the fact that women have filled his pulpit during weekend services on a number of occasions shows his hand in that regard.

Concerning how much power he wields on Saddleback's elder board remains a mystery. But time has borne out the reality that those churches who buy into the Purpose Driven program are counseled to remove dissenters or wait for them to leave.

With phenomenal book sales, Rick Warren has become a bankable brand. And he clearly has an army of spin doctors constantly working to purge the internet of criticism as well as contradictory statements he has made. I personally know of people who have had their web servers pressured to remove their websites by Rick Warren's defenders. One individual had his blog shut down. There do seem to be some sacred untouchable cows in what Janet Mefford has referred to as the Evangelical Industrial Complex and Rick Warren certainly looks like one of those protected species. One cannot help but think that he would be difficult to overrule at the eldership level in Saddleback church.


Leadership: Grace Community Church

Grace Community Church is a church ruled by a plurality of forty elders. John MacArthur may be the elder most recognized for his preaching and teaching gift, but that does not translate to veto power at the eldership level. He does not always get his way and neither do any of the other elders. Votes must be unanimous to pass and forty elders means a tremendous safety buffer of checks and balances. it would be near impossible for a pope or dictator to rise up within such a leadership structure. 

John MacArthur has a 45 year track record of leadership informed by Scripture, applied consistently in all spheres of life, and lived by example in the leadership of his family before the members of GCC for all of those years. 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 are the filters through which every elder candidate passes. The evidence is overwhelmingly demonstrative of this high view of Scripture. For example, elders with children who apostatize or live in constant rebellion normally step down from eldership both in obedience to 1 Timothy 3:4 and Titus 1:6, and a desire to prioritize the evangelism of their own immediate family. GCC's commitment to male eldership and male preachers again speaks volumes for their unwavering subservience to the dictates of Scripture rather than the whims of the world.

John MacArthur's leadership has also been a bastion of biblically understanding when separation is necessary. MacArthur has four decades of refusing to buy into ecumenism, capitulating to Rome, nor associating with false teachers and apostates. Sadly, MacArthur's sterling example on this front has been emulated by scant few.


Bonus Material:
Book Review — The Master's Plan for the Church by John MacArthur



The Preaching

The preacher's job is to deliver the goods, not to manufacture them. — Dr. Irv Busenitz


Forty Days of Your Best Prayer of Jabez Now — Cameron Buettel






Preaching: Hillsong and Saddleback Church

Probably the most critical question that congregants need to ask about the preaching they sit under concerns whether the text drives the sermon or the sermon drives the text. Hillsong and Saddleback preaching overwhelmingly falls into the latter category. It does not take long for a discerning listener to realize that both of these churches churn out sermon after sermon where a pre-determined idea gets married to a biblical passage deemed as a suitable partner. Furthermore, the suitable text is often ripped wildly from its proper context in order to make that square peg fit in their round hole.

Hillsong have also brazenly displayed their contempt for biblical authority by their willingness to edit Bible verses in accordance with their own agenda. Tragically, they are a sacred cow in Australia and have escaped any public rebuke from any prominent Christian leaders. Their willingness to make Hillsong altered Bible verses for their Hillsong adjusted gospel presentations is nothing short of disgraceful. Their conflicting excuses for doing this would be laughable if they weren't so tragic.

Both Brian Houston and Rick Warren approach the task of preaching from the starting point of their own chosen topic. That is not always a problem, but it is if that is the totality of what they feed their members. An even greater problem is when you start with a patently unbiblical idea. But perhaps the ultimate tragedy is when an essential soteriological truth gets buried beneath the weight of their own agenda. And that is precisely what happened when Brian Houston preached at Rick Warren's church out of 2 Corinthians 7:8–10.

Bonus Material:


Key Quote: 
"The Bible's a big book, and you're never going to get people to have total agreement on that big book." — Brian Houston


Rick Warren has committed the same crimes on numerous occasions. Most of us were shocked when John Piper invited him to be a keynote speaker at the Desiring God conference. What Warren delivered was some shambolic handling of Scripture. Among the many problems was his redefining of repentance in non-lordship terms; Warren described Jesus' words concerning his yoke and his burden as a discussion on felt needs; and also demonstrated that he is the master of the humble boast—a difficult manouvre that can only be performed by those most expert in promoting their own humility: 

(Watch this video from 43:30 to 44:25, warning: video may induce vomiting)

Bonus Material:

John Piper's interview with Rick Warren was also very revealing in a very unrevealing sort of way. We all know Rick Warren is a smart operator. His MO is always to adapt to his audience and Piper is no exception. It is bizarre that Piper recognizes Warren as a pragmatist, and Warren's pragmatism demands that he gives Piper the answers he wants. Trying to understand Warren doctrinally is like shooting at moving goalposts, and yet Piper just doesn't see the pointlessness of this exercise. Warren tells Piper he believes in the doctrines of Grace and then tells an inter-faith forum (made up of Hindus Muslims etc) that he has no interest in seeing them converted but wants to work together with them. He said on national TV that "God's not mad at you, He's mad about you" and then tells Piper his hero is Jonathan Edwards (who preached Sinners in the Hands of an angry God). And then tells Larry King his hero is Ghandi, tells Barack Obama his hero is Martin Luther King, and tells the Catholics his hero is Mother Theresa. The man is a chameleon. Warren told his church he is opposed to homosexual marriage and then denied it on Larry King. He positively commended the President of Syria (in person) for his treatment of Christians and then told Syrian Christian refugees who live in America that he never did such a thing. He can talk to Muslims for an hour without ever mentioning the Lord Jesus Christ and then tell Piper it's his central focus. Warren can tell Piper that penal substitutionary atonement must always be there in Gospel preaching, but I cannot find a single sermon with him talking about it. If I sound upset it is because I am. Warren needs to be taken to task over these inconsistencies and if John Piper will not do it, then who will?

Bonus Material:

Both Hillsong and Saddleback profess submission to the authority of God's Word. But I fail to see how they can possibly do that when they continually preach Scripture as the servant of their own sermonic thrusts.


Preaching: Grace Community Church

John MacArthur's preaching legacy is already well established. Having pastored the same church for 45 years and preaching through the entire New Testament verse by verse, MacArthur is a preacher who has continually been enamored with God's Word. I once heard him say that he does not read the Bible to find a sermon, he reads the Bible to know the mind of Christ. This represents a clear reversal of the approach practiced at both Saddleback and Hillsong. I am convinced that the greatest treasure chest on the world wide web is John MacArthur's entire sermon archive available for free download.

Try downloading a sermon of MacArthur's from the seventies, eighties, nineties, and noughties and you will be struck by the textually driven nature of the preaching. Even the illustrations are overwhelmingly drawn from biblical cross-references. The lack of engagement in cultural matters of that time only serves to give an aura of timelessness and current relevance to the listener. How ironic, that so many in their quest for relevance actually make themselves irrelevant. Mark Driscoll's sermonic illustrations connected with the movie Talladega Nights are only a few years old and already most people have no clue about those illustrations.

MacArthur's suit and the big pulpit he stands behind also speaks volumes regarding his desire to point his people towards God's Word. The large pulpit makes the preacher look smaller and the Bible ever in front of him takes pre-eminence. Though not legalistic about it, MacArthur believes that wearing a suit helps represent the seriousness of the task of handling and proclaiming God's Word.

I generally do not buy the mega-church pastor claims that they are being edgy and contextual and relevant by wearing their street wear or casual clothes. Personally I don't take offense at Rick Warren's Hawaiian shirts, but I think it speaks volumes about his heirarchy of importance when he wears a suit to the White House and jeans in the Lord's house.

It also needs to be said (pause for a moment and check for a log in my own eye) that there is something decidedly lame about middle aged men trying to dress like their teenage sons. Petra tried to do it in the nineties somehow thinking that spandex is a viable fashion option for men in their fifties. Brian Houston works hard on his fitness and likes to wear skinny jeans. Rick Warren sits on a stool in the middle of a vast stadium because he thinks it is a way of connecting with his audience ... and probably because he doesn't fit a pair of skinny jeans. But God's Word endures when our coolness fades into oblivion. There is nothing more relevant than pointing all people away from ourselves and towards its own timeless truths of God and man, sin and death, judgment and eternity. It's why young people who are concerned about those things flock to hear the silver haired man in the suit with his Bible always before him.

Bonus Material:
Book Review — Rediscovering Expository Preaching by John MacArthur and The Master's Seminary Faculty


Missions and Evangelism

Preach always, if necessary use words — Rick Warren


Wash always, if necessary use water — Cameron Buettel


There are only two times you should preach the gospel; in season and out of season — Ray Comfort



Mission/Evangelism: Hillsong Church

An extensive examination of Hillsong's mission endeavors will expose you to a lot of social justice programs. They certainly do many helpful projects both locally and internationally, but they are driven by humanitarian goals rather than adorning the preaching of the gospel. It is also noticeable that their aid projects are not prioritized towards suffering believers, but rather among the community at large where great effort is made to raise their community profile. In fact among the myriad of Hillsong outreaches I was unable to find anything that involved any form of evangelism and witnessing. This stems from two major problems:

1. The evangelism is done during the main church service; and
2. The main church service fails to do any evangelism.

My background is in the AOG movement of Australia and I personally lived through the rise of Hillsong to where it has become the overwhelmingly dominant force in Australian charismaticism and evangelicalism. During that time I have personally challenged them repeatedly over the discrepancies between their doctrine statement and what they preach. The most glaring example is their doctrine statement which has always insisted on repentance as a necessary part of conversion and yet I have never heard repentance preached from any of their preachers or articles in more than two decades. In January 2010, after being affronted once more with their false gospel and continually obstructed and ignored by their leadership, I went public and called them out (see also bonus material below).

The gospel that is preached would best be described as a hybrid word-faith message of success, sensuality, and self-esteem. There is no preaching of God's character, man's depravity, the danger of judgment, Christ's person and work, and the call on all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel.

Key Quote: 
"Doctrine Statement, Shmoctrine Statement!" — Cameron Buettel

Bonus Material: 
My recent interview on Worldview Weekend Radio concerning the gospel according to Hillsong
My entire correspondence with Hillsong's chief theologian, Ps. Robert Fergusson
My online discussion with Hillsong's Executive Pastor, Ps. Joel A'Bell



Mission/Evangelism: Saddleback Church

The only global mission work being promoted on the Saddleback website is Rick Warren's PEACE plan. Here is their own description:

The vision of the PEACE PLAN is to mobilize Christians around the world to address five GIANT PROBLEMS:

Spiritual Emptiness
Self-Serving Leadership
Poverty
Disease
Illiteracy

The Christian Church was designed by God to take the lead in this effort. It has the world's largest distribution network, the most people ready and to serve, and the greatest motivation of all—the LOVE of Jesus Christ. Since responding to these five global giants through the local church is what Jesus says Christians must do, that’s where the PEACE Plan focuses. We have committed ourselves to fulfilling these five expressions of God’s love:

Promote Reconciliation
Equip Servant leaders
Assist The Poor
Care For The Sick
Educate The Next Generation


That sounds more like a UN charter than an evangelism strategy. To quote from the Saddleback website:

The bottom line is that we intend to reinvent mission strategy in the 21st century. This will be a new Reformation. The First Reformation returned us to the message of the original church. It was a reformation of doctrine - what the church BELIEVES. This Second Reformation will return us to the mission of the original church. It will be a reformation of purpose- what the church DOES in the world.

Attention Pastor Warren - why not try preaching that "message" that the first reformers recovered before we even start talking about doing anything. This "second reformation" Warren is fantasizing about only reflects poorly on his understanding of the biblical Gospel and the nature of true conversion. The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart, not purpose driven education. 


Warren's second reformation mantra of "deeds not creeds" is a giant red flag. He really believes that the church has got its doctrine right but are not living in accordance with it. Michael Horton, however, would beg to differ. In reality, the problem is the exact opposite of Warren's assessment—he is actually preaching the wrong doctrines and they are living it.

Rick Warren's massive selling book, The Purpose Driven Life, has some major weaknesses. These include the use of many different, and sometimes bizarre, Bible translations to somehow give a Scriptural rationale for Warren's agenda. He also fails to differentiate between believers and unbelievers when applying biblical promises. But worst of all, his gospel presentation is just a complete crash and burn: 


Bonus Material:
John MacArthur explains what is wrong with The Purpose Driven Life ...



It may be politically incorrect but it needs to be said—Rick Warren is an epic failure as an evangelist. I cannot see any good reason why I should believe that most of Saddleback's tens of thousands of members are truly regenerate.


Mission/Evangelism: Grace Community Church

The gospel permeates every arm of GCC's mission arms. Rather than their social work being the heartbeat of their mission program, it is the kindness that accompanies their gospel preaching. Whether door to door in the local area, the annual Christmas concert, or their foreign missionaries and seminaries, all of these are done for the express purpose of reaching out to hell-bound people with the message of eternal life. John Pipers article below explains why true societal transformation only happens as an indirect byproduct of missionaries who evangelize rather than a team of social workers.

Bonus Material:
Missions: Rescuing from Hell and Renewing the World by John Piper


Conclusion

The differences are stark between GCC and Hillsong/Saddleback. Am I biased? I am very biased towards biblical alignment and GCC has that in spades. I am not foolish enough to believe that I can put an end to the violence done to the gospel by churches like Hillsong and Saddleback. But I do believe that we should make a concerted effort to pressure these churches into either conforming their teaching to their doctrine statements or conforming their doctrine statements to their teaching. It is time to put their cards on the table.

Bonus Material:
My recent interview on Tony Miano's radio show — When Doctrine Statements are Used to Deceive




Bonus Material:
You Might Be a False Teacher If ...

Monday, February 10, 2014

Book Review - The Master's Plan For The Church


The Master’s Plan for the Church by John MacArthur is his application of the biblical blueprint for a true New Testament church that honors Jesus Christ and exists for the glory of God. MacArthur brings God’s Word to bear on the questions concerning how the church should be governed, how it should be led, and how it should operate. If you are looking for the next “40 Days of Your Best Prayer of Jabez Now,” then you had better head back over to the front section and best-seller shelves of your local Christian bookstore. This is not the book for those enamored with consumer driven models for church growth. MacArthur begins and ends with what has always mattered to him—what has God revealed in His sacred Word concerning His church.

It is difficult to think of any better candidate than Dr. John MacArthur Jr. for writing a book on the local church that is uncontaminated by the many trends and fads that have come and gone during his forty-five years of pastoral ministry at Grace Community Church (GCC) in Sun Valley, California. He has the track record of persevering in the labor that he began back in 1969. MacArthur has always refused to buy into the many church growth strategies that have been in and out of vogue during his tenure at GCC. Instead, during those decades he has expositionally preached his way verse by verse through the entire New Testament. Rather than cashing in on such an immense legacy, MacArthur has thrown the floodgates open and made his entire sermon archive freely available all over the globe through the internet.

One cannot help but feel that MacArthur would have little to say about how GCC grew so large. It is something that has never interested him. He has always been consumed with his passion for shepherding the flock, rightly handling God’s Word, and training up the next generation of Christian leaders. The vast church growth has been an accidental byproduct of his commitment to biblical matters. The great irony there is that his relevance is fuelled in large part by his failure to preach as a reactionary to the ever-changing cultural winds destined for the same scrap heap as old newspapers. Even his oldest sermons have a timelessness about them due to their use of Scripture for illustrations and complete lack of pop-culture references.

The Master’s Plan for the Church is the perfect outlet for MacArthur to lay out his manifesto—which he would argue is God’s clear biblical manifesto for the church. The book comprises thirteen chapters that are then followed by eleven appendices. The thirteen chapters are partitioned into the parts—Part 1: The Anatomy of a Church (chapters one through four); Part 2: The Dynamic Church (chapters five through ten); and Part 3: Qualities of an excellent servant (chapters eleven through thirteen). In much the same way that a building begins with its foundations and skeletal structure before being finished, furnished, and programmed to function, so too does this book follow a well organized progression of church structure, features, and governance.

The appendices warrant significant mention both because they comprise half the book and, more importantly, because they contain so much outstanding content. His appendices on answering key questions about elders (appendix one), an exegesis of 1 Timothy 3 on the biblical qualifications for church eldership (appendix three), elements of church discipline (appendix four), the restoration of sinning brethren (appendix five) and fallen leaders (appendix six), and MacArthur’s outstanding article on why he still preaches the Bible after more than four decades of ministry (appendix eight) are all worth the price of admission on their own.

It is hard to find anything within such a lengthy book that warrants serious criticism. I did struggle with the conclusive statement that men with older children who have had “the sovereign gift of salvation” (258) pass them by are not qualified to be elders. I found that overly simplistic and perhaps harsh considering that some may have the character qualifications for eldership, having discipled their children well, but in adulthood their children do not come to saving faith. Should that disqualify the prospective elder? I have not fully landed on the issue but the conclusions do not sit well with me. Such a call disqualifies the godliest man I ever knew on the mission field from the church planting work that we started together, and he now continues in Denmark. I realize that may seem like an anecdotal objection, but I do not know anyone who has labored so hard in discipling his children while maintaining such a godly character beyond reproach.

Aside from that minor objection, there was plenty in this book that stood out above MacArthur’s usual excellence and thoroughness. His opening four chapters on the anatomy of the church was a tremendous entry point into seeing the church through the lens of Scripture. Using the human body as its illustration, it directly follows Paul’s precedent laid out in his epistles where he describes the church with the metaphor of human anatomy on numerous occasions (Rom 12:3–8; 1 Cor 12:12–30; Eph 4:1–16; Col 2:18–19) with Christ as its crowning head. MacArthur argues that many who visit GCC go there hoping to gain some transferable insights by observing GCC’s “methods, tools, programs, and ideas and apply them to their own churches. However, that is like going to buy a steer and coming back home with just the hide” (21). His point is that the health of the skin is a direct byproduct of the body’s invisible anatomy and inner workings.

Importantly, MacArthur points out that just as skeletons give vertebrate animals their structure, the church must be committed to certain skeletal truths to maintain its structure. I appreciate that MacArthur starts here, laying out the non-negotiables for a church with a healthy bone structure: A High View of God; The Absolute Authority of Scripture; Sound Doctrine; Personal Holiness; and Spiritual Authority (22–27). This is the structure of a true church and the framework on which MacArthur lays out his book.

As MacArthur explores the distinguishing marks of an effective church, the reader is once again struck by Scripture as the driving force behind his conclusions. There is a complete lack of pragmatism and market driven strategies being brought to bear on the subject matter. An effective church will not be a magnet to the unchurched, but will be marked by: godly leaders; discipleship; an emphasis on penetrating the community; active church members; concern for one another; devotion to the family; biblical teaching and preaching; teachability; great faith; sacrifice; and right worship (114–129).

Importantly, part two concludes with the critical reminder that God’s work must be done His way. This connects strongly with the book’s title—The Master’s Plan for the Church. Amidst a tsunami of literature on pragmatic methodologies on growing churches, this book stands out because it gets the biblical point that the others miss—it is God’s plan and not ours. He founded His church, He purchased it, and He builds it. It is not a democracy, it is a theocracy—and our name is not Theo.

The book builds to the third and concluding part where MacArthur delves into the critical realm of church leadership. Interestingly, and out of step with most other books on church leadership, he begins by profiling apostates (chapter eleven). MacArthur certainly knows how to recognize an elephant in the leadership living room and he knows how to shoot it as well. He is careful to distinguish between apostates, and pagans and backsliders. Apostates depart from the faith while maintaining a veneer of spirituality. They are wolves among the flock and often reach positions of influence and power because they are gifted with skills of persuasion and cunning. Any church that does not take biblical eldership requirements seriously (1 Tim 3:1–7; Tit 1:5–9) is a church where apostates can flourish. Those who are more enamored with leadership skills than godly character will find themselves sitting under the teaching of apostates. Refreshingly, and consistently with much of the New Testament, MacArthur feels the need to comprehensively deal with this issue before profiling what a true servant leader looks like in the body of Christ.

Chapter eleven beautifully sets up chapter twelve. MacArthur talks about true Christian leaders as servants; “anyone who serves in any ministry capacity must see himself as a servant of the Lord” (167). He outlines eleven qualities of the Lord’s true servants and starts with their willingness to warn of error. Other more notable qualities include expertise in Scripture, avoidance of unholy teaching, strong self-discipline, and authoritative teaching.

MacArthur’s thoughts on advancing his theological education through studying dead German liberals resonated so strongly with me that my inner man did a Mexican wave—“I met with the representative again and said, ‘I just want to let you know that I have spent all my life to this point learning the truth, and I can’t see any value in spending the next couple of years learning error.’ I put the materials down on his desk and walked away” (173).

Chapter thirteen is the final and crowning chapter as MacArthur profiles those entrusted with the highest (or lowest depending on how you look at servant leadership) offices of authority and accountability in the body of Christ based on 1 Pet 5:1–4. The true shepherds are rescuers, leaders, guardians, protectors, and comforters. He closes with the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the epitomy of everything the shepherd leader should ever aspire to. The final chapter also contains perhaps the most poignant moment in the book by including a lengthy excerpt from W.G. Bowden on “A Day in the Life of a Shepherd.” And that is exactly what he describes—a real shepherd’s routine from morning until evening. It is impossible to read without applying the obvious parallels to those who shepherd God’s flock. “The sheep sense familiar territory, their home field and their home fold. The shepherd precedes them, and stands at the sheepfold with the gate wide open. He calls them in, ‘come unto me … and ye shall find rest.’ The mob with little prompting streams through the portal to rest, to protection, and to contentment” (198).

What a tragedy that many of the millions who read “Purpose Driven Church” will never hear of this book about the Christ Centered Church. The pickings are slim when it comes to readable and biblically driven books on the church. This is one of them and would take up worthwhile residence on any Christian’s bookshelf.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Book Review — Rediscovering Expository Preaching


Rediscovering Expository Preaching by John MacArthur and The Master’s Seminary (TMS) Faculty is a collaborative book put together by a team experienced in both the scholarship and pastoral realms of ministry. It is a condensed package of the training in biblical exposition that TMS has been providing for decades.

The central theme of the book is paraphrased well by Dr. Irvin A. Busenitz when he states; “The preacher’s proper task is to deliver the goods, not to manufacture them” (257). Rightly handling God’s Word is a monumental responsibility that is not to be toyed with. James 3:1 solemnly reminds us of the “stricter judgment” that falls upon those charged with purveying God’s truth to the wider body of Christ. Recognizing the immensity of the preacher’s task, MacArthur and the TMS faculty have pooled their intellectual and experiential resources to produce a valuable blueprint for expository preaching that is both faithful to the biblical text, and penetrative to the wider church congregation.
The book contains twenty chapters (including the epilogue) as John MacArthur and different faculty members take turns in devoting separate chapters to their varied areas of expertise. MacArthur is the predominant author with seven chapters. His core work is ably supplemented by the contributions of Dr. Richard L. Mayhue, James F. Stitzinger, Dr. James E. Rosscup, and Dr. Robert L. Thomas (two chapters each). Additionally, George J. Zemek, Donald G. McDougall, Dr. Irvin A. Busenitz, and Dr. David C. Deuel all provided one chapter.

The chapters are grouped into a logical sequence of five sections: Part I. Proving the Priority of Expository Preaching; Part II. Preparing the Expositor; Part III. Processing and Principlizing the Biblical Text; Part IV. Pulling the Expository Message Together; and Part V. Preaching the Exposition. Such a layout provides the budding preacher with a chronology that travels all the way from preparing the expositor through to preaching the exposition. Importantly, examining the text is not dealt with until Part III. The authors saw fit to devote two entire sections (six chapters) to arguing for the pre-eminence of expository preaching, and examining the suitability of the student to be an expositor of God’s Word.
The book is replete with the high view of Scripture that TMS is famous (or infamous) for. In fact, John MacArthur launches into that very issue by devoting the entire second chapter to “The Mandate of Biblical Inerrancy.” It is the foundational why of expository preaching. To neuter the Bible by denying, or even downplaying, its inerrancy is to nullify the compelling reason for preachers to expound its inerrant truths.

It is not until chapter seven that the book makes its initial forays into the first phases of hermeneutical investigation. Importantly and unlike Kaiser, emphasis on the godly character of the preacher and his utter dependence on the Holy Spirit are discussed at length in the early chapters of the book (four, five, and six). Anyone without these prerequisites in place will make their exegesis an exercise in futility and hence it is important to examine them before descending into the goldmine of God’s Word. Echoing 2 Timothy 2:21, MacArthur states; “Only those who practice righteousness and godliness are fit for the Master’s service” (92). He goes on to say that “it is impossible to properly understand God’s objective revelation in Scripture apart from the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit” (102).

One thing that distinguishes the book’s value is the recognition of the auxiliary fields alongside exegesis that contribute to the final expository product (143–46). Those who think they can harmonize secular psychology with biblical truth, for example, have hijacked Christian counseling and formed a dysfunctional relationship that ultimately undermines our profession of Scripture’s sufficiency. We must carefully guard our allegiance to God’s Word, and faithfully trust that our sovereign God is infinitely wiser than all who are created in His image. Dr. Thomas is also very helpful when he knocks the straw-man dichotomy of knowledge and practice on its head (151). He rightly points out that good application only ever stems from biblical truth and it is foolish to argue against any doctrinal emphasis on that basis.

I cannot find any major criticism I could level against this book. My only minor grievance is in chapter four where Rosscup likens Charles Finney to Jesus in regards to his prayer life (76). Perhaps this can be put down to a lack of awareness, at the time of writing, concerning the true nature of Finney’s Pelagian theology (Dr. Rosscup recently informed me that he would no longer quote Finney so favorably. Having said that, fleshing out such a minor issue in such a large body of work only serves to highlight the immense value of this book.

Overall, the book takes the reader on a thorough and detailed ride through every stage of the process in crafting a sound exposition of Scripture. That exhaustive content, the combined intellectual clout of the authors, and their distinguished track record of stellar preaching make this book an essential roadmap from the seminary to the pulpit.

Tragically, too few preachers will read Rediscovering Expository Preaching. I do not say that as a prophet but as someone who realizes that every preacher should read it to either affirm his commitment to biblical exposition, develop his skill and character as a faithful handler of the sacred text, or repent of his lame moralistic sermons and imposing his own agenda onto the Scriptures. This book is a vital modern addition to the rich Christian legacy of preaching that rightly and authoritatively communicates God’s written revelation to His people. May we receive MacArthur’s cautionary counsel not to study Scripture in search of a sermon, but to develop expository sermons out of the overflow of our relationship with God that is cultivated in the study of His Word (94).