Nineteen questions for signers of "The Manhattan Declaration"

[ReformedBaptist]

Great article on the topic we have been discussing. I thought it would be fun for each one of us to answer the questions. I am only going to answer the first 5 for the sake of brevity.

The questions are here: http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2009/11/nineteen-questions-for-signers-of.html

1. Is the Bible your sole, sufficient, ultimate source and authority for faith and practice?

YES

2. Do you believe that the Biblical Gospel is the good news that lost, sinful man can be reconciled to God by grace alone, through faith alone, in and because of Christ's person and work alone, to the glory of God alone, as seen with final authority in Scripture alone?

YES

3. Do you see — note well my wording — Scriptural warrant for applying the word "Christian" to anyone other than one who is yoked as a student to the words of Christ and His apostles (Acts 11:26), who affirms the Gospel as described in #2 above (Acts 26:28), and who has been spiritually regenerated by grace alone through faith alone (1 Peter 4:16; cf. 1:3-5)?

NO

4. Do you see — again, note well my wording — Scriptural warrant for applying the word "Christian" to anyone who would distort and oppose that Gospel, either personally or by aligning himself directly as a supporter (let alone promoter) of such institutional distortion and opposition?

NO

5. Do you believe that "distortion" of that Gospel is a damning heresy, such as falls under the thundering apostolic condemnation of Galatians 1:6-9?

YES

 

[Jkdbuck76]

Those are very loaded questions.

Most them are like asking "Have you stopped beating your mother yet."

I mean, I get what he's trying to say, but those are loaded questions.

Personally, I think there is nothing wrong with linking up with other churches that support traditional marriage and want to fight against abortion.

And let me say this: I've yet to meet a Catholic or an Orthodox who say that they are being saved because of their good works.

I'm tired of this kind of thing. In the fight against abortion and in the fight to uphold traditional marriage, the RCC's and the Eastern Orthodox can be great allies.

IMO, MacArthur is wrong. But that is an opinion and no amount of arguing will change that.

I mean, people from diverse backgrounds and religions fought and won WWII and rid Europe of the Nazi blight.
We're at war and we should unite to this end.

And we should pray to God to sustain us thru the battle.

 

[ReformedBaptist]

Those are very loaded questions.

Most them are like asking "Have you stopped beating your mother yet."

I mean, I get what he's trying to say, but those are loaded questions.

Personally, I think there is nothing wrong with linking up with other churches that support traditional marriage and want to fight against abortion.

And let me say this: I've yet to meet a Catholic or an Orthodox who say that they are being saved because of their good works.

I'm tired of this kind of thing.

Wow, so you have been taken in by it too.

 

[Jkdbuck76]

Goodbye, Baptistboard.

 

[ReformedBaptist]

Goodbye, Baptistboard.

Adios amigos.

 

[Agnus_Dei]

I mean, people from diverse backgrounds and religions fought and won WWII and rid Europe of the Nazi blight.
We're at war and we should unite to this end.

And we should pray to God to sustain us thru the battle.

:applause:
:thumbs:

In XC
-

 

[Jkdbuck76]

Adios amigos.

This is my last post on Baptistboard mainly because of you and people just like you.

But I part with a joke:

One day St. Peter was guiding a tour of new arrivals thru Heaven. He lead them to one area of that great City and said "this is where the Methodists live."

He lead the group to another neighborhood and said "this is where the Catholics live." Then they went to another section and he told them "this is where the Lutherans live and over across the street is where the Nestorians and the Coptic Orthodox and the Mennonites live."

Then they walked to another neighborhood and the crowd of new arrivals were laughing and chatting and making quite some noise. St. Peter said
"SHHHHH! Quiet down. Be quiet in this neighborhood. This is where the Reformed Baptists live."

One of the new arrivals asked him "So what?"

St. Peter said "they think they're the only ones here in Heaven."

 

[ReformedBaptist]

This is my last post on Baptistboard mainly because of you and people just like you.

But I part with a joke:

One day St. Peter was guiding a tour of new arrivals thru Heaven. He lead them to one area of that great City and said "this is where the Methodists live."

He lead the group to another neighborhood and said "this is where the Catholics live." Then they went to another section and he told them "this is where the Lutherans live and over across the street is where the Nestorians and the Coptic Orthodox and the Mennonites live."

Then they walked to another neighborhood and the crowd of new arrivals were laughing and chatting and making quite some noise. St. Peter said
"SHHHHH! Quiet down. Be quiet in this neighborhood. This is where the Reformed Baptists live."

One of the new arrivals asked him "So what?"

St. Peter said "they think they're the only ones here in Heaven."

Glad I could help.

 

[FriendofSpurgeon]

Those are very loaded questions.

Most them are like asking "Have you stopped beating your mother yet."

I mean, I get what he's trying to say, but those are loaded questions.

Personally, I think there is nothing wrong with linking up with other churches that support traditional marriage and want to fight against abortion.

And let me say this: I've yet to meet a Catholic or an Orthodox who say that they are being saved because of their good works.

I'm tired of this kind of thing. In the fight against abortion and in the fight to uphold traditional marriage, the RCC's and the Eastern Orthodox can be great allies.

IMO, MacArthur is wrong. But that is an opinion and no amount of arguing will change that.

I mean, people from diverse backgrounds and religions fought and won WWII and rid Europe of the Nazi blight.
We're at war and we should unite to this end.

And we should pray to God to sustain us thru the battle.

Agreed. And many Catholic & Orthodox often uphold life issues, traditional family, etc. much more than my friends in more mainstream Christian denominations.

 

[Marcia]

Here are some posts as to why one should not sign the Manhattan Declaration:

http://new.ligonier.org/blog/the-manhattan-declaration/ (R C Sproul)

In answer to the question, “R.C., why didn’t you sign the Manhattan Declaration?” I offer the following answer: The Manhattan Declaration confuses common grace and special grace by combining them. While I would march with the bishop of Rome and an Orthodox prelate to resist the slaughter of innocents in the womb, I could never ground that cobelligerency on the assumption that we share a common faith and a unified understanding of the gospel. The framers of the Manhattan Declaration seem to have calculated this objection into the language of the document itself. Likewise, some signers have stated that this is not a theological document. However, to make that statement accurate requires a redefinition of “theology” and serious equivocation on the biblical meaning of “the gospel” (2 Cor. 11:4).


The drafters of the document, Charles Colson, Robert George, and Timothy George, used deliberate language that is on par with the ecumenical language of the Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT) movement that began in the 1990s. The Manhattan Declaration states, “Christians are heirs of a 2,000-year tradition of proclaiming God’s Word,” and it identifies “Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelicals” as “Christians.” The document calls Christians to unite in “the Gospel,” “the Gospel of costly grace,” and “the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness.” Moreover, the document says, “it is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season.”

Without question, biblical truth must be proclaimed and the gospel preached prophetically to our nation. But how could I sign something that confuses the gospel and obscures the very definition of who is and who is not a Christian? I have made this point again and again since the days of ECT. Though the framers of the Manhattan Declaration declaim any connection to ECT, it appears to me that the Manhattan Declaration is inescapably linked to that initiative, which I have strenuously resisted.--end excerpt

http://feedingonchrist.com/more-on-the-manhattan-declaration/

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2009/11/30/the-manhattan-declaration/

http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2009/11/nineteen-questions-for-signers-of.html

 

[FriendofSpurgeon]

Here are some posts as to why one should not sign the Manhattan Declaration:

http://new.ligonier.org/blog/the-manhattan-declaration/ (R C Sproul)


http://feedingonchrist.com/more-on-the-manhattan-declaration/

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2009/11/30/the-manhattan-declaration/

http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2009/11/nineteen-questions-for-signers-of.html

Thanks Marcia. I haven't had time to read all, but RC's post was very enlightening.

 

[Marcia]

Thanks Marcia. I haven't had time to read all, but RC's post was very enlightening.

You're welcome!

I don't think the 2nd link works. I've asked for a better link from the list where it was posted and if I get one, I'll post it here.