My Labels and Buzzwords.
For fun I thought I would try to attach as many labels to my
personal theological position as I could. At the same
time this will serve as my statement of faith:
- Christian
- Conservative - takes the Bible literally.
- Protestant
- Reformed - I don't fully deserve this label actually as I drop
two of the points of classical reformed theology. The oxymoron
"Reformed Baptist" probably better suits me.
- Trinitarian
- Calvinist (TULIP works for me).
- Evangelical in the pre-twentieth century sense of the word.
- Solus Christus (Christ alone) - Christ is the only means of salvation.
- Sola Scriptura (scripture alone) - Scripture is the sole authority for
faith and practice, and is the verbally inspired infallible word of God
(original languages only however).
- Sola Gratia (grace alone) - we are saved by grace through faith alone.
- Sola Fide (faith alone) - we are justified by faith alone.
- Soli Deo Gloria (only God's glory - God's highest purpose in doing anything
is His own glory and good pleasure).
- Substitutionary atonement
- Pre-millennial (mostly agnostic about trib positions, but I lean towards pre-wrath).
- Partial cessationist (God does miracles in response to prayer,
but the gifts appear to have ceased, I make no
theology to say they have definitely ceased, nor am I dogmatic about it,
but like the early church fathers, I make the observation that they appear
to have done so). I understand that this is a fairly strong statement for me,
an ex-Charismatic/word-of-faither, to make.
- Biblical Dispensationalist - read my article for a description
of this one, but briefly I assert Israel still has a place in history,
but deny popular dispensationalism's notion of differing ways
of salvation in different periods of history.
- Young Earth Creationism - This is a recent switch for me, and a hard
one since I was raised in science.
Opposing labels (I oppose or disagree with these theologies),
many of these disagreements are friendly however,
meaning these positions are held by my brothers and sisters in Christ.
I (partially in the spirit of fun) follow the rule of appending "ism" after
everything I disagree with.
- Arminianism (Like Charles Spurgeon, I affirm these are our brothers
in Christ provided no other heresies are entertained).
- Hyper-Calvinism in its many forms, some heretical, some not.
- Pelagianism (Like Jonathan Edwards and the early
church fathers, I deny these can be brothers in Christ if they truly
understand what they are believing).
- Sacramentarianism - Any teaching that sacraments are necesary for
salvation is fully heretical in my mind.
- Baptismal Regeneration - Same as sacramentarianism.
- Paedobaptism - Neither do I believe in paedobaptism, but I embrace as
brothers in Christ those who practice it as long as they do not teach
baptismal regeneration.
- Amillennialism/Postmillennialism (it is healthy to be acquainted with these
viewpoints, as we do not know for certain which is the correct viewpoint
until it happens).
- Pretribulationism (same comments as millennialism above).
- Partial (or orthodox) Preterism - the idea that most of prophecy was
fulfilled by 70 AD with the destruction of the Jewish temple. This
is a Biblically tenable position, and is the second most popular view of
the reformation It tends to be associated
with the awe and post millenial viewpoints.
- Full preterism, the idea that all prophecy was fulfilled by 70 AD,
is fully heretical as it denies the physical second coming of Christ.
- Continuism - This is the majority view of Revelation held by the
reformation, a lot of good can be said about it, and it is all but ignored
by the modern church.
- Higher Criticism/liberal theology (I deny these can be brothers in
Christ as they have denied the authority of scripture).
- Christian mysticism/gnosticism (I affirm they can be brothers in Christ,
but they are in serious danger of being misled to destruction, and
chances are most are not saved).
- Pentecostalism (as an ex-pentecostal I affirm they can be our brothers
in Christ, same caveats as Arminianism and gnosticism). I also applaud
the segments of Pentecostalism that are rejecting experience based
Christianity (they call it Charismania as I do) in favor of
Bible based Christianity; the gnosticism caveat does not apply to them.
- Word-of-Faith(ism) (this one is tough, the leaders of the movement espouse
heretical teachings, but the followers are often unaware of the
more extreme teachings, so while I reject it overall as a heretical movement,
I affirm they can be our brothers and sisters in Christ).
- Romanism (without listing all the doctrinal errors, let me say
that enough heresies pervade its thinking that I deny its true adherents
can be brothers in Christ, but admit that some of its more ignorant
members could be, similar to my position on Word-of-Faithism. Most
notably they deny the authority of scripture and teach justification
by works - initially by sacraments and followed by holy living).
- Covenant Theology - they are our brothers in Christ.
Covenant theology in particular was the view of the reformation,
- New Covenant Theology (NCT) - actually I am neutral to mildly
positive about this one without being a full adherent of the
position.
- Old Earth Creationism - Of the old earth views, I like Hugh Ross's
variety that tries to interpret the Bible literally, and strongly denigrate
the ones that must allegorize Genesis (notably the theistic evolutionary
position).
* - if you like this series of positions I have taken, then you will
like my favorite preacher, John MacArthur, as my positions are very close
to his as far as I understand them (except he is pre-trib).