Theological Humility

For the hearty, you may want to note the article on the Reformation21 site on the emergent church. http://www.reformation21.org/Front_Desk/September_2005_Feature_/82/ The author, a professor of Church History from Westminster Seminary, makes the case that the new church leaders who are committed to a more "generous orthodoxy" do not rightly understand the great theologians of the 16th and 17th century. Emergent church writers have tended to label them as "moderns" who used reason as their chief guide. The author contends that this is a big mistake based on a superficial examination. Instead, they were pre-modern thinkers who knew how to rightly use reason as a tool, but were completely committed to the Sola Scriptura position. Here’s the author’s concluding paragraph:

"What’s emerging in the church? According to many Emergent leaders, something old and new. But without accurately understanding the old, the new lacks the rigor and depth which can only be achieved through years of testing and refinement. Meeting the challenges of our contemporary culture is not an easy task. We must have the humility to admit that we cannot meet this challenge alone. Thankfully we are not historically isolated. We have a rich history of theological reflections and writings from which to draw from."

I see myself as a guardian of a historical tradition (the Reformed tradition), particularly as that tradition is expressed in the Westminster Standards. I have come to see that tradition as the most biblical explanation of the doctrines and commands of the Bible. It is also quite important to me that these standards are the standards of our churches. They are not mine alone, and I would be foolish to think that my own opinion on any one point would be enough to overturn the authority of these statements for the life of the church. We must be careful in thinking that we are smarter than we are, and thereby making sweeping accusations against the conclusions of former generations who were also committed to the authority of the Bible.