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Copyright © 2018 Evan Todd Fisher All Rights Reserved. the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Has Permission to Reproduce A Copyright © 2018 Evan Todd Fisher All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. STRENGTHEN WHAT REMAINS: THE RHETORICAL SITUATION OF JAMES MONTGOMERY BOICE __________________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________________ by Evan Todd Fisher December 2018 APPROVAL SHEET STRENGTHEN WHAT REMAINS: THE RHETORICAL SITUATION OF JAMES MONTGOMERY BOICE Evan Todd Fisher Read and Approved by: __________________________________________ Hershael W. York (Chair) __________________________________________ Robert A. Vogel __________________________________________ Michael A. G. Haykin Date ______________________________ To the memory of James Montgomery Boice A tireless champion for the Word of God TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES . vii PREFACE . viii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION . 1 Thesis . 6 Background . 18 Methodology . 22 2. THE RISE OF LIBERALISM IN NORTHERN MAINLINE PRESBYTERIANISM . 26 Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy . 27 Conclusion . 51 3. STRENGTHENING WHAT REMAINS: BOICE’S STRUGGLE WITH THE UPCUSA . 53 The Rise of Neo-Orthodoxy in Mainline Presbyterianism . 53 Ecumenism and the Confession of 1967 . 55 Boice Begins at Tenth and Disagrees with UPCUSA . 61 Working for Change from Within . 76 4. MENTORS THAT SHAPED THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF JAMES BOICE . 93 Donald Grey Barnhouse . 94 Harold John Ockenga . 99 Robert J. Lamont . 105 iv Chapter Page John Gerstner . 109 Conclusion . 114 5. PROCLAMATION FOR REFORMATION: SERMONS AND WRITINGS OF JAMES BOICE . 116 Strategic Sermons . 116 Genesis . 119 The Gospel of John . 142 Philippians . 163 6. A DIFFICULT DEPARTURE . 173 Letter from Session . 174 Statement on Leaving the UPCUSA . 181 Wynn Kenyon and Overture L . 186 Mansfield Kaseman . 195 The Property at Tenth . 198 Choosing a New Denomination . 207 7. THEORIES OF RHETORICAL SITUATION . 211 Theories of Rhetorical Situation . 211 Summary . 237 8. CONCLUSION . 240 The Success of James Boice . 240 The Price to Be Paid . 245 Should I Stay or Should I Go? . 248 Appendix 1. FAMILY TREE OF PRESBYTERIAN DENOMINATIONS . 252 2. REFERENCES TO THEOLOGICAL LIBERALISM AND ERRANT THINKERS AS CITED IN BOICE’S PRINTED SERMONS . 253 v Appendix Page 3. THIRTY MOST REFERENCED LIBERAL AND NEO-ORTHODOX THEOLOGIANS . 255 4. THIRTY THEOLOGY BOOKS . 256 5. REFERENCES OF LIBERAL THEOLOGIANS IN SERMONS BY BOICE AND HIS PEERS . 258 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 259 vi LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table Page A1. Liberal/Neo-Orthodox theologians and errant religious thinkers . 253 A2. Atheist/agnostic thinkers . 254 A3. Errant doctrines/theories/philosophies . 254 A4. Key words/phrases . 254 A5. Liberal theologians referenced by evangelical preachers . 258 Figure A1. Presbyterian denominations in the United States . 252 vii PREFACE Ever since I graduated with my master’s degree in 1996, I have longed to achieve a Ph.D. Four years ago, the opportunity was finally right in both my family and professional life to begin the journey toward a terminal degree. I was filled with both excitement and trepidation at the prospect of challenging myself in a program of such strong academic rigor which required a discipline of hard work I had not previously experienced. Now, as I near the completion of the Ph.D., I am struck with two emotions: amazement and gratitude. I am amazed at the amount of time and effort it took to finish the requirements of the degree and at the sense of fulfillment finishing such an arduous task has given me. I am grateful for the grace of God to see me through to completion of the Ph.D. journey, which has sharpened my skills as a scholar and pastor. In addition, I am both amazed at and thankful for the number of people who graciously helped me make the dream of achieving a Ph.D. become a reality. To this end, I would be remiss in failing to mention those to whom I am especially indebted for their service to me. In the years leading up to beginning the Ph.D., I had the opportunity to serve on the board of trustees at Southern Seminary and got to know its president, Dr. Albert Mohler. During this time, I became deeply impressed with Southern’s commitment to academic excellence and faithfulness to the Word of God and concluded that Southern should be the institution from which I would seek the Ph.D. I am grateful for the multiple occasions when Dr. Mohler talked with me about Dr. Boice, whom he knew, and his encouragement to me to begin the program. I am grateful to Dr. York and Dr. Vogel, who served as my preaching professors. I greatly enjoyed my time with them in seminars and colloquia. Both men are genuine models of a pastor-scholar and greatly assisted me in the development of my dissertation on Boice. In addition, I will always be thankful for viii my classmates in the program who challenged and encouraged me and will be lifelong friends. As I began to think through a topic for my dissertation, I quickly landed on James Montgomery Boice, whose sermons and books I had read since I first became a pastor in 1992. One of the greatest joys for me in the process of researching and writing the dissertation has been my interaction with Linda Boice, Dr. Boice’s widow. Mrs. Boice welcomed me into her home in Philadelphia and answered my questions for hours on end. She then regularly emailed me and sent me documents pertaining to my research. Her assistance and guidance in accurately writing about the work of Dr. Boice was invaluable to me, and I will always cherish my newfound friendship with this gracious and godly woman. I also want to give special thanks to Dot Boersma, office manager at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Dot went above and beyond in helping me with my research, even to the point of crawling through the dusty attic of the church looking through its archives on my behalf. Others to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for their substantial help is my administrative assistant, Kathy Bowlan. Kathy meticulously worked to make copies and helped me organize research documents. At the same time, she was a great encouragement to me to begin and finish the Ph.D. program. Sadly, just after I completed the dissertation, Kathy suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. I regret she will not get to see all the hard work she put toward this program come to its final fruition. Another person who helped me immeasurably on the dissertation and seminar research papers is my aunt Debbie Perry. Debbie, a veteran English teacher, spent countless hours proofing my work for grammar and format errors—a “labor of love” for which I will be forever grateful. I would also like to thank my sister-in-law, Laurie Taylor, who was one of my biggest cheerleaders throughout the Ph.D. process. She was always willing to go to the library at Southern to look something up for me and often brought me a Dr. Pepper and candy bar in seminars and comprehensive exams. Additionally, I want to acknowledge my ix classmate Kevin Koslowsky, who helped me navigate the complexities of Presbyterian history and polity as well as Michael Pelter, who for a year helped me to study Latin in preparation for the proficiency exam. My gratitude to the people of Immanuel Baptist Church is difficult to express. They have supported me and loved me through the entire Ph.D., giving me the time to study, research, and write. I cannot imagine a greater church family in which to serve, and I could not have achieved this degree without them. Finally, I want to thank my family. Our children, Zachary, Carly, and Anna, have had to bear the brunt of a father often preoccupied and busy with school. I so appreciate their patience and support of me. Most of all, my wife, Jamy, has been my rock all along. She encouraged me time and again when I was overwhelmed or ready to give up and lovingly, patiently allowed me to focus on school. I will never be able to thank you, Jamy, for your partnership and sacrifice in this journey. This degree is as much yours as it is mine. My hope is that this dissertation might be of use to pastors and others who find themselves in a situation similar to Boice’s. When one finds him or herself belonging to an organization that is jettisoning biblical orthodoxy and historical roots of confessionalism, the proper course of action is difficult to discern. There are times when departing the organization is necessary, but it also may well be that one should stay and work to “strengthen what remains.” The decision is difficult, but action of some form must be taken. The ministry of James Boice provides a helpful example of how one can navigate such difficult times. Todd Fisher Shawnee, Oklahoma December 2018 x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) stands as an influential figure in the resurgence of orthodox theology, inerrancy, and expositional preaching among evangelicals in the latter half of the twentieth century. Boice’s influence is manifested through his long-term tenure as a pastor-theologian, author, and leader in evangelical organizations promoting conservative views of the Bible and Christian thought. Boice served as senior pastor of the historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia for thirty-two years (1968 until his death in 2000), and wrote or contributed to over sixty books regarding the Bible and theology, including a systematic theology titled Foundations of the Christian Faith. Twenty-seven of these books are Boice’s expositional commentaries, which serve as a collection of his expository sermons through various books in both the Old and New Testaments.
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