INTEGRITY A lournøl of Christiøn Thought PLIBLISHED BY THE COMMISSION FOR THEOLOGICALINTEGRITY OF THE NATIONALASSOCIATION OF FREE WILL BAPTISTS Editor J. Matthew Pinson Pastor, Colquitt Free Will Baptist Church, Colquitt, Georgia Assistant Editor Paul V. Harrison Pastot Cross Timbers Free Will Baptist Church, Nashville, Tennessee Editoriøl Boørd Timothy Eaton, Vice-President, Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College Daryl W. Ellis, Pastor, Butterfield Free Will Baptist Church, Aurora, Illinois F. Leroy Forlines, Professor, Free Will Baptist Bible College Keith Fletcher, Editor-in-Chief Randall House Publications Jeff Manning, Pastor, Unity Free Will Baptist Church, Greenville, North Carolina Garnett Reid, Professor, Free Will Baptist Bible College Integrity: A fournal of Christiøn Thought is published in cooperation with Randall House Publications, Free Will Baptist Bible College, and Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College. It is partially funded by those institutions as well as a number of interested churches and indi- viduals. Integrity exists to stimulate and provide a forum fo¡ Cfuistian scholarship among Free Will Baptists and to fulfill the purposes of the Commission for Theological Integrity. The Commission for Theological Integrity consists of the following members: F. Leroy Forlines (chairman), Daryl W Ellis, Paul V. Harrisor¡ Jeff Manning, and f. Matthew Pinson. Manuscripts for publication and communications on editorial matters should be di¡ected to the attention of the editor at the following address: 114 Bremond Street, Colquitt, Georgia 37737.B-mail inquiries should be addressed to: [email protected]. Additional copies of the journal can be requested for $6.00 (cost includes shipping). Typeset by Henrietta Brown Printed by Rnndall House Publícations, Nøshz¡ille, Tennessee 37217 @ Copyright 2000 by the Commission for Theological lntegrity, National Association of Free Will Baptists Printed in the United States of America Contents Preface . .7-74 F. LEROY FORLINES Introduction to Integrity: Alournal of Christiøn Thought . .11-12 J. MATTHEWPINSON Dry Bones, Scattered Saints, and Spiritual Renewal: A Sermon . .15-23 RANDYSAWYER "Son of Man": A Depiction of Jesus' Humanity or a Title for a Glorious Messiah? .25-39 MARTIN E. SHELDON The Wideness of God's Mercy: An Inquiry into the Extent ofsalvation ......41_66 THOMASMARBERRY Toward a Theology of the Ordinances with Special Reference to Feet Washing . .67-87 J. MATTHEWPINSON Christ, the Sacraments, and Man in the Thought of lohn Chrysostom . 89-702 PAULV. HARRISON The Equal Ultimacy Question in Calvin's Doctrine of Reprobation: IsPredestinationReally "Dottble"?. ...103-113 JOELE. FIAMPTON Can We Prove Our Faith? Reflections on Reason and Christian Belief inaPostmodernAge ...115-135 DAVID FITE How Big Is Your Church?. .137-152 DARYLW. ELLIS The Principles of the Christian Critical Tradition. .753-170 DARRELLHOLLEY 4 TNTEGRITY ATOURNALoFCHRISTIAN THOUGHT Book Reviews..... 7r7-rs4 From Creøtion to the Cross: Understanding the First HaIf of the Bible. By Albert H. Baylis David Fite Nezo International Dictionary ot' OId Testøment Theology ønd Exegesis. Willem A. VanGemeren, ed.. Garnett H. Reid Galatians: PøuI's Charter ot' Christian Freedom. By Leon Morris . Charles A. Thigpen Angels and the New Spirituality. By Duane A. Garrett Angels of Light, Powers ot' Darkness. By Stephen F. Noll. Paul F. Hall VitøI Christology Issues: Examining Contenryorary nnd Classic Concerrs. Roy B. Zuck, ed. Robert E. Piciritli The God Who Rísks: ATheology ot' Proaidence. By John Sanders . A. B. Brown Postmodernizing the Føith. By Millard J. Erickson rNhy Should Anyone Belieae Anything at AII? By ]ames W. Sire . Stephen M. Ashby Mission on the Way: Issues in Mission Theology. By Charles Van Engen . Dennis Owen The Anabaptist Story: An Introduction to Sixteentlt Century Anabnptism. By William R. Estep . William F. Davidson Eaangelism Møde Slightly Less Dit'ficult: How to Interest People Who Aren't Interested. By Nick Pollard . Don Walker Old Wine in New Wineskins: Doctrinal Preaching in a Chønging World. By Millard j. Ericksor-r and James L. Heflin. Dann Patrick The Diztine Conspiracy: Rediscoaering Our Hidden Lífe in God. By Dallas Willard ]anice Banks Being Human: The Nature of Spit'itual Ëxperience. By Ranald Macaulay and Jerram Barrs. Melvin L. Worthington Contributors DARYLW. ELLIS Pastor, Butterfield Free Will Baptist Church, Aurora, Illinois DAVID FITE Pastor, Macedonia Free Will Baptist Church, Colquitt, Georgia F. LEROY FORLINES Former Chairmarç Department of Biblical and Ministry Studies Professor of Theology Free Will Baptist Bible College, Nashville, Tennessee JOELE. HAMPTON Chaplain, United States Air Force Dyess Air Force Base, Texas PAI.'LV. HARRISON Pastol Cross Timbers Free Will Baptist Church, Nashville, Tennessee Instructor of Church History, Free Will Baptist Bible College DARRELLHOLLEY Chairman, Department of English and Speech Free Will Baptist Bible College THOMASMARBERRY President, Seminary of the Cross, Reynosa, Mexico J. MATTHEW PINSON Pastor, Colquitt Free Will Baptist Church, Colquitt, Georgia Instructor of History and Religion, Bainbridge College, Bainbridge, Georgia RANDY SAIATYER Pastor, First Free Will Baptist Church, Gastonia, North Carolina MARTINE. SHELDON Free Will Baptist minister, Lynchburg, Virginia Preface On October 25-26,7996, tlire Commission for Theological Integrity of the National Association of Free Will Baptists sponsored its first Theological Symposium at Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, Tennessee. We were greatly encouraged by the attendance, the interest, and the quality of the papers that were read. We made a decision to continue these meet- ings annually. On alternate years we have met at Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College in Moore, Oklahoma. Our fourth Theological Symposium convened at Hillsdale on November 4-5,7999. The papers that have been presented and the interest that has been shown have convinced us that we have many among us who are well equipped to wrestle with difficult subjects and deal with important issues. Yet few people will do in-depth research and struggle with diffi- cult ideas and issues if they do not have an opportunity to present their findings to others. Until the present time, the annual Theological Symposium has been the only format in our denomination for a person to present researched papers and have them critiqued by others. As we have reflected upon the interest manifested by those who have attended our annual Theological Symposium and the quality of the papers presented, the members of the Commission for Theological Integrity have become convinced that the time has arrived for us to pub- lish a theological journal. This will provide another format for sharing the benefits of those who pay the price of doing in-depth research and think- ing. The journal will help us connect to a much wider audience than we have been able to reach in the past. We want to furnish pertinent materi- al for pastors, those in leadership positions, and those among the laity who would like to be informed and stay in touch with what is happening in the field of biblical and theological life and thought. The publication of this journal is a joint venture of the Commission for Theological Integrity, Randall House Publications, Free Will Baptist Bible College, and Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College. The commission is greatly indebted to these institutions for their cooperation and support. Without their help the publication of this journal would not be possible. Free Will Baptists have a rich heritage. We are greatly indebted to those who have made it possible for us to reach the present time with a 8 INTEGRITY: A JOURNAL oF CHRISTIAN THoUGHT sound, biblically based theology. God has used some of His choicest ser- vants to help us stay on the right course while many in the theological world have been led astray. The present time is producing new and diffi- cult challenges. We must equip ourselves for these challenges. When the church in the Western world entered the twentieth centu- ry, secular modernism and theological liberalism strongly challenged it. The twentieth century was a time of both losses and gains for conserva- tive Christianity. Modernism, with its denial of divine revelation and its rejection of a place for miracles in worldview thinking, influenced many in the direction of naturalism. As modernism influenced the theological world, many moved toward theological liberalism. As a result of the influence of modernism, theological liberalism denied special divine rev- elation and the possibility of miracles. There was no place for the Bible to be viewed as an objective, authoritative, divine revelation. There was no place for the miraculous virgin birth of Christ, no place for the deity of Christ, no place for Jesus' miracles, and no place for the miraculous bod- ily resurrection of Christ. Many theological institutions became seriously corrupted by liberal- ism. In the 1920s it became evident that theological liberalism had devas- tated numerous theological seminaries. Ministerial students found it increasingly difficult to find conservative seminaries to attend. In order to meet this challenge, God raised up leaders who founded many Bible col- leges, Christian liberal arts colleges, and theological seminaries that were committed to the fundamentals of the faith. The results of the devastating influence of theological liberalism could be seen by a visit to a library. I can remember the experience that I had as a