DVBC 2019 Bible-Presbyterianism History & Theology FAR EASTERN BIBLE COLLEGE 9A Gilstead Road, Singapore 309063; www.febc.edu.sg f Bible-Presbyterianism: History & Theology TABLE OF CONTENTS BIBLE-PRESBYTERIANISM: HISTORY AND THEOLOGY ......................................................... 3 HISTORY OF BIBLE-PRESBYTERIANISM ....................................................................................... 4 The Bible-Presbyterian Church ........................................................................................................... 4 Roots of the Bible-Presbyterian Church ............................................................................................. 6 French (John Calvin) ......................................................................................................................... 7 English (English Presbyterian Mission) ......................................................................................... 9 Chinese (Dr John Sung) .................................................................................................................. 13 American (Dr Carl McIntire) ......................................................................................................... 18 Singapore (Rev Dr Timothy Tow) ................................................................................................ 29 AppendiX ......................................................................................................................................... 47 DOCTRINE OF BIBLICAL SEPARATION ...................................................................................... 53 The Historical B-P Position on Biblical Separation ........................................................................ 53 The Current Debate on Biblical Separation ..................................................................................... 63 Redefining Roots and Origins ....................................................................................................... 63 Question on Secondary Separation .............................................................................................. 65 Essentials Vs Non-Essentials ......................................................................................................... 68 Rights of Private Judgement ......................................................................................................... 71 The Biblical Doctrine of Separation .................................................................................................. 73 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 76 DOCTRINE OF PREMILLENNIALISM ........................................................................................... 78 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 78 Definitions ........................................................................................................................................ 78 The Issue at Hand ........................................................................................................................... 80 History of Premillennialism in the B-P Church .............................................................................. 81 The Doctrine of Premillennialism ..................................................................................................... 86 The Position of the B-P Church ..................................................................................................... 86 The Compatibility of Pro-Israel Premillennialism with Covenant Theology ........................ 93 1 Evaluation and Application .............................................................................................................. 96 Importance and Implications of Premillennialism .................................................................... 96 Relationship of Premillennialism with Biblical Separation ...................................................... 97 INSPIRATION AND PRESERVATION OF HOLY SCRIPTURE ............................................... 99 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 99 VPP EXplained ................................................................................................................................... 100 The Promise of Preservation ....................................................................................................... 101 The Extent of Preservation .......................................................................................................... 102 The Identity of the Preserved TeXt ............................................................................................. 105 VPP Evaluated ................................................................................................................................... 109 Criticism of VPP ............................................................................................................................ 110 “Alternative” to VPP .................................................................................................................... 112 Fallacy of Modern TeXtual Criticism ......................................................................................... 114 ESSENTIAL PRACTICES .................................................................................................................. 120 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 120 Does Practice Matter? – Double-talk in the BPCIS ....................................................................... 121 Burial or Cremation? ........................................................................................................................ 123 The Historic Position of the B-P Church ................................................................................... 123 The Position of the BPCIS ............................................................................................................ 124 The Biblical Position ..................................................................................................................... 124 Alcoholic Drinks: Total Abstinence or Moderation? ................................................................... 128 The Historic Position of the B-P Church ................................................................................... 128 The Position of the BPCIS ............................................................................................................ 129 The Biblical Position ..................................................................................................................... 129 Contemporary Christian Worship .................................................................................................. 134 The Historic Position of the B-P Church ................................................................................... 134 The Position of the BPCIS ............................................................................................................ 135 The Biblical Position ..................................................................................................................... 135 AppendiX ............................................................................................................................................ 141 2 BIBLE-PRESBYTERIANISM: HISTORY AND THEOLOGY “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” (Jer 6:16). With the passing of the founding fathers of the Bible-Presbyterian Church in Singapore, namely, the Rev Dr Timothy Tow (d 2009), the Rev Quek Kiok Chiang (d 2015) and Dr SH Tow (d 2019), the neXt generation of Bible-Presbyterian leaders and members need to uphold the good old faith by imbibing the founding spirit and ethos of their pioneering forebears and appreciating the roots and fruits of their Bible-Presbyterian faith and practice. Sadly, a new generation is emerging that seeks to undermine the beliefs and practices of our founding fathers especially those of Timothy Tow and SH Tow. These Bible-Presbyterians who were at the centre of the controversy that resulted in the split of the Bible-Presbyterian Church and the dissolution of the Bible-Presbyterian Synod in 1988 had just released a book called Heritage & Legacy of the Bible-Presbyterian Church in Singapore to tell “their side of the story”. It is really their attempt to rewrite history and redefine doctrines. Can we keep quiet and say nothing? We are reminded of the words of Mordecai, “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esth 4:14). We cannot be silent! Thankfully, our founding pastors and leaders had bequeathed to us a trove of books and articles and other documents which reveal clearly their beliefs and convictions. It goes without saying that