Secondary Instruments

“And none of this threatens sola fide in the slightest because to maintain that faith is the sole instrument in justification does not deny that God uses other secondary instruments, always subsidiary to the primary instrument, which is faith alone. Those other subordinate instruments would include, but not be limited to, preaching, Gideon Bibles, tracts in the laundromat, billboards, sermon tapes, baptism, godly mothers, and so on.”

The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 605

All Wolves, All the Time

“All polemics all the time would be a tiresome business, and not characteristic of a fruitful ministry, and not what Christ calls us to. As I have noted before, a shepherd who doesn’t know how to fight is a loveless shepherd. But a shepherd who does nothing but fight—all wolves, all the time—is probably making up wolves. And he is almost certainly not leading the flock to green pasture. So there is a time and a season for everything.”

The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, pp. 591-592

Ladling Contumely

“Any process that could conceivably result in Steve Wilkins being forced out of the PCA for ‘heterodox views,’ as this process certainly could, without Steve ever having a full, complete, open and honorable trial, with a presumption of innocence, is a process that deserves to have honest men everywhere ladle piping hot contumely over the top of its pointy little head. If this kind of vigorous response makes folks feel uncomfortable, then they should stop defending the indefensible. As one commenter on this blog put it, when sorting out a conflict among the kids, what do we think when one child says, ‘It all started when he hit me back’? Folks who want me to shut up about the PCA sure aren’t acting like they want me to shut up about the PCA” ().

The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 580

Okay, a Lot of Air Freshener Then

“Just as, in the South, you can say anything you want about anybody, just as long as you add the little exculpatory tag, ‘Bless his heart,’ (He’s a lying skunk, bless his heart), so in Christian circles, you can come sneeveling around with slanderous accusations circulated by anonymous and lying cowards, just as long as you say something suitably pious as an attachment to the slander. ‘I read on covenantsludge.com that Doug Wilson has coats made for his wife out of Dalmatian puppies, but we must always remember to pray for him even as we report this to the saints, with grief in our hearts, considering ourselves lest we also be tempted.’ A little like trying to fix the problem of the dead rat behind your fridge with a little air freshener.”

The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 579

Grief and Grace

“The row at Antioch grieved the Spirit, and the hypocrisy of Peter and Barnabas grieved him as well. But the fact that Paul confronted the hypocrisy for what it was did not grieve the Spirit, even though it made Paul a participant in the disruption And someone like Paul could be grieved that it was necessary for him to do what he had to do, but not be at all grieved that he did it. It was a shame that it became necessary, but it was, at the end of the day, necessary.”

The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 579