Outcome: former BJU preacher and dito assistant said, “So be it!”

Alas, the church has grown, some folks quit fellowshiping with BJ ( aka resigned staff positions) and became full time members of said local church.

Moral of the story. If you send your kids to BJU to get a good quality education and part of that education is learning to stand alone, (after they get booted for nose pick’n things)…then know that God is still Good!,

Remember students, education isn’t just reading what someone else has written or what old BJ I, II or III has said at one time or another….Rather education is in the living!

Life will throw some nasty curve balls at you……..Wait for your pitch!

The BJU powers that be admitted that there was nothing unorthodox about what Camille and Grant wrote. By contrast, many folks within (and without) the PCA contend that the Federal Vision is *not* orthodox and runs counter to the historic protestant doctrine of justification. Whether or nor you agree with the view that critique of the FV (I infer that you don’t), you must realize that there is a difference between people who seek to rid their denomination of something they view as an *unorthodox* view of justification, and those who seek to rid their school of what they themselves admit is an *orthodox* view of sanctification.

Although not nearly as painful as your experience, I faced similar attitudes (as a student) when I joined the Reformed Episcopal Church as a Senior. I was told that while it was clear this denomination was clearly orthodox, they weren’t fundamenalists because they didn’t practice separation (as defined by the school). Therefore I had to choose: leave the school or leave the church. And it should be noted I was living at home at the time, and while my parents didn’t like the fact I’d become Reformed (much less Episcopal) they allowed me to do what I believed to be right.

Anyhow, back to the topic at hand, vis-a-vis sin and the Christian (what we might call “sin after Baptism”). Gal 3 and Romans 6 (baptized into Christ) are helpful — especially coupled with the Nicene Creed (one baptism for the remission of sins).

Btw, I think you and Grant displayed the patience of Job throughout this process.

And that’s what I was talking about way back when too.

“Although a Christian can be called carnal, his whole spiritual life cannot be categorized as such; he cannot be put into the category of carnal Christian because there is no such category. Every single Christian can be called a carnal Christian because every single Christian is carnal to some degree, but there is no distinct category of carnal Christian.”

I remember finishing a certain highly recommended book while I was in high school and feeling that an impossible weight had been thrown on my shoulders. If I was acting/feeling/desiring, I was sinning. If I was sitting/submitting/being passive, I was sinning. No matter what I did or didn’t do, somehow I was rebelling. There was no chance to ever get out of the “carnal Christian” category because there was no way that I could reach the point of perfect harmony with Chris in every thought, word, and deed. I ended up wondering why I should even bother trying. No matter what I did, someone could point a finger and disapprove.

Thank God that He has approved us already!

And I’ve talked with my Lutheran friends a little about this, and their perspective is not one that I’ve digested yet. Still chewing on it.