Theology Digest Fall 2010

Theology Digest • 1

Why We Study Dr. JoSeph

harriSon JackSonA PUBLICATION OF THE FULL GOSPEL BAPTIST CHURCH FELLOWSHIP DEPARTMENT OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Lessons from the reformation for toDay

the courage of

martin Luther

German theoLoGianS: BLeSSinG& Bane

Vol 01•No. 04

2 • Theology Digest


When I decided to launch a theological journal over a year ago I had to ask myself why such an endeavor had

such an enormous appeal to me. After all, I had to confess that the potential audience for a publication that was more interested in theological issues than contemporary news items was, in my estimation, very slim to say the least. At a time when the print medium was experiencing a down-turn, along with the economy, it appeared that one of the last things that people might want is a weighty publication aimed at the mind as oppose to our emotions.

And yet, when I considered the idea in more detail, I became further convinced that somewhere in the body of Christ there needed to be a brutally frank and honest discussion about what we believe and how those beliefs have undergone change and revisions because of the culture that we currently live in.

Without a doubt, Christianity has become a global experience that has sig-nificant mass appeal around the world. However, history seems to point out that whenever a faith system goes viral and reaches critical mass, there tends to be a “dumbing down” of the content so that it can remain attractive to the masses.

When the Renaissance in Europe was launched over five hundred years ago, there was established a curious tension between the scientific and religious community. Men like Copernicus and Galileo, who had been ardent believers and members of the Christian faith community, arrived at conclusions that made them question some of the ancient beliefs and practices of the church at that time.

Perhaps one of the more tragic reali-ties of that era was the shift in the aca-demic currency that had previously been spent on the subject of faith, God and our relationship with the divine. More and more, some of the better minds of the day

moved their focus to a search of empirical evidence and the scientific method, leav-ing the faith community to survive on the slanted opinions of those who were neither objective or balanced in their thinking.

It is with this history in mind, that I have sought to resurrect the rich tradition of the faith community to give our attention and best scholastic tools to the endeavor of continuing the academic excellence in the pulpit and in our churches.

Twice a year a selective group of church-persons and scholars assemble on the campus of some of our most presti-gious university campuses in the country to discuss and debate some of the more pro-found issues that challenge our doctrines and theology. The recitation that “we are, practicing theologians” has become not only a recited mantra but an identification that those who participate in this exercise has become extremely proud of.

This enterprise is not a worship ser-vice nor is it a Sunday School lesson, but rather it is an attempt to assemble critical minds for the task of examining our faith against the crucible of contemporary cul-ture and ask the more difficult questions of our time. Cloning, space exploration, re-defined sexual roles, political experiments and a host of other activities have created a situation for the modern theologian to study with new tools and new approaches.

It is my hope and prayer that this jour-nal will be a conduit for critical conversa-tion and a means by which those of us who are engaged in the enterprise of faith can have as an outlet and a forum to express ideas and opinions that might not be wel-come in a traditional setting where our practical vocation obscures and intimidates our discussions with each other.

Why theoLoGy is Still importantBishop Paul S. Morton

International Presiding Bishop

Bishop Andy C. Lewter, D. Min.Publisher/Editor in Chief

Pastor Justin CohenAssociate Editor

Nadin JohnsonExecutive Assistant

CoNtriButiNg WriterSBishop Lester WilliamsBishop Dennis GolphinOverseer Porter Brown

Annette Brown

The Theology Digest is a quartley publication published

by the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Department

of Christian Education. We welcome all submissions

which become the property of the publication and is subject to editorial revisions. For more

information please contact The-ology Digest, 2 Monroe Street,

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By Bishop Andy C. Lewter, D. Min.

A PUBLICATION OF THE FULL GOSPEL BAPTIST CHURCH FELLOWSHIP

DEPARTMENT OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION


In this century the Body of Christ finds itself in truly challenging and yet ex-citing times. There is a heightened interest in things spiritual, religious,

and even curiosity about what Godly is and what it is not. There are parallels between what we see today, and the conditions and circumstances that Martin Luther faced in 1517. At the same time we see parallels; we also see irony infused in the environ-ment now compared to the environment in Luther’s day.

First of all we need to be abundantly clear that the disaster of the Crusades was a precursor to what became known as the Protestant (Protesting) Reformation. Since the commandment for the Crusades came from the Holy See, and by all accounts the crusades were dismal failures, this opened the door to question the Doctrine of Papal Infallibility. Into the breach of this new di-mension of turmoil, questioning, discov-ery, and excitement on the part of more of the average folks stepped Martin Luther.

Martin Luther was not looking for a

big fight with the leadership of the Ro-man Catholic Church, but instead simply sought opportunity to dialogue concern-ing matters of the church that he found at least questionable. Martin Luther put forth ninety-five propositions for discussion ex-pecting to enter into stimulating dialogue with others in Wittenberg, Germany. In-stead a firestorm erupted that eventually led to his excommunication; this was the start of the Protestant Reformation.

Martin Luther did not dispute the Catholic Doctrine entirely. However, Lu-ther did have two major areas of concern that are laid out admirably in the Ninety-five points raised in 1517. He questioned the motives of local priest, monks, and the hierarchy of the church in extending indul-gences (pardons for a fee) noting that this practice generated a substantial amount of money for a church and Pope that were al-ready quite wealthy.

Secondly Martin Luther’s concern was clearly the cheapening of the grace of God by reducing it to a system of goods

sold for purely financial motive. Thus we see the parallel to today’s visible church. Grace has been cheapened by the so-called Gospel of Inclusion and compromise con-cerning sin. Whenever sin is no longer taught as sin – an affront and rebellion against God, then there is no real need for His Grace.

When we look closely at the questions Luther raised and the Papal Bull issued by Pope Leo X on June 15, 1520, we see the connection to an ever more apostate church that discounts and marginalizes the grace of God, and at the same time attacks as bigoted and hateful the segment of the church that lifts up God’s pronouncements about sin alongside the awesome power of His Grace to redeem mankind.

What is ironic is that it is the liberal interpretation of Scripture and the whole-sale capitulation to political correctness that calls us to remember the Grace of God as defended by Luther in the 1500’s. We must continue to proclaim the whole truth – The Gospel!

Lessons from the

for toDayreformation

By Overseer Porter Brown


Many persons may ask why members of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship would spend time studying

the life and preaching of Dr. Joseph Harri-son Jackson, past president of the National Baptist Convention from 1953 to 1982.

The reason quite simply is because despite the controversy that surrounded him over the issue of “tenure” and the unfortunate split of the National Baptist Convention during his administration, Dr. Jackson was truly one of the most brilliant and articulate theological minds of the 20th century that was produced by the National Baptist Convention.

The aim of the theological intensives that meets twice a year on the campuses of some of the most prestigious schools in the country is to examine and study those persons who have had an enormous impact upon the thinking and practice of Black Christians. Despite his politics, Dr. Joseph Harrison Jackson stands as a giant in the pulpit and anyone who is a serious student of Black Religion can ill-afford to ignore his genius and scholarship.

While Dr. Jackson is known most for his involvement in the National Baptist Convention, his theology represents a clas-sic “Black Orthodoxy” of mainstream Prot-estant thought was the dominant spiritual theme for over one hundred years in Black Baptist Churches all across America. His philosophy of “Accomodationalism” that seemingly grew from a Booker T. Wash-ingtonian attitude could be found in most

Black Baptist Pulpits from Reconstruction to the Modern Civil Rights Movement.

It must also be noted that he was a product of rural Mississippi where he grew up on a farm and self taught himself arith-metic, spelling and reading. Despite these humble beginnings, he went on to gradu-ate from college and earn two graduate de-grees, one from the Ivy League school of Colgate Rochester Divinity School.

Dr. Jackson held pastorates in Philadel-phia and Chicago. The Mt. Olivet Baptist Church of Chicago called him to serve as pastor in 1941, a position that he held until the time of his death in 1982. As pastor of Mt Olivet, the church grew to become a “mega-church” of over 20,000 mem-

bers, decades before the term “mega” became popular.

Jackson became immersed in controversy at the end of his fourth term (1957) as presi-dent when his supporters over-turned the tenure amendment and elected him to a fifth term as president. Chaos resulted and eventually the convention split producing the Progressive National Baptist Convention.

Dr. Sherman Tribble, au-thor of the the book, “Images of a Preacher”, lectured on the life and career of Dr. Jackson at the 2010 Summer Theological Intensive held on the campus of Yale University on Wednes-day, August 18, 2010. During his presentation, Dr. Tribble

pointed out that the “staying power” of Dr. Jackson was directly related to his bril-liance as a preacher as well as a politician. Several excerpts of Dr. Jackson’s sermons were presented to the students to demon-strate that he was an exceptional giant of the pulpit. Studying Dr. Jackson is there-fore not a reversal of direction, but rather it a clear example of how one must know where they have been, to better know where they are going.

Dr. Sherman Tribble pastors the New Victory Baptist Church in Nashville, TN and is the Director of the Doctoral Program at Apex Theological Seminary in Raleigh, NC.

By Bishop andy c. Lewter, D. min.

Why We Study Dr. JoSeph

harriSon JackSon


In our study of the Protestant Reforma-tion, we study the lives and teachings of the theologians who were at the forefront of the movement. Naturally,

we begin with the “father” of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther.

Martin Luther, a German, was a Ro-man Catholic priest who sought to correct (reform) the doctrine and practices of the church. His 95 Thesis nailed to the Witten-berg door forever changed the landscape of the church. As we know, it was never Luther’s intention to cause a schism but to liberate the people of God from oppressive and unbiblical practices. For lack of a bet-ter phrase, Martin Luther, a German theolo-gian, was the first “Liberation Theologian”

In the use of that phrase, the clarifi-cation needs to be made that the intention was liberation from bad theology, dogma, and practice unlike the more modern “Lib-eration Theology” whose German roots we will now explore.

The modern “Liberation Theology” has it’s root in the writings of German Theolo-gians such as Moltmann, Schleiermacher, et al. This group would also include Nie-buhr and Tillich who were liberals, not neo-Reformationists. They belonged to the liberal tradition although they repudiated its idealism and rationalism.

It is essential to understand that the “modern” German theologians had to ap-proach the Bible and interpret it from a

liberal and allegorical mindset. They uti-lized a hermeneutic which produced an intended result. Their influence took root in those whom we would identify as con-temporary Liberation Theologians such as James Cone, Harvey Cox, John Shelby Spong, and William S. Coffin all of whom are self identifying socialists / communists / or Marxists.

The American disciples of the German Liberation Theologians have produced such concepts as the following:

James Cone writes; “Racism is a com-plete denial of the Incarnation and thus of Christianity…If there is any contemporary meaning of the Antichrist (or “the principal-ities and powers”), the white church seems to be a manifestation of it. It was the white “Christian” church which took the lead in establishing slavery as an institution and segregation as a pattern in society by sanc-tioning all-white congregations.” [Black Theology and Black Power, p. 73]

This statement is in and of itself racist.Episcopal “Bishop” Shelby Spong

writes in his book Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism (1991) that the Apostle Paul was a repressed, guilt-ridden homo-sexual.

These are just two examples of the ex-treme logical end of the slippery slope of liberalism and this so called “Liberation Theology”.

In conclusion, let me clarify the defini-

tion of the term “theology”; it is the study of God.

God can only be studied within the context which He reveals Himself, notably the Bible.

The Bible must be studied with the correct hermeneutic (the art and science of Biblical interpretation). To conduct other-wise would be an incorrect approach.

The Liberation Theologians through improper hermeneutic do not seek to in-terpret properly the God who has revealed Himself in the manner which He has re-vealed Himself, but they seek to interpret humanity and the suffering thereof in light of the Scriptures utilizing them as a justi-fication. This is a classic textbook case of “proof texting”. Liberation Theology is a misinterpretation of the Bible for the pur-poses of basing a socio-political agenda upon it.

Therefore “Liberation Theology” is not theology at all. It is actually an Anthro-pology (the study of man), and a humanistic philosophy with political overtones.

In our study of the Reformation, con-sider the following; Isn’t it an ironic turn of events that the same country that pro-duced a Martin Luther also produced a host of modern theologians upon whose poor hermeneutics, Marxist philosophical leanings, and socialist / communist politi-cal ideologies we have been handed this so called “Liberation Theology”?

German theoLoGianS: BLeSSinG&Bane

By Pastor Justin Cohen


The Protestant Reformation serves as a major benchmark in Christendom. Martin Luther, the 16th century priest from Germany looked at the structure of the Roman Catholic Church, read the Bible and determined that some things were missing or misinterpreted.

He interpreted the scriptures and moved be-yond the status quo and decided to challenge the powers that be by nailing his 95th thesis

on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517. The Pope demanded that he retract his writings, but Luther refused. His stance on justification by faith (sola fide) and the Bible being sole authority (sola scriptura) caused him to be ostracized from the Catholic Church. It took great courage and tenacity to break from the Roman tradition but not break from the Body of Christ. It was Luther’s intent to reform, not to

separate; hence the Protestant Reforma-tion began.

The International Presiding Bishop of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellow-

ship, Bishop Paul S. Mor-ton, serves as a modern day

Martin Luther in his efforts to “Change a Generation”.

This movement focuses on the premise that “Baptists have a right to choose”.

While some ref-ormations focus

on the finished work of Calvary and others focus on the power of Pentecost, Bishop Morton be-lieves that the focus should be balanced. Both of these significant events must be highlighted and proclaimed in the life of a believer. Calvary re-minds us that our sins have been forgiven - past, present and future and Pentecost reminds us that we have power to live a life here on earth that pleases God and we have been empowered for godly service. These truths are boldly proclaimed with balance by the reformation initiated by God through Bishop Morton.

He has shown a Luther-like courage by call-ing together the body of Christ through the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship.

The challenge extends to all of us to view our homes, churches, communities, cities and coun-try from a biblical perspective instead of “going along to get along” We have a responsibility to speak the truth in love. Just recently in Washing-ton, D.C., the City Council voted to legalize same sex marriages. Several churches in the area agree with the decision of the council. This is disap-pointing since the Bible is explicitly against it. The Bible believing church of God must have the courage to “cry aloud and spare not”. In these last days, the church is going to need the courage of a Martin Luther to call right right and wrong wrong. When we take a stand for God, we may have to walk away from others and others may walk away from us but we will never stand alone. Take a stand for what is right in your community. Who knows, you may be the next Martin Luther.

By Overseer Lanier C. Twyman

the couraGe of

martin Luther

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