There’s been a bit of a buzz on the interwebs this week thanks to a statement made by John MacArthur in a recent interview. You can listen to the whole interview here, but this is the statement I’m addressing:
You know, there’s a new book on church planting written by a guy named Darrin Patrick and it says if you want to be an effective church planter, develop your own theology.
You know when I read that I just almost fell off the chair. What? I mean, can you think of anything worse than to have some guy develop his own theology? This is ultimate niche marketing. Develop your own style, your own wardrobe, and then your own theology.
HT: Steve McCoy
Before I begin, I need to disclose a few things. First, I am a fan of Darrin Patrick, and have been for a few years now. I regularly listen to his podcast from The Journey Church and have read his book Church Planter: The Man, The Message, The Mission. Second, I greatly admire John MacArthur. The man has been in ministry for decades, written numerous books and done great work for the kingdom of God, and all before I was even born. And he isn’t showing signs of slowing down. In other words, MacArthur is a true student of scripture. He’s probably forgotten more about scripture than I’ll ever learn.
That being said, here is the passage MacArthur was commenting on:
One of the common errors of young men who surrender to ministry is to simply adopt the model of a church that they have experienced or idolized. A similar mistake is to blindly accept the ministry philosophy and practice of a ministry hero. The man who is experiencing head confirmation is thoughtful about his own philosophy of ministry, his own ministry style, his own theological beliefs, his own unique gifts, abilities, and desires. In short, there is uniqueness to the way he wants to do ministry.
- from page 37 of Church Planter: The Man, The Message, The Mission
Now, I don’t think MacArthur is “picking on” Patrick, or being a “meany”, as some have actually written. Nor do I need to defend Darrin Patrick. I believe he is fully capable of doing that on his own, and to his credit, he has responded to MacArthur’s scrutiny graciously and lovingly, even offering to meet with John MacArthur, in an effort to get to know him, and be mentored and coached by him (note: MacArthur himself is not on Twitter. @Phil_Johnson_ is the executive director of John MacArthur’s ministry, Grace to You). But I have read Church Planter, so I’m not just some blogger “jumping on the bandwagon”. I’ve read the book, I know what it says, and I know what I got out of it, so here’s my two cents: when reading the passage MacArthur referenced, it seems to me Patrick is saying, “Don’t take having Biblically accurate theology for granted. Don’t simply rest on the laurels of church heroes and what they believed and taught; search out the scriptures for yourself, so that YOU KNOW WHAT YOU believe, not just what those who came before you believed.” If you continue reading, immediately following the passage MacArthur referenced, Patrick writes:
Unlike many young men who know much about what they are against and little about what they are for, the man who is experiencing head confirmation thinks through very carefully and deliberately, What am I for with my life and ministry? What are my specific burdens for the church? How can I best serve the church in these areas?
When the two passages are combined (as they appear in the book) it is very apparent to me Darrin Patrick is commenting on the current state of church culture, where many Christians base their beliefs not upon scripture, but instead upon what they’re taught by their pastor. In my own personal experience, this leads to two things: Christians who, as Patrick wrote, “…know much about what they are against and little about what they are for”, and Christians who are more than willing to share their beliefs with others, but when asked where in the Bible those beliefs come from, they don’t have an answer. I know this because I used to be like this. I had no problem sharing my beliefs with others, but when asked “why” I believed “this”, instead of “that”, most of the time all I could ever say was, “Because my pastor said so.” I don’t believe Patrick was saying to eschew the teachings of church fathers and theological heavyweights of the past – again, I believe he was saying to compare those teachings against scripture, see whether or not they align and KNOW WHY YOU BELIEVE WHAT YOU BELIEVE; not because Martin Luther or John Calvin or John MacArthur or even Darrin Patrick taught it, but because SCRIPTURE SAYS IT.
With that out of the way, there is a quote that has been bouncing around in my head ever since first hearing about all this. It is also one of my favorite quotes:
In the essentials we need unity, in the non-essentials we need freedom; but in all things we need love.
- Rupertus Meldenius
Just to make sure no one misunderstands, Biblically accurate theology is essential to the Church. Without it, we’re nothing but a cluster……, well, you know. But I want people to remember the last part of that quote – “in all things we need love.” Regardless of where you stand on this debate/discussion, follow the lead of both John MacArthur and Darrin Patrick and show grace and love when chiming in with your two cents.
