Reformed and Gracious?

Reformed and Gracious?

Over recent years a string of controversies have rumbled on around subjects such as the Authority of Scripture especially hermeneutical method, the Atonement, Justification, the nature of Hell, and the uniqueness of Christ. Some of these subjects are not new ones they have rumbled on for years. But writers such as Brian MacLaren, Rob Bell and others have brought these issues into Evangelicalism. Behind them stand Theologians who would call themselves Evangelical but might not necessarily call themselves Reformed.
Often I find myself agreeing with the questions that some of the Emergent writers are posing. At times I feel their tone towards Evangelicals is harsh and unkind and in fact judgemental. However I would say that in turn we engage in polemics in an ungracious manner and so consequently lose the moral war.
So I wonder if there is a way to be polemically gracious? I have some great friends of other denominations who hold to some doctrines that I believe border on heresy, they know my position and yet I consider their friendship and remonstrance a blessing.
For the following reasons:
1. I believe that the reformers position of sola scriptura is the only possible one to take as when we mix reason and tradition with it as my Anglican friends do we end up in confusion, compromise and the lowest common denominator to retain unity.
2. Having said that I place Unity as of greater importance than my corner on truth. At the heart of unity must be an attitude of humility and a desire to listen to others for the light of Christ to break forth.
3. I’m always nervous of camps they tend to be small minded in their thinking, ungracious in attitude and low on humility. If as reformed Christians we are saying we preach a Gospel of free Grace then surely in their somewhere there must be a heart for unity and a gracious attitude to other Christians.
4. I believe in a Big Holy Sprit who has a habit of braking out in the most unusual places among unusual people in very unusual ways. Heresy hunters will often be quick to condemn these moves of God and sadly at times they miss the sovereign workings of God.
There are huge issues at stake in some of the modern debates…… Sola Scriptura at times lays trampled in the dirt, precious truths like imputation of righteousness and substitutionary atonement are sideswiped in drive by reconstruction. There is even a re-tweeking of Romans in Brian’s latest book……It seems that reformed Christians find themselves fighting for the faith once delivered to the saints (that will get deconstructed and challenged) like never before. Our tone is becoming more and more polemical and sadly our postural tone more and more proud and at times brash.

So can we play nicely?

Enjoying Him Forever