One of Paul’s last warnings to the Romans was to turn away from those who are teaching false doctrines, doctrines contrary to what he and the Apostles taught.
“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.” —Romans 16:17
Those who teach false doctrines or come to differing persuasions and understandings of doctrines that are contrary to truth, Paul says, are the ones who cause divisions. It is our right and our duty to expose them and avoid them for they bring in destructive heresies that destroy the unity of the body and damage the witness of the Church. Allowing those who hold to false doctrines to remain in fellowship with the body is a clear violation of Scripture.
Yet, Adam Greenway, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary urges Christians to do just that.
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That appears to be one of the most obvious self-defeating statements a person can make. It seems that everything Greenway assails the fundamentalist for doing, he does himself. First off, it is unhelpful to employ such polarizing language to describe a group as broad as fundamentalists. Some of the statements are true of fundamentalists but they are just as true of non-fundamentalists as well.
Correct doctrine is a test of truth so long as we are talking about doctrine that is clearly expressed in Scripture. What man with genuine faith would reject God clearly speaking in Scripture? If he does, then what exactly does it mean to possess “genuine” faith?
Throughout history, the Church has always held councils to officially mark and avoid heretics and to denounce certain teachings as heretical and contrary to the faith. Today, that is simply far too controversial and divisive in the eyes of men like Adam Greenway. Greenway, like the vast majority of Evangelical leaders, have either embraced or turned a blind eye toward the most pervasive heresy the Church has experienced in modern history—Critical Race Theory. The Southern Baptist Convention is replete with heretics who embrace this false doctrine or its tenets.
Other destructive teachings embraced or ignored by the Southern Baptist Convention are teachings like egalitarianism or allowing women to preach or teach men. Some churches are even ordaining women to the pastorate in the Southern Baptist Convention.
Greenway has defended the notion that holding to teachings our denomination believes are biblical is irrelevant to our fellowship with others churches. In other words, our beliefs and doctrines are optional:
Greenway’s logic isn’t biblical; it isn’t even intelligent. It is rooted in his own arrogance and lack of biblical conviction. He doesn’t care about the students he leads or the denomination. He only cares about advancing his career by making himself popular with the masses by standing for what the world stands for and calling it Christianity.