The Ohio Bible Fellowship Visitor

On October 31, 1517, a young German monk named Martin Luther nailed ninety-five theses (public statements for debate) on the Catholic church door in Wittenberg, Germany.

His action, prompted by biblical conviction, ignited the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century. The Reformation was a biblically-driven movement among God’s people. Realizing the Church of Rome had forsaken the essential truths of Christianity, the Reformers separated from this corrupt church and returned to the Bible alone as their sole authority for doctrine. This return to the Bible led to the glorious rediscovery of justification: sinners can gain a righteous standing before God by faith alone in Christ alone.

Yet 490 years later, many professing Christians—even many Lutherans—believe that Martin Luther’s insistence on doctrinal purity over visible unity was a significant mistake. But was it?

Continue reading ‘Was the Protestant Reformation a Mistake?’

A charge often leveled at separatists is that they are divisive. They split groups, leave churches, separate from organizations, and go off and form their own “splinter groups.” Aren’t Christians supposed to love one another? Shouldn’t they all be united? Didn’t Jesus pray that all those who believed in him would be as one?

Continue reading ‘Are Separatists Divisive?’

One of today’s popular hobbies is genealogies. I am thankful for some godly and stalwart relatives in the generations I have known, but I am not tempted to go beyond that. If I did, I am certain I would find ancestors who were famous and more who were infamous. The only two ancestors of whom I am dead certain are Adam and Noah.

Despite my view of genealogy I recently came across a family tree I was interested in. The October 2006 issue of Christianity Today, its fiftieth anniversary issue, arrested my attention with an article titled, “Where We Are and How We Got Here.” A subtitle, emphasized in red, proclaims, “Here’s a look at the influences that shaped the movement.” The article is by Mark A. Noll, a prominent and prolific new evangelical writer. I thought, “He is going to talk about the family tree of new evangelicalism and I’m interested.”

Continue reading ‘The Family Tree of New Evangelicalism’

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Believers should take this well-worn admonition to heart as they view from religious history the overall downward trend to eventually deviate from God’s truth. Based on lessons from the past, believers ought to be saddened, but not surprised, when God’s Word calls them or their churches to separate from what is impure. Historical honesty requires us to recognize that wholesale religious compromise with unbelief is not new to our generation. Likewise, responding to religious compromise with biblical separation is something God’s obedient people have always practiced.

Continue reading ‘It’s No New Doctrine: Surveying the History of Biblical Separation’

This past summer my wife and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary. Each anniversary is a special occasion for us to celebrate another year together as a married couple. When a couple reaches their golden or 50th wedding anniversary, that’s something really special.
This month another anniversary will be celebrated, but of a different sort—for 50 years the magazine Christianity Today has been published. During this time it has served as the “voice” of new evangelicalism, opening a window into its soul. Anniversaries are supposed to be special times of celebration, but this one really provides nothing for Christ’s church to be happy about.

Continue reading ‘Happy Anniversary?’

Many people, myself included, went through school not having a great interest in history. Names, dates, events, and places of long ago were drudgingly memorized for tests and then soon forgotten. Yet during the last dozen years I have gained a greater love for history, specifically the history of fundamentalism. John E. Ashbrook, the editor of this paper for decades said, “When people understand where they came from it will help them see where they need to go.”

Continue reading ‘The Separatist Heritage of the Ohio Bible Fellowship’

Fundamentalism is distinguished from other “Christian” movements by three essential characteristics: the belief in certain core doctrines as essential to genuine Christianity, a militant spirit in spreading and defending those truths, and the doctrine and practice of ecclesiastical separation. These characteristics are essential for obedient Christian individuals and groups to honor God. When these characteristics are adjusted, tampered with, or removed, fundamentalism is abandoned and God is not honored through obedience.

Continue reading ‘The OARBC’s New Recipe’

The Cleveland Plain Dealer for June 26, 2005 carried a three-column picture of Evangelist Billy Graham preaching at what we assume will be his final crusade in New York City. His appearance in the picture, and the list of ailments given in the paper, bear out that probability. As I looked at that picture and read about its setting I thought that his ministry was truly a story from New York to New York in forty-eight years. The world in general, and new evangelicals in particular, would consider that course as a triumphal
march through the world’s major cities. To the fundamentalist that march has been a tragedy in modern church history.

Continue reading ‘From New York to New York’

In each of our quarterly Conferences we pass a series of resolutions in order to make practical application of some of our principles and convictions to current issues. The following resolutions were passed in our Fall Conference of 2004.

Continue reading ‘Fall Conference Resolutions’

You may not be aware that Memorial Day, celebrated on the last Monday in May, was formerly called “Decoration Day.” The day was originally established to Honor United States soldiers and sailors who have died in wars. The custom began soon after the Civil War. In 1868, Gen. John A. Logan, commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, named May 30 for decorating the graves of Union soldiers.

This past week, I officiated the funeral service of an 89-year-old man who was a long time attendee of the church which I pastor. Because this man was a veteran who fought in the Army Air Corps during WWII, he was given full military honors at the gravesite service. At the conclusion of the interment, two soldiers, fully dressed out in Class A Uniforms, stood at the head and foot of the casket. As a part of the protocol for full military honors, the two soldiers initiated a series of very precise synchronized movements which demonstrated the respect and esteem that all the witnesses surrounding that casket should have felt for this man who had put his own life at peril in military service some sixty years before. As the two soldiers began this ceremonial rite of honor, they first lifted the flag that was draped over the casket and very carefully, deliberately and with much dignity folded the flag. After folding the flag, both of them paused to stare at the flag and then saluted it with a slow motion cadence as the other soldier held it. After placing it in the hands of the widowed wife and offering some words of condolence and gratefulness, the quiet silence was interrupted by the sound of a trumpet playing a final taps.

Continue reading ‘The Sovereignty of God Over the Nations’