Two important additions to the church from two years ago, presciently presented and gracefully given

By Elizabeth Prata

This morning Pastor Josh Buice (@JoshBuice) wrote on Twitter,

Two years ago today, a group of us gathered in Dallas, TX to discuss the most dangerous movement to face Christ's Church in the last 100+ years—#SocialJustice. Big Eva leaders denied such a movement exists. Nobody is questioning it today. Statement on Social Justice & The Gospel.

I agree. Ostrich-like myopia was the order of the day, with the refusals to see what was in front of them and fervent denials of the problem's existence. But there thankfully were some who saw what was coming and were unafraid to openly confront it. The men who gathered in Dallas to discuss the issue and formulate the Statement  were men like Buice, Justin Peters, John MacArthur, Tom Ascol, James White, Phil Johnson, Tom Buck, Darrell Harrison, Voddie Baucham, Anthony Mathenia, Craig Mitchell, Michael O'Fallon. You know the names. All good and solid men the Lord raised up. They produced a statement of affirmations and denials regarding the encroaching issues of race and social justice, and I thank God for them and the resulting Statement. It was prescient in timing.

Also prescient was the video below.

Again two years ago, while the Statement as still a gleam in the mens' eyes but fast becoming a reality, a 24 minute video by Todd Friel at Wretched was issued. It is called The Gathering Storm: A Split in the Reformed World.

Early on in the video Friel said that there was an issue just bubbling under the surface, cracking into evangelicalism and making dividing lines. It has the potential to break ugly and cause major issues far and wide. Was this issue women preaching? No. Was it continuationism? No. Was it gay issues in the church? No. What was this huge issue that had the potential to become very ugly?

It is racism.

In the video, Friel lists the groups on opposite sides of the cracks, the problem when compared against the Gospel, and what Marxism is. It sounds dry, but it isn't. The concepts are very clearly explained. I think this is a good and important start for people to see not only what has happened but what came true. They called it. If you want to know where we are and why, I'd suggest watching this video. The timer says 28 minutes but there are several ads so I'd say 24 minutes of your time will be well worth it.

I'd also suggest reading the Statement on Social Justice and The Gospel. Underneath the statement are articles further explaining each section written by each of the original signers. If you read the Statement, you can come to conclusions as to whether you agree or disagree, to what extent, and formulate your thoughts hopefully within the Bible's precepts.

For anyone wondering what is going on, these two places are a good start. That the Lord raised up these men and gave them such clear gospel vision that they saw further down the road than most of us is reason number two to delve into them. Reason number 1 of course is the importance of maintaining a clear vision of the plain Gospel, and applying it to our lives rightly. As the Lord lifts His hand of restraint and allows satan ever more latitude to pollute the world with sinful philosophies, it is all the more important we be vigorous to pledge fealty to the Jesus of the Bible, not a made-up version seen through a lens of man-made ideas.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8).

Here is a recent piece to help in understanding the present times thru a biblical lens.

The Gospel and Black Lives Matter - John MacArthur. 5-min