Dear Reader,
Let me assure you there is no misrepresentation occurring on
this blog. It’s important for you to
know that Brother Stephen and I are not your typical apologists engaged in
refuting errors with which we have no personal acquaintance. We were ordained elders within the “Primitive
Baptist” denomination. We didn’t learn
of their false teachings from just hearing or reading about it as is the case
with many others engaged in apologetics.
Rather, we lived and breathed it.
It is what we ourselves once taught!
We are examples of individuals who were reared up believing one thing,
only to have the Lord open our eyes to see that we were in grave error, and subsequently
leave the order. It’s understandable
that folks may disagree with what we now believe, but when we are describing
what Hardshells themselves teach, we draw from many years of experience among
them. We came to our position having
been given by God a full, clear understanding of the heresies being promoted. I
would not hesitate one bit in saying that we actually know their doctrine
better than they do!
It’s part of our business on this blog to point out all of
the strange, exclusive doctrines which they espouse. So be not shocked or think we misrepresent
when we write of these things. If your
jaw drops at the thought of a professed Christian claiming that conscious faith in Christ is not
necessary to be saved, then guess what?
They believe it. If you revolt at
the notion that it could be said of many antichrists and Christ-rejecters that
they are somehow “new creatures in Christ”
nevertheless, then guess what? We revolt
with you.
It’s also our business to expose Hardshellism for what it
truly is. It is an attempt to distance
itself from Arminianism but not end up with Calvinism, which is where the
average person should suspect it would. It sees correctly the former as an
error. The problem is that it does what human nature often does at this point. It rebels to the opposite extreme only to
entangle itself in other errors! The Hardshells of the mid-19th centur erred when they discarded any and all notions of instrumentality in salvation or
that there are certain necessities/conditions for sinners to be saved. Instead of inventing an additional time salvation (optional to the sinner) in
which these ideas should be relegated, they should have seen the decree of God
provides for these things, solving any possible conflict with the notion of salvation by grace. Failing at this point, they allowed for
Arminianism to remain with respect to this newly-invented time salvation. Anything
which comes through the gospel or constitutes a necessity or condition would be
things that the child of God has to acquire by himself! By his own free-will.
Sad. Sad. Sad.
I think it accurate to say that we write for three classes
of people.
First, to the errant Hardshells
themselves, that they might come to see that they are in grave error with
respect to their soteriology and the claim to being primitive, when in fact their current distinctive teachings can be
traced back no further than the Civil War.
The ball is in their court to prove otherwise. So far that ball has not been successfully
hit back. And it won’t be, for their own
historical records are against them.
Secondly, for the reformers
among them, secret or not, to let them know that we are in general support
of their efforts. I can personally think
of about a dozen men or so who in recent years have come to a more sound
Calvinistic position, more or less. In
fact, within the past month I received an email personally thanking me for what
I am doing. Since I’ve already been “excluded”,
I can and do openly declare what he and others are probably trying to slowly instill.
Lastly, we write for the general
audience. It requires someone such
as myself and Brother Stephen to really do this because of our personal acquaintance. Prospective members should be warned (again I
have had correspondence with some) about what they believe and teach. It can be very deceiving. Since Hardshells have a general claim to the
TULIP (which is correct), it’s to be expected that any potential member would
immediately identify them as Calvinists.
Ah, but there are other things taught as well! Secret things! Things which no one else in Christendom knows
about. Things which puzzle the average
Christian.
Conditional time
salvation? What in the world is
that?
A person can know God but not know that he knows Him? Say that again.
The gospel is not supposed to be preached to every
creature. If it was then we would have
to preach to cows and horses.
The Philippian jailor only wanted to be saved from the
earthquake. It had nothing to do with
his ‘eternal salvation’.
???
It is such nonsense as this which the typical outsider knows
little to nothing about. We are here to
expose these secrets at the outset.
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