With Reformation Day coming up, I wanted to chat with a Reformed Baptist Pastor about the reformation. Here it is. Hope you enjoy.
It was a pleasure coming to your church a few weeks ago and getting to know you. For those who may not know you, can you share a bit about who you are, where you are from, and what your passions are in life? I am Sean Crowe and I have had the privilege of pastoring Gospel Light Baptist, a Reformed Baptist church in Halifax, for the last 12 years. I also host a podcast, Age of Minority, with my daughter where we discuss how the gospel transforms the teen years (though we address gospel issues relevant to all Christians). I am from out West (Vancouver area) but went to seminary in Fort Worth Texas before moving to Nova Scotia in light of the great need for gospel churches in Atlantic Canada. My passions in life are theology and family, and in particular for the last few years, studying classical theism and enjoying time with my first grandbaby. The church that you pastor holds to the reformed Baptist doctrine. There are only a few in Nova Scotia with this perspective. So, for those who may not be aware of this doctrine, can you briefly explain what distinguishes it? Well, this is not an easy question to answer, as if you ask three different people what the word reformed means you are likely to get three different answers. That said, I will tell you how I define it, namely with three C’s: Calvinistic, Covenantal, and Confessional. It is when you get to the third of the three C’s that you find what specifically distinguishes Reformed Baptists from their Reformed Presbyterian brothers and sisters (who hold to the Westminster Confession), for the confession we hold to is the 2nd London Baptist Confession of 1689. Here is a link, if any of your readers want to look further into what Reformed Baptists believe - https://founders.org/library/1689-confession/ Being a reformed Baptist church, October 31st is probably an important date on your calendar. Can you share a bit about what historical event took place on this date and what it led to? Actually, personally I don’t put too much stock in observing special days of much any kind (besides the Lord’s Day of course), so we don’t really do anything at our church for what has come to be known as Reformation Day. That said, October 31st is an important day in our history, for it was on that day in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the chapel door in Wittenberg, Germany, an act of protest against the unbiblical practices of the Roman Catholic church (one primary one in particular, the egregious practice of selling indulgences). This event was the spark which set on fire the protestant reformation, which is that great 16th century movement which hearkened the people of God back to the great biblical doctrines of Sola Scriptura (we stand on scripture alone), Sola Fide (we are saved through faith alone), Sola Gratia (we are saved by grace alone), Solus Christus (it is Christ alone who saves), and Soli Deo Gloria (we are saved for the glory of God alone). What can we learn from this event and why should we care about it as Christians? One thing we can learn from what took place on October 31st, 1517, is from a famous quote of Martin Luther who when called on four years later (1521) to recant of the writings which he nailed to the Wittenberg door, he replied: “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by evident reason—for I believe neither pope nor councils alone, as it is clear that they have erred repeatedly and contradicted themselves—I consider myself convicted by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one’s conscience is neither safe nor sound.” Martin Luther had a standard, and the protestant reformation had a standard, and as part of that tradition, Reformed Baptists have that same standard, namely, the Word of God. God has revealed Himself to us in His Word and has provided everything in it that we need for a life of godliness, and thus we must appeal to the Scripture to discern how to live and worship and function in the world. Which person of the reformation do you find interesting and what inspires you about that individual? I know I should probably say a Reformed Baptist person, like John Bunyan or John Gill, but who I find most interesting is the most famous John of the reformation, John Calvin. My contention is that if anyone wants to understand reformed soteriology, the place to start (besides the Bible of course) is the man of whom the system was named after. That said, what I find most interesting is that though John Calvin is not a Reformed Baptist, and is even very harsh in his language concerning our view on baptism, I so appreciate the way his mind worked and the way he was able to formulate his thoughts so plainly and systematically on the Scripture and the beautiful doctrines contained within. John Calvin inspires me to know the Scriptures well, preach the Word with power, and be convicted in my beliefs and practice. When I was at your church you quoted a popular statement among reformed circles- "Reformed and always reforming". Can you share what that statement means? As mentioned, there are various definitions of what it means to be reformed, but at its most foundational level, it is to claim a place in the history and doctrine which came out of the protestant reformation. That said, reformed Christians, as well as all Christians, must always be reforming, which is to say, always seeking to line up their doctrine and practice with the Word of God. It was Tom Ascol, I believe, who I first remember hearing say, “I always think I’m right, but I do not think I’m always right.” The idea behind that saying is that we must hold and cling to what we believe with conviction, but we must never think we are right about everything. And if we know we are not right about everything, we will also know that we must always be comparing what we believe with what Scripture teaches and always be willing to change our beliefs based upon what we find in Scripture. In other words, until we are glorified, we must continually pursue sanctification, and as Jesus says, we are sanctified by the truth, and God’s Word is the truth (John 17:17), thus we are always reforming. What are some areas that need to be reformed particularly now in Canadian churches to better equip us to live faithfully for God? I would say given the state of affairs in this world concerning COVID-19 and government restrictions, ecclesiology is probably one of the most important areas of doctrine where reform is needed. It is more important than ever, regardless of what decisions churches make in response to government restrictions, for Christians to know more about the authority of the church, particularly as it relates to worship so that we might be able to faithfully navigate situations where government attempts to usurp that authority. A second area where I believe reform is needed concerns Christian liberty and the conscience. If we hope to maintain unity with, and show compassion towards, those whose conscience leads them to make different choices concerning things not specifically mentioned in Scripture, we must have a strong and robust understanding of Christian liberty and conscience. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. As we come to an end, what resources would you recommend to learn more about the reformation? Ligonier Ministries, which was started by RC Sproul (one of my favourite pastor/theologians by the way, who like Calvin, is not a Reformed Baptist), hosts a wealth of helpful resources on their website (http://www.ligonier.org ), many which are free, as well as a paid subscription to a host of excellent online courses (https://connect.ligonier.org/p/ligonier-connect/ ). One of those courses which will help you understand the reformation and the impact it had is a lengthy series on church history, and is taught by Robert Godfrey (https://www.ligonier.org/store/survey-of-church-history-complete-dvd-package-collection-parts-1-6). There is also an excellent documentary on Martin Luther, which can be viewed for free during the month of October (https://www.ligonier.org/posts/stream-luther-documentary-free), which will help you better understand the spark which ignited the protestant reformation. To better understand the reformation doctrines, begin with reformers like Martin Luther (Bondage of the Will) and John Calvin (Institutes), as well as Puritans like John Owen (Mortification of Sin) and Jonathan Edwards (Religious Affections).
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