Dr. Peter Williams gave an important chapel message this morning at Tyndale House. He preached on the story in Acts 16 where a slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination followed Paul and other disciples. As we all know, Paul eventually turned to her and said: "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." The evil spirit left her after which Paul and Silas were eventually jailed for helping her....One of the important issues which Pete raised, is that there should come a time (or times) when Evangelical Christian academics should have the courage to stand up for what they believe in. Apparently (if I understood him correctly), too often PhD students/ and or academics in general are more concerned about what other scholars (or a promoter) might think of an important doctrine than what they know to be true. This, combined with a one-sided focus on academic research, often result in spiritual coldness.
We should learn from Paul and Silas to stand up for what we believe, whatever the academic establishment might think of it...
2 comments:
A great phrase from John Piper: "If we neglect the mind we will drift into all sorts of doctrinal error and dishonor God who wills to be known as he is. And if we neglect the heart we will be dead while we yet live no matter how right our creed is."
Thank you Frederik for being an Evangelical Christian academic who has the courage to stand up for what you believe in!
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