News report and observations of the International Council On Biblical Inerrancy’s Congress On the Bible II held in Washington, DC September 23–27, 1987.
“It was a breath of fresh air.” That was my personal response to those who asked me what I thought of this year’s ICBI’s Congress On The Bible. Not only was the conference impressive in its scope and thoroughly organized, but it was purely inspirational in its impact. Approximately 3500 evangelicals attended and participated, as it called to action the evangelical community, represented by a whole spectrum of evangelical denominations from the US and Canada. They came to hear, among others, Attorney General Edwin Meese, Chuck Colson, William F. Buckley, James Boice, Chuck Swindall, J.I. Packer, Becky Pippert, Os Guiness and R.C. Sproul. The call to action addressed the Christian and Society, the Christian and the Sanctity of life, the Christian and God’s World, the Christian and the Family, the Christian and Biblical Justice, and the Christian and the Church. Evangelicals were attempting to tackle, from a Christian and biblical perspective, issues such as pornography, ministering to homosexuals, wife and child abuse, ministering to AIDS victims, developing a consistent pro-life ethic, genetic engineering and artificial reproduction, and the role of the Church in public education. There were more than 80 separate action workshops conducted during the three-day event. The CRC’s Dr. Joel Nederhood led one. Chuck Colson, Chairman of the Conference, stated the goal of the Congress On the Bible: “To deal with the entire person of a Christian, not just as spiritual responsibilities, but his family, social and political responsibilities.”
Attending this Conference, prompted several observations:
CHUCK COLSON
A truly gifted and godly man. He has a prophetic voice that is accepted by almost all evangelical groups. He deserves to be heard in the CRC. He’s a part of that “fresh air” old fashioned evangelical and reformed believers rarely hear any more.
NOTICEABLY ABSENT
Although there were a dozen or so CRC people there, any official representation by the CRC was absent. One wonders if we can afford to miss one of the largest and most significant evangelical gatherings of the decade. Our own Professor Fred Klooster was a member of the advisory board. Yet, neither Calvin College nor Seminary co-sponsored this event along side of ma11y other major evangelical and academic institutions. Could it be because, except for a few faculty exceptions, our institutions could not participate in a conference sponsored by an “inerrancy” council? At least one would think that CRC Press would be there in order to expose its curriculum. Where is that even-handed push for ecumenicity? Could it be that it is only reserved for more liberal and “progressive” directions and gatherings? I, for one, felt very comfortable hanging my hat with those who hold to an historic and reformed “high view” of Scripture. These people were solid, they had convictions, they were there to develop a world and life view, and we were not hearing questions about the accuracy and authority of the Bible which we call “God’s Word.” That was another breath of fresh air.
CONGRESS LEADERSHIP
The evangelical movement is coming of age, and they are searching for more precise doctrinal expressions and attempting to develop a perspective for their worid and life. The leadership of this conference was basically reformed (Colson, Boice, Packer, Sproul.) The International Council On Biblical Inerrancy (ICBI) sponsored this Congress which marked the conclusion of the ICBI’s ten-year history. At the final ceremony the NAE (National Association of Evangelicals) was given the mandate to pick up where the ICBI left off. Here we have a truly historic event: the ICBI setting the future direction and being responsible for a substantial portion of the development of the world and life view of evangelicals who are members of the NAE. But this was not just any world and life view. It was a Kingdom—covenant world and life view. These terms were being used in major speeches and being presented as a viable Scriptural perspective in the development of our evangelical and social concern.
HOPE
Conferences should inspire hope, and this one was no exception. It inspired hope in a variety of ways. It gave me hope for the evangelical Church of the future. There are thousands, perhaps millions of evangelicals in the US and Canada who have some basic commitments to the faith (to Jesus Christ personally, to the Word of God, to the Body of Christ) and are now beginning to mature in their faith, hungering and longing for a deeper and more complete expression of doctrine. They are not ducking the bard questions facing their society and world in a mere anticipation of the Lord’s return. I am confident that God will continue to bring to completion the work he has begun among them. In some ways it is hopeful for the reformed faith too, because many of the doctrines and biblical theological principles they are discovering are nothing more or less than the reformed faith, minus a particular ethnic tradition. What they are building will be uniquely theirs.
I am saddened that the CRC is not doctrinally healthy enough or genuinely ecumenical enough to be a part ofthis exciting movement. These evangelicals would remind us that we are evangelical too! In the exchange we would receive some much needed life and momentum and they would gain greatly from our historical reformed doctrinal and theological perspectives.
Stephen M. Arrick is the pastor of the Calvary C.R Church at Lowell, Michigan.
