KUTILEK RELATES HIS EXPERIENCE READING
MURRAY'S
WRITINGS ON CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON [07/05/04]
Our
longtime friend, Bible scholar, and missionary to Europe, Doug Kutilek
has more than once urged me to put my recent writings into book form. Are there
any others that feel the same way?
Here is Doug's latest email, and he
relates his own experience in reading the writings on Spurgeon by Mr. Iain
Murray of the The Banner of Truth. As you can see, I am not the only one
who has discerned the peculiar "spin" Mr. Murray puts on
Spurgeon.
>>
In a message dated 7/5/2004 10:25:36 AM Central
Daylight Time, Doug Kutilek writes:
Bob--
By all means, compile all these quotes re: Spurgeon
and Moody into a
booklet, or as a chapter in a book. It needs wide
distribution, in
permanent form.
I read Murray's "The Forgotten
Spurgeon" years ago -- having previously
read at least 7 or 8 Spurgeon
biographies: the Banner of Truth 2 vol. abridged
biog.,
Fuller, Day, Bacon, Carlisle, Williams, Sheen among them, as well
as lots
of Spurgeon's own writings, -- and my first reaction to much of
Murray was
"this doesn't seem to square in all details with the
Spurgeon I know." I
later read Hayden's "The Unforgettable
Spurgeon" which was, by design, a
corrective -- based on Spurgeon's
own words -- of some of Murray's
misrepresentations.
Just as
with Fuller re: Spurgeon and the KJV, so with Murray re:
Spurgeon
and evangelism -- some people can't stand to let Spurgeon
speak for
himself, but delight in twisting his words and "spinning" his
views to
conform to their own.
Doug
OUR
COMMENT:
When Mr. Murray's book on Spurgeon was published in the late
1960s, we published a brief, critical "book review" of it at the time, but I
confess I underestimated to what extent the unfortunate misinformation in this
small book would ultimately spread. With the coming of the Internet, however, I
have observed more than ever before the pernicious influence it has had upon
some Baptists, particularly in (1) the creation of prejudice against even
sane, conservative, doctrinally-sound public invitations, (2) the
dissemination of misinformation about Spurgeon's own doctrinal views and
practices, (3) misconceptions about Spurgeon and the "Down Grade"
controversy, and (4) the discreditation of D. L.
Moody.
Evidently, some who read Mr. Murray have not considered the
fact that he writes from the Pedobaptist context which involves their
theories on (1) the supposed "covenant" whereby the children of believing
parents are presumed to be "regenerated" in infancy, and (2) those of adult
age are presumed to be "regenerated" by the Holy Spirit without the necessary
use of means, contrary to what is taught in our Confessional standards on
"effectual calling." Murray promotes the idea that regeneration is a "hyper
physical," "direct operation" apart from the necessary use of means, as
expounded in Louis Berkhof's Systematic Theology published by
Murray's organization. This is basically the same view as advocated by the
"Hardshells," or Primitive Baptists, and the doctrine which led Lassere
Bradley, Jr and several of his young preacher-friends into the Hardshells in
the late 1950s.
After he joined the Hardshells, Bradley converted his
radio broadcast into a vehicle to promote Hardshellism nationwide, although in
recent times there are some complaints from Hardshells that he is going back
somewhat toward the views he held in his earlier years. One Hardshell website
says, "Lasserre Bradley once left the Missionary Baptists, and now seems
determined to try to convert the Primitive Baptists to their doctrines and
practices from within."
<http://www.carthage.lib.il.us/community/churches/primbap/LiberalPapersWebsites.html>
At
any rate, Murray's anti-public invitation propaganda, for the most part, is
being picked up and repeated by various ones, some who say they are "Reformed
Baptists" and others who are associates in the "Founders Ministries," formerly
led by the late Ernest Reisinger who recently went to be with the Lord.
I will give further thought to the idea of publishing my recent writings
in book form, and would appreciate any feedback from my readers about this. --
Bob L. Ross
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