LETTER OF RESPONSE FROM A SBC/NAMB TRUSTEE

June 9, 1999

Dear Dr. Mohler,

I thank God for the wisdom He has given you. 
According to the Baptist Press report, I believe
you have pin-pointed the essence of the problem
associated with signing theological “agreements”
with some of those who claim to be “evangelical”
today.

It is clear that there is a growing popularity amongst
evangelicals to sign statements containing words that
are being interpreted in vastly different ways by the
various signers; thus resulting in the confusion you so
intuitively picked up on. 

I HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT THE DISTINCTIVENESS
OF THE GOSPEL WILL BE LOST IN THE DAYS TO
COME WITHOUT SUCH MEN OF DISCERNMENT
WHICH FILL KEY POSITIONS SUCH AS YOURS.

If one doubts that this is a problem, then they
must answer the following questions, “How
can the same people endorse both ECT and
this new agreement?”  (See “Inconsistencies”
below)

“How can ‘The Gospel of Jesus Christ’ be as
clear as its signers purport if one of its signers
appoints a Roman Catholic to be head of his
gospel-dispensing ministry?”

ECT clearly contains heresy.  So, without being
able to redefine terms between documents, the
endorsement of both documents – assuming the
highest level of integrity among their signers –
would be impossible.

I fear that those who would not endorse ECT but
will endorse the new statement are unwittingly
adding to the confusion by giving credibility to
those who publicly endorse ECT also!

Until those “dualists” become the doctrinal purists
that they are attempting to portray themselves to
be by signing any new, better and longer
statement that comes along, confusion will reign! 
And until Southern Baptist leaders RENOUNCE
unequivocally ECT and its related documents, the
clarity of the Gospel as expressed through SBC
agencies and entities will be in jeopardy.

Thanking Him for you,

William G. Streich
========
INCONSISTENCIES

ECT treats both evangelical and Catholic
communities as legitimate expressions of the
Christian community.  “...we thank God for the
discovery of one another as brothers and sisters in
Christ.”  That the two communities AS A WHOLE
are here in view, ECT states that out of the 1.7
billion Christians in the world, “About a billion of
these are Catholics....”

YET...“The Gospel of Jesus Christ” assumes no
such underlying presuppositions.  In fact, it states,
“...an attempt has been made to state what is
primary and essential in the Gospel as
evangelicals understand it.”  The truth determines
the makeup of the true body of Christ rather than
the visible expression of the church providing the
foundation for the truth.

Therefore, it follows that ECT makes the
assumption that their separate doctrines are
equally acceptable expressions of the Gospel in
the eyes of its endorsers.
======
ECT allows for conversion to be considered
as a (instantaneous) “passing from one way of life
to another...,” OR as “a continuing process so that
the whole life of a Christian should be a passage
from death to life.”

BUT...“The Gospel of Jesus Christ” clearly affirms
only the imputation of Christ’s righteousness as a
legitimate expression of justification.  “God ‘justifies
the wicked’...by imputing...righteousness (Christ’s
righteousness) to them and ceasing to count their
sins against them.”
======
ECT recognizes the differences between
some evangelicals and Catholics in their separate
understandings of “the relationship between
baptism and the new birth in Christ,” but treats the
difference as one which need not “divide” the two
communities.  According to ECT, one’s belief that
he/she has been justified based upon his/her
water baptism should not be divisive, but rather
should be “assiduously respected.”

BUT...“The Gospel of Jesus Christ” states, “We
deny that believers must be inherently righteous
by virtue of their cooperation with God’s life-
transforming grace before God will declare them
justified in Christ...and that justification is secured
by a mere outward profession of faith.  We further
deny that any element of saving faith is a
meritorious work....”
======
ECT claims that a non-essential difference
between evangelicals and Catholics is that “the
church [is] an integral part of the Gospel....”

YET...“The Gospel of Jesus Christ” states that its
signers “deny that the truth or authority of the Gospel
rests on the authority of any particular church.