Controversial author, pastor and seminary president John MacArthur recently announced plans for a biblical inerrancy summit to bring young people “in line with the truth.”
MacArthur talked about his plans at the Shepherds’ Conference held at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Calif. Shortly after, he spoke with the Christian Post about the criticism he has faced for his book Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit With Counterfeit Worship and a conference of the same name last year.
The publication asked MacArthur to “frame [his] argument in terms of how [he sees] this ongoing discussion” in response to Strange Fire.
“The book and the conference certainly provoked a lot of criticism,” he replied, “but the strong response was welcome since the intention was to force biblical thinking on this issue. Going forward, our desire is to hold this vast movement up to the pure light of Scripture to reveal its errors. This discussion is usually framed by emotion and experience.”
He continued, “Because experience and subjectivity are not authoritative, then the Bible—the source of all authority—is the only thing of consequence. Scripture is the revelation of divine truth. The truth is always experienced in the Christian life, but experience itself can never be allowed to define the truth.”
When asked what are the biggest problems facing today’s churches, MacArthur said it is related to Scripture.
“There are those who deny its absolute authority and inerrancy with severe consequences,” he explained. “There are those who misinterpret it and use it to teach error. There are those who understand its truth but fail to apply and proclaim it.”
“Errors regarding Scripture lead to a lack of discernment in the church, which is like spiritual AIDS. The church has a deficient immune system and then becomes sick with a thousand heresies,” MacArthur concluded.
The summit will feature Al Mohler, Ligon Duncan, Sinclair Ferguson, Carl Trueman, Iain Murray, Ian Hamilton, Derek Thomas, Miguel Nunez, Steve Lawson, R.C. Sproul, Mark Dever, Paige Patterson, Stephen Nichols and Kevin DeYoung.
“These are leaders who are willing to stand up for the integrity of Scripture without compromise,” MacArthur noted.
He said the summit “is intentionally designed to bring together men of conviction and influence to make a clear statement on this issue for our generation. It’s our prayer that the statements, articles and books that come out of this summit will honor our God who has spoken in His Word.”
