A Plea to Undergraduates of Moore Theological College.

I was reassured by recent reading of an article titled "The Right of Private Judgement" by Paul Helm in the December 1972 edition of the Banner of Truth Journal.

The article had its emphasis on the roots of the Reformation and the error of church traditions at cost to the Word of God. However, there were some statements by Helm, some forty years ago, which have relevance for Christians today within the Episcopalian Diocese of Sydney, particularly those who are submitting themselves to lecturers of Moore Theological College.

Helm, at one point, had this to say:

"For the Reformers faith is faith in Christ, and in the Word of Christ. They were not haunted by the thought, as much of modern Protestantism is, that the Bible may obscure Christ's Word, or that a man may mistake trust in his Bible for trust in Christ. Scripture is Christ's Word and there Christ is faithfully pictured. 'Faith in Christ', 'faith in Scripture, the Word of Christ' - for the Reformers these expressions came to much the same thing.

The Reformers view of Scripture as sufficient and clear must be borne in mind. Its essential meaning is plain to all. It does not contain any 'small print'. It cannot be added to, or subtracted from. By contrast, faith in Christ's Church (given the Roman view of the Church) must be implicit. For faith is faith in whatever the Church might at any time be disposed to teach. Trusting the Church involves signing an intellectual blank cheque."

A new year is under way and new students have entered Moore Theological College in the belief they are Protestant and Reformed. If they are inclined to believe that the theological institution they have entered is fully trustworthy they may very well just absorb and regurgitate errors of the day. In this they expose themselves to being caught in a drift to worldliness something akin to the errors of Rome.

On the matter of Origins I urge students to be constantly looking to their Lord Jesus Christ Incarnate - the things He said, the things He did. The more they gaze upon Him the more they will see in Him confirmation of Him who created all things in the beginning in six days. A plain view of the Son of God affirms a plain reading of the Word written in Genesis 1. When hearing of things contrary to this revelation of Him, question it, weigh it, ask yourself, "Is this the Jesus Christ recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John?" Surely, you will find that on the basis of all they saw and heard these writers would fall under the category today called Biblical Creationist.

How else could you account for John's experience recorded at John 20:8 and for him to later write the words of John 1:1-3?

Please, please, don't succumb to the undermining of confidence in the Word written as the Church, via its lecturers at Moore Theological College, is disposed at this time to teach.

Sam Drucker