MY LAMENT 2
A Letter from Brutus Balan
My dear Lily and Carl
Thanks for forwarding today (14th Jan 08) the correspondence between your dad (T. Tow) and Life BPC (C. Seet) with regard to the request for the use of the ‘sanctuary’ of the church for night theological classes for FEBC. The paternalistic letter is painful read even for me. The spirit of the response from Charles Seet and his session is baffling common sense and freezes thought. It is without doubt and made very clear by him, that the Life BPC is now considering FEBC as a heretical institution that cannot be tolerated.
The 100% VPP position is not a heretical position but a position that must be celebrated as another valid view of the high view of Scripture. The 98% VPP position is also a faith position with its own inherent problems. For example, if we affirm the divine inspiration, inerrancy and infallibility of the originals (which we don’t have and therefore cannot peruse to confirm as true) should we not also extend the same affirmation to the manuscripts? Do we have an authoritative exact copy of the originals or a reliable copy close to the originals? Both involve bible scholars to discern the exact words of the originals.
The 100% VPP camp say ‘Thus said the Lord!’ in every portion, while the 98% VPP champ may say, ‘Thus I think said the Lord!’ in the two percent. The argument can be made that when God has taken such great care to reveal His Word to mankind of the origins of the heavens and the earth (to its consummation), and even given a glimpse of revelation of the new earth and new heavens to the ‘39+1’ writers, why would He allow scribal errors, howbeit 2%, to corrupt His Holy Word in the transmission of it? When Moses broke the tablets of stone of the Ten Commandments overcome by indignation over the sin of the Hebrews, he was not told patch it up and decipher what was originally given in Sinai. It was reissued verbatim by divine hand to keep its accuracy. So is the expectation throughout Scripture where God’s people were told not to pervert what was revealed and preserved at great cost. A conclusion then can be made that divine revelation by inspiration necessitates an existence of a true copy reflecting the originals word for word for it is THE revelation of God to man. By extension the copies or copy must also retain its inspiration, therefore inerrant and infallible in its content. Did God slumber leaving the scribes to human fatigue and failings? To claim the providential preservation of Scripture is ironical if it doesn’t simply mean that we do have a 100% exact copy of the originals today. Did God ascertain 100% accuracy or did He tolerate the injection of 2% human inaccuracies for some divine humour? Is God a sadist? Heaven forbid! That is the 100% VPP view.
But the problem is the Church of God is not agreed upon a single text to call it the exact copy of the originals. For those who hold to the view that God has providentially preserved the exact copy of the originals and can be discerned from the group of accepted texts is a welcome proposition. Why shouldn’t the church of God continue the search of the Scriptures (the Received/Byzantine/Majority manuscripts) so that no parchment is unturned and no scroll unrolled in search for a common stand? Shouldn’t we welcome that? Those who prefer to hold to the Received Texts as the true copy have the freedom to do so with their own defense for it. That’s not heretical! Those who believe that the true copy can be discerned from the group of texts accepted by all are also a valid position. That’s not heretical! The 98% champs will have to defend their own camp’s proposition too. That’s not heretical! A heresy is a denial of a fundamental tenet of what constitutes sound doctrine. None of these camps deny any but affirm every one. So what is the heresy accused of the 100% VPP brethren? All are zealots for the Cause of Christ. All positions have inherent strengths and problems. All are in agreement to the great biblical presupposition. All hold to a high view of Scripture. All scholars of every camp in the end must preach the foolishness of the cross along side the lowly ‘fishermen’ called of Christ. All will appear foolish to the perishing world. All will become fools for Christ no matter what view they hold to this issue.
Therefore, calling FEBC a heretical institution is sheer arrogance. Especially, having been born into a fundamentalist movement, having not done the hard yakka and assuming to be an even greater defender of the faith than the one who birthed the movement into existence in Singapore gives me the chill. To counsel the one who nurtured him and to pen such a letter of slight must have a callous soul. The usurpation of a pastorate and pride in a position that he had not toiled for and the presumption to be wiser than Rev Tow to counsel him on doctrines is beyond belief. Chewing the fat of which he did not work for but for the hard labor of another and relishing the cream of another’s dream is sinful stupor. The ‘sanctuary’ denied FEBC was dreamed, designed and done by Rev Tow when many of these modern ‘champions’ were still infants. I will find it against my whole being to squatter in a foundation that was lovingly built by the sweat and tears of another. One born of God ought to have a heightened conscience quickened by the Holy Spirit and therefore possess good judgement and values. Conscience is a hard master to live with for there is no rest until it is appeased. Has the disciple grown greater than the master? Has the teacher forgotten the decades of conviction his life was spend for? Convictions become you in the passing of time. Convictions are sealed in the heart of your soul over time. Convictions are the very pulse of your being in time.
Convictions motivate and move a man to stand alone when everyone deserts him at any time. Convictions of truth cannot be contradicted but only focused and refined in the progress of time. Therefore, has the man who founded the BP movement to uphold and defend the Word of God, and the ‘prophetical’ institution to reproduce himself to continue the work of God; and whose name was synonymous with Singaporean fundamentalism, slumber to spiritual insanity to forsake the ‘old path’ and push a ‘new path’?
All men of God in history have refined their thoughts without being heretical. Theology is dynamic in scope. We refine our views in space and time and are better for it. There is so much room within sound doctrine for everyone of the fundamentalist persuasion to move and co-live in co-operation. A life time isn’t enough to understand it all and many a young bible scholar often confuse institutional doctorate for the mastery of His Word.
After all, the Spirit of God is the Master-Teacher and was it not the ill educated disciples who were given the high privilege to be with the Creator-Savior to hear and yet not understand the meaning of much of what He said? Was it not to them the Spirit of God opened the exposition of the providentially preserved Word of the OT and the Master’s voice of the NT? A group of unassuming, humble, simple, childlike, grown men were picked for a visual lesson to show modern churches which prides in high decibel doctorates and puffed up positions of privilege that lack the discipleship in heart. Would the Lord pick today’s crop bypassing Peter, James and John? Who is this modern man who prides over his humble teacher?
The heart of His Master was the heart beat of Rev Timothy Tow as I have known him since 1974. He often said that ‘the school of the prophets is not a school for square hats.’ Those aspiring to study theology at FEBC then was: 1. an irresistible calling; 2. an ability to study with the ‘best’; and, 3. Most of all those who are humble at heart, may apply. This gave a lot of hope and encouragement for late bloomers like me. If not for that holy principle, I would not be a pastor/teacher today.
During these 30 years of my serving the Lord I see the lack of humility in the many that are highly schooled in theology. It has not produced any new understanding of the truth better than the disciples down the road of Emmaus or a quality that has surpassed the expositional ability of Peter, James and John. Rev Tow is of this humble ‘fisherman’ quality even though he is second to none. Those who know him must learn of him. To follow such an example is to understand humility. Such was the Apostle Paul’s invitation to follow Christ even as he followed Him.
Where and when is this going to end? The Lord is mindful of His servant’s work. All will be vindicated here or there. Every work and word will be accounted for. All motives exposed. One needs to guard ones heart that one does not sin in bitterness. Festering ‘wounds’ cannot heal but bring on its own destruction. When the twain will not meet, they must part (Amos 2:2).
Surely as the father of the BP movement and FEBC is still on this side of heaven, and it is his vision and wisdom poured into this work of God, it is only proper the pastors, the session of Life BPC and all who would follow them, vacate the premises and find their own pasture. There is honor in that. May the Lord give rest to his servant before he enters his heavenly REST.
There is a balm in ‘Gilstead’ to make the wounded whole.
14 Jan 2008
Hobart, TASMANIA
