“MARK THEM WHICH CAUSE DIVISIONS”

My Comment

Brutus Balan

Dear brother Charles Seet,

This is in response to the invitation to me by the admin of Life BPC to peruse the attached article (viz. MARK THEM WHICH CAUSE DIVISIONS, Life B-P Church Weekly – 13 January 2008) for a better understanding of the VPP issue as perceived by you and the session of Life BPC. I will presume the directive was given by you and my comments are therefore addressed to you which I hope you will share it with your session.

I have read and re-read and opened all the grey of my brain matter, over loading all neurons to the max and was weary in the end trying to find the alleged gangrenous ‘heresy’ of Rev Timothy Tow and FEBC. I also perused with an open mind and read your Church’s position on this matter in Life BPC website, BUT, ‘heresy’, I did not see. I do recognize the limitations of my puny mind but generally I have gathered some understanding of what a heresy looks like over the years. I try to look at things through the eyes of a layman-child and complex things do simplify making it palatable to even a Sunday school child. God’s deep truth kept simple disseminates great theology to even an indifferent saint. So I asked,

‘What is this soul sapping, lives destroying, brethren dividing, destructive, divisive, deceptive, distorting, infectious, churches ravaging, gangrenous, new heresy of Rev Timothy Tow and FEBC that must be stopped?’

In your article there is a verbal avalanche of medical explanation of the effects of heresy, a little explanation of VPP history BUT not a word on the alleged heresy. Bible verses were thrown in about heretics to alarm the reader but where is your charge? The best I could gather from the perused article sent to me by email is this quote as summarized by you from an essay written by Dr Jeffrey Khoo, entitled ‘From the RSV to the KJV’:

‘That God used these (KJV) translators to restore absolute 100% purity to the (Received) texts in the year 1611. The result of this is that only the Greek and Hebrew texts immediately underlying the KJV are the exact words of the original writings, i.e. the very words used (‘… which is word and letter perfect, exactly the same as the original’ [C Seet]) when God first gave His word by inspiration to the Bible writers.’ (C Seet, Bracketed words mine)

Is this the heresy? What is the heresy? Where is the denial of the first and THE foremost foundational tenet of the Christian doctrine which is the uniting and distinguishing corner stone of all fundamentalists? This VPP view is an affirmation of an absolute faith in the foundational doctrine you yourself claim to stand on and operate from. That is, that the Bible (as represented in the translation of the KJV), is THE Word of God. It is to be celebrated by all, even by those who disagree. No denial here and so, where is the heresy?

In fact you have called those ‘who promote this teaching (as) quite noble’ in your paper. So your problem with this view then is a matter of personal opinion and preference. You did not call it heresy but as an untenable argument. Okay, do disagree! But why disparage fellow ‘noble’ brethren with the charge of ‘heresy’ when there is none? You have not established the alleged heresy of the VPPists in your article. What is untenable to you is very tenable to others. ‘Noble Bereans’ must search their own scriptures and come to their own conclusions of sound theology and the VPP ‘Bereans’ are no less noble than you.

You have rightly acknowledged and stated in the clearest term in the concluding paragraph of D. 3 of ‘Our Stand on the Preservation of Scriptures’ of Life BPC (1 Dec 2002) as follows: ‘Although we consider the “Perfect Bible” view to be untenable, for the sake of brotherly love and harmony, we do not want to DISCRIMINATE against any persons who, on grounds of their own personal conviction, would choose to believe that the texts underlying the KJV are an exact replica of the original autographs. We believe “there are truths and forms with respect to which men of good character and principles may differ. And in all these, we think it the duty both of private Christians and societies to exercise mutual forbearance with each other.’ (Article 5.5, Constitution of the Life Bible-Presbyterian Church) (Emphasis is mine).

AMEN and AMEN! What a Christian spirit! How peaceable! How loving! How united! How charitable! How holy! How open hearted! How amicable! What a testimony to the world!

The above statement alone negates and demolishes your false and defaming charge of heresy of FEBC.

So, it is not a question of heresy but ‘personal conviction’ of ‘which men of good character and principles differ’. In other words you will agree to disagree peaceably, for it is a matter of personal conviction among Christian brethren including you to hold either view and therefore happily co-live in harmony, peace, and love, co-existing and cooperating whenever and wherever possible for the kingdom sake. Furthermore, if this is the holy duty required of ‘both private Christians and societies to exercise mutual forbearance toward each other,’ why the false charge of gangrenous heresy against the VPP fellow champions of kindred fundamental faith? Where is your holy duty?

Forbearance is to refrain from calling those VPP brethren heretics and to be tolerant as they must tolerate your view and to bear up one another not demonize the other as heretics. Well now, where is this application in Life BPC leadership? Not walking the talk is shameful hypocrisy. With regard to FEBC you wrote in your article, ‘…the mouth of heretics must be stopped. To allow them continued freedom to promote heresy within our Church Sanctuary is to make us bear part of the blame for the grievous damage it is causing to the body of Christ.’ Whatever happened ‘… to men of good character and principles differing’ about this view of the Bible?

You have demanded that the VPPist stop propagating their view and ‘return to the truth.’ Why is your theory of divine preservation superior and does your truth mean your theory in this matter?

To threaten legal action against FEBC re the request to use the ‘sanctuary’ for night study classes is the breach of your own Life church’s clear statement. The Bible College is the conjoined twin of the Church complex Rev Tow pioneered and pastored over 50 years. You may want to counsel your people not to attend the FEBC classes in the ‘sanctuary’ but forebear the FEBC brethren its use of it for you have no moral right to it. The very presence of FEBC in close quarters with the Church sanctuary ought to be the testimony to the forbearance you eloquently spelt out but fail to honor. This is indefensible and ungodly.

Why is your theory of an imperfect Bible not heretical and the theory of a perfect Bible heretical? The VPP view of Scripture is a logical flow of VPI as understood by its proponents. One can easily refer to many bible texts to support the VPP view even though the reality on earth is problematic. Many good men, eminent bibliologists and Bible seminaries differed and still differ over these views. All readers of theology must accept this reality of dispute without labeling one another as heretics. One may ask, if your theory of a Bible-with-errors is true, where is your Scriptural support for a ‘holey Bible’? Where is your ‘true exposition’ of the ‘truth’ for it? Without Scriptural support your view is nothing but a theory too. Your theory of ‘Divine Providential Preservation’ does not produce a ‘perfect copy’ of the originals giving absolute certainty but only ‘maximum certainty’ and reliability. Words, words, words! It is gobbledygook to the nonplussed saint in the pew. We have problems with explaining what it means by ‘kept pure’; providence not miraculous; maximum certainty; ‘fully reliable;’ ‘singular care’; etc, etc. Why the maximum certainty of one’s theory if we are still searching for a common explanation? Can others charge you with heresy for this view? Is this not a human theory by conjecture? The unbelievable arrogance to damn the VPP as a heretical theory and not see the blinding log in one’s own indefensible theological eye is malicious. All camps must have humility of heart in this mammoth task of explaining this subject.

Being dogmatic about the errorless original autographs is bleeding the obvious. The biased statement by the eleven BP pastors did not refer to the VPP stand as heresy but that it is ‘schismatic’. Rev Quek Kiok Chiang in his statement to you says he doesn’t see any ‘main contradiction’ between the BP Constitution and the VPP view but did not call it heresy. Life BPC’s Constitution as pointed out earlier states that it should not be “DISCRIMINATED” against. You have taken a quantum leap from ‘untenable’ to ‘heresy’? You seem to stand all alone with a personal agenda and mission to diminish Rev Tow and defame FEBC.

The perfect and the not-so-perfect Bible theological positions are one of faith and fact. It is not simply a matter of biblical exposition. If it were so clear-cut to the Church of God this would have been an undeniable fundamental doctrine today. Since time immemorial, saints and scholars alike have wondered and pondered over this issue. Church fathers left it standing in broad statements of faith for the future generation of scholars to research. Other than the body of fundamental truths (sound doctrines), there are many other interpretations of theology that we all differ with happily. Are these brethren a pack of ravenous wolves out to destroy and devour? On the non-fundamentals we may even consider some views loosely as ‘heretical’. But what unites all the beloved of the Lord is the fundamentals of the faith. Don’t we share the pulpit with those of the deferring views? We should respect the differences and raise the common truths.

Differences in theology over the centuries have caused divisions among good people. These divisions among fundamental brethren have birthed new denominations. Multiplication by design or theological division is not really a bad thing. They have all grown and are fulfilling the Great Commission. Groups that were once branded heretics are today fellow brethren. History records that good ‘Bereans’ of faith were often called by established churches as heretics because of ‘new’ truths. The fear of the ‘new’ is the fear of a new horizon and many fail to sail beyond the familiarity. Much precious truths are undiscovered lest labeled, heretic. Many fear to query, lest he is shouted down. Theology suffers for the fear of the ‘new’. There is a numbing silence in the pew.

Quoting ad nauseam other men of old doesn’t make a hollow argument a fact. These men grappled with the issues of their time and we must with ours. The Reformation did not start and stop with Luther and Calvin. It has moved on from these two men to the eminent theologians of our time. Theology is dynamic, not static. So new understanding of old truths is not heresy if it can be defended among peers. ‘New in theology’ is not necessarily bad theology. VPP is much more than 77 years old and that’s a long time. Regardless of its source, we must be cautious not to throw the baby with the bath water. Truth stands on its own. Truth is not a human product to own. Truth is always discovered, sometimes through study and other times through controversy. Controversies, divisions, renewals and new works will continue till Jesus returns. Let’s all get used to it.

The most unkindest and sinister of all is the attempt to rewrite the pages of Life BPC history. The Lord has blessed Life BPC and FEBC for the faithful undivided heart of one man, Timothy Tow. He has never wavered in his fervor even in his frail years. When the foundations for the sanctuary were laid, he was there. When the palm trees were planted he saw them grow. When the church bell first tolled he was there to hear it. His footsteps have greeted every grain of gravel around the Gilstead complex. It is a robbery to write off a man of his spiritual right to his labor. Unkind and unloving words are said about him now even by those who were blessed on account of him. Mouths that praised him now raze him. Hear the words of one deacon of Life BPC in a recent email:

 

Charles you have misled your people feeding them with not pasture but smug spirituality. And why is there so much of bad blood between holy brethren of the same faith? Now who caused this discord and controversy? How big is your stone? Is there absolute clear conscience to cast it?

Want to know the grief in the heart of the man you deposed? Leave with your session and all who would follow you. Start your own movement. Lay your own foundation. Build on it your own sanctuary. Build a wall around it and call it your bulwark against heresy. Unroll your own banner. Unfurl your own flag on the tower. Ring the Bell. Raise your anthem. And let everyone sing your praise. Let 57 years pass God willing, and then you will know the pain you have caused him.

Don’t rob Rev. Tow his name and legacy. You have no moral right to it. You have no spiritual right to it. You have turned even those who have known him for so long against him. Now every one in your session thinks they are smarter, more spiritual and superior scholar of the Word than this man of God. May the Lord quicken your conscience and give wisdom to do the right thing.

Your brother in Christ,

Brutus Balan.
Hobart, TASMANIA
Australia
17 January 2008

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My Lament

My heart laments for the hurt that has filled the heart of a wonderful man of God over this issue. At this last mile of his sojourn on earth to be treated as a deviant or even a heretic over this issue is intolerable indeed. Over the years, Rev. Timothy Tow has always compared the FEBC with the Prophet Elijah and the school of prophets, and the Life BPC as the woman of Zeraphath. The prophetical institution is to prepare the prophets to proclaim the Gospel and the Life BPC to provide for the prophets. He was both the pastor of the provider and the principal prophet of the prophetic institution. Founded both as a bulwark against modernism with divine ‘anointing’. Right or wrong, he created resting places in every nook and corner in the Gilstead complex, to house a stranger, a sojourner. He founded a movement with unrelenting zeal. He is a humble man living a simple live with no fanfare. His love for the Lord was my inspiration and to many others. Many owe him big time for his tireless work.

The uninspired unfinished story of 1 Kings 17 may be told this way. The widow grew rich, very rich, thanks to the prophet. She was good to the prophet and the prophet was esteemed and respected. The son of the widow grew up and begat many other children. His children moved far and wide and begat others. Soon the widow who knew the prophet passed on and her grandchildren soon forgot the good deed of the prophet. Success and untold wealth blinded this generation. They started questioning the prophet’s sanity. They became wise in their own eyes and thought they were better prophets than the aging prophet. Decades of history were slighted and the prophet pressured by those taught by the prophet was told to modify his views. Who is his teacher? He was tutored of the ‘old paths’ by the grandchildren of the widow. He is also blamed for causing divisions. Cracks and division were not new to the BP movement. Did not the children of the widow cause this division? Finally, these grandchildren of the widow, mouthing loving platitudes took his seat, his pulpit, his position and usurped all that the prophet worked for day and night having poured out his life ploughing, tilling and sowing, the fruit of which is seen today. It is unconscionable to fill his shoes in these circumstances by those born yesterday. Instead of accepting Rev Tow’s resignation, shouldn’t those who disagreed with him tender their resignation and left with all their supporters to start their own movement? Where is the pride and respect in ousting the founder of this movement in these circumstances? It wouldn’t be too late for this to happen. That would be a decent thing to do. This will not heal until this is done.

He is given ‘asylum’ in his own quarters where he lived since it was built. It is indeed sad to imagine what goes through the mind of this man of God as he trudges the corridors of memories of his brighter days. Every brick in the complex is a testimony to his legacy. The deep hurt in the heart of this lovely man at this last phase of his earthly pilgrimage is too painful to envisage. His heart was one with the Kingdom. His strengths soars great heights than his weaknesses. I have never admired a man more than him for his zeal for the Lord. Now demolished and diminished in his frail years is a crying shame. How can this happen to such a man? When he is called home will the school of prophets he founded be evicted by the grandsons of the widow of Zeraphath? History repeats itself. The movement has become a monument. Memories are short lived and gratitude is a scarce virtue. Real honor is given to those who are still living not useless eulogies thrown at a cold still body. I hope the widow and the school of prophets are brought together to continue the work of the man who is the movement. That would be a balm for a frail man of God while he is still alive at the close of his journey. I do love him and may the Lord commend him and embrace him when the day appointed for him dawns in paradise.

Brutus Balan
11 January 2008
Hobart, Tasmania

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Let It be Known

Let it be known what one of the deacons of the Life BPC session wrote in an email recently:

“Nobody is ‘bullying’ Rev Tow. Who are we to bully him? He is not a legend, neither the founder. GOD IS. Rev Tow is a well respected leader used by God in the past. We all respected him, nothing can change this fact. We continued giving to him after his resignation, totaled [sic] S$235,000 in the past 4 years. To date will [sic] are still supporting him. Our members visits [sic] him frequently. We have tried make [sic] peace, but apparently we are rejected. We did not wish him to resign, we all loved him dearly, but he insisted. i [sic] was totally disappointed. He officiated my wedding, he taught me many things…

“But now, i [sic] am clear…i [sic] have to separate the sin from the sinner. We all loved Rev Tow, but not the way VPP has been promoted to the extreme, splitting [sic] churches, stumbling he weaker ones.”

Let it be known why Pastor Timothy Tow resigned from Life BPC:

“The reason why I left Life Church was because my two assistant pastors said there are mistakes in the Bible. But I believe that there are no mistakes. And the session (majority) supported them. For this reason I left the church and we found RELC at the right moment to start True Life Church.
 
“Upon resignation, I refused their salary, but they converted it into a love gift. Not to insult them, I accepted their love gift but channeled it all to the Bible College. I have not taken one cent from Life Church.”

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Basic Theology for Everyone

FEBC’s “Basic Theology for Everyone” night classes continue to draw in Christians from many churches to study God’s Word despite the FEBC Hall being packed to full capacity and overflowing to the kitchen/dining area. Despite the regrettable inconvenience due to Life BPC’s ban on us, the attendance of the Monday and Thursday night classes has not dropped but rather increased (1 Cor 3:6). Dr Das Koshy’s class on Monday night on Job has attracted over 200 students, and there are at least 300 in Dr Quek Suan Yew’s Biblical Hermeneutics class on Thursday night.

Praise the Lord for students coming from 38 different churches, all hungering and thirsting for God’s precious words taught truthfully, faithfully and lovingly: Berean BP, Berith BP, Bethany Evangelical Free, Bethel BP, Bethlehem BP, Calvary Baptist, Calvary Jurong, Calvary Pandan, Calvary Tengah, Church of Our Saviour, Faith Community Baptist, Fisherman of Christ Fellowship, Galilee BP, Gethsemane BP, Gospel Light BP, Grace Bible, Hebron BP, Jesus Saves Mission, Jireh BP, Kay Poh Road Baptist, Kim Tian Christian, Life BP, Maranatha BP, Moriah BP, Mt Carmel BP, New Creation, New Life BP, Pasir Panjang Christ, Pentecostal Methodist, Queenstown Methodist, Sembawang BP, Sharon BP, Singapore Life, St Andrew’s Cathedral, Tabernacle BP, True Life BP, Truth BP, Zion BP.

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A Word from Dr S H Tow

Enclosed with today’s weekly is Dr S H Tow’s letter of January 20, 2008 to the Life BPC Board of Elders and the FEBC Board of Directors to honour the 1970 Agreement between Life BPC and FEBC concerning “the use of the Church and College Property at 9 and 9A Gilstead Road” (Source: The Bible-Presbyterian Church of Singapore and Malaysia, 1950- 1971, pages 47-48).