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Cross Examination

The rise of the Internet and the blogosphere have created a wonderful new forum for discussion and research. But the same forum which can be used as a tool for good also provides an easy avenue for the rapid mass dissemination of gossip, revilings, and defamation against Christian men and ministries. The ease of publishing information through a blog and the lack of accountability for what is published has contributed to the relaxation of journalistic and academic standards (not to mention principles of brotherly charity) when critiquing others that often results in Ninth Commandment violations. Even legitimate criticism, however, must be subject to biblical, academic scrutiny. Those who use the Internet to discredit the name and work of others must be prepared to have their own critiques cross-examined.

The purpose of this section of our Web site is to do just this. With malice toward none and gratitude for the freedom the Lord provides and for a free society which fosters dialogue in the spirit of Christian charity, we pray that the light of God’s Word will reign paramount in every controversy between Christian men. It remains our vision that all Christians will embrace the spirit of the Bereans who, as Luke tells us, “were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).

How to Respond to a Tale-Bearerby Douglas Phillips, Esq., October 3, 2007
Dr. Abshire has offered a devastating response defending his views, Vision Forum Ministries (and, indirectly, innocent men and women who reject feminism and hold to historic Reformation doctrines of the family) from one talebearer who has suggested that such beliefs are “cultic.” Dr. Abshire’s rebuttal is quite instructive because he exposes numerous basic errors in logic, research omissions, unbrotherly conduct, and outright falsehoods employed by this individual. And Dr. Abshire makes his case with manly firmness, but genuine Christian charity, ever willing to give the benefit of the doubt to an accuser who was most certainly not willing to do the same for him. Read More
My Top Four Favorite Family-Integrated Church Pastorsby Scott Brown, November 22, 2006
The critics of the family-integrated church movement often forget that what the NCFIC advocates was practiced by some of our most treasured pastors and theologians of the past — men such as Baxter, Bunyan, Henry, and Edwards. It was not until the philosophy of age-segregated education infiltrated the educational regimen of the nations, and then was adopted in the churches, that the people of God had to face so many family disintegrating forces. Read More

This Month at Cross Examinationby Wesley Strackbein, October 13, 2006
This month, Vision Forum hopes to answer the questions of many families who have contacted us, often heartbroken, over their concern about the use of gossip, revilings, motive judging, and personal attacks by Fundamentalists at SharperIron.org to discredit proponents of unity between church and home. Our concern is not over legitimate, brotherly, academic discussion and criticism, but over expressly unbiblical behavior in the form of bringing public charges without contacting brothers in Christ in advance, publishing gossip, and revilings, etc. — all contrary to the Word of God. Read More
Southern Baptist Seminary to Cast New Vision for Unity Between Church and Home
This Tuesday, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary — the flagship seminary of the world’s largest Protestant denomination — announced bold, new plans to train their students to pursue family-integrated ministry that unites church and home. Randy Stinson, the newly-appointed dean of Southern’s School of Leadership and Church Ministry, has taken the lead in this courageous work that seeks to discourage age-segregated ministry activities and encourage families to serve Christ together within the context of their local church. Read More

The Plague of Talebearing within the Christian Communityby Alexander Strauch, October 9, 2006
At the Third National Conference for Uniting Church and Family held in St. Louis, Missouri this last weekend, Alexander Strauch offered pointed commentary on the epidemic problem of talebearing within the Christian community. His bottom line: “No judgment without facts!” Mr. Strauch has helped thousands of churches worldwide through his expository, writing ministry. The author of Biblical Eldership and The New Testament Deacon, Mr. Strauch is perhaps the best known defender of biblical eldership in our day. Read More
A Resource Guide to “Biblical Integrity and the Fundamentalist Anathema”by Michael Gobart, October 5, 2006
In June 2006, the fundamentalist Baptist web forum, SharperIron.org, published articles formally denouncing Vision Forum and the National Center for Family Integrated Churches for alleged “errant theology,” “practice,” and “false teaching.” It called for people to disassociate with the Christians at Vision Forum and elsewhere who advocate unity between church and family. In this document, we have compiled a few of the unsubstantiated and defamatory charges which served as the basis for their pronunciation. These falsehoods contributed to further gossip, revilings, and to a false witness in the discussion threads of each SharperIron article. We encourage all those who have questions regarding doctrinal and theological positions of Vision Forum and the National Center for Family Integrated Churches to examine these resources for an accurate representation of our position. Read More

Honor as a Defining Principle of Lifeby Douglas Phillips, Esq., October 4, 2006
The twenty-first century world of the Internet, instant global communication, and theological pandemonium provides dishonorable men with numerous opportunities to skirt biblical requirements for conflict resolution, to cover their tracks — or simply, to vent. Some dissatisfied congregants at odds with their church leadership have become Internet assassins — men and women intent on destroying the character of the men with whom they disagree, and justifying their electronic “holy jihad” on the grounds that “the world must be warned.” The biblical remedy for Christians who meet such dishonorable men is simple: From such turn away (2 Timothy 3:5). Read More
Family Squabbleby William Einwechter, October 4, 2006
Earlier this year, Vision Forum began to receive requests from friends and supporters across the nation who had been hurt and in some cases adversely affected in their local churches as a result of a series of three defamatory articles authored by Joe Fleener and published on SharperIron.org. In this first installment of a three part series, Bill Einwechter responds to Joe Fleener’s defamatory and hyperbolic charges against proponents of family-integrated local churches. Read More

Gnosticism and Physical Thingsby Michael Gobart, October 4, 2006
To bolster their charge that proponents of unity between church and home are theologically inept, authors from SharperIron.org have taken miscellaneous potshots at the character of the work presented by the pastors and scholars behind the movement. Now, in this brief but pointed article, Michael Gobart examines one such charge and demonstrates that the critic is the pot calling the kettle black. The issue at bar concerns the meaning of Gnosticism as presented in the widely circulated book, “Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America.” Read More
The Invention of Adolescenceby Otto Scott, October 4, 2006
The typical modern church is influenced by evolutionary theories of adolescence and age-segregation which often impact everything from their philosophy of worship to their structures for discipleship. In this timely article first published more than a decade ago, the late Otto Scott explains the problem and debunks the myth of “adolescence.” Scott demonstrates that this period of “child development” was unknown, unrecognized, and unseen in every previous civilization, culture, and society throughout the immensely long history of humanity. Read More

The Westminster Confession on Blogosphere Gossip
Question 145 of the The Larger Catechism to the Westminster Confession of Faith provides a relevant challenge both to unruly bloggers and the readers who receive their ungodly reports. Read More