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[saint701]

Hello All,


Blessings

http://www.examiner.com/spirituality-in-st-louis/fallacies-abound-covenant-seminary-and-n-a-e-doctrines-1

Fallacies abound in Covenant Seminary and N.A.E. doctrines
Reference: Covenant Seminary Doctrine as stated in their own website, http://www.covenantseminary.edu/whycovenant/doctrine/
Good day to you St. Louis. Recently we observed a fallacy in the foundational tenets of Covenant Seminary here in St. Louis. We saw that at the very center of the Seminary’s covering doctrine a fallacy rendered subsequent assertions false. We suspect such errors in doctrine cover the globe, but here we limit the scope of our investigation to that which is relevant to our area. Once again, since Covenant Seminary stands out among other seminaries of St. Louis, and they make certain assertions in their foundational doctrine we see as fallacies, we will look further into the foundation of their belief system.
Let’s take a look at the Statement of Faith of the National Association of Evangelicals, statements 4, 5, and 7. (Covenant S. has adopted these tenets as well).
Statement 4. We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
Such a statement appears sound but why is regeneration used to describe the change that takes place within us when the Holy Spirit gives us new life in Christ Jesus? There are more definitive terms such as born again, made a new creation, a new creature, a new species, or a new race. Statement number 4 is a fallacy because it does not open up our understanding to the GREAT NEWS OF THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. Regeneration dumbs us down and keeps us from learning the awesome truth of who we have been made in Christ Jesus. The great news is that we are no longer members of the (dead to God) human species Adam, but members of a new spiritual species (alive to God) family called Jesus. Ah, but for such to be part of our doctrine would be presumptuous, as we must remain humbly ignorant (unqualified to speak) of these things. Statement 4 is a fallacy because it denies our place in God’s Heavenly household as His Sons and Daughters. In the mind of God Almighty our Papa we have already been glorified in Christ Jesus.
Statement 5. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
First of all, (please excuse us as we are humbly ignorant and unqualified to speak), on the matter of the Holy Spirit enabling us to live a godly life. Such really is true of those that ascribe to such a fallacy. There is not one place in scripture that says it is the Holy Spirit that enables us to live a godly life. Statement number 5 is a fallacy because it contradicts statement one of the Statement of Faith of the National Association of Evangelicals. Statement one says, “We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.” Statement number 5 is a fallacy because it was not taken out of the only infallible truth, the Word of God, The Bible. Statement number 5 comes from the National Association of Evangelicals themselves. Therefore it is a fallacy made up by men that are truly ignorant of the Holy Spirit’s present Ministry. We say this because in their unbelief they have limited the work of the Holy Spirit in the present to a ministry not found in the Bible. Oops! Such is a fallacy. Oops!
Therefore, if the Bible is what they say it is in statement number one, (which they humbly agree not to ascribe to each year), then statement one would have been a statement out of the Bible that actually does involve the true present working of the Holy Spirit. Such hasn’t changed one iota since He was sent to us on the Day of Pentecost some two thousand years ago. His present ministry continues to be His leading us and guiding into all understanding, comforting us, reminding us of the things the Lord Jesus has said to us, attesting to the truth about the Lord Jesus, imparting spiritual gifts to us, having us cry “abba Father,” teaching us all things, shedding the love of God abroad in our hearts, and giving us the mind of Christ.
There is not one place in the Bible that says the Holy Spirit was given to us to live a godly life. We suspect to these individuals such meant and still means not smoking, drinking, cussing, or swearing, while wearing a garment of pride among their colleagues. The word godly really doesn’t mean any of the above things stated in this paragraph. Godly means according to Definition of godly at YourDictionary.com (adjective), of or from God; divine; devoted to God; Paraphrased into the context of true biblical intent, true Christian godliness would be… having the nature of a new divine species within ourselves created in us by the working of the power of God through the Holy Spirit. True Christian godliness would be having the true nature of God within us motivating us to be love for all, forgiveness for all, reconciliation for all, and salvation life for all. Such stated in the context of the New Testament epistles would be Christ living within us our great hope of glory!

Fallacy number three, statement of faith by the National Association of Evangelicals, (N.A.E.), number seven. “We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Do we mean Spiritual unity among believers in our Lord Jesus Christ...umm… by whose definition, the Bible’s or the N.A.E.’s? We would be inclined to regard such an understanding as belonging to mind of the N.A.E. rather than the mind of Christ; BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT ACCURATELY ABLE TO PORTRAY THE CURRENT MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. For, if the present ministry of the Holy Spirit is what they say it is, and the Bible is the only ground of scriptural truth, and their words contradict the Bible, such would be a fallacy would it not? What disturbs us about statement seven of the N.A.E. is that in the doctrine of Covenant Seminary comes the following.
Other Perspectives
“We do occasionally permit a limited number of applicants who do not share these beliefs to enroll in individual courses as non-degree students. As part of our educational curriculum, we also periodically invite to campus guest speakers who may not hold to the Seminary's doctrinal standards but who offer perspectives and points of view with which our faculty and students need to be familiar.”
Some of these other perspectives they omit could in fact be Bible truths such as the present working of the Holy Spirit.
Now if there truly is Spiritual unity in the Body of Christ Jesus among the masses of Christian denominations and belief systems we ask you to please hit us over the head with it! And, if there is unity of Spiritual mind among the N.A.E. members and the Covenant Seminary Professors and students there, please thump us again. No, Spiritual unity among seminarians and the N.A.E. is a fallacy. Diversity is their unity. If there was true unity in the body of believers in Covenant Seminary and the N.A.E. one would be able to feel the love presence of Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit when entering such presumed Holy Ground rather than the spirit of pride we sense.
The love presence of God our Papa, (dad, daddy), that is spread abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit is unity of Spirit defined. God is Love, and if these had known the Father, the majority of their doctrine would be changed to incorporate that knowledge. Doctrine number seven of the N.A.E. that Covenant Seminary subscribes to is a fallacy because it is not definitive. Unity of spirit could mean anything. As it stands, it means nothing. True unification of the Spirit in believers is the love of God spread abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit motivating us to live that love life with each other.


Blessings!
Love, in Christ Jesus, saint