tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447748118844976686.post6334628578768581054..comments2022-12-11T13:06:20.676+00:00Comments on The Arbour: The Metropolitan Tabernacle, Peter Masters and two-stage separationStephen Knealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16401469781142561649noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447748118844976686.post-71593388261690187742015-03-02T12:27:26.614+00:002015-03-02T12:27:26.614+00:00I have find it rather unfortunate that people can ...I have find it rather unfortunate that people can make such spiteful and hateful comments against Dr Peter Masters. I find it very surprising that people who claim to love Christ and hence those who He bought with His precious blood (which include Dr Peter Masters)<br />could resort to these forms of personal attacks against Dr Peter Masters. This is truly a reflection of what our Lord said in Matthew 5:10-12 <br />Let this go on record that the reformed church need more men like Dr Peter Masters who will stand for the truth, even if doing so earns them few friends. This reminds me of how many people turned against Spurgeon many years ago. <br />The FIEC believes that the world must be welcomed in the church to win convert. This is evident from their promotion of false teachers such as Bill Hybels and Mark Driscoll. I was amazed to see how much the FIEC endorsed the Olympics, a wordly event that only seeks to glorify man. Of Course, the FIEC is smart not to directly admit that the world is invited into the church, hence they use terminology that hides this fact. Dr Peter Masters on the other as scripture commands abhors the world and all the things that happen in it as 1 John 2:15 commands. He also abhors false teaching and he preaches separation from it and secondary separation from those who refuse to separate from false teaching again as scriptures command. Of course this puts a question mark on the authenticity of those who love the world and the things of the world. Rather than focus on this issues and deal with them, people would rather engage in personal attacks than focus on the issue being discussed.<br />I have found that the FIEC is very vehement in it's loath of Dr Peter Masters. I used to attend a FIEC church and we had to leave because of the church's theological downgrade. One of such was that the church baptised a woman who was living in a non marital relationship. Another issue was the fact that Drama was being adopted in that church as a means of evangelisation of the lost. May I ask where in the bible Drama was ever used for this purpose? Drama was something coinded by the pagan world and should be detestable to any church that loves God's word. One of the elders of this same church was spoke to me about going to the pictures. I brought it to his attention that most (if not all films) blaspheme the name of Christ, to which he looked at me as being from planet mars. Talk about being absorbed into worldliness. <br />I am very thankful that we now attend an independent Baptist Church that truly subscribes to the 1689 London Baptist confession of faith.<br />Ademolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05213842711389728405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447748118844976686.post-75659762197043447642015-03-01T16:38:50.983+00:002015-03-01T16:38:50.983+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.Ademolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05213842711389728405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447748118844976686.post-57876387589640771962014-12-17T22:58:22.158+00:002014-12-17T22:58:22.158+00:00To Martin Marprelate aka Steve Owen:
I live in Lo...To Martin Marprelate aka Steve Owen:<br /><br />I live in London and I can't say that the Met Tab and Peter Masters are a "colossal force for good".<br /><br />They are isolationist and claim spiritual superiority, attracting people from all over London for whom their local churches are not good enough. That's not exactly a splendid example of how to "do church" as it treats other churches with contempt, even hatred.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447748118844976686.post-18639876393558860412014-08-05T00:00:15.669+01:002014-08-05T00:00:15.669+01:00Whilst you and I may agree that Dr. Masters is unw...Whilst you and I may agree that Dr. Masters is unwise to insist on his view of 'two-stage' separation, I think the criticisms of him by some of your correspondents are entirely out of order.<br /><br />Thye Met tab under Peter Masters is a colossal force for good in London, and a splendid example of how to 'do church.' The enormous Sunday School, the regular evangelistic sermons at the evening meetings, the support of Reformed churches in the Third World- all these are standing rebukes to many of us who do not have the ability and energy of this man in his mid-70s.<br /><br />We can oppose his views on separation without denying the good he has done in so may other avenues of Christian life.Martin Marprelatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13142487387036847371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447748118844976686.post-59707336775682812312013-02-19T15:35:48.463+00:002013-02-19T15:35:48.463+00:00I've attended the Met Tab school of theology i...I've attended the Met Tab school of theology in the past and have always left feeling a curious mix of partly irritated and partly encouraged! PM certainly has his hobby-horses, and I think his definition of what constitutes worldliness is legalistic. <br /><br />However, he is also one of the best preachers that I've heard - particularly on themes to do with the inner spiritual life e.g. prayer, meditation etc. Really helpful, practical teaching. I sometimes think that this pietistic focus is what can be missing from a lot of modern FIEC churches I've attended - great sermons on practical christian living and good doctrinal teaching, but less teaching on and focus on the inner life.<br /><br />In person, by all acounts, Masters is very gracious. And he comes across that way in the pulpit too. And certainly, I don't think we should be writing off every member of the Met Tab as unsaved on the basis of what their minister says. You can be in membership of a church and not necessarily agree with everything that is taught form the pulpit.Rachelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447748118844976686.post-20596387272532948112013-02-19T14:34:12.333+00:002013-02-19T14:34:12.333+00:00Hi Andy,
Thanks for your comment.
I should proba...Hi Andy,<br /><br />Thanks for your comment.<br /><br />I should probably say from the outset I am no great fan of the Metropolitan Tabernacle nor Peter Masters. I have known a great many defenders of them and I do think there is much to question, and even more to avoid, in what they do. Further to that, my background is in the Grace Baptist Association and I am now at an FIEC church not dissimilar to your own. Indeed, whilst I was never at Christchurch when in Liverpool, I have had occasion to visit. I have various friends who are - or have been, before moving to other parts of the country - in membership with you. So, in terms of where you and I sit ecclesiastically, theologically and in matters of practice we are not so far apart. I'm sure in terms of what and why we find this whole issue concerning, we are not wildly different.<br /><br />Nevertheless, I am reticent to write the whole of the Met Tab, and Peter Masters in particular, out of salvation altogether. I think 2 Thess 3:15 - in this instance - is more apt than 1 John 2. We must try and be charitable, even when such charity is not reciprocated.<br /><br />On your view, you are faced with the challenge of proving that Peter Masters "hates" these brethren as well as tasked with the harder job of proving the same of his whole church. That is not a claim I would want to defend. I am in no doubt he is in error, acting as he does, though I am prepared to be charitable and concede this is an over-zealous and misplaced attempt to uphold, what he perceives as, biblical truth and to remain separate from those he sees as diverting from it.<br /><br />Equally, that the Met Tab can encourage a form of Pharisaical legalism is beyond question. I have no doubt there are Pharisees in that church, just as there are in both yours and mine. I wouldn't, however, go as far as to say that the gospel the Met Tab proclaims is works-based nor do I believe they teach works save. Peter Masters, whatever his many other faults may be, regularly and faithfully proclaims the gospel. They do have a strong focus on piety and see such things as marks of, as opposed to works necessary for, salvation. Such tendencies exists - admittedly, often in a far less pronounced way - in many traditional, conservative Reformed Churches that we wouldn't write off in the same way.<br /><br />Clearly I think they as a church need to be called out on this sort of behaviour. I can even agree with Gary Benfold at 'Who's that Preacher?' that people probably should withdraw from the Met Tab. Not mimicking their militant separatism but in the spirit of 2 Thess 3:15, recognising they are brethren, but brethren in error and in need of repentance.<br /><br />Whilst there is certainly a personality cult around Peter Masters, not everybody at his church views him as some Protestant Papal figure. I know far too many sound Christian people (admittedly much harder line than me, but brothers all the same) who attend - and have attended - that church to simply write the entire church out of the corpus.Stephen Knealehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16401469781142561649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447748118844976686.post-76532369823768539662013-02-19T13:03:27.801+00:002013-02-19T13:03:27.801+00:00Thanks Stephen,
I loved the point about separatin...Thanks Stephen,<br /><br />I loved the point about separating from themselves!<br /><br />I think I'd want to say that this is exactly the kind of situation when it's appropriate to very clearly and pointedly reject someone else's ministry. In fact it seems to me that Met Tab's ministry is far more erroneous than many ministries that you and I would both label as liberal. I think there's no doubt that Masters and co are contemporary pharisees, denying the kingdom of God to many.<br /><br />They condemn as not being brothers, indeed as being false teachers, many who clearly are brothers and it seems to me that this is a sin which, in the NT, marks out someone who is not, in fact, a Christian. 1 John 2:9-11 is quite clear that true faith does not belong to those who hate their bothers. It seems to me the clearest way in which any Christian can do that is to deny that other Christian people are your brothers and label them in the kind of ways Met Tab do constantly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com