All Articles For Harbach Robert C

1. ITS HISTORICAL CONNECTIONS 

Hailed as a modern liberal Pentecostal movement, Buchmanism is strictly not an organization with an official membership. It is rather a “do-gooder” movement calculated to so change individuals, societies and nations as to convert mankind into one universal peace corps before the third world war annihilates humanity. In England it is known as the Oxford Group movement. In Switzerland it is known as Moral Re-Armament. It gets its nickname from Frank Nathan Daniel. Buchman, of nominal Lutheran background. He was born in 1878 at Pennsburg, PA. He died in Switzerland, August 1961, at 83.

The religious and doctrinal outlook of this now beyond middle age twentieth century is not that of Calvinism or that of the Reformed Faith. It is rather that of an inclusivistic or syncretistic and non-doctrinal religion. The movement of this religion is not in the direction of “revival,” as is widely claimed, nor in that of Reformation, but toward a united world (ly) church. The trend is away from the old Protestant Reformation and its biblical principles which led men from the false church to the perfect doctrine of salvation.

Invitational and anecdotal preaching today largely displaces textual and expositional preaching. The “invitation” used in connection with a sermon is a mere additive foreign to true preaching. What can the “invitation” furnish that true preaching does not? Where the latter is a reality, why would anyone want to append an opportunity to “take it or leave it”?—which is what an “invitation” is. Today, the “invitation” tacked on at the end of a “message” is usually one to come forward and accept Christ.

By the words of the above title, reference is not had to “the faith of Christ” mentioned in such passages asGal. 2:16 (twice), Gal. 2:20, 3:22 and Phil. 3:9.

The premillennial view is the doctrine of the visible and personal reign of Christ on the earth for one thousand years after the Antichrist, the False Prophet and apostate Christendom have been judged and condemned to the lake of fire. This view, in sharp contrast to Postmillennialism, teaches that Christ will not come into a perfect, converted world, but to one of mixed good and evil, with evil, largely, predominating.

It would not be possible to think of Christ in His death on the cross as having done but one thing for us, namely, to have paid the just penalty of our sin. He did much more than that. If all He had done by His death was nothing more than to pay the penalty due against man’s sin, where would man be? He would certainly not be back where Adam was when he was in the state of rectitude where he daily paid God the debt of obedience he owed Him. For Adam had fallen and had brought moral...

The truth before us as a topic is rare. It is by no means found everywhere in the theologicalBibliothek. One may scan many volumes before place is found where the subject is treated, or taken up with more than passing notice. Nor where the name Lord is explained is lordship necessarily elucidated. The subject is to be distinguished from the deity of Christ. In His person He is God of God, true God of true God.

In tyrant-controlled countries the true church has become an underground church. The “token” church in these lands is little more than a facade church for the purpose of impressing tourists. The true church is there, but either in prison, concentration camp, Siberian exile or underground. However, this is not the movement we now have in mind. We rather refer to one which has ministered for nine years to the underground church. It calls itself “Underground Evangelism,” and maintains a magazine publication of that name. 

It is a distinction of Dispensationalism, not of Reformed truth, to speak of spiritual blessings and temporal blessings. The distinction is made because it is mistakenly believed that God makes promises that apply to all men without exception, and that He has blessings for all men, if not spiritual, then temporal. But the promises of God are all made exclusively in Christ. Not one of them can be of any good to those outside of Christ. There is no favor of God shown outside of Christ. To put it more pointedly, there is no favor of God shown to any...