R. Scott Clark
R.Scott Clark is the President of the Heidelberg Reformation Association, the author and editor of, and contributor to several books and the author of many articles. He has taught church history and historical theology since 1997 at Westminster Seminary California. He has also taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Concordia University. He has hosted the Heidelblog since 2007.
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@Scott – I second the motion.
Hi Scott,
I am really hoping you or Mike Horton will comment on Lillback’s appearance on the show.
I found it disturbing that Lillback — president of an institution that claims to be a defender of orthodoxy — would so passionately try to convince a Mormon to sign a declaration that was explicitly drafted and put forth by Christians from within the bounds of Nicene Orthodoxy (Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant).
It also seems that Lillback intentionally quoted JG Machen on “liberalism” out of context so that it would seem Machen was referring to the variety of “liberalism” that Glenn Beck usually rails against rather than the theological sort. I will concede there is some overlap between the two, but in Lillback’s case it looks like very blatant pandering to Beck’s audience to promote his book.
Finally, Lillback commending Beck’s “sweeping influence on our culture” and hoping Beck will “really impact our culture in this area [of individual salvation and justice as taught in the Bible]” was disturbing to say the least and certainly an example of conservative captivity and pandering.
Fortunately, most people in university settings whom I work with for evangelism can’t tell the difference between Lillback, Beck, and Falwell’s religious views and don’t know that I come from a tradition and hold theological positions almost identical to Lillback’s.
In any case, I’d love to hear your thoughts.