This edition of DarkLinks comes a little late, but the articles promoted are not particularly outdated by this time of publish. First, we start off with continued coverage of the scandal at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. We get the perspective of Capstone Report and Sam Jones weighs in on the dissertation written by Dr. Hernandez. His article goes in more depth on the actual quotes in the academic work. Next there’s a exegetical discussion of Hebrews 10:25 and forsaking the fellowship of the brethren where JD Hall critiques the arguments of Phil Johnson.

Next, a shift. An article I wrote for NOQ Report is promoted where I criticize Candace Owens’ response to George Floyd’s death as she obfuscates it. It was written prior to the rioting but remains a true critique of how not to respond without falling into the virtue signalling. Lastly, there’s an article reminding us why Jen Hatmaker is a false teacher.

EXPLAINED: The scandal at Al Mohler’s Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

By Capstone Report

As a member of a Southern Baptist church, it is stunning that SBTS reprimanded Fuller for exercising his right as a member of an SBC church to write the head of an entity about issues involving that entity. This raises an important question: Does a church member surrender their right to petition our entity heads if they accept a job at one of our entities? If so, why do we allow entity employees an even greater political power of sitting as messengers at the SBC’s Annual Meeting?

Frankly, there is something wrong in allowing entity employees (and especially entity heads) to sit as Messengers and vote on trustees—the very people who will be assigned to supervise them.

Anyone drawing a salary, particularly a six-figure salary, at an SBC entity should not sit as a messenger.

However, we allow that, but reprimand Dr. Fuller for writing a letter to Al Mohler.

That’s outrageous.

SOUTHER BAPTIST PROFESSOR AND A DANGEROUS DISSERTATION

By Sam Jones @ Shining Light Ministries

Hernández praises Job’s contribution of wisdom through his criticism of what is taught in the book of Proverbs and in the Torah. “Perhaps it is through Job’s criticism of the traditional wisdom espoused in Proverbs and in the Torah that the book of Job makes its greatest contribution to the wisdom tradition.”

After examining Dr. Hernández’s dissertation, I believe it is clear he is affirming and applying Higher Criticism to the Bible, but I encourage you to watch both interviews and to read the dissertation so you can come to your own conclusions.

Ultimately, if Dr. Hernández is affirming and applying Higher Criticism, it is a very bad sign for the SBC and American Christianity in general. Higher Criticism attacks the fundamentals of the faith by taking away the only firm foundation we have been given, the Bible!

By JD Hall @ PNP News

I can find evidence of a small, minority view among some that Hebrews 10:25 is not speaking of the weekly assembly, albeit this view is largely stricken from the major commentaries unless briefly mentioned and then rejected (as it is in Barnes’ Notes, who credits the view to Christian Gottlieb Kuhnol, an 18th Century German theologian). Most importantly to Phil Johnson, John MacArthur does not include this curious translation in his New Testament commentary of Hebrews 10:25, a fact I double-checked from my own copy of the volume personally signed by MacArthur himself. However, the minority view that Hebrews 10:25 is speaking to rank apostasy and not Lord’s Day abandonment is not tied anywhere or by anyone except Phil Johnson (that I can find) to the translation of ἐγκαταλείποντες. Rather, Kuhnol ties this belief to the translation of ἐπισυναγωγὴν “assembling,” claiming that this speaks of the Christian church as a whole and not the meetings of the church.

This belief, that Hebrews 10:25 does not speak of rank apostasy but of forsaking Lord’s Day assemblies is reinforced – as Jamieson-Faussett-Brown Commentary points out – because “This gentle expression [ἔθος τισίν, or “the habit of some”] “proves he is not here as yet speaking of apostasy.” Simply put, the language used by the Apostle towards the “some” refer to erring compatriots, not apostates (see below).

How not to respond to George Floyd’s death

By Ray Fava @ NOQ Report

Moreover, with COVID-19 it is become readily apparent just how few police departments are willing to defend our liberties when push came to shove. With diminishing reasons to give police officers the benefit of the doubt in situations like this, moving forward the argument to be making should be aimed at Democrat leadership who set the tone for their police departments. Already, in the last few months, the Governor of Minnesota has been tyrannical. Minneapolis is also controlled by Democrats. The way to navigate this injustice while the criminal justice system proceeds should be to mobilize discontentment towards Democrat leadership who, despite all the pandering, fail to solve the issue.

But we should not discount the idea that people would be outraged over a perceived injustice and cite stale statistics that are not germane. We should not paint scenarios as black versus white, or go along with those who do. Black Americans sank the Pete Buttigieg campaign, along with every out of the closet socialist the Democrats ran. Conservatives have more in common with black Americans who vote Democrat than they do with white leftists. It’s long past time to stop with the old Fox News talking points and rally for justice and accountability.

Jen Hatmaker, who first publicly renounced Christianity in an interview with Jonathan Merritt — a gay activist and son of former Southern Baptist Convention president, James Merritt — and says she first questioned Evangelical Christianity because gay people couldn’t have sex with each other, is now calling for a mass exodus from conservative, biblical denominations.

What Hatmaker fails to understand is that “shame and guilt and sorrow” for the unregenerate — like her — are actually a sign of mercy from God and a call to repentance and faith in Christ. Instead, Hatmaker continues to lift her middle finger to God by peddling sin and rebellion to those who need to actually hear the gospel.