I totally agree. When I chose Chambersburg Christian Fellowship, we were looking for churches where we could submit to the brothers, submit to the brotherhood and elders. And we went to so many evangelical churches where they condoned just about everything that it was such a breath of fresh air to find Chambersburg. This is also another one from Paul Brown. Why do Anabaptists quote Protestants who hold erroneous doctrines like Charles Finney, Wesley, et cetera?
I thought Anabaptists were neither Protestant nor Catholic. Okay. Question is something that is maybe my pet peeve. You probably weren't aware of that when you asked the question. But yeah, it bothers me when the Anabaptists or any kingdom Christians start quoting Protestants, particularly where the Protestants are in error. Now, I will sometimes quote John Wesley or Charles Finney. Of Protestant teachers, I would say they were perhaps two who were closer to the truth than most.
John Wesley says a lot of things that are right. It's just spot on. And Charles Finney as well. So if you're going to quote a Protestant, I would say those would be the two I would be most apt perhaps to quote. And yeah, I don't see any problem with that. I mean, I don't think as kingdom Christians, either as Anabaptists or, you know, just kingdom Christians in general, we don't want to get so exclusive that, yeah, we can't quote from anyone else.
You know, we're the only ones who have any truth or knowledge or all that.' Cause it's not the case. And there have been people, I mean, even Martin Luther, who, as most of my readers or listeners would know, I'm not a big fan of his teaching, well, or as a person to a large degree. And yet I appreciate that he started the Reformation. And, you know, none of us know the course of history if he hadn't come along. I think a Reformation would have happened.
It was certainly ripe for it, but he's the one who put out, you know, risked his neck and all of that. But when you read his writings, I often quote some of the, you know, a lot of the things that he's badly in error on, but he says a lot of things that are, yeah, very apt observations, correct teaching of Scripture and all of that. So I don't think we ever want to get up on, you know, a little mountaintop that we can't quote anyone else who is not Anabaptist or a kingdom Christian.
On the other hand, like I say, it just, oh, it grieves me. When I hear a pastor and he's quoting, let's say Tim Keller or somebody, you know, a Calvinist, and it's like, what on earth? These are the people who put our forefathers to death. I mean, not that we carry a grudge or anything, but why are we quoting them? I mean, our forefathers could have avoided persecution by accepting what John Calvin taught and what Zwingli taught and all of that.
And so we turn right around and start quoting, particularly quoting these people when they are in error. And, you know, that grieves me that that happens so much. And yeah, in my congregation, I probably have to say something if somebody does that. Like I say, it's great when somebody quotes, say, let's say John Wesley or something that's spot on.
But yeah, when they quote particularly a modern writer who is just teaching what is not the historic faith and is not Anabaptist doctrine, then yeah, to me, that shouldn't happen in our churches. So, yeah, thank you for your question. Yeah, thanks a lot.
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