In August of last year I posted an article recommending Shawn Mathis’ series entitled “Pastoral Evaluation of the Family Integrated Church Movement” and his book entitled Uniting Church and Family, which is essentially a collection of his many previous online writings concerning the Family Integrated Church Movement (FICM). He has also written a review of the FICM movie Divided here. Yesterday, however, Shawn added another article to the list entitled Scott Brown’s New Family Integrated Church Declaration and Why You Should Care. Here is his conclusion:
So, the new declaration of the NCFIC has changed nothing, notwithstanding it kinder, gentler language.
You, dear reader, should care about this new declaration because it is subtly written to retain all its original radicalness while sounding attractive. It is a well-organized movement determined to create new churches in its own image. It is a public call for your church to follow the innovative regulative principle of discipleship.
It is aimed at reforming the family contrary to the history of the church and the freedom found in Christ. And that is why you should care.
Frankly, I suspect that the revision of the declaration might have something to do with allowing men like Kevin Swanson to be able to sign the declaration again without having to choose between their formal affiliation with the FICM versus their denominational affiliation. At any rate, I agree with Shawn’s assessment, and I recommend that you read his article.
For those who are new to this issue or to this blog, you may want to check out a few of my articles touching on the subject from a Reformed Baptist perspective:
Jeremiah 31:31-34 Confronts Two Current Errors About Church and Family
Is Age Segregated Sunday School Biblical? – Part 1
Is Age Segregated Sunday School Biblical? – Part 2
Is Age Segregated Sunday School Biblical? – Part 3
As always, we welcome your comments.