Bruce Cooper

The Concept Of The Credentialed Layman – Evan Minton

I don’t know if any of you folks follow Evan Minton, who maintains a Christian Apologetics blog at cerebralfaith.net , but I’ve been following Evan for some time now. While I do not claim to possess the mental agility of Evan, I have found a number of his posts very beneficial in a number of Christian Apologetic areas. This post of his (The Concept Of The Credentialed Layman) with the direct link below, is particularly noteworthy in that it contains a number of well balanced and sound recommendations that would assist all of us who deem that it is our responsibility to provide a well balanced and reasoned answer, to any who would ask us about our faith. I highly recommend it!

——————

Given that I’m currently writing criticisms of McGrew’s anti-Minimal Facts stance, and given my recent revelation, it seemed good to me to write on a…

The Concept Of The Credentialed Layman

Worthy is the Lamb! Blessings!

15 comments

  1. Bruce, thanks for passing along this article, which I enjoyed.
    I also sent a couple of comments to Evan questioning his contention that the RCC teaches the genuine Gospel albeit with secondary quirks (see link below) and recommended McCarthy’s “The Gospel According to Rome” and De Chirico’s “Same Words, Different Worlds: Do Roman Catholics and Evangelicals Believe the Same Gospel?”
    https://cerebralfaith.net/are-catholics-christians/

    Like

    • Hi Tom, Yes, I’ve read that particular post before. Should be interesting to see what he says. Please note that I didn’t say I found “all” of his posts beneficial. From a biblical Scriptural perspective, there should be no doubt that the RC gospel is not the same as the NT gospel. The grey area in my mind is what God overlooks as “ignorance” when He looks at the heart of the believer. The difference between adhering to correct biblical doctrine, especially when it relates to why and whom we trust in, and the heart of the believer from God’s perspective, in concert with the believers unintended ignorance, is something that I am not privy to. Which correlates with my judgement of the possibility of “in spite of” and not “because of” as per their individual standing with God. I have a strong suspicion that we all have some of these unintended “ignorance” areas. I’m thinking that all we can do is state our case and what happens next in the heart of the believer to whom we are speaking to, is between them and God. I can’t see any other way of handling that, especially at the layperson level. How about you?

      Liked by 1 person

      • Thanks, Bruce. I get where you’re coming from. Most Roman Catholics and, sadly, many evangelicals are woefully ignorant regarding right doctrine.
        I think it’s very safe to say that the great majority of Catholics are depending on their church’s sacraments and/or their own merit to get them to Heaven as they’ve been taught. They will affirm the belief that “good people go to Heaven” in some form or fashion if asked.
        However, I’m sure some Catholics do get saved in spite of their church’s soteriology by coming to the Lord in humble repentance and genuinely accepting Him as Savior by faith alone. I think of the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14. It’s not rocket science and a seeker doesn’t need a theology degree – a ten-year-old can understand. It boils down to “DONE” vs. “DO” and the vast majority of Catholics believe in “DO” as they have been taught. Right, we can’t arm-twist the unsaved into Heaven, but we can sow the Gospel seed and also point out false teachers and false gospels as Paul did frequently in his epistles.

        Like

      • And I hear you, Tom and I agree. I have learned through experience that a significant part of how what we say is received, is directly associated with our tone and delivery. The Samaritan woman at the well with Jesus is a prime example. Learning how to thread that needle comes with a steep learning curve, of which, I am still working on. Blessings brother!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Gotcha, Bruce. Jesus and Paul were winsome with lost individuals, but confrontational with false teachers/religious leaders/institutions. It’s a line we walk by God’s grace, but the pendulum has certainly swung way over to accommodation and compromise in the last several decades. There’s far too much cooperation/collegiality these days with false teachers/teaching when confrontation is needed. I think there’s also differences in personality regarding the receiver of the message. I was one who sought after clear, hard-hitting information about RC-ism when I was a questioning Catholic, and there was plenty of it in Christian book stores back then. I didn’t want to have to dig through layers of irenicism. Sadly, even irenic examinations of RC-ism are getting hard to find.
        Well, we’ve had good discussions about this, Bruce. I’m always happy to think it through with you.

        Like

      • I think your observation about individuals versus false teachers/religious leaders/institutions is key. Thank you for your patience with me, Tom. We are on the same song sheet.
        Blessings! P.S. I also bought “A Christian’s Pocket Guide to Mary” by Leonardo De Chirico, outstanding so far!

        Liked by 1 person

      • RE: Patience
        And thanks for your patience and understanding, Bruce. Talking it through with a brother is always helpful.
        Glad you have De Chirico’s excellent book on Mary! I’m really enjoying his Reformanda Initiative podcasts on Mondays.
        I always find myself wanting to type “Leonardo Dicaprio” when I’m searching for something about De Chirico. I’m sure the former is not going to result in a lot of good theology.

        Like

  2. I like the quote: “Show me that you know what you are talking about, and I don’t care whether you have the degree. Show me that you *don’t* know what you are talking about, and I don’t care whether you have the degree.” That just about sums it up! Blessings, Bruce!

    Like

  3. What a great article, Bruce. (I even did the tutorial on citing footnotes!) 🤓 We know that I am not a theologian, philosopher or intellectual or…and can so easily be intimidated into silence, but I find it interesting that I had just finished reading these words before your post and wanted to share them:
    “The questions of purpose and end are woven into the fabric of our effort, as we understand that the deepest lessons are not learned in textbooks, but instead are discovered as learning meets life.”
    Steven Garber, The Fabric of Faithfulness: Weaving Together Belief and Behavior During the University Years.

    Like

    • Hi Deb, Good for you (I watched the video too)! You’re not alone in not being a theologian, philosopher or intellectual etc, that is for sure, and fear not because I’m standing right there beside you. But I would definitely have to agree with you and Steven Garber, where he states that “the deepest lessons are not learned in textbooks, but instead are discovered as learning meets life.” There is a distinct difference between reading Scripture and applying Scripture and often times the greater part of the lessons to be learned are in the application. The Lord knows I’ve had my fair share of “foot in mouth” experiences. The good news is they diminish as we mature, but notice that I didn’t say they necessarily stop. Our ratio of mistakes decreases as our awareness of our dependency in our Lord’s guidance increases, which is directly connected to our awareness of the leading of God’s Holy Spirit. I often wonder is God speaking louder to me now, or have I finally learned to just listen a little better. I’d tend to lean towards the latter. Most times the leading is there, but too often we ignore Him. That’s where those “not good” outcomes come creeping in. Weaving together belief and behaviour does indeed come with a steep learning curve. The stories I could tell you! God’s grace and patience is a beautiful thing and the older we get, the more that we come to appreciate His attributes. If it wasn’t for God’s grace and patience, I would have been road kill a long time ago. Learning to study so that we can give an answer, means doing our homework so that we can effectively participate, and the application is in reality, the greater part of that learning, especially to ourselves. Think twig/log! Considering your tone and insights, I’d be thinking I still have some catching up to do. You’re a joy, Deb. God’s grace, peace and blessings to you and yours!

      Liked by 1 person

  5. I love his approach, though following the details of the article is a bit beyond me. Having been an ordained lay pastor on our church staff, it is nice to hear someone else echo my heart on the subject.

    Like

Comments are closed.