The temptation to be original is so fierce in academia. This spell that superiors in the field have over young profs to be is real, and in many instances forces the young and sometimes not so young protege to come up with an extraordinary "position" so as to impress the educational elite. It is a well known fact that George Ladd, former professor at Fuller seminary, prior to his death wanted so much the approval of the liberal movers and shakers in the world of New Testament scholarship. Not to suggest that Ladd was compromised in any sense himself, but merely to illustrate a seldom realized if well known secret in the university/seminary household.
This mystical spell casts its magic over church leaders in the setting of pastoral ministry as well. Today, a friend of mine who has been a minister in the service of the gospel for many years shared a link on his facebook page of a church doing a "first internet baptism." Of course, my friend, being one of the few godly and gospel saturated ministers around today, that unfortunately make up the minority, mentioned this as a trend in things unholy. What was more a travesty in my opinion is that, this fine gospel preacher ends up having to defend himself, not to mention the doctrine of ecclesiology to people who should know better. It is truly amazing, as my dear friend and colleague mentioned what some church leaders will do to be "hip" or whatever the appropriate contemporary slang term is these days.
What is next, internet communion? It was the televangelists that ruined the medium of television for the rest of the world of preachers that may have had a fairly accurate biblical message to send via the airways. Today it is not heretics or showmen that are doing the same for the internet. It is the evangelicals trying to outdo one another in, shall we say, "practical scholarship," that they are succumbing to the temptation of every bizarre and weird approach to pastoral service. As for me and my church, we will continue to send sermons to sermonaudio.com. But, until they figure out a way to transport water, bread and wine through the internet, our church ordinances will be done the old fashioned way!
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