This guy's name is Walter Scott. He is not to be confused with Sir Walter "Oh what a tangled web we weave" Scott, the Scottish novelist and poet. No, this is the American Restoration Walter Scott. He was an Alexander Campbell groupie. OK, I really like this guy, but at the same time he was a little nuts. Richard Hughes, in his book Reviving The Ancient Faith
, tells on Walter Scott a little bit.So, I like this guy because he was culturally relevant. He knew that his audience back in the 1800's was mostly illiterate. So, rather than pumping out voluminous book, chapter, and verse, Scott gave them an easy five finger memory help.
1. Hear
2. Believe
3. Confess
4. Repent
5. Baptism
>>>Depending on where you live you might have a different order<<<
Rick Warren could not have said it any better. And it is all good, right? Well, it was fine when it was a neat memory trick. The problem is that I didn't learn it as a neat memory trick. I learned as The Gospel. I doubt many people of the American Restoration Movement these days learned it as merely a neat memory help. What I thought was rock solid, undeniable Biblical truth was really something that had to do with how many fingers I have on my hand and a Bible quickie.
Had Scott just left it alone, left it as a memory help, I think we might have been OK. But he didn't. No, and this is what I do not like about him, he had to go and say stuff like he had completely restored the ancient gospel with this five finger special. When he went and did that, he turned from a clever and culturally sensitive guy to freakin' nut case.
I know that it was the spirit of the age and he could never have known how much damage his overstatement would cause. And in all fairness, it did a lot of good. It must not have sounded so arrogant and naive back then like it does now. It must have been an invisible thing that got glossed over and made so much sense in that day.
But I still have a little heartburn about it. I was taught that the Bible and salvation could be reduced to a little formula. Slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am, you're saved! I mean, the stupid memory trick doesn't even mention God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit.
I think there is a lesson here. Our words, whether with our children, friends, co-workers will have a legacy. Having said that, I am a litlte concerned about saying Scott was a freakin' nut case, but I am going to stand by that one. More than our words, though, it is our life and the direction we go and the force with which we go in that direction.
What's your five finger special you hope doesn't get overstated?
8 comments:
Chris, that's what I'm talking about! GREAT POST, brother! I couldn't agree with you more. To reduce God's story of love to a formula has to be an abomination.
Keep em coming!
DU
I think we repented before we confessed...but then we went "down" into baptism (dragging down the side of the index finger and up the thumb)
It WAS the gospel where I grew up.
I don't know that I have a five finger special, but I am known for getting on my "don't worry" kick. I would hate to be known for being cavalier and flippant because I truly believe that it is a sin to worry. I don't have any "hand jives" to teach that with though.
I've got one of those skeletons in my ancestry closet that I've blogged about before, my great-great-grandpa (and restoration preacher) Alfred Ellmore. I've kind of made peace with the old boy and have had to realize that he was dealing with a new frontier in more ways than one. I won't go so far as to say he was a freakin' nut case, but as far as being "anti," he was probably short a few bolts. My consolation is that someday one of my heirs might run across my blog in an archive somewhere and say, "Well, the old coot did the best he could with what few brain cells he had."
That said - your point is ON point. So when are you going to redefine "salvation" for the twenty-first century? I think that's where you need to blog next!
(Honest to Pete, the identity verification graphic is agreeing with me ... the word is "umhhm"!)
i'm with the girl. djg said it when she said that it was the gospel where she grew up. sad to say that it is the gospel at my dad's church, too. i still believe in the steps, but i also think that there is more to it than just 5 steps. we have two hands, and our feet to go, yet.
thanks fajita!
if you hapen to read back this far, where did you get your nickname?
Hey K2, I get all comments e-mailed to me, so yes, in a sense, I read backthis far.
I picked up the nickname in college from my "racist" club brothers during pledge week. It stuck and I can't shake it.
you know, i sure wish blogger had a spell checker for comments. like when someone mispells "happen" and spells it "hapen".
i think that i remember you mentioning that you went to acu. i wish my daughter wanted to go there. i think she would if we could afford it, PLUS we could have a reason to get back to texas to visit here and hang with cope!
we moved to l.a. last year for my job, and i think i wish we stayed. (we are like staight south of you on i-65) cl is the youth minister at our church and i am his deacon. i miss my texas family, even though my family is here in 'bama.
i also just want you to know that i like your post. keep it up, dude!
sorry that you got that racist nickname, but i like fajitas, too, so you muct be included. we miss the "real" tex-mex here. when they brought us the salsa at a mexican reastaraunt here i thought they gave us some ketchup in a bowl. no it really wasn't that bad, but i guess you get my drift. i gonna stop now.
Just came across your comments randomly. Scott actually didn't say: "hear, believe, confess, repent, baptism." His 5 steps actually did mention the things you said they didn't the last being the gift of the Holy Spirit (who he wrote much about, actually). Unfortunately, over time the focus began to be on our actions, rather than God's part in the plan. What we now use was not exactly as Scott initially said it. There is really nothing wrong with this memory device, as it is Biblical. The real problem is how poorly some preachers and teachers use it. They are not really "steps to salvation" as much as they are merely an explanation of what occurs when one is saved (since some of them happen at the same time). I would suggest doing some research on exactly how Scott presented the 5 points, if you have not done so yet. I have it simplified in a paper I wrote as, "Faith, repentance, baptism, remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit." The last two are specifically focused on the working of God rather than man.
I've got one of those skeletons in my ancestry closet that I've blogged about before, my great-great-grandpa (and restoration preacher) Alfred Ellmore. I've kind of made peace with the old boy and have had to realize that he was dealing with a new frontier in more ways than one. I won't go so far as to say he was a freakin' nut case, but as far as being "anti," he was probably short a few bolts. My consolation is that someday one of my heirs might run across my blog in an archive somewhere and say, "Well, the old coot did the best he could with what few brain cells he had."
That said - your point is ON point. So when are you going to redefine "salvation" for the twenty-first century? I think that's where you need to blog next!
(Honest to Pete, the identity verification graphic is agreeing with me ... the word is "umhhm"!)
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