Among the most frequently-commented-on items to appear on the WRF website are those which address the topic which our members Thomas Schirrmacher, Thomas Johnson, and Leonardo de Chirico discuss immediately below.  I will not try here to summarize the points that these men make so well.  You will just have to read their posts for yourself.

I will say that I am personally delighted that all of these men are part of the World Reformed Fellowship (but be sure that you read carefully the message at the very top of this post!). 

The WRF desires to be a place where orthodox and evangelical Reformed Christians from around the world may dialogue with one another openly and frankly and respectfully.  I believe that we are greatly blessed to have such men as I have mentioned as members of the WRF and I am thankful for their contributions to this important discussion.  Some of you who read this will remember the document “Evangelicals and Catholics Together.” Those who are too young to remember that document (or, like me, are old enough to have forgotten many of its details) may read the reasonably accurate description provided here by that great source of all knowledge, Wikipedia. 

My point is simply that the issues which lie behind the five blog posts which precede this one are not new.  But, with Pope Francis, they seem to have taken on new life and I urge you to read all five of these items, as well as those on the same subject posted by WRF Board Chairman Rick Perrin and WRF member John Armstrong on September 30. 

Nor are these issues relevant just to Evangelical Protestant/Roman Catholic dialogue.  Many other disagreements among Christians present the same challenges.  Should churches which prohibit the ordination of practicing homosexuals be in any kind of dialogue (or other relationship) with those which allow the ordination of practicing homosexuals?  Should “mainline” Reformed denominations join in any cooperative projects with “separatist” denominations?  Or to make the case even more extremely, are there ever times when orthodox evangelical Reformed Christians can join with Muslims in a specific project such as combatting human trafficking? 

I do not have answers to these questions.  I do, however, have an opinion about the kind of mindset which I think is most likely to bring the greatest ultimately positive results in the Kingdom of Christ.  And I would like to share this opinion here (again, remember the note at the very top of this blog). 

It is a perspective that I have presented before.  That earlier occasion was in the book which emerged from the Third General Assembly of the World Reformed Fellowship, held in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2010 – REFORMED MEANS MISSIONAL: FOLLOWING JESUS INTO THE WORLD.  In case you would like to check out the context of what follows, you may purchase the hard copy of the book from WRF member New Growth Press here or the digital version of the book (for $1.99!) here .   

I call this perspective “The Parable of the Two Librarians,” and, while is surely is not infallible, it is actually historical.

My wife Susan and I have had the privilege of spending four sabbaticals in Cambridge, England. During one of those sabbaticals, my research subject was the causes of theological change at Christ’s College, one of the constituent colleges of Cambridge University. In 1590, Christ’s College was one of the leading Puritan institutions in the world. By 1680, it was one of the leading latitudinarian institutions in the world. What happened?

In my research, I worked with two librarians—the librarian at Christ’s College and the librarian at the “UL” (The University Library). The librarian at Christ’s College acted as though it was his mission in life to protect the books at Christ’s from people. Every time a person touched a book, there was the chance that it might be damaged, perhaps just by the dirt and grime which came from hands touching the book. There   was never an outright refusal to hand over a requested volume (so long as the request slip was perfectly accurate!). But there was a clear sense that he (and the library) would be much happier if I would just go away and let the books and other materials stay exactly as they had been for four hundred years. Christ's College, Cambridge

The librarian at the UL, on the other hand, acted as though it was her mission in life to get the information in the books “out.” When she discovered my research subject, she suggested materials for me to read that I didn’t even know existed. She communicated a positive eagerness that the question I was asking be answered. Now, she did take precautions - did she ever! I was not allowed to bring any writing instrument of any kind into the reading room; she provided #2 pencils and blank paper (this was years before laptops and iPads). I was never left alone with a manuscript; a librarian or sub-librarian was always present and always watching. But the sense I had was that the most important thing was the research - and that, to me at least, made all the difference. 

 Cambridge University Library

 I have come to believe that our mindset in dealing with issues like those mentioned above should be that of the UL librarian. Every kind of precaution imaginable is taken to preserve the precious and priceless original source material. But the ultimate goal is not preservation; it is propagation. More than anything else, we want to get the knowledge of Jesus as Savior and Lord “out,” so that He receives ALL the honor and worship that is His due.

Of course, even the best “librarians” may differ among themselves about both specific preservation measures and specific propagation strategies. But they will all agree that both are critically important, and they will all agree that there is no point in having the most magnificent library imaginable if it is inaccessible to everyone except the librarian himself.

Just so, there are different perspectives presented in the blogs which precede this one - different perspectives on how best to propagate the Gospel while still preserving the core truths of the Gospel. But when difficult decisions must be made, my personal recommendation, as just one individual member of the WRF, is to follow the example of the UL librarian.