Over the course of the re-ignition of abolition in America, some defections were expected, some betrayals anticipated. When abolitionists first came on the scene with a Gospel-centered worldview and an uncompromising approach, not to mention eye-catching graphics and pithy expressions, many were quick to embrace us. As events unfolded, as we ourselves learned more about the consistent outworkings of abolitionist ideology and as many of these fair-weather fans discovered that we would not, say, give ground to Rome or allow for incrementalism, a significant portion of those who previously lauded abolition began to divide, back-bite, misrepresent, and publicly separate from us.
Sadly, the vast majority of those who have done so, when asked their reasons, give an explanation that reveals they still don’t understand the ideology all that well. When they decide to take a path that would lead first to public dissociation from us and later to saying that we have “an antichrist disposition toward the local church” and that we are “antichurch”, well, it isn’t easy. We would like to take this time to reply to some of their critiques of abolition and demonstrate the areas in which they err, for the benefit of others (and, we pray, for the benefit of the critics themselves, that they may err no longer). And we would like to ask you, the reader, to understand that these actions and words have greatly grieved us. We pray for repentance of those who have wronged us, that we may work together as brothers in the work of the kingdom of God.
Also, we are responding on our blog. See the articles here.