I still remember one of my theology professors taking our class to a room with a piano in it. He sat down at the piano and presented a “Middle C concert” to us. He just kept hitting Middle C over and over.
His point was that that’s a bad way to do theology because truth is truth proportionally.
And that’s a danger for one-issue organizations—whether they are advocating a particular view of worship, creation, gender roles, revival, or whatever—because they tend to overemphasize the importance of their one issue:
[I]t often seems to be the case that organizations with such narrow focus and which have been formed for the conscious purpose of advocating that position in opposition to a position viewed as biblically flawed . . . tend to over-speak their case.
—Rodney J. Decker, “The English Standard Version: A Review Article,” Journal of Ministry and Theology 8, no. 2 (2004): 11n17.
I’m not opposed to one-issue organizations in principle; I happily support some and thank God for them. I’m merely pointing out a common weakness.
A. B. Caneday says
Amen! Well stated.
Chris Bruno says
Thanks for this, Andy. It reminds me of Dr. Carson’s frequent admonition to teachers that our students will remember what we are most excited about and most emphasize—let’s make sure that’s the gospel of Jesus Christ.