Scriptural Separation: First; Second and Third Degree
1. First Degree Separation: A Christian must separate from unbelievers. (Example: No Christian should read and commit here at DC.)
2. Second Degree Separation: A Christian must separate from any Christian who fellowships with unbelievers. (Example: No Christian should knowingly fellowship with a Christian who reads and commits here at DC.)
3. Third Degree Separation: A Christian must separate from any Christian who fellowships with any Christians, who in turn, fellowships with any Christians who fellowships with unbelievers. (Example: No Christian should knowingly fellowship with a Christian who knowingly fellowships with a Christian who reads and commits here at DC.)
While I was a student at Bob Jones University, the annual March Bible Conference (which features major Fundamentalist evangelist or pastors from large Fundamentalist churches that supported the University with students) is a time when all students, faculty, staff and supporters attend up to four services a day to hear fundamental Bible preaching as well as where the “Real Fundamentalist” stand on core Biblical issues.
It was at the 1971 Bible Conference that two of the main speakers (out of about 10 invited) happen to be Dr. John R. Rice, the fiery fundamentalist from Murfreesboro, Tenn. who published the hardcore Independent Baptist evangelistic new paper: The Sword of the Lord and the French educated Church Historian, John D. Woodbridge (the son of and close friend of Dr. Bob Jones, Jr., Charles Woodbridge).
Dr. John Rice’s sermon addressed the auditorium’s congregation on the Fundamentalist dogma of Scriptural Separation and claimed the Bible supported all three degrees of it.
When Dr. John Woodbridge got the pulpit after Dr. Rice's sermon, he claimed the Bible taught no such degrees of separation and that Dr. Rice was simply reading into the text something that was not there.
After the Woodbridge sermon was over, Bob Jones, Jr. got up and told Dr. Rice and Dr. Woodbridge that the Bible Conference was not a place for a debate and that it was to end here and now.
After a friendship of more than fifty years with the Jones and the University and also as a regular Bible Conference speaker, Dr. Rice stormed off the campus swearing to never set foot on the University again. (It was latter pointed out that he would drive right past the University on his way to see his daughter in Greenville and never stopped again to see his old Fundamentalist friends; the Jones.) Dr. Rice had now put into place what he believed: Scriptural Separation.
Secondly, Dr. Rice used his The Sword of the Lord news paper (which was required reading for all Dr. Bob’s Preacher Boys, as we were called) to attack the University. This lead to the University to cancel all the subscriptions that we Preacher Boys had with Dr. Rice’s paper.
Although Dr. Bob Jones, Jr. had stopped the debate on Scriptural Separation at the ‘71 Bible Conference, he none the less believed in the degrees or levels of this dogma that Dr. Rice taught was in the Bible.
For example, students could not listen to Judy Collins sing the hymn Amazing Grace because she was a “non Christian” signing a Christian hymn. Fifty demerits were given to student who did.
Billy Graham held a Crusade in Greenville in the mid 1960’s and the University let it be known that any student or staff who attended any of the Crusades would be expelled or fired.
Dr. Bob Jones, Jr. told the student body (of which I was apart) that, because of the lack of Scriptural Separation, “Billy Graham had done more damage to Christianity than any man who had ever lived.”
Bob Jr. latter told us at one of the University’s Chapel services that the hymn, Just as I Am, would no longer be sung in any service at the school since it was associated so closely with the compromise of Billy Graham.
I was given 100 demerits (during double demerit week; 150 demerits will get you expelled) for listening to The Son of Faith for the Day sung by Loretta Lynn on a local radio station.
However, just as we have pointed out time and again here at DC with the constant liberalizing of Christian doctrines, Bob Jones University now finds itself the focus of failing to adhere to it’s own Fundamentalist dogma of Biblical Separation.
The chickens have indeed come home to roost!
2. Second Degree Separation: A Christian must separate from any Christian who fellowships with unbelievers. (Example: No Christian should knowingly fellowship with a Christian who reads and commits here at DC.)
3. Third Degree Separation: A Christian must separate from any Christian who fellowships with any Christians, who in turn, fellowships with any Christians who fellowships with unbelievers. (Example: No Christian should knowingly fellowship with a Christian who knowingly fellowships with a Christian who reads and commits here at DC.)
While I was a student at Bob Jones University, the annual March Bible Conference (which features major Fundamentalist evangelist or pastors from large Fundamentalist churches that supported the University with students) is a time when all students, faculty, staff and supporters attend up to four services a day to hear fundamental Bible preaching as well as where the “Real Fundamentalist” stand on core Biblical issues.
It was at the 1971 Bible Conference that two of the main speakers (out of about 10 invited) happen to be Dr. John R. Rice, the fiery fundamentalist from Murfreesboro, Tenn. who published the hardcore Independent Baptist evangelistic new paper: The Sword of the Lord and the French educated Church Historian, John D. Woodbridge (the son of and close friend of Dr. Bob Jones, Jr., Charles Woodbridge).
Dr. John Rice’s sermon addressed the auditorium’s congregation on the Fundamentalist dogma of Scriptural Separation and claimed the Bible supported all three degrees of it.
When Dr. John Woodbridge got the pulpit after Dr. Rice's sermon, he claimed the Bible taught no such degrees of separation and that Dr. Rice was simply reading into the text something that was not there.
After the Woodbridge sermon was over, Bob Jones, Jr. got up and told Dr. Rice and Dr. Woodbridge that the Bible Conference was not a place for a debate and that it was to end here and now.
After a friendship of more than fifty years with the Jones and the University and also as a regular Bible Conference speaker, Dr. Rice stormed off the campus swearing to never set foot on the University again. (It was latter pointed out that he would drive right past the University on his way to see his daughter in Greenville and never stopped again to see his old Fundamentalist friends; the Jones.) Dr. Rice had now put into place what he believed: Scriptural Separation.
Secondly, Dr. Rice used his The Sword of the Lord news paper (which was required reading for all Dr. Bob’s Preacher Boys, as we were called) to attack the University. This lead to the University to cancel all the subscriptions that we Preacher Boys had with Dr. Rice’s paper.
Although Dr. Bob Jones, Jr. had stopped the debate on Scriptural Separation at the ‘71 Bible Conference, he none the less believed in the degrees or levels of this dogma that Dr. Rice taught was in the Bible.
For example, students could not listen to Judy Collins sing the hymn Amazing Grace because she was a “non Christian” signing a Christian hymn. Fifty demerits were given to student who did.
Billy Graham held a Crusade in Greenville in the mid 1960’s and the University let it be known that any student or staff who attended any of the Crusades would be expelled or fired.
Dr. Bob Jones, Jr. told the student body (of which I was apart) that, because of the lack of Scriptural Separation, “Billy Graham had done more damage to Christianity than any man who had ever lived.”
Bob Jr. latter told us at one of the University’s Chapel services that the hymn, Just as I Am, would no longer be sung in any service at the school since it was associated so closely with the compromise of Billy Graham.
I was given 100 demerits (during double demerit week; 150 demerits will get you expelled) for listening to The Son of Faith for the Day sung by Loretta Lynn on a local radio station.
However, just as we have pointed out time and again here at DC with the constant liberalizing of Christian doctrines, Bob Jones University now finds itself the focus of failing to adhere to it’s own Fundamentalist dogma of Biblical Separation.
The chickens have indeed come home to roost!