» News: ETS Responds to Beckwith's Conversion to RC Church

The Christianity Today blog contains a press release from the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) concerning the resignation of Francis Beckwith, both from the ETS presidency and from membership in the organization. Despite Beckwith's contention that he could, in good faith, subscribe to the ETS statement of belief, the ETS response contains an argument against Beckwith's position. Though the RC church holds to inerrancy, and obviously holds to an orthodox position on the Trinity, the ETS press release attempts to include the extent of the canon in its definition of inerrancy and the nature of biblical authority. The implicit rule is that ETS members must 1. hold to inerrancy of the scriptures where "scriptures" indicates the Protestant canon, and 2. must hold no position on church authority that compromises the authority of scripture.

The blogosphere discussions of the decision relate to whether this statement represents ad hoc causuistry or is simply the plain intention of the ETS statement. Two notable Reformed church historians have confessed to letting their ETS membership lapse due to concerns about the ETS's "big tent" approach that includes advocates of Open Theism.