Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Evangelical Unity and Separation: Questions and Answers

What was Dr. Lloyd-Jones's position on evangelical unity in 1966?

In 1966, Dr. Lloyd-Jones made a historic appeal at the Central Hall Westminster under the auspices of the Evangelical Alliance. He states, "I appealed to Evangelical people to come together out of the mixed congregations and churches in which they were found, that we might make a great stand together for the truth of the gospel." This appeal, though not well received at the time, led to the formation of the British Evangelical Council. He believed evangelicals should separate from denominations that tolerated liberal theology and unite together based on shared evangelical convictions rather than remaining in "mixed denominations" that compromised biblical truth.

Why did Dr. Lloyd-Jones break with the Evangelical Alliance?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the turning point came when "the Evangelical Alliance decided to adopt a position of what they described as benevolent neutrality to the World Council of Churches." He found this position untenable, stating, "I felt that I could no longer belong to that body nor function in connection with it." He particularly criticized the inconsistency of Anglican Evangelicals who were "in the ridiculous position of being in the World Council and also in a position of benevolent neutrality with respect to it." This compromise on the issue of ecumenism was the catalyst for his departure.

What changes did Dr. Lloyd-Jones observe in Anglican Evangelicalism during the 1960s and 1970s?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones documented a dramatic shift in Anglican Evangelical positions, saying, "When I spoke in 1966, I was aware of certain trends and of certain tendencies. But in my wildest moments, I never imagined that things would take place that have actually come to pass during these past ten years." He cited specific evidence including the book "Growing into Union" written by two Anglo-Catholics and two Evangelicals expressing their unity, the Keele Conference of 1967 where Anglican Evangelicals repented of their previous stance against the World Council of Churches, and the Nottingham Congress of 1977 where there was "literally no scriptural exposition" but instead "dramatic representation of the scripture and even dancing."

How did Dr. Lloyd-Jones view the relationship between evangelicals and Roman Catholics?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones strongly opposed evangelical cooperation with Roman Catholics. He expressed alarm that "these evangelicals are meeting in committee with all kinds of people, including the Roman Catholics, to prepare for an evangelistic campaign in this country in 1980." He cited examples of evangelical vicars "cooperating with Roman Catholics in distributing copies of the gospel" and noted that 125 prominent Anglican Evangelicals signed a letter marking "an historic change of stance by Evangelical Anglicans all over the world in their attitude to the Roman Catholics and the Orthodox Church." He viewed this as a betrayal of Reformation principles and a compromise of the gospel.

What was Dr. Lloyd-Jones's view of the "new hermeneutic" being promoted by evangelicals?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones strongly criticized the new hermeneutical approach, quoting its proponents who claimed "the Bible text must first be studied in its original setting with all the resources of honest scholarship and must then be translated into today's thought, which means much more than finding the equivalent English words for the Hebrew or the Greek." He saw this as a departure from the Reformation principle of the perspicuity (clarity) of Scripture, stating, "Need I point out to you the difference between that and what the reformers called the perspicuity of the scriptures?" He argued this approach made Scripture inaccessible to ordinary believers and contradicted the reformers' vision of "the plowboy and others reading their scriptures on the fields and rejoicing in the knowledge of the word of God."

What did Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by calling churches "mixed denominations" rather than "mainline denominations"?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones corrected common terminology, stating, "I hope that none of you are guilty of referring to those denominations as the main line denominations. That is what they're so often called. It's a misnomer. They're not on the main line. They've gone astray. They're not main line denominations. They're mixed denominations." By "mixed," he meant denominations that included both believers and unbelievers, both orthodox and liberal theology, without proper church discipline. He believed these churches had departed from biblical Christianity and should not be considered the mainstream of Christian faith.

What biblical text did Dr. Lloyd-Jones use to describe the dual calling of evangelicals?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones based his message on Psalm 149:5-6, which states, "Let the saints be joyful in glory. Let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand." He used this text to illustrate the balanced approach needed: "We've got to fight. Unfortunately, we must fight. We must fight for the truth. We must fight for the scripture, for the church... but above all, sing the high praises of the Lord." He emphasized that evangelicals must both contend for the faith and maintain joy in the Lord.

How did Dr. Lloyd-Jones justify the formation of the British Evangelical Council?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones justified the British Evangelical Council by pointing to concrete examples of denominational compromise. He praised "the departure of a group of evangelical congregational churches" who left when their denomination formed the United Reformed Church with "the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster" present at the inauguration. He also commended Baptists who left the Baptist Union when it refused to discipline a principal who "had blatantly and openly denied the deity of Christ." He argued these separations vindicated the Council's stance that "when a church becomes apostate or when a church is in error on these matters, you cannot reform them."

What was Dr. Lloyd-Jones's critique of evangelicals who remained in compromised denominations?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones challenged those who stayed in mixed denominations with pointed questions: "Are you content to say, I don't want trouble? I've always been brought up in this chapel and I've always worshipped here." He argued that historical precedent showed the futility of reform from within: "The Pilgrim Fathers anticipated by 42 years, the great ejection of 1662. It took the rest 42 years to see what these men had previously seen." He insisted that loyalty to institutions should not override loyalty to truth, stating, "We do not believe that the institution comes first and that the institution must be preserved even at the expense of tolerating denials of essential truth."

What attitude did Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe separated evangelicals should maintain?

Despite the necessity of separation and confrontation, Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasized joy and praise: "We are fighters, yes, but we are not negative. We are not defensive. We are not apologetic, still less are we frightened. And we shouldn't be depressed." He insisted, "The high praises of God should be on our lips" and warned against being "mournful and unhappy and morbid and introspective and groaning and mourning." He taught that evangelicals should be "rejoicing people" who "rejoice in the Lord always," demonstrating that their stand for truth came from positive conviction rather than negative criticism.

What historical parallel did Dr. Lloyd-Jones draw with the situation in his day?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones declared, "We are back exactly where our forefathers were a hundred years ago, this same fight to be fought when the higher criticism came into this country from Germany in the 1860s and thereabout. It's the same as the downgrade movement that was led by the immortal Charles Haddon Spurgeon." He saw the battle over biblical authority and interpretation as cyclical, requiring each generation to take a stand for truth against compromise, just as Spurgeon had done in the Downgrade Controversy when he left the Baptist Union over similar issues.