A Proposed Debate

For many years now Professor R. Scott Clark has been tweeting and writing (on his blog) about matters that cause him grave concern. I have it on pretty good authority that I am one individual he has concerns about, and I think it is fairly obvious that he is referring to me when he denounces unnamed nefarious personalities in the Reformed churches today. He recently wrote the following:

Clearly, he thinks there is a serious problem in the church: “an attempted coup.” This isn’t a television show, folks, but a Professor at a Reformed Seminary claiming there is a coup going on. This tone is reaching a hysterical pitch, and if I am one of the people he has in mind, I deserve more than a subtweet.

I believe my own writings on the Puritans, Christ, and Reformed orthodoxy are fully consistent with the Westminster Standards. The Westminster Standards are documents I have given my Christian life to studying and trying to master as far as I am able. I do not take a single exception, which my Presbytery can confirm.

I propose, for the sake of the church, and especially the Reformed community, that R. Scott Clark and I debate these matters of justification, salvation, good works, etc.

I will fly, at my own expense, down to Escondido and debate him on his own turf.

If Clark refuses to debate me, then perhaps he can calm down a little and try to build bridges rather than throwing doubt upon whether heterodoxy is being pushed on the Reformed churches. The sub-tweeting needs to stop. Instead, he needs to be a man and face the issues head-on.

Now, when I say debate, I mean this in a Reformed classical sense: a disputation where both sides are there to amicably present their case, seeking understanding and, perhaps, a public statement that the other side is not heterodox. Personally, I don’t believe Clark is heterodox, even though I disagree on some issues with him. But I would like a chance to present my case for what I believe is a classical Reformed position on good works, justification, etc.

Unless I have seriously misunderstood the WCF, Dort, Owen, Goodwin, Burgess, Rutherford, Mastricht, Turretin, Ames, Perkins, etc., I believe it should not be too hard to present the truth in a clear, forthright manner and, I hope, put an end to the silliness that goes on online.

Sincerely,

Pastor Mark Jones, PCA Minister.