<a href="https://biblicalmissiology.org/blog/author/basilgrafas/" target="_self">Basil Grafas</a>

Basil Grafas

Basil is a minister in the Presbyterian Church of America, a former moderator of the International Presbyterian Church, a European-based denomination started by Dr Francis Scheffer, and assisted in the creation of the Presbyterian Church of Bangladesh. A former church planter, he has pastored two churches and served cross-culturally for much of the last 30 years.

2 Comments

  1. Basil Grafas

    I find this sort of response interesting in that it bears no resemblance to the text in hand. There is not one scintilla of evidence that the obvious excesses in Pergamum and Thyatira were the consequence of poor contextualization. Taken as a unit, all seven churches testify to local compromises with false religion and idolatry. Should not this therefore serve as a better judge of insider anecdotes than the supposed deficiencies that its proponents raise? This is the only valid sort of approach that precludes erected straw men that can justify any approach. In the Book of Revelation, as in the preponderance of the Bible, we have a solid, covenantal respond to religions. Insider movements add nothing to that knowledge, other than to confirm the wisdom of God in contrasting the one true faith with a world of false religion.

  2. Salaam-Corniche

    Thank you for your Biblical commentary, Basil. I present you a challenge. In an unpublished position paper on the insider movement a certain Mr. XYZ he talked about people’s concern with syncretism, mentioned the two churches you cited and then stated:
    “However, the radical contextualization of insider movements rooted in the Scriptures can actually be a powerful antidote against syncretism. It is the poorly contextualized, and thus poorly understood gospel, that can give root to syncretism. We must entrust this process to the Spirit.”
    How would you respond?
    Shalom

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