Via Trevin Wax I encounter this post by John Piper, referring to Fred Sander’s post about Victorian liberal preacher F. W. Robertson:
There is a connection between skilled vagueness and concealed immorality. Why else would a man use great gifts to make things unclear unless he was afraid of clarity? And fear of clarity in preaching is a good sign that something besides doctrine is being concealed.
Indeed so. The justification of evil is nothing new. John Bunyan encountered those who attack Christianity from an self-chosen elevation, and pictured them as Mr High-mind in Pilgrims Progress. Christian is arrested at Vanity Fair for preaching, and brought before the court.
Then went the Jury out, whose names were, Mr Blindman, Mr No-good, Mr Malice, Mr Love-lust, Mr Live-loose, Mr Heady, Mr High-mind, Mr Enmity, Mr Liar, Mr Cruelty, Mr Hate-light, and Mr Implacable; who every one gave in his private Verdict against him among themselves, and afterwards unanimously concluded to bring him in guilty before the Judge.
And first among themselves, Mr Blind-man the Foreman, said, “I see clearly that this man is an Heretick.”
Then said Mr Nogood, “Away with such a fellow from the earth”.
“Ay,” said Mr Malice, “for I hate the very looks of him.”
Then said Mr Love-lust, “I could never endure him.”
“Nor I,” said Mr Live-loose, “for he would always be condemning my way.”
“Hang him, hang him,” said Mr Heady.
“A sorry Scrub,” said Mr High-mind.
“My heart riseth against him,” said Mr Enmity.
“He is a Rogue,” said Mr Liar.
“Hanging is too good for him,” said Mr Cruelty.
“Let us dispatch him out of the way,” said Mr Hate-light.
Then said Mr Implacable, “Might I have all the world given me, I could not be reconciled to him; therefore let us forthwith bring him in guilty of death.”
And so they did;…
Mr High-mind may speak softly. But he is just as much an enemy of truth as the others, and less honest than most.