From Rutherford Hall -- By: Jerry O’Neill
Journal: Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal
Volume: RPTJ 01:2 (Spring 2015)
Article: From Rutherford Hall
Author: Jerry O’Neill
From Rutherford Hall
The man sitting across from me had been involved in politics for thirty years. A good politician, he was well aware of politics’ severe limitations. He understood the God-ordained place of the political system, but he also firmly believed that the ultimate need of this world is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For, without the transforming work of regeneration by the Holy Spirit, societal sin will continue to abound, regardless of public policy.
At the same time, this man held a jaded view of the church. His experience was that rather than the church being used by God to see culture transformed, the church itself had been substantially compromised by the world. He had seen church leaders who seemed to share in common too much of the corrupt qualities of politicians: interested in power and possessions more than the souls of men. In fact, my new friend expressed so strong a concern that church leaders do not influence the souls of their congregants for good that he did not want to be a pastor. I assured him that there is a different kind of church leader that he may not yet have seen, and he was interested in meeting such people.
It was said of the church in the New Testament that they were turning the world upside down, when, as a matter of fact, it was turning the world right side up. They were being used by their Savior to make a radical difference in the world in which they lived. And that is what the Lord has called us to do as well.
As you read this journal, please know that our aim in this not merely giving you more things to think about. Our goal is that the message of the Kingdom transform lives. It is with this in mind that our mission statement includes the following : “Our training emphasizes scholarship in Biblical studies, systematic theology, and church history; the cultivation of personal godliness and interpersonal skills; and the development of spiritual gifts - all with a vision for discipling the nations of the world.”
Today, the word “missional” often carries bad connotations.. Many associate it with a zeal for evangelism or social justice at the expense of Biblical truth, but in the best sense of the word, in the sense of responding faithfully to the Great Commission, we must be missional. We must have as our goal the discipling of the nations. May God use this journal to this end!
For Christ and His Kingdom,
Dr. Jerry O’Neill, President
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