These words of A. W. Tozer ring true:
The world is waiting to hear an authentic voice, a voice from God -- not an echo of what others are doing and saying, but an authentic voice.
Today there are methods of biblical criticism that are undermining this essential distinction between the authentic word of God and man-made voices. When I am told that the goal of textual criticism is no longer the recovery of the original text, how can I know that what I am reading is the word of God? I am more convinced than ever that we when enter the field of New Testament textual criticism, we are entering a battleground. You cannot pick and choose from the Bible what you want to believe is inspired, original, and authoritative. If you do, you'll wander and follow every stray voice. Your whole life will be "recalculating."
Some in the guild are, thankfully, waking up and realizing what is happening. They are awakening and reacting appropriately. This fall a conference on textual criticism will take place in North Carolina (details to come shortly). It will reaffirm our belief in the concept of "original text," and insist that our churches must believe the word, teach the word, and hold scholars accountable to the truths of the word. Otherwise, we're just playing religious games.
Stay tuned ....