The Jack Miller Archive

Jack Miller collection in St. Louis, Missouri.

Jack critiques the OPC as they consider joining with the RPCES.

1. Let's begin with "the beam in our own eye" the matter of prayer.

2. A related weakness is the absence of a Spirit-imparted joy in our churches.

As a substitute we often have a certain cheerful sociableness. We are Goodfellas together without having the joyous fellowship in the Lord with the scripture both commands and expects of us.

I am convinced that we are underpowered in our training of pastors, folders, and deacons and in our foreign home mission efforts just because we may know so little of the joy of the Lord is the source of our strength.

Ironically, some of this goes back to a practical theology. We are, I believe, properly concerned to avoid a dispensational eschatology, but now many of us are aware that Peter, in the passage side previously (1 Peter 1:8) is talking about Joy which concentrates on the return of Christ. Yeah speaking of a salvation which we now have and will have most abundantly at the final coming up priced (1 Peter 1:7).
So it is likely that are joylessness open is rooted in our practical failure to anticipate the Lords climactic revelation of himself and glory.

The coming of Christ does not seem to be a powerful inspiration for us and source of deepening commitment to our lives and worship.
For my part in this, I know I have off and greet the spirit by my cold insensitivity to the coming of the king.

3. Likewise, we have the OPC often manifests zeal order without a corresponding ardor.
We almost assume that if we get the right order the power and life will follow. But it does. Order, therefore, which permits us to shift her face from God to man is the order of the cemetery and not of God church.

The dangers concentration .

3 missed placed face may well be the guest of many scholarly teachers and pastors. Have we unconsciously shipped to their face to their gifts and work a scholarship?

Location: Letter To Editor, From 415 Walnut Street, Jenkinto

I believe we have. I believe as pastors we have trusted in our training and our Reformed traditions and taught our congregations to do the same. In our pride we have presumed that God is "on our side" because we have had the oracles of God. We come seriously close to reducing the great Biblical system of doctrine to a series of mental concepts.

And is not this the way of death (Jer. 15:5-10)?
But let me also say what I love about the OPC.
When I first came to the church, has a very confused young man, I was compelled to listen because of the godliness, compassion, and Ferber of the minister. I was equally impressed by the earnestness, hospitality, and spiritual warmth of the believers. Their worship, in effect, left me trouble with the question: is it just possible that God is alive?
What struck me was how seriously they took their God, how they wanted God to be God, and how many of them reverently listened insult to go by scriptures and once God by his sovereign Spirithad caused me to come to Jesus Christ alone, I was delighted to be a part of the domination or love for God's truth was so evident.

But in the last decade, I've experienced a growing sorrow of heart. It does not seem to me that we have a growing passion for the doctrines of Grace as they relate to and transform lives and a growing compassion for those who know than not. And in a practical way, it appears probably to me that we have little confidence in this gospel message in Christ's saving power. For we share this message with you people.

I have wondered therefore whether God is not somehow become more abundant to Orthodox Presbyterian Church in that we have been substituting administrative order for the knowledge of God.

From the bottom of my heart, I hope this is not the case. For it would be tragic if we were to consummate the union with the RPES denomination which led to our being submerged together under the weight of ecclesiastical bureaucracy.

To speak most particularly, we are at the OPC need to find God again to be found in him.

Location: Jack Miller Collection, St. Louis, Missouri