Biblical Separation Defended - Far Eastern Bible College

Now, to orientate Dr. Ferm’s conclusions, Dr. Ferm’s purpose ofwriting is to defend a conservative evangelist’s, Billy Graham’s, methodof cooperating with liberals, by showing that the Lord cooperated witherrorists by preaching in a place dominated by them. It is argued that,since by doing this the Lord obtained a wider hearing while not implyingapproval of the errors or of the errorists, Billy Graham by doing thesame thing is obtaining a wider hearing while not giving approval to theliberals or their doctrinal unbelief.Dr. Ferm also states somewhat sarcastically, “Had Jesus acted uponthe general principle of separation as interpreted by the present-dayseparatists, he would not have visited the Temple, not even to cleanseit.” 6The Writer’s CritiqueSince the comparison is drawn between the New Evangelicalmethod in general and the Lord’s visitation of the Temple, it is profitableto note the tenor of the Lord’s Temple visits, the tenor of his sayingsabout the Temple, and the tenor of His dealings with the leaders whoabided in the Temple. The visits cited on the table on the next page,Table 1, are all those noted as Temple visits in A.T. Robertson’sharmony of the Gospels, 7 and while it is sometimes difficult todetermine on other occasions if Christ was or was not in the Temple,those tabulated certainly give a sufficient picture of the case.TABLE 1OUR LORD’S TEMPLE VISITS WHICH ARE DESCRIBEDAT SOME LENGTH IN SCRIPTURES1. a. Occasion : His presentation to the Lord at infancy.b. Scripture : Luke 2:22-38.c. Tenor : Simeon and Anna pay homage to the infantMessiah.2. a. Occasion : Annual Jerusalem visit.b. Scripture : Luke 2:41-50.30