Orchard Keeper

The following resources discuss the notion of ecclesiastical separation.  The value of these resources will obviously vary from item to item.  Some are more formal presentations and others, particularly blog posts, are included because of the significant conversation which ensues in the comments. Some are more valuable for their questions, some for their answers. I thought it would be helpful to gather them into a single link page.  For any who know of other good online resources, feel free to suggest them in the comments.

Kevin Bauder, “Separation from Professing Brethren – Notes toward an Understanding,” 2006.

Kevin Bauder, “The Importance of Separation,” 04 August 2006

Kevin Bauder, “Thinking About the Gospel; Part Five: The Gospel and Christian Fellowship,” 13 July 2007

Kevin Bauder, “Thinking About the Gospel; Part Six: Demeaning the Gospel,” 20 July 2007

Kevin Bauder, “Thinking About the Gospel; Part Seven: Frontloading the Gospel,” 27 July 2007

Kevin Bauder, “Thinking About the Gospel; Part Eight: Identifying the Fundamentals,” 03 August 2007

Kevin Bauder, “Thinking About the Gospel; Part Nine: Practical Fundamentals?” 10 August 2007

Kevin Bauder, “Fundamentalists and Scholarship; Part Ten: Scholarship and Separatism,” 14 March 2008

The Bible Presbyterian Church, “The Harvey Cedars Resolutions,” 1945

Bob Jones University Bible Faculty, “Biblical Separation,” privately published pamphlet, 1980.

A. Philip Brown II, “Categories of Truth vs. Categories of Exegetical Certainty,” August 2005

Nathan Busenitz, “History’s Blurred Line of Separation,” 25 July 2006.  Blog discussion including Dave Doran and Bill Combs.

Nathan Busenitz, “Some Initial Thoughts on 2 Thess. 3,” 26 July 2006.  Blog discussion including Dave Doran.

Nathan Busenitz, “We Do Believe in Separation,” 28 July 2006.  Blog discussion including Dave Doran and William Combs.

John Calvin on church fellowship. Institutes, Book 4, 1.12.

Gary G. Cohen, “The Bible Presbyterian Position on Ecclesiastical Separation,” Western Reformed Seminary Journal 11/2 (August 2004): 5-12

Gary Cohen, Biblical Separation Defended (P & R, 1966).

Robert Delnay, “Ecclesiastical Separation,” Faith Pulpit (June/August 1987)

Mark Dever, “‘Mark Dever Doesn’t Practice Separation?’,” 14 June 2008.  Blog discussion including Dave Doran and Jeff Straub.

Dave Doran, “Stop the Funeral–We’re Not Quite Dead Yet! A Response to Phil Johnson’s Dead Right: The Failure of Fundamentalism“

Dave Doran, “Where the Rubber Meets the Road: A Grid for the Application of Ecclesiastical Separation,” 2005

Dave Doran, “Contemporary Challenges for Biblical Separatism” (notes), session at the 2008 Mid-America Conference on Preaching

Dave Doran, “The Gospel and Separation I,” October 20, 2009

Dave Doran, “The Gospel and Separation II,” October 21, 2009

Dave Doran, “The Gospel and Separation III,” October 22, 2009

Dave Doran, “Separation for the Sake of the Gospel,” October 23, 2009

Howard M. Ervin, “A Re-Examination of 2 Corinthians 6:14 – 7:1,” The Baptist Bulletin (April 1950)

General Association of Regular Baptist Churches Council of 18, “Ecclesiastical Separation and Its Associational Applications,” 7 February 2006

Dan Greenfield, “Ecclesiastical Separation,” Ohio Bible Fellowship Visitor (April/May 2007)

Paul Hartog, “Economic Wisdom as an Analogy to Prudence of Separation, Part 1,” Faith Pulpit (September 2005)

Paul Hartog, “Economic Wisdom as an Analogy to Prudence of Separation, Part 2,” Faith Pulpit (October 2005)

Myron Houghton, “Secondary Ecclesiastical Separation,” Faith Pulpit (November 2003)

Phil Johnson, “Dead Right: The Failure of Fundamentalism,” 2005

Phil Johnson, Dave Doran, et al., “Continuing Dialogue on Fundamentalism and the Application of Biblical Separation: Phil Johnson and Dave Doran,” 2005

Jeffrey Khoo, Biblical Separation: Doctrine of Church Purification and Preservation (Bible Witness Literature Ministry / Reformation Banner Publications), 2004.

Presbyterian Church in America, “Apostasy and Ecclesiastical Separation,” 1985

Roland McCune, “The Self-Identity of Fundamentalism,” Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal 1 (Spring 1996): 9-34 (esp. 27-33)

Roland McCune, “An Inside Look at Ecclesiastical Separation”

Dan Miller, “Separation: Split or Lump? (Part 1 of 4)”

Dan Miller, “Separation: Non-Fellowship of Convenience (Part 2 of 4)”

Dan Miller, “Separation: The Purity of the Church (Part 3 of 4)”

Dan Miller, “Separation: The GARBC, Cedarville, and the SBC (Part 4 of 4)”

Mark Minnick, Interview by Mark Dever (audio), 05 May 2008

R. Albert Mohler, Jr., “A Call for Theological Triage and Christian Maturity”

Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod, “Report of the Study Committee on Biblical Bounds and Guidelines for Ecclesiastical Separation,” 1976

Charles Spurgeon, “Charles Haddon Spurgeon and Ecclesiastical Separation,” compiled by G. Archer Weniger

Print Resources

Mark A. Andrews, “Biblical Separation, Primary or Secondary — Or Both?”, M.A.B.S. Thesis, Multnomah School of the Bible, 1983. (item 004-0002 at www.tren.com)

John E. Ashbrook, Axioms of Separation (Mentor, Ohio: Here I Stand Books, 1989).

John E. Ashbrook, “Separation from Brethren,” Ohio Bible Fellowship Visitor (August-September 1975); reprinted, “The Projector,” newsletter (Milton, Fla.: Gospel Projects, February, 1979), 1, 5, 7, 8 10.

Kenneth Becker, “Pseudo-Fundamentalism,” Parts 1 and 2, in “The Projector,” newsletter (Milton, Fla.: Gospel Projects), 8:2 (February 1979): 4, 9, 11; and 8:3 (March 1979): 1, 4, 5, 8.

Robert D. Bell, “Practical Exhortations Concerning Disciplinary Separation,” Biblical Viewpoint 9:2 (Nov 1975).

William H. Berkheiser, “A Pauline Theology of Separation,” M.A. Thesis, Calvary Theological Seminary, 1996. (item 057-0009 at www.tren.com)

John F. Brug, Church Fellowship: Working Together for the Truth (Northwestern Publishing House, 1996).

Michael M. Canham, “‘Secondary Separation’ and 2 Thessalonians 3,” paper presented at the annual meeting of the Far-West Region of the Evangelical Theological Society, April 28, 1995. (item ETS-0144 at www.tren.com)

Michael M. Canham, “Ecclesiastical Separation: Toward a Biblical Balance,” Th.M. Thesis, The Master’s Seminary, 1995. (item 059-0007 at www.tren.com)

R. Bruce Compton, “Is Second Degree Separation Biblical?”, Regular Baptist Review (Winter 1989): 3, 7-8.

R. Bruce Compton, “Biblical Separation: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15,” Frontline (Jan-Feb 1999), “Frontline Pastor’s Insert”: 6.

R. Bruce Compton. “2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 and Second-Degree Separation,” Paper presented at the Mid-America Conference on Preaching, October 18-19, 2001 (Allen Park, MI).

Ed Dobson and Ed Hindson, “Guilt by Association, or Burned by the Second Degree,” Fundamentalist Journal (October 1983), pp 10, 11, 57. In Fundamentalism File, Bob Jones University, ref. #021717.

Paul D. Furniss, “An Examination of Paul’s Argument for Separation in 2 Corinthians 6:14 – 7:1,” Th.M. Thesis, Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1984. (item 002-0337 at www.tren.com)

Curtis Hutson, “What Is Secondary Separation and Do You Practice It?” The Sword of the Lord (June 17, 1983)

Lynn C. Knower, “Is Ecclesiastical Separation Commanded in 2 Corinthians 6:14 – 7:1?”, Th.M. Thesis, Capital Bible Seminary, 1988. (item 014-0071 at www.tren.com)

Douglas A. Lightly, “The Doctrine of Separation as It Relates to the Doctrinal Error of a Believer,” Th.M. Thesis, Grace Theological Seminary, 1982. (item 009-0306 at www.tren.com)

Rolland McCune, Promise Unfulfilled: The Failed Strategy of Modern Evangelicalism (Ambassador-Emerald, 2004), esp 122-64.  “Search Inside” available at Amazon.

Douglas McLachlan, Reclaiming Authentic Fundamentalism (AACS, 1993).

Mark Minnick, “Straight Cuts,” Frontline (Jan-Feb 2005), “Frontline Pastor’s Insert”: 6

Fred Moritz, “Be Ye Holy”: The Call to Christian Separation (BJU Press, 1994).  Portions are online here.

Larry R. Oats, “The Relationship of Ecclesiology to the Doctrine of Ecclesiastical Separation Evidenced in the New Evangelical and Fundamentalist Movements of the Middle Twentieth Century,” Ph.D. dissertation, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1999.

Ernest Pickering and Myron Houghton, Biblical Separation: The Struggle for a Pure Church, 2nd ed. (Regular Baptist Press, 2008).

Ernest Pickering, ”Should We Ever Separate From Christian Brethren?” (Minneapolis: Central Press, n.d.). In Fundamentalism File, Bob Jones University, ref. #0905984.

Joel S. Pinter, “Biblical Separation and Church Discipline in the Pastoral Epistles,” Ph.D. Dissertation, Bob Jones University, 1994 (item 003-0100 at www.tren.com)

Robert I. Potter, ”Separation from Disobedient Brethren – Is It a Scriptural Doctrine?”, Ohio Bible Fellowship Visitor [c. 1990]. In Fundamentalism File, Bob Jones University, ref. #0723072.

John Rice, “Shall We Fight God’s People or Satan’s? Detailed Bible Exposition Showing That ‘Secondary Separation and Tertiary Separation’ Are Not Taught in the Bible.” The Sword of the Lord (Sep 3, 1971).

Andrew Sandlin, “A Scriptural Examination of Secondary Separation,” The Biblical Editor (Winter 1992): 4!12.

Andrew Sandlin, ”Second Thoughts of Secondary Separation,” Target 9:8 (Aug 1994): 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 22. In Fundamentalism File, Bob Jones University, ref. #0776344.

Charles Seet, “The Principle of Secondary Separation (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15),” The Burning Bush 2/1 (Jan 1996): 40-48. In Fundamentalism File, Bob Jones University, ref. #0826164.

Mark Sidwell, The Dividing Line: Understanding and Applying Biblical Separation (BJU Press, 1998). Portions are online here.

Joseph M. Stowell, “Where We Stand Today,” The Gospel Witness (23 January 1975).  In Fundamentalism File, Bob Jones University, ref. #1078674.

John D. Talley, “A Study of Ecclesiastical Separation,” Th.M. Thesis, Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1974. (item 002-0218 at www.tren.com)

John D. Talley, “The Basis for Ecclesiastical Separation,” Fundamentalist Journal 2 (April 1983): 22-25, 52.

W. Wilbur Welch, “Does Biblical Separation Destroy Christian Unity,” privately published booklet, Grand Rapids Baptist College and Seminary, c. 1978.  In Fundamentalism File, Bob Jones University, ref. #0923987.

Robert W. Wesley, “The Practice of Secondary Separation in the Light of 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15,” Th.M. Thesis, Capital Bible Seminary, 1982. (item 004-0022 at www.tren.com)