A History of Christian Doctrine #3 - Online Christian Library

Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism
Today described MacArthur’s views as follows: 245
MacArthur argued that most contemporary evangelical
teaching on salvation is rife with “easybelievism,”
which he says, is a doctrine that gives bare
intellectual assent to the redemptive work of Christ
while failing to call Christians to true repentance and
a life of obedience and goods works. . . . MacArthur
holds that the only correct biblical model of the salvation
experience is a doctrine known traditionally as
“lordship salvation.” In essence, it holds that to be
saved a person “must trust Jesus Christ as Lord of his
life, submitting to His sovereign authority.”
“Easy-believism” [has resulted in] a community of
professing believers populated by people who have
bought into a system that encourages shallow and
ineffectual faith. . . . [Many] sincerely believe they are
saved but are utterly barren of any verifying fruit in
their lives . . . [and in the judgment may be] stunned
to learn that they are not included in the kingdom.
In opposition to this view, many Evangelicals argue
that the only requirement for salvation is a simple decision
to accept Christ as Savior, even without any intention
of serving Him. One should also accept Him as Lord and
obey His Word, but this attitude is not a necessary part of
saving faith. Either repentance is synonymous with a profession
of faith, or else it is not required. Defenders of
this view include Charles Ryrie and Zane Hodges.
This view is influenced by a dispensationalist view of
repentance. Some argue that under the law (including the
ministry of John the Baptist), repentance did require a
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