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Matt Slick

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Matt Slick, whose full name is Matthew J. Slick, is the creator and webmaster of the Christian website and ministry CARM, or "Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry." Slick is a Christian apologist and a leader in the counter-cult movement. He considers it his mission to "answer opposition to the Christian faith," which in his view includes all non-Christian worldviews and non-Protestant denominations of Christianity, including Catholicism and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Biography

Matt Slick describes his upbringing as "nominally Christian," and asserts he was "mixed up in the occult" during that period. Slick graduated from Concordia University in Irvine, California with a Bachelors in Social Science in 1987 and from Westminster Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity in 1991, at approximately age 35. Slick's interest in apologetics and cults began after he was "outraged" by a quote from Joseph Smith. Slick has written a short autobiography on CARM. Slick is married with children, and has lived in Boise, Idaho since August 2004. [1]

Religious views

Slick is an Evangelical Christian. More specifically, Slick describes himself as "a five point Calvinist, amillennial, post-tribulation rapture, pseudobaptist (not for salvation), non-cessationist, and covenantal." More information on Slick's beliefs can be found on his website, the Calvinist Corner. [2]

Works

Books and writings

Slick has written a book entitled "Right Answers for Wrong Beliefs," ISBN 1852402792 (2002 Sovereign World) as well as a 1,125 page notebook that contains much of the information from his website. He has also publishes the entire content of the CARM website on CD.

Webpages

Matt Slick is the founder and president of CARM. He is also an administrator on the discussion forums at CARM. He created CARM, a non-profit organization, to be a resource for information on groups he considers to be cults and on other issues relating to Christianity. He also operates the Calvinist Corner, which gives information relating to Calvinism and his personal beliefs.

Controversy

Critics of Matt Slick generally hold worldviews other than conservative Protestant Christianity. Groups particularly critical of Slick include atheists, members of cults, liberal Christians, political liberals, Mormons, Universalists, Muslims, Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Deists and Pantheists. To a lesser extent, Slick's critics also include other Evangelical Christians who disagree with his methods and approach on CARM.

While there are a few sites which give detailed counterarguments to Slick's articles on CARM's website [3] [4], most complaints about Slick are voiced in connection with discussions with him on the moderated forums operated on CARM.

On those forums, Slick has been accused of censorship by excluding forum users that he asserts have been in violation of CARM's rules, but who believe he is attempting to diminish opposition to Evangelical beliefs through moderation. These users also have issues with Slick's general conduct in discussions with non-Evangelicals.

An especially heated debate over alleged censorship originated in 2001 when Slick closed down the Universalist board in his forums and banned all discussion of Universalism from his other boards, citing the need to end flame wars. [5] Some of the excluded users have moved to other discussion boards to voice their views, including those regarding Slick; in 2004, one user, John W. Ratcliff created the alternative, unmoderated forum AARM [6] to avoid perceived censorship.

Some aspects of Slick's apologetic materials have been critically discussed by Douglas Cowan in his sociological survey of the Christian countercult movement.

See also

References

  1. "Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry". CARM convention 2004. June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  2. "The Calvinist Corner". Welcome... August 19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  3. "Katholon". Slick's Sleight of Hand. August 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  4. "Biblical Studies". Matt Slick. August 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  5. "Tent Maker". CARM, C.A.R.M., Christian Apology & Research Ministry and Matt Slick, aka, The Cult of CARM. June 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  6. "AARM". Atheist Apologetics Research Ministry. August 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

Bibliography

Cowan, Douglas E., Bearing False Witness? An Introduction to the Christian Countercult, Westport & London: Praeger, 2003.

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