At Crossroads -- Cf's Vision Discussion Thread - Please Vote in Poll Thread

GraceInHim · Jul 28, 2007

Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22:8" Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

"hmmmm - wonder how much time the servants had to preach the Good News to anyone they could find for the wedding"

FriendsFellowship · Jul 28, 2007

MartinM said:
Some do, some don't. Not all those who have thin skins are bigots, however, nor did I imply such.

Yea, fair enough! But I don't think that your line of debating is going to make too many people see the error of their ways.

Lisa0315 · Jul 28, 2007

GraceInHim said:
Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22:8" Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

"hmmmm - wonder how much time the servants had to preach the Good News to anyone they could find for the wedding"

From the post to the signature, what isn't to love about this post and poster.

Lisa

ZACTAK · Jul 28, 2007

MartinM said:
Try to put yourself in our shoes for a minute. Can you see why this might look as though you see us as merely targets for ministry, rather than equals?

I think you are reading into what I am saying waaaay too far. Just because I do not feel you should work in a leadership role on this site, does not make me think you are less than I am as a regular member. At my job, I do not have my bachelors degree yet, so I cannot be in leadership, does that mean I am less a person than those in leadership? NO.

intricatic · Jul 28, 2007

GraceInHim said:
Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22:8" Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

"hmmmm - wonder how much time the servants had to preach the Good News to anyone they could find for the wedding"

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
(Matthew 22)

MartinM · Jul 28, 2007

FriendsFellowship said:
I think you might have a slight misunderstanding of the Christian motive. There is equality. Everyone is an equal target for ministry.

No, I get the basic idea. It's just that often the 'ministry' part comes across much more strongly than the 'equality' part.

FriendsFellowship · Jul 28, 2007

GraceInHim said:
Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22:8" Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

"hmmmm - wonder how much time the servants had to preach the Good News to anyone they could find for the wedding"

Matthew 28:11"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. 13"Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14"For many are invited, but few are chosen."

MartinM · Jul 28, 2007

FriendsFellowship said:
Yea, fair enough! But I don't think that your line of debating is going to make too many people see the error of their ways.

I have many lines, and there are many people.

Beastt · Jul 28, 2007

A V O said:
If a Christian tells me I am not acting very Christ like, I am prone to accept that comment and evaluate it. If a non-Christian tells me that, I ignore it. What is the basis for comparison? Why would I allow someone who doesn't believe in Christ compare me to Him?

This seems to suggest that if someone isn't a Christian, they're not capable of understanding the wisdom in some of the teachings attributed to Jesus and that's simply not true.

If I know that a Mormon isn't supposed to drink caffeine, I can certainly see that they're not adhering to that if I see them drinking a Coke and I don't have to be a Mormon to see the problem.

One doesn't even have to believe that Jesus really existed in order to read what is proclaimed as his teachings and note whether or not someone else is acting in compliance. Do you have to be a doctor to know that using a selection of herbs to drip blood on someone and following a religious ritual isn't in line with proper medical standards?

justanobserver · Jul 28, 2007

There is no need in section for alcoholics and others to sometimes use God's Word to help them through crisis?

I just wanted to coment on this with my reply from an earlier post in part 1 of this so far 2 part thread:

justanobserver said:
I an agree with this. The Faith section here at CF should be moderated by christians. I have no problem with that and do not disagree. I have felt this way since all this began in the changes here.

Other sections here, a non christian moderator can do an effective job at keeping the peace, enforcing the rules, etc. Or helping with personal experience on a subject.

As I have stated in other threads similiar in discussion to this one, one's faith (or lack thereof) isnt an issue to deal with others such as in Recovery.

Go to any AA or NA meeting and the guy next to you might be a devout catholic or the lady on your right a baptist and the dude in the front is a former Presbyterian minister that conveted to buddhism.The older gal behind you is an agnostic and the teen next to her is clueless of faith BUT they all have one thing in common that binds us al together: our disease.

The one that might help me when it hits the fan in my life may be a Pagan or the one that I help thru a rough night might be a Lutheran Deacon.

Addictions and alcoholism is no respector of beliefs.

Its one of personal experience with a caring compassionate heart that is needed here, not one of any desire of power or control.

at least for me thats how I see it.

hi. My name is Norm and I am honored to be a Moderator in Training for the Recovery section here at CF.

But I do agree as I already posted way back on about page 8 or so here that I do feel there needs to more a middle ground Option.

To those that might have reservations concerning the spiritual realm of recovery - what I cant answer spiritualy or direct to form experience I have already told those higher in the chain that I will defer to them.

Outside of those directly involved and/or effected by the results of Mod apps in Recovery, has anyone been there and read the threads? get an idea of who and what we all are?

anyhooos, just wanted to repeat an ealrier post of mine as I thought it pertains.

heymikey80 · Jul 28, 2007

Beastt said:
Again I see the claim; rendered null and void by the insinuation that nonChristians aren't as good or worthy as Christians.

That's not the insinuation (cf. Rom 13). On the contrary it's submission to the fact that the community of Christians operates on a different community boundary from what you might think. A church is a community.

From your point of view I take that it's simply a judgment anyone can make about an ethical boundary. But all ethical issues get introduced to a wholly new kind of ethical strategy in Christianity.

It's admittedly a different way of thinking. It's often characterized by the phrase "redeeming the times, for the days are evil." I'm sure others have pointed out to you, this is not simply following Christ's ethical thoughts. It's living in light of certain facts as well, playing a very different role as a judge than one might play in a secular government.

A grasp of that ethical strategy is not recognized by every Christian today. It wasn't in Paul's day either. But Paul was still adamant that the judges be Christians, and that the community operate within the bounds of Christian judges. Even when it came to grievances that unbelievers handled every day in government and law.

When one of you [Christians] has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!

Consider the consequences if you marginalize that explicit statement by Paul by attacking Paul as bigoted. The end result: you split Christians from one another. You marginalize them. Really, you marginalize us.

How does the marginalization of Christians serve the intent of this forum?

GraceInHim · Jul 28, 2007

FriendsFellowship said:
Matthew 28:11"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. 13"Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14"For many are invited, but few are chosen."

and? The servants still went to invite strangers from the streets, good and bad

ScottBot · Jul 28, 2007

Beastt said:
This seems to suggest that if someone isn't a Christian, they're not capable of understanding the wisdom in some of the teachings attributed to Jesus and that's simply not true.

If I know that a Mormon isn't supposed to drink caffeine, I can certainly see that they're not adhering to that if I see them drinking a Coke and I don't have to be a Mormon to see the problem.

One doesn't even have to believe that Jesus really existed in order to read what is proclaimed as his teachings and note whether or not someone else is acting in compliance. Do you have to be a doctor to know that using a selection of herbs to drip blood on someone and following a religious ritual isn't in line with proper medical standards?

You can read the writing, but you cannot understand why it was written.

Example:

Hubby is watching his wife make a ham. He notices whe cuts the ends off the ham, then seasons it, covers it and puts it in the oven. He asks her why she cut the ends off the ham. She says, "Because that's how my mom taught me to do it." SO he asks his mother in law, to which she replies "That's how my mom always did it." So, he asks grandma, "Why do you cut the ends off the ham?"

"Because that's the only way I could get it to fit in the pan."

Knowing the words of the bible means little if you don't understand, spiritually, the reasons for which they were written. The reasons are grounded in a fundamental belief in God, which confers a definitive belief in the eternal divinity of Jesus. Since I am going by the assumption that you are atheist by your icon selection, I can make the prejudicial assessment that you can gain great wisdom from the words of Scripture. But for you, they are good guiding principles, no more, no less. For me, they are divine mandates with eternal consequences. I understand why Jesus cut the ends off the ham.

UncleClint · Jul 28, 2007

Erwin said:
Hi members

This poll, started by drstevej, was PMed to me recently. I think that it does make a good point and I wanted it moved out of the Conservative Christians forum to the Announcement forum to gather input from other members as well.

The issue here is whether CF's name should be changed and its vision modified to reflect its current framework.

This site at the moment is at a cross-roads, and can go either way. It can either become:

1. A safe social community site with a heavy and strong Christian influence (with the vision being to offer a safe online community, and a secondary vision being to allow Christians to outreach to non-Christians) - which will allow for a name change;

OR

2. Return to a more restricted Christians-only site with a heavy emphasis on uniting mainstream Christians only with a less emphasis on outreach, in which case we keep the name.

Bear in mind that options 1 and 2 are both valid - there is a place for either forums.

I think that at this moment members are frustrated because CF is halfway between options 1 and 2, so members are confused as we have a vision that belongs to option 2 but a setup that is more like option 1.

Therefore, I think we need to make a decision.

I'm going to leave this up to the community. I've extended the above poll to 3rd of August.

I will listen to the members here, and will defer to the final decision.

Please feel free to discuss this issue in this thread.

MOD NOTE:
Please discuss this issue in this thread instead so that the poll may remain open.

I don't understand the "mod note" part, but I'm absolutely sure that only an idiot would cast a ballot given only those two options.

FriendsFellowship · Jul 28, 2007

GraceInHim said:
and? The servants still went to invite strangers from the streets, good and bad

Yes, and even though the king invited them in, he threw some of them out (well at least one) because they did not come in respecting the ceremony.

There are people out there that are just not meant to be "at the wedding".

kimber1 · Jul 28, 2007

RaggedRobin said:
That is the way we see you as we should

wow......... that is just.... man do you not see how that comes across? sheesh.

intricatic · Jul 28, 2007

FriendsFellowship said:
Yes, and even though the king invited them in, he threw some of them out (well at least one) because they did not come in respecting the ceremony.

There are people out there that are just not meant to be "at the wedding".

They were not dressed in the wedding garmets; Christ's righteousness. We're all bad people, but we've been invited to the wedding.

Lisa0315 · Jul 28, 2007

Okay, again reading options 1 and 2.

Option 1 would be okay, but I cannot agree with the Name Change. Option 1 in my opinion makes this EVEN MORE of a Christian Forums.

Option 2 is old CF, and I definitely do not agree with that.

So, I cannot vote. For once, I wish this was wikied so we could ammend Option 1.

Lisa

FriendsFellowship · Jul 28, 2007

intricatic said:
They were not dressed in the wedding garmets; Christ's righteousness. We're all bad people, but we've been invited to the wedding.

Amen!

But as the parable states, many are called few are chosen. Not all that are invited will make it into the Kingdom.

Debi1967 · Jul 28, 2007

Martin try to put yourself in my shoes for a minute if God has told me that as a Christian I am to no longer be part of this World, that my mission is to abide by His Law and ways and to try to convert as many as I can find that will listen to Him .....what then would you think and wouldn't yoiu be in the same position that I am in now....

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