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The message to them is repent. Only God can grant repentance. Our role is a clear message.
Jim, I have read hundreds of Erwin's posts in staff forums. I am saying I am seeing a dramatic change. Things that were set in stone are up for WIKI. Compromise all around.
BTW, I'm a Deist, I picked the wrong damn icon.
Not at all but you know Jim, it's not all about the Holy Spirit. I hope you haven't taken that wrong to start with.
It's about our part too. We work in co-operation.
If it was all Holy Spirit, why would anyone ever bother witness? Why? Because unless they go, who will hear the message? How beautiful are the feet of those.
If a non-believer went into a church (which this forum isn't) and heard a message from it's pastor and the people there, and then went to get some literature on what that church believed - and that literature said "you are a Christian if you think you are", don't you think that person (who may never come back) will leave confused at least. They could leave thinking they are a Christian as they are. And be lost.
The ministerial work must be carried on purely for God and the salvation of souls, not for any private ends of our own...Hard studies, much knowledge, and excellent preaching, if the ends be not right is but more glorious hypocritical sinning. Richard Baxter
Speaking as a member of the team in which the propensity of the theological contention takes place, I have to say in all honesty that I have no idea what you are talking about. I have served the Theology Forums community for almost a year now, and have never seen evidence of a "witch hunt". Now, there have been cases where someone has been petulant and pervasive in violating the rules, and in 99% of the cases, we were loathe to take some of the more extrordinary and severe steps allowed to us by the staff, such as forum bans, icon changes, or outright permanent bannings. Indeed, the majority of those cases in which the violator was banished forever was primarily due to temperment and incivility rather than bad theology. However, since we, the staff, no longer have to determine such profound and imprecise devises as "Theology" anymore, I am actually pretty happy with the new rule changes. My sleepless nights will come to a close, as I don't have to self-flagellate when I recommend that we conduct a "Creed check" on a member who refers to God as "She", or promotes the Devine Flying Spaghetti Monster, or endorses any of the multitude of Christological errors that have plagued Christianity for 2 millenia. I am glad that monkey is off my back. I can now just sit back with my stuffed sock and thwap people on the head who misbehave and say, "Homey don't play that."I don't know, but in the new CF, at least there will not be anymore witch hunts!
Lisa
Which is why I am happy with the change. The BEST Evangelist is the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ and as I talk, the Holy Spirit will work in a person's heart to be convicted. When we go out witnessing the world in Christ's commandment of the "Great Commission", we are to love. In summary, I am saying that the Holy Spirit gave me assurance of my faith and doctrines I follow. No Church (physical), No Denomination (flesh lead), No pastors or anyone can do this for me. Holy Spirit (as part of the spiritual Church) is the only person who can do this through the Word of God.
We are here to serve God.
I trust DrS / VFP on this.
A post in the other thread said about how things in people's lives or things that happen to loved ones - who may not be saved etc, can cause people to question, or alter their beliefs.
Maybe, as that post said... Maybe, that has happened to Erwin.
It doesn't change the truth.
Jim, you could say all your Spirit led words to that person, then they could "walk out" as it were, read that a Christian is just whoever they want to be - and never come back. They leave thinking they are already a Christian.
If it was all Holy Spirit (which in a way, it is!) then why do you bother when the Holy Spirit can just touch that person without even having "met" you?
Should there be that confusion?
The message to them is repent. Only God can grant repentance. Our role is a clear message.
Jim, I have read hundreds of Erwin's posts in staff forums. I am saying I am seeing a dramatic change. Things that were set in stone are up for WIKI. Compromise all around.
What if Christians are guilty of circular reasoning? Using knowledge without facts can easily lead us to a clearly false conclusion. Conclusions drawn in this manner are usually overgeneralizations. Christians filled with the Holy Spirit do not make assumption and will not act like Job's friends, making bad assumption based on what someone is facing when they don't know all of the facts.
Can't be confused with the "Great Commission" and Jesus said "Go and make disciples". The gift of evangelism applies to almost anyone. However, an evangelist is one who possesses a special ability in communicating the gospel of salvation from sin through Jesus Christ. The Great Commission declares it. But it does mean that some are especially gifted in this area.
another good question. I had a couple friends banned for speaking their minds..SHOOT, that is ok now! SO UNBAN them! COME on..be fair.
Heh.
It's amazing how pervasive tribalism is.
Them and us.
It's funny.
I always thought that the message of Christianity was also that we are all in the same boat, all worthy of fellowship and compassion, especially those we would count as enemies.
I always thought that the message of Christianity was that nobody's that much better than anyone else; that we're all flawed creatures doing the best we can.
I always thought that the message of Christianity was that extending the hand of friendship and a welcome in your home to tax-collectors, prostitutes and the like was the right thing to do; that this gratuitous fellowship and refusal to exclude people was the whole point.
I always thought the message of Christianity was that altruism was more powerful than evil, that it simply worked better; that love was the universal solvent.
And so, get a bunch of particularly devout Christians together in a place like this, and look what happens.
They build fences to forcibly separate 'them' from 'us'. They worry that they will be contaminated or dragged down by walking among those outside their group. They hoard their friendship and welcome among themselves, refusing to waste it on others, as though they might somehow run out of the stuff. And they simply do not trust that their way works better, shielding themselves from the 'wolves' of other beliefs and hostility, lest it overpower love.
And people wonder why I'm a cynic.
These two posts succinctly highlight the problem.Do you understand this degratory view of non-Christians is exactly what leads people like M4P to believe what they believe about us?
Don't you understand its that kind of thinking that puts me on guard when someone tells me they're Christian?
Don't you see that such stupid, and downright wrong views about us lead us to think the very same things about you?
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