Question

[Izdaari Eristikon]

If a pastor is going to be my spiritual leader and provider of my spiritual food, I CAN ASSURE YOU I'D LEAVE SUCH A CHURCH & leader who supports and promotes those marrages.
That's open & blatant rebellion to God's word - promotion of sin within the church by the leadership.

And, as I said, I too am against my church doing that. Just not quite with your degree of vehemence.

And yes some sins ARE much more heinous than others - unless you think it's equally heinous to steal a pencil from work as it is to kidnap & molest a little child?
Or Hitler's genocide is about equivalent to letting your dog poop on a strangers lawn...

While all sin is sin, it's another thing to openly promote it as "GOOD" (woe to those who call evil good, and good evil") while proclaiming to be an Elder in the church of God.
I'll shut up now, but this is real telling.

I agree that some sins are more serious than others. In order, by ascending heinousness, I'd rank homosexuality as right up there with gluttony and drunkenness, but below malicious gossip, which is in turn below pedophilia.

 

[Nadiine]

And, as I said, I too am against my church doing that. Just not quite with your degree of vehemence.

why not?? Would you be as opposed if the Pastor started introducing malicious gossip at the pulpit?
since you claim you consider it to be "much worse"?

I would regard malicious gossip as far worse.

How is ANY SIN that's openly practiced and promoted by the elders of a church OK? Something to blink at?
NONE of it should be acceptable in any degree.

I agree that some sins are more serious than others. In order, by ascending heinousness, I'd rank homosexuality as right up there with gluttony and drunkenness, but below malicious gossip, which is in turn below pedophilia.

Again, why is ANY OF IT openly being promoted and we just ignore it to let them continue in the sin openly?

Paul taught us what to do about flaunted sin in 1 Corinthians 5. Get the leven out; or it will leven the entire lump of dough. Just a little open sin promoted will harm or ruin an entire congregation.

I think you SHOULD be just as vehement as I am... but then..... whatever.

 

[Izdaari Eristikon]

why not?? Would you be as opposed if the Pastor started introducing malicious gossip at the pulpit?
since you claim you consider it to be "much worse"?

I probably wouldn't stay at a church that did either one.

How is ANY SIN that's openly practiced and promoted by the elders of a church OK? Something to blink at?
NONE of it should be acceptable in any degree.

I don't recall saying that it was.

Again, why is ANY OF IT openly being promoted and we just ignore it to let them continue in the sin openly?

Paul taught us what to do about flaunted sin in 1 Corinthians 5. Get the leven out; or it will leven the entire lump of dough. Just a little open sin promoted will harm or ruin an entire congregation.

Agreed. No sin should be openly promoted.

I think you SHOULD be just as vehement as I am... but then..... whatever.

Nadine...

I love you, but I think maybe you drink too much coffee.

 

[BORNAGAIN2]

Thanks everyone for considering accepting me. I did read it a few times even before posting. I am searching for a place. This is what I believe, my standards, and way of life in Jesus.
But I'm sorry it appears I probably cannot join. I appreciate your reaching out in friendship toward me though. bless you

 

[Nadiine]

Thanks everyone for considering accepting me. I did read it a few times even before posting. I am searching for a place. This is what I believe, my standards, and way of life in Jesus.
But I'm sorry it appears I probably cannot join. I appreciate your reaching out in friendship toward me though. bless you

No problem Bornagain2. not every section is for everybody. I wouldn't fit in with the liberal section for even 2 seconds (nor would I want to fit in there)... so....... to each their own.

If you want to discuss the discrepancies you might have you can - I was just being curious lol

 

[Criada]

Thanks everyone for considering accepting me. I did read it a few times even before posting. I am searching for a place. This is what I believe, my standards, and way of life in Jesus.
But I'm sorry it appears I probably cannot join. I appreciate your reaching out in friendship toward me though. bless you

If you don't mind me asking, why not?
We would love to get to know you.

 

[Nadiine]

I probably wouldn't stay at a church that did either one.

I don't recall saying that it was.

Agreed. No sin should be openly promoted.

Nadine...

I love you, but I think maybe you drink too much coffee.

honestly, I do like coffee - but I'm this way without it.

Sitting under a pastor that promotes open sin should be a serious issue - if it isn't, then I don't think I'm the one that has the problem....
no offense, but I can't fathom that.

 

[Izdaari Eristikon]

honestly, I do like coffee - but I'm this way without it.

I understand.

Sitting under a pastor that promotes open sin should be a serious issue - if it isn't, then I don't think I'm the one that has the problem....
no offense, but I can't fathom that.

I don't have that problem. My pastor doesn't promote open sin. If he did, I'd have to do something about it.

 

[Nadiine]

I don't have that problem. My pastor doesn't promote open sin. If he did, I'd have to do something about it.

K... this was a snippet of your original post I replied to:

I can sign on to it because I think it probably is sinful theologically, and accordingly I'm against my church performing same sex marriages, but I don't think it's an especially heinous or important sin. I would regard malicious gossip as far worse.

[my red emphasis]
So, I'm sorry for being a little confused now.

Anyways, I don't want to turn this is into gay debate - I just wanted to point out what I found problematic according to what you posted and how I understood it.

 

[Izdaari Eristikon]

Right, Nadine. That's an accurate quote. Perhaps I should have elucidated for the sake of prevention of misunderstandings. I didn't mean it was unimportant in an absolute sense. No sin is unimportant to God... until it's washed away by the blood of Christ and forgotten. I meant it was theologically not more important than other sins, not something I'd single out to put in a statement of beliefs while not mentioning a myriad of other sins. IMO it's included in the statement only because it's currently a political hot-button issue.

Anyway, I think we're sufficiently in agreement and the side issue is over? We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

 

[Nadiine]

Right, Nadine. That's an accurate quote. Perhaps I should have elucidated for the sake of prevention of misunderstandings. I didn't mean it was unimportant in an absolute sense. No sin is unimportant to God... until it's washed away by the blood of Christ and forgotten. I meant it was theologically not more important than other sins, not something I'd single out to put in a statement of beliefs while not mentioning a myriad of other sins. IMO it's included in the statement only because it's currently a political hot-button issue.

Anyway, I think we're sufficiently in agreement and the side issue is over? We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

K, my issue wasn't actually so much the 'level' of sin issue, as it was that I understood you to say that your church provides gay marriages.
The thought of staying at such a church was shocking to me if you claim to be conservative.
That was more my issue -
(ps. I had less coffee today than usual) heh

 

[Izdaari Eristikon]

K, my issue wasn't actually so much the 'level' of sin issue, as it was that I understood you to say that your church provides gay marriages.
The thought of staying at such a church was shocking to me if you claim to be conservative.
That was more my issue -
(ps. I had less coffee today than usual) heh

No, not even! Look, my church icon is Pentecostal, specifically Assemblies of God. Ain't gonna happen!

 

[SpiritualAntiseptic]

As you know well, those two items are only part of our agreed-upon statement and hardly can be considered what you said--that all one has to do is be a Christian of some sort and be against homosexual relations and abortion. As for the rest of what we stand for (the Nicene Creed, for example, and the authority of the Bible) you would have to be quite unfamiliar with Christianity to say honestly what you did, that these are meaningless and vague.

Belief in the Nicene is part of being a Christian. That's why I said you had to be a Christian and be against abortion and homosexual sex.

Hence, you have proved my point.

 

[Nadiine]

No, not even! Look, my church icon is Pentecostal, specifically Assemblies of God. Ain't gonna happen!

I know, I even did a double take at your icon & scratched my head in pure confusion

I thought maybe my coffee might have been too chunky this morning or something.

 

[Nadiine]

& dont EVER scare me like that again.
...........Errr else!

 

[FriendsFellowship]

Thanks everyone for considering accepting me. I did read it a few times even before posting. I am searching for a place. This is what I believe, my standards, and way of life in Jesus.
But I'm sorry it appears I probably cannot join. I appreciate your reaching out in friendship toward me though. bless you

How come I get the feeling that all of us united conservatives just chased this guy right out of our forum.

We can do better.

 

[Nadiine]

How come I get the feeling that all of us united conservatives just chased this guy right out of our forum.

We can do better.

I don't think anybody chased him out - I asked him if he'd like to share what his discrepancy was because his post seemed to imply (in my understanding) that he had gone back and gone over the membership guidelines and didn't think this was the right place for him.

I did ask him what the issue might be. No one else had replied to his post as I see it.

Honestly, if he's looking for a place to 'lay his hat', then all our "coaxing" and even warm welcomes may not be the right area for him if he leans towards a liberal side.

I think people are capable of deciding where they [belief-wise] fit in for themselves. And I think he was welcomed warmly and didn't think our standards of belief was fitting for him.
I'm of the persuasion that just becuz people don't 'come to us' it isn't something we need to automatically blame ourselves for.

Maybe he felt slighted and maybe he didn't, I don't know, but I did ask to find out.

 

[FriendsFellowship]

He read our statement. All he asked is if any person from any denomination could join.

The answer to his question is YES.

This tread got derailed, and quite frankly if I asked this simple question and saw these responses, I'd have second thoughts about joining also.

 

[Nadiine]

He read the our statement. All he asked is if any person from any denomination could join.

The answer to his question is YES.

This tread got derailed, and quite frankly if I asked this simple question and saw these responses, I'd have second thoughts about joining also.

 

[FriendsFellowship]

Please don't take this personally, I'm not trying to say anything unappealing about anyone here. Just speaking in generalities!

I love you guys!