The paper makes official the "complementarian" view of the International Mission Board.
For those of you unfamiliar with the meaning of the word complementarianism, I would encourage you to read this article entitled Complementarianism as a Movement.
Many Christian men and women hold to complementarianism.
However, the problem with the IMB position paper on complementarianism that is now being formulated is the same problem the IMB had ten years ago when I served as a trustee. Back then a group of men took it upon themselves to narrow the doctrinal requirements for serving as a Southern Baptist missionary. They formulated doctrinal papers on spiritual gifts and baptism which stated positions that went far beyond the Baptist Faith and Message. They then demanded applicants agree to the doctrinal positions before serving as a missionary. I objected back then when the issue was forbidding anyone with a "private prayer language" or anyone who was "baptized by immersion in a church that didn't believe in eternal security."
It took ten years but those two poor doctrinal policies were eventually reversed.
Now the issue is complementarianism.
It seems the International Mission Board is moving to prohibit anyone from serving on the field who will not agree that complementarianism is the biblical view of women within the organization structure of the IMB. In the past, women were considered "Team Leaders" as were men. However, in the new complementarian mandate, IMB leadership is going so far as considering removing the title "Team Leader" from any woman, referring instead to her as "the Team Leader's wife."
According to complementarianism, a woman is not to serve in a position of leadership because it would place her in authority "over men." Consistent with that view, it is being proposed that no woman can lead anybody at the IMB in the future. She can only support her man who leads.
What is most serious of all, the paper under formulation is using the eternal subordination of the Son to the Father as the theological basis for the subjection of all women to the authority of men within the International Mission Board. That means, a woman is to be eternally subject to the authority and will of the man, just as Jesus is eternally subject to the authority and will of the Father.
The idea of equality in the Trinity and between men and women is anathema in the complementarian view. Nearly 10 years ago I wrote about the false doctrine of eternal subordination, a view that was gaining traction in the Southern Baptist Convention then.
I never dreamed I would see the day when it would be implemented as back-door policy at the IMB.
49 comments:
I am a joint heir to the grace of life and no one with a will take away the freedom I have as women to serve to follow and minister as the Lord leads me to do. I am a follower of Jesus not some mission board or leadership of the church. I have the spam Father, the same Savior and the same salvation as any believing male. I have the same indwelling Spirit and He does not bestow special gifts of leadership to believers who have a penis.
Just another reason I'm no longer Southern Baptist.
Linda
Priscilla taught men in Acts 18. Unless that was her drag name....
ESS is a 'cultic' teaching, more like some of the Mormon teachings about the 'world to come'.
For some reason, this has been brought into the SBC formally now and we will see if there is any real push-back to this heresy. I know we can count on Wade to speak against it.
But I wonder if people in the SBC who have never heard of ESS will be horrified by it as a gut-reaction,
the way I felt the first time I heard it and knew it was not something 'Christian'.
Bad news. Storm coming. People need to wake up and see what is happening. I feel badly for all the people in the SBC who will be shocked by this news which is a 'sea-change' for their denomination.
"Team Leader's Wife"?
No mention of "Team Leader's Handmaid"?
Oh, and isn't "Eternal Subordination of the Son" called "The Arianist HERESY"?
Also preached today by those other Fundys, the Jehovah's Witnesses?
SBC Goes JW...
Wade,
It makes me sick in the stomach when evangelicals(?)spend more time on working their tails off to effectively disenfranchise members of Christ's body than they do teaching and rejoicing in the One who "did not regard his equality with God as an object of solicitous desire;" that is, that though he was of a divine nature or condition, be did not eagerly seek to retain his equality with God, but took on him an humble condition - even that of a servant".
In my many years of church life there is one thing which hasn't changed is the attitude of many elected to positions of leadership(?) who do the very opposite of our Savior. As I've written in the past, as I led a group of deacons in a study about being the term "deacon", one stood up and vehemently said,"I am no ones servant!"
From Velour:
Ahhh. The NeoCalvinization of the Southern Baptist denomination. How many more Christians -- women and men -- do the Southern Baptist leaders plan to drive from the pews and their churches?
So, Wade, do you know if this move to adopt the complementarianism is primarily originating by the current President and his staff or members of the IMB trustees or some other outside power players?
I often wonder what role the trustees play regarding their assigned responsibility to monitor, assess and seriously critique motions made by the President's staff. For instance, I NEVER heard any questioning regarding the President's move to reduce the active missionary force as the first significant application to reduce over expenditures. I always wondered why the trustees would not at least ask, "Uh, now tell me again, why is it that we're cutting off the number of missionaries instead of cutting back on other extravagant spending?"
"Recently a letter was sent from International Mission Board headquarters in Richmond to all missionary leaders regarding a paper under review regarding the official position of the IMB regarding women in ministry, women on the mission field, and a woman's subjection to men.
The paper makes official the "complementarian" view of the International Mission Board. "
+++++++++++++++
what was the purpose of the letter? A warning? Intimidation? shots fired into the air?
Paving the way to smooth-sailing-passage for this position paper?
i would guess missionaries are already nervous enough, having seen their peers' missionary careers ended due to not agreeing with corporate.
"the Team Leader's wife"??? How about "the Team Leader's shoes", or "the Team Leader's dog", or "the Team Leader's automobile"??? Women: equal in value, yet useless?
I have been thinking about asking that my name be removed from the church membership for over a year, now. This just may push me over the edge. With all of the restrictions/rejections on women in the SBC, I don't believe women should even be considered members. We are not part of the church body!
I was thinking the same about the Neocalvinism.
I did not realize Bernie was a practicing Jew. I did not think Judaism had anything at all to do with his statement. My understanding was that he is agnostic. At least he was back in his Chicago days of rabid socialism. It was very taboo to be religious at all in that political circle.
This shows how those who uphold ESS are determined to use it to belittle and disrespect women AND KEEP THEM UNDER.
At A Cry For Justice we hear from many women whose abusive husbands are missionaries. What they suffer is horrific. This will only make their plight worse.
https://cryingoutforjustice.com/2016/09/14/the-change-of-genesis-316-ess-the-colonial-code-of-relationship-and-a-call-to-bystanders/
It is hard to believe, Wade. I remember when this was a fringe position. The eternal subjugation of the son is bizarre. Comparing a Father-Son relationship with a husband-wife relationship is a serious perversion. Try doing it in real life, and you might get arrested.
The proper comparison would be between the relationship of the Father to the Spirit that gives birth (John 3:6), or the Father and the female spirit of wisdom who created the world by His side (Prov. 8 & 9). These holy examples are an image of the way men and women work together in God’s kingdom.
After a weekend of cries from the SBC Pastor's Conference of, “We have to get out there and have more Gospel conversations! We have to get outside of our walls and reach a broken world with the Gospel!” it’s shocking to see this bold move to gag and shackle the workers in the field who are already DOING it.
In Genesis 3, God marked Satan and his children with enmity for the woman. It’s easy to see what spirit is at work here.
Have these geniuses read the Bibles at all? The Eternal subjugation of Jesus? B*A*L*O*N*E*Y!!!!! The crucifixion and resurrection are about restoration positionally not only for men and women but for Christ too!Philippians 2, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”
SUBJUGATION
the action of bringing someone or something under domination or control.
SUBMISSION
the action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person.
"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” I think I will repeat this one more time just to make it clear... Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.(1) HOW CAN JESUS BE ETERNALLY SUBJUGATED when the FATHER HIGHLY EXALTED HIM? (2) How can Jesus be subjugated when He WILLINGLY SUBMITTED TO THE FATHER???
“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.”
― George Carlin
IMHO,They all need to go look in the mirror and slap the first person they see!!!
ESS has another big problem that doesn't get talked about much. All the focus gets put on what women are supposed to be doing, but where really is ESS placing men? I would argue that they are trying to usurp the authority of God and make themselves little gods. While saying that Jesus submitting to the Father is respective to the Father's authority, they basically are granting God's authority over others to themselves. With a proper perspective of Jesus and the Trinity, it is Jesus, not men, that is our High Priest. God retains both the authority over the Godhead and the authority over men. God tells people where to go and what to do.
Here's what Bruce Ware writes in http://www.reformation21.org/blog/2016/06/god-the-sonat-once-eternally-g.php#sthash.1KV1a7yH.dpuf: "Because the Father is the eternal Father of the eternal Son, the Father always acts in ways that befit who he distinctively is as Father such that, among other things, he eternally possesses and expresses Fatherly authority; the Son as the eternal Son of the eternal Father correspondingly always acts in ways that befit who he distinctively is as Son such that, among other things, he eternally possesses and expresses a submission to act gladly and freely as Agent of the Father. The Bible's discussion of the roles and functions of the Trinitarian persons points to this repeatedly. The Father sends and the Son goes. The Father plans and the Son executes the plan of the Father. The Father designs and the Son implements the design of the Father. One never finds the reverse. One never sees the Son commanding and the Father obeying, the Son sending and the Father going. There is a stubborn irreversibility in the outworking of the Trinitarian roles, along with other clear, unambiguous teaching that the Son is fully equal to and one with the Father."
Wade,
Ah! Remembering exactly what was said is sometimes hard when years have gone by. That’s what’s good about the internet or your blogs.
Your post states that years ago the IMB rejected any applicant “with a private prayer language or anyone WHO WAS BAPTIZED BY IMMERSON IN A CHURCH THAT DIDN’T BELIEVE IN ETERNAL SECURITY.”
I remember the capitalized letters different.
Your blog “From Tragedy to Triumph; the IMB Reverses Itself” written May 15, 2015” states applicants were rejected who were:
“…baptism by immersion in churches other than Southern Baptist, etc.”
In other words an applicant had to be baptized in a Southern Baptist church.
One reason I remember this is because there was a member in your church who felt called to be a missionary in his home country…Africa, but was denied because he was baptized in a river by a missionary.
Some thought the “Not speaking in tongues” was aimed at IMB President, Rankin, who spoke in tongues.
The SBC will be held at my twin brother’s (Hez Ray) church in Tucson, AZ. I wish I’d sent you the book he wrote: “The Big Dipper” (name of an aircraft hanger.)
It’s a story of how he got a World War II hanger moved 150 miles by school kids and volunteer labor to Fairbanks, Alaska. He was the Athletic Director at the time. It’s still used as a place for kids to play instead of drugs. They put his book in every library in Alaska to inspire kids to ‘think outside the box”.
He will not attend the Convention as he is unable to travel being cared for with six other old people in a private house.
Rex,
Good point. The actual policy was poorly written by trustees and had the phrase "eternal security" in it. A summary statement later made was a candidate was rejected for being baptized in a church "other than Southern Baptist."
Thanks for pointing out the change.
Monica,
Sad indeed. Fringe indeed.
Pege,
I think they read the Bible and merge Old Covenant Israel with the New Testament Church. Bad boys indeed.
Ishy,
Great quote to get the horrible ESS perspective.
Nancy2,
Yes, "Team Leader's Wife."
Where's "Team Leader's Husband?"
Can't have that because a woman can't lead.
Ugh.
ESS is blasphemy. The fact they rely on it to support comp doctrine shows just how bankrupt that doctrine is.
Wade,
Thanks for the quick response.
Your latest post is about the IMB placing restrictions on women NOT to be in positions ‘over’ men etc.
If this is already “a back-door policy of the IMB, can the SBC change it while meeting in Phoenix?
I remember a long time ago Paige Patterson and Albert Mohler presented to the IMB that women could not be in positions that were over men.
IMB President Jerry Ranking’s response was one of astonishment and said, “Why every one of us believes in the inerrancy of the Scriptures.”
At that time “Inerrancy” was a big deal…almost like Germans were required at one time to say, “Hail Hitler”.
According to the Phoenix SBC schedule, Presidents of Seminaries will give their presentations and reports Wednesday morning at 10:30. Patterson and Mohler are listed. Will they be open to questions?
Off topic:
My brother’s book has this story:
In the cold of winter he parked the truck of workers at the hanger in Alaska to be moved. There was a drinking party of men going on and he asked them to leave so the workers could sleep and work in the morning. Their leader said no one was running them out and challenged Hez to a fight. Hez was a wrestling coach and told him, “You’re so drunk you couldn’t whip my grandma.”
One of the men yelled, “I’ve looked at the truck and it’s full of kids. Let’s let them have it.” The men left.
Wade, is there a possibility of seeing the documents you reference?
Uncle Chicken,
It's a document under construction. I have a copy but promised the 52 people who gave it to me (smile) that I would not publish it.
Rex Ray -
In my experience, things are always referred at the SBC. Very little business done from the floor.
Wowzers!!!! Unbelievable that we are spinning in circles. I will say that I am half way home towards eternity. I have lived through the tsunami of these false teachings and watched many families destroyed by its fallacies. Where does it start in my cognitive lifetime, back in the late 1980's Gregg Harris and family promoted patriarchy(through home business). The Duggars, Doug Phillips--Vision Forum, Bill Gothard,{all fallen men-narcissists, disgraced Christianity} Above Rubies teaches patriarchal ideas, even says it is sinning if a woman works outside the home. Just a few others I think are patriarchy: Doug Wilson in Moscow, Idaho. Mark Driscoll started ACTS 29. CJ Mahaney. John Piper believes it, yet daughter-in-law just divorced his son--Barnabas. Rousas Rushdoony, the father of Christian Reconstruction, one of the father's of the home schooling movement.He neglected his wife and children, his first priority and ministry! Arda and R.J. separated in 1957, ARDA left her husband. A year later, Arda filed for divorce, custody, child support (6 kids), and court costs. She charged her husband with “extreme cruelty” and inflicting “grievous mental suffering” on her. {Reverend Rushdoony transferred his membership (from PC-USA ) to the Orthodox Presbyterian denomination. The OPC has a comparatively narrow interpretation of the Biblical texts dealing with divorce, remarriage, and post-divorce ministry. Supposedly, the presbytery investigated the circumstances of R.J.’s divorce and pronounced him the blameless party (and thus still qualified for the ministry).} In 1959, Arda, RJ Rushdoony's ex-wife, was awarded $1 a month in alimony, and the freedom to be single again with 6 children. The Christianity that patriarchal families following is similar to the Muslims or Mormons, it's about instilling control and fear. Even Shakespeare wrote "Taming the Shrew," highly misogynistic and patriarchal.
Could anyone tell me: What patriarchs did these women live with?
Lydia (Acts 16)
Mary Magdalene (Matthew 27, Mark 16, and John 19)
Susanna (Luke 8:3)
Dorcas (Acts 9)
Phoebe (Romans 16:1)
http://thatmom.com/?s=Patriarchy+on+Trial Start at the bottom and read up, Part 1, 2, etc.
https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/house-proud/troubling-rise-stay-home-daughters (excuse website name)
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/0961202920010204 Hudson Taylor's organization 2/3 women missionaries
"Those who do NOT learn history, are doomed to repeat it."
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke
http://submissionisnotsilence.com/about-2/ read my review, this book was written by Elizabeth Julin, she grew up conservative Christian singers traveling the U.S.A. Ten Peas in a Pod Life in a shoe box, evangelizing the world to memorize scripture with family (Arnold Pent) in 1950's.
She said she struggled with a diagnosis called "chronic insignificance", born 4th out of 8 kids, raised with a father of military-like discipline and control, then married in a culture mantra: "woman are second class"
Finally she realized that is was not only ok to speak up & say what was in her head, expressing her true opinions, but her marriage wasn't going to succeed if she didn't speak up!
Both genders are equal before God, made in His image, they (man/woman) are counterparts by design Genesis 1:27. Wisdom comes when a man & a woman listen to each other & each learns the way the other thinks.
Clearly states that the Bible does not support a wife to submit to her husband like a slave or a child, such a Christian tragedy. Nowhere in the Bible are husbands instructed to teach, train, or control their wives--AKA--tame the shrew! Freedom and equal status of genders is a God-given birthright. No man will love as passionately a woman he thinks he must control. Tragically, women who don't know the Scriptures or who will not act on them, settle for far too little.
Genesis 3:16 describe the three curses: sorrow or pain in conception and childbirth, a longing for her husband, & a husband ruling over his wife. This is a pronouncement of a curse, not a blessing. Romans 12:2, "Be not conformed to this world." God is speaking directly to you about your life. In spite of reading the entire Bible through more than 100 times with my family growing up, I had never really thought about the fact that nowhere in the Bible does God instruct a husband to speak for his wife, coerce her, or tell her what to do.
No longer am I a second-class citizen. This eye-opening revelation became the most motivating adventure of my life. God imposed a handicap on each gender when they disobeyed; the lives of both would now be much harder. To the man, God said, "By the sweat of your face you will eat bread." Gen. 3:19
As a result of the curse a man will lean toward ruling as opposed to leading, if he does not respect his wife, his ruling will be harsh.
Remember that you are a free woman in Christ--you are the female of Galatians 3:28! As a Christian, know that, "If the Son shall make you free, you are free indeed." (John 8:36) It is NOT your biblical role to be controlled by any person. You submit to others only as God gives you the freedom, the power, and the grace to do so. "We ought to obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29
There is a clear flow of equality in the Bible from cover to cover. Submission goes all the way around the table, as Scripture exhorts in Ephesians 5:21, "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of the Lord." "There is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28
God created you with inborn qualities as a woman: a balance of personality traits, spiritual sensitivities, & insightful perspectives that are both a counterpart and a complement to a man.
1 Peter 3:7 states that a husband dishonoring his wife, has hindered prayers.
This book should be read by ever girl as she begins to date & desires a solid marriage.
Many are torn apart because of a patriarchal system in their families. [children leaving parents home, rejecting the philosophy] Patriarchy has to go. It is unbiblical and creates a mindset of "god" among men over women and their families." hollow & deceptive philosophy," Col. 2:8 Too many have been taken captive by the wrong philosophies, disguised as sheep in wolves clothing. 2 Cor. 3:18!
Praise the Lord for TRUTH and KNOWLEDGE!!!
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.” ~M.L. King
“There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Wade, Over the years I have made this observation. I have noticed these boards are like the waves of the sea. They fluctuate and changes with each new conference. It is usually directed at women and, missionaries. I never hear you speak of anything about how MEN and LEADERSHIP should be behaving. They are like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. These boards should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such people are double-minded and unstable in all they do. Next year, I predict, you will once again post another change, another amendment to titles or qualifications. And so it goes.
Page,
A long time ago, I quoted Martin Luther King Jr. saying, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
I changed it to, “Nothing is more dangerous than ignorance in action.”
You quoted Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: “There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.”
All three of those were proven true today in the shooting at Republicans by a supporter of Bernie Sanders
I changed it to, “Nothing is more dangerous than ignorance in action.”
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The Southern Baptists have been perched precariously out on their limb since Ronnie Floyd took the lead.
The men in that warped denomination believe you're never taller than when standing on someone else.
At the rate their membership is leaving, it won't be long before they land in the heretical dumpster with the rest of the wack job cults.
Anonymous, I fear that membership is leaving the American church regardless of what denomination you consider, for any number of reasons. It is a cause for mourning but not celebration. Agreed?
RRR,
Considering that the vast majority teach a twisted perversion of the Gospel, I would say dwindling memberships are a cause for celebration.
"Come out of her, My people."
I've yet to find a church were money isn't their god, and it's not for lack of searching.
On the other hand, those in the pews are equally to blame for following false teachers , as they have obviously never read their Bibles.
Oooooh, Anonymous, sounds like you have issues with the Bride of Christ. Granted, she does have her moles, warts, and corns on her toes, given that we're all redeemed sinners seeking to live out our salvation until our Master returns to change us into the glorious, eternal state we will become. But, even in the meantime, to Him, she is still beautiful, the heart of His Heart, and will be made perfect in His time.
For now, she's the only hope this world has. I suspect that you are not involved with His Bride given your disdain for her, otherwise, I believe you would find that indeed, "the vast majority" do not teach a twisted perversion of the Gospel. Maybe you should attend my church where people are not worshipping money and The Word is proclaimed in all its glory and truth every time the doors are opened. (Not "my" church in the sense that I'm the pastor. I'm only a member). I dare say that you would find the same at Wade's church and those parts of the body of Christ in which most of the others commenting on this blog belong.
I sense your desperate desire to see her perfected but fear you are not willing to productively contribute to that end, only shoot flaming arrows at her.
RRR,
And it sounds to me that you are one of the very few who have been blessed in finding a church home where you are not told to 'sew a seed', shower 'guest pastors' with money, are mugged for your finances at every turn, forced into tithing or else God will curse you ( a lie, btw ) or made to feel unloved by God if you happen to be ill or poor.
There is a reason 'churches' are popping up everywhere, and it's not about God. The 501c3 is big business.
Now, I'm a Done and set free to study the Word without some so-called pastor twisting it to say things it never said.
I guess you could say I've finally found peace with God.
Anonymous, I really do wish you had found peace with God, but it is apparent that you are not at peace. I have no reason to question your sense of being eternally secure in your salvation and having a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, making you His eternal child. However, may I be so bold to say that it does not seem you have a sense of peace with your fellow family members. This is not a judgmental statement, but rather an observation based upon the frustration you express and your statements that portray a lack of objectivity in assessing the church as a whole.
Either your exposure to the "church fellowships" universe is quite limited, so as to restrict your ability to accurately assess their condition, or you have been hurt by personal experiences with individual church fellowships in a way that turns you off to the status of the church in its entirety. You know, the way a person might view "marriage" as being a terrible institution if they had just gone through a gut-wrenching divorce.
I say this because I know your statements to be inaccurate. I totally concede that there are serious problems in many churches and it is hurting the work assigned to it. But I know of so many that do not fit into the description you give that most have money as their god, are preaching a distorted Gospel message and are totally outside the will and Spirit of God. That's just not true. I regret that you have not experienced the joy and fulfillment of being involved in a nurturing church fellowship that would give you an entirely different perspective.
Don't give up on it. You can definitely get by without attending and participating, but you will be missing so much that a good church fellowship, and there are many, can offer you and which can benefit by your presence and involvement. And I don't mean by your "monetary" involvement.
I cannot understand why any denomination that is committed to Jesus and seeing others won to the Kingdom of God would desire to disenfranchise the majority of their congregants. Why is there not a conversation and campaign to allow and promote more Christians -- male and female -- to preach and teach the Gospel, so more will hear about Jesus?
Knowing that a million people have left SBC churches in the last year and that baptisms are at a all-time low should encourage us to ask "why." Complementarianism promotes arrogance, exclusiveness, and a second-class mentality towards women. The word misogyny and Islamic attitudes come to mind towards women. Women who are accepting this philosophy are simply brain-washed and brow-beat into this subordination.
The concept of the subordination of Jesus is simply heresy and false teaching, which is beyond scary. God will not bless this kind of movement, and He will bring His judgment on those who promote it.
*a million have left in the last ten years . . .
RRR,
Thank you for your kind advice, but I've found that my Bible and the Holy Spirit to guide me is the only church I need.
I don't think you can appreciate, having not experienced it yourself, how devastating it is to have sit under false teachers and have that manipulative and condemning brainwashing imprinted on your psyche.
Even though I intellectually know better now, the damaged part of my soul still tells me that God doesn't approve of me. That unless I do enough good deeds and give enough money, His back is turned to me. He may put up with me, but that's about it, because I'll never be worthy of His love.
You should know I've been a Christian for nearly 30 years.
And I haven't given up. I am studying the Word for myself with the Holy Spirit to guide and teach me, and I do have some real peace now as I finally have the truth.
But will I ever step foot into another church? No. That trust is gone.
Do you know what I've learned on my own? That Paul is our Apostle. That the New Covenant began with Paul and that just about everything we need to know about our new life in Christ and how to live in His grace is found in Romans.
Thirty years as a regular pew sitter and I didn't even know that. That's our foundation, you know.
No more Churchianity and traditions of men for me. I feel free and finally understand my identity in Christ. Now to unlearn the poison.
I'm sure there are a few good churches left out there, but I'm not willing to bet my soul on it.
God bless. :)
Whew! Thanks for helping me to understand your situation. I am sorry you have had that experience, but I am thankful that you are continuing to pursue your growth in Christ.
I changed it to, “Nothing is more dangerous than ignorance in action.”
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Saddened by this... I currently go to an SBC affiliated church, but for a variety of reasons have not been ready to become a member. This doesn't make it an easier choice.
Ha, ha
Wade, In September (I think) there will be the IMB Emeritus gathering at Ridgecrest. Usually over 1,000 retired missionaries attend.I wish that I did not live in the Northwest of the USA because I would like to ask some questions of the present IMB leadership. Alas, travel from Portland to Ridgecrest is not possible.
I wonder if David Platt will leave the IMB once he is voted in at McLean Bible Church as pastor in September? This may change some policies at the IMB. Interestingly, MBC is not a southern baptist church, so maybe David is moving away from some SBC core doctrines.
To get back to the original topic of the blog I am rather confused. I understand that this policy/paper whatever could mean that women, who are serving as team leaders with their husbands will loose that title. What I have not seen addressed is what will be the position of single women who are currently serving as team leaders and don't have a husband to submit to?
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