Is this "rebellion"?

Originalist · #1 05-31-2015, 04:13 PM

Two true stories...

The first...A young couple with three small children make a personal family decision. They are both very involved in their church. They are there Sunday morning and night and Wednesday night, plus they are involved in other areas on off nights. The wife complained that she never gets a break during any of the services due to the kids. She was not complaining, just stating a fact.
The husband decides that he will stay home on Wednesday night with the kids so she can have at least one free service a week. One of the kids is starting the first grade and has an 8 PM bed time. They normally don't get home from church on Wednesday night until 9:30, so this will keep him on track with his bed time. While at home on Wednesday night the dad teaches his kids a Bible story as well as other spiritual activities. The pastor gets mad and tells them what they are doing is wrong.

The second- A man and his family attend a vibrant church full of activities. Even with the father's 60 hour a week work schedule, they never miss a service and are involved in different areas of ministry. The fact that the church has no Sunday night service has worked out well for them since this is literally the only time they have to do anything as a family. Sunday after church and lunch they take off to a park or the mall and stay out till at least 8 PM. The pastor then suddenly announces that they will be starting a Sunday night service and that all are expected to be there, but especially anyone who considers themselves a leader. The pastor makes this decision with no input or opinion of anyone. The dad and mom go to the pastor and explain to him that Sunday afternoons and evenings are the only family time they have. The pastor gives them the cookie cutter , broken record response of "forsake not the assembling" and "priorities" and "putting God first". The couple are polite but continue with their normal routine. Suddenly, the mom is told she can't be in the choir anymore and the dad is relieved of his duties as Christian Education director.

Rebellion or abuse of authority?

Evang.Benincasa · #2 05-31-2015, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Originalist

Suddenly, the mom is told she can't be in the choir anymore and the dad is relieved of his duties as Christian Education director.

Well, they wanted extra time for family, hence they received the extra time and then some.

Ultimately it is up the husband, he wants his wife to go to church on Wednesday, and stay home to read bedtime stories to his children then he is the leadership of his home and it is up to him. The other couple wanted to spend more time together and they got that. Who cares about singing in a choir, or being an usher when you need to care for your family. All is well.

What is funny, is that the guy behind the pulpit is expected to be up there no matter what, if he stayed home to read bed time for Bonzo to the kids the congregation would flip. If the preacher said he wanted more family time then everyone would find the first forum to post that the dude's family is in trouble.

In all honesty I don't know what to say about these situations because they could be answered many different ways. The families involved could have a plethora of different problems and issues, that we don't know about. Plus the minister might just have a little more understanding of the situation then is being given in these posts.

Praxeas · #3 05-31-2015, 06:07 PM

Why can't they do family time on Saturday?

Originalist · #4 05-31-2015, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Praxeas

Why can't they do family time on Saturday?

She works Saturday night. He works Saturday during the day.

Praxeas · #5 05-31-2015, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Originalist

She works Saturday night. He works Saturday during the day.

Good thing they are not sabbatarians

Evang.Benincasa · #6 05-31-2015, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Praxeas

Good thing they are not sabbatarians

seguidordejesus · #7 05-31-2015, 09:32 PM

Scenario #2 happened to me, except I was doing a Master's degree, not going to get ice cream with the family. We eventually left due to the way it was handled.

votivesoul · #8 06-01-2015, 01:22 AM

Quote:

What is funny, is that the guy behind the pulpit is expected to be up there no matter what, if he stayed home to read bed time for Bonzo to the kids the congregation would flip. If the preacher said he wanted more family time then everyone would find the first forum to post that the dude's family is in trouble.

I heard a pastor complain at the end of his sermon and tell the church that it needed to take "care of him". After which, he told the church he would have no problem stepping out of the will of God in order to take care of his family. He pined about how he was keeping his daughter up to 2:00AM just to have family time since he works seven days a week working a non-traditional job that allows him to set his own schedule.

seguidordejesus · #9 06-01-2015, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by votivesoul

I heard a pastor complain at the end of his sermon and tell the church that it needed to take "care of him". After which, he told the church he would have no problem stepping out of the will of God in order to take care of his family. He pined about how he was keeping his daughter up to 2:00AM just to have family time since he works seven days a week working a non-traditional job that allows him to set his own schedule.

If he had a good church board, they could sit down and have a conversation about it instead of whining during a sermon.

Alternatively, he could work at 2 a.m. and let his daughter get some sleep.

Sounds like a whiney-butt.

votivesoul · #10 06-01-2015, 03:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seguidordejesus

If he had a good church board, they could sit down and have a conversation about it instead of whining during a sermon.

Alternatively, he could work at 2 a.m. and let his daughter get some sleep.

Sounds like a whiney-butt.

He was getting $1,500 a month plus a medical insurance stipend and his wife was getting a salary as the church accountant. When the church was struggling financially and the idea of him loosing some of his salary was brought up, he threatened to quit, and the majority of the board backed off (this happened about a month before the "sermon").

Just before his comments in the sermon, he asked if anyone in the church was on government assistance (e.g. food-stamps) and about half the church hands went up. Out of the church's poverty, he was already being supported as much as possible. Later on (not during the sermon) he said it wasn't about the money.

He also inferred that he was the five-fold ministry. After reading Ephesians 4:11, he asked the church (in the "sermon") "Will you let me do my job?"

This is a person who told a widow in the church to sell her house if she couldn't afford her tithe. When she was dying of cancer, and wanted to have a meeting at her house to share the bad news of her terminal diagnosis, he wanted to rebuke her in front of her family and warn her that she needed to repent for not tithing or risk hellfire.

Thankfully, two of the elders talked him out of it.

I could go on but you get the picture.