I appreciate the reports but I have to agree with NW Pastor. Actions speak louder than words.
One thing that speaks loudly to me as well are the words that are said when people think no one else is listening. For most of my life in the UPC I sat and listened to some of the brothers who were at Tulsa as they said some of the most hateful things against their own brothers. Someone mentioned the recent "letter writers" and "how wrong they were..."
I remember one of those "letter writers" being mocked and cruelly belittled with some of the angriest and nastiest venom when I was being recruited to go to P.S.R. "It's the premier 'conservative' Apostolic conference..." they boasted. And then the discussion turned because of a book that was seen sitting out- a book by a particular author who had just started a home missions church in Texas.
That writer was called a "saint stealer" for accepting his own mother-in-law into his new church. And these guys don't want to split up families? The man who was speaking to us grew red in the face and raised his voice and bitterly denounced the brother. His own wife was trying to physically restrain his rage whenever that author's name came up. The hatred was livid. And make no mistake about it, it was hate.
And you know what? When pressed, that man confessed that he had never yet personally met the brother he was so angrily denouncing. He was just reciting the bile that had been regurgitated to him by others. That was my invitation to P.S.R. many years ago. And now many of the same cast of characters come forth, this time with meeker words. But is it the same spirit? Everyone seems to be trying a little too hard to convince themselves of something here.
1 John 4:20-21:
"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."
And the complaints about "changes" and "loss of standards?" Every time I ask about that people end up ducking behind the bush or running out of the room. Most of those complaints are like the "fog machines" at Youth Conference - they simply never existed. What we are dealing with is the long standing emnity and hatred that has so characterized our movement. And to be fair, the Baptists and and many other groups are just as bad, if not worse.
The last thing that W.T. Witherspoon said about his former PAJC fellowship concerned the "
great spiritual struggle and the division among the brethren." Some of the first words he published as a new minister in the UPC were, "... as the falling away increases and men allow themselves to be possessed with a spirit of leadership and betrayal of their brethren, it is more and more necessary that we that we stand for the right."
Here's a question for you folks-
have you ever been punched in the face by a brother in the Lord? Personally I've been physically attacked in churches. Anyone else? And I don't mean by a "sinner." I mean attacked by a Jesus name baptized, Holy Ghost filled - tongue talking saint of God and another time by a preacher.
Have you ever had a brother or sister scream and curse at you? I've seen ministers swear like sailors, they were so angry at another preacher.
There's a lot of hate bottled up in our movement. Hate for one another. I remember seeing a friend loose $10,000's of dollars because a couple of other preachers got the board to rule against him in a matter. "That's it! We got rid of him now!" There was palapable glee.
But no, the man loved the UPC fellowship so much that he just stood there and
waved "good-bye" to all that money while he kept his integrity and stayed in the fellowship.
And now the men who robbed him are out. Go figure.
To say it is a facade is so impugning could it change you bet. Why wouldn't they be happy with 1000 preachers showing up on such a short notice?
NOT my brother.
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