Tulsa Report Day 2

[StMark]

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Startin' to feel like old FCF here again!!!




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[RevBuddy]

Originally Posted by pelathais

I find it to be a common occurrence for people to make broad and sweeping accusations against their brothers and sisters in order to affirm their own fidelity to their standards of holiness.

A mere profession of such fidelity is seldom seen as being enough. No, you must also allude to the terrible conditions of compromise and sin that surrounds and threatens to engulf your godly labors. And the worse the sin that threatens to engulf you, the more sincere and godly you appear to be in the sympathetic eyes of those who also are beguiled by the threat of false brethren and their toleration of "shacking up" and such.

One unfortunate consequence of this tactic is that your neighbors are labeled in the worst sorts of ways. But then again, this does free you from responsibility for being neighborly, so perhaps the infamy you have given your brothers will keep them from asking to borrow your amplifier and prevent other such intrustions upon your blessed and chaste isolationism.

Also, it's always a great spirit booster to stand against that backslidden neice of the pastor down the road who wore a short skirt to a youth meeting after she finally caved in to her family's pleas to come to church. Whether or not the harlot prayed through as she so desperately needed is of little concern. You now have fodder for the next preacher-get-together and can confidently assure the brethren that the pastor involved has truly lost his way and surrendered all standards of holiness.

Another benefit is that you won't have to pack up the young people to take to any more of "those" youth meetings. You can spend the evenings more profitably engaged in online condemnation of the compromisers who have forced you to sit alone in your darkened study; the dim light of the monitor being your own beacon of hope.

So, sadly, here we will always be holding. The hardest thing for any of us to do is to confront the long and stubbornly held methods of conduct among our brothers. We have misused their reputations for years to build ourselves up. To fess up now would involve tearing down at least some of which we have labored to build.

Of course if we all fessed up at once, then the act of tearing ourselves down might be offset by our brothers building us back up again. But then that would mean fellowshipping with those we betrayed.

What can I say to this??? I'm standing and applauding...

but I also...

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by freeatlast

A hearty AMEN form me...this is my second and last comment on this thread.

I love all the players involved in this back and forth banter....and it hurts a little to read the posting of the last few days.


I've killed a few other threads in my days by posting on them...maybe I'll get lucky here again on this thread.

May it rest in peace.

We are all free to come and go as we please. No one likes to sit around for too long looking at the same train wreck.

However, an accusation still stands that the WPF men are justified in their actions and in feeling "almost pushed out" because of the toleration of "shacking up with young men" and "social drinking" that goes on in the Texas District of the UPC.

Some people would benefit if everyone just walked away and left that smear to stand. I'm not walking away this time.

As I have said before, there was a time when I truly feel that I failed as a minister because I followed the code of silence. People were hurt by my silence and because I simply walked away. I'm sure I have more lessons to learn, at least I hope so. So let's see if a change in my own behavior doesn't produce some better result than what I have produced in the past.

[Sarah]

Well, I've been reading this post for over an hour!

Pelathais, if you had not missread Steadfast's post, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I knew exactly what he was saying, the first time I read it.

If you think for one minute that we are not having trouble with some of our young people 'experimenting' with alcohol and fornication, think again. It seems rampant in some areas. Sad, but true.

Nice to see you defending the UPCI! Why the change of heart? Glad to see it.........

[stmatthew]

Originally Posted by StMark

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Startin' to feel like old FCF here again!!!




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Should we close this thread down???

[TrmptPraise]

Originally Posted by Sarah

If you think for one minute that we are not having trouble with some of our young people 'experimenting' with alcohol and fornication, think again. It seems rampant in some areas. Sad, but true.

Once again, someone has read something that was not expressed by Pel. He was not sticking his head in the sand about whether or not the youth of our time was/is experiencing and falling to the temptation that this world has to offer. He was defending the accusation that a pastor knowingly turned his head to the matter, allowing those involved to stay "active" and unrepentant.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by Sarah

Well, I've been reading this post for over an hour!

Pelathais, if you had not missread Steadfast's post, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I knew exactly what he was saying, the first time I read it.

If you think for one minute that we are not having trouble with some of our young people 'experimenting' with alcohol and fornication, think again. It seems rampant in some areas. Sad, but true.
Nice to see you defending the UPCI! Why the change of heart? Glad to see it.........

but, but... Sarah, No one disputes that! The question is whether the activity is condoned by UPC (and now someone says ex-upc) pastors.

[TrmptPraise]

Originally Posted by Stephen Hoover

but, but... Sarah, No one disputes that! The question is whether the activity is condoned by UPC (and now someone says ex-upc) pastors.

yeah.....what he said

[Apprehended]

Originally Posted by Apprehended

As one who is given to strong passion of what I believe, but willing to change that belief in an instant on my road to Damascus, I now believe it is about time to drop this and go on to another subject. There are more profitible discussion going on...or at least some can be started that would benefit all.

Bump...

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by TrmptPraise

yeah.....what he said

take those sunglasses off so I can read your code better!