The Pillar and Foundation of the Truth
A congregation has Christ's authority only in the right. - It should
demand the same as the Christ, not less and not more. Otherwise it can't
have the same authority than He gave to the first century church.
What Was Our Base?
Kluge
publishes a letter from ÖSM to GH. from the year 1980, where they ask
him not to visit their meetings any more, because of his unchanged hateful attitude
towards them. As much as i know GH and from what I heard from others, I
would think that he really didn't have a good attitude to this persons
(emotionally). Even if he was right in his assessment of their wrong
teaching (as JA explains in the Apology.), does it justify his
disrespect? And finally, wasn't his exclusion 24 years later also
connected to his selfishness and disrespectful ways of talking to
brothers? But he had had much influence on others till this time. How
did it take so long for brothers to realize that he would have needed
more brotherly correction?? If the community didn't assess (and deal
with) his attitude already then, what attitude was the base of our
separation form denominations? And if the community separated from
others under the influence of such an attitude, what can be the fruits?
So a very serious and sad question: Didn't GH and his questionable attitude have too much influence on the character of the community?
What is Plain in the Bible, What an Interpretation?
It is sad to write it all. Unfortunately I see so many points questionable. But there are not so few of others who think in a similar way about our community. And it's not clear from the Bible that they are wrong.There are hundreds of communities who say that just they have the truth, the right understanding of the Bible and the best arguments from the Scripture.. I think you know it. People find God, become Christians in very different groups. Even our community is not perfect. So how can it be that only these 100-150 persons in Europe know God really, and all the others (whom we know) have completely false religion?
I want to believe that GH and the others (who were in the beginning of the community) had good intentions, to challenge the wrong in the denominations. But is all the fruit - besides good things, - also critical, fearful, arrogant isolation, broken relationships; bitter, despairing, hopeless, even suicidal, alive-buried-feeling, or (for a while after exclusion) materially in troubles ex-brothers - what the Lord desires?
I know that Jesus didn't come to bring only peace but a sword as well. I know that unbelievers do not understand the spiritual values. But they do understand something about what is good and what is not, about what builds up for life, gives hope, and what tears down to destruction, desperation. Otherwise sinners wouldn't have come to Jesus.
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