Posted on 05/28/2024 2:16:27 PM PDT by Morgana
My Babtist church is strongly against sword-swallowing pole dancers.
Seems poorly written. Too much work to figure out what the journalist is trying to say.
Agreed. I had to read and re-read the article.
Jesus came to divide, let the division begin............
Sounds like most of the congregation needs to find another church.
But what is there published position on pole swallowing sword dancers?
They are allowed.
“My Babtist church is strongly against sword-swallowing pole dancers.”
Everything has a time and place. It’s okay at cirque du soleil but in Church? What were these men thinking?
I never understood churches that had the same pastor for decades and relied on their opinion and approval of their actions so much. It can easily cross the line and become a cult of personality if you’re not careful, which sounds like the case here.
******
The problem is caused by the royal pastor model of church governance. The earliest churches had plurality of leadership with mutual accountability.
copy/paste from my profile page
COMMON CULT PRACTICES USED IN CHURCHES
1- Righteousness is equated with an established set of rules and responsibilities (AKA legalism).
2- Right standing with God is connected with right standing with a man, or woman of God.
3- Leadership is consistently over-emphasizing ideas like “submission to leadership”
4- Leadership is above respectful, healthy questioning (AKA “don’t touch God’s annointed”).
5- Members are kept tired, over-worked and unable to do much else besides church and ministry (AKA legalism).
6- Members are afraid to make life decisions without the permission of leadership.
7- Members who leave, no matter the surrounding circumstances, are labeled as “rebellious”, or “outside of God’s will”.
8- Members are discouraged from fellowship with believers from other churches, or ministries.
9- Members are afraid of missing any church function, for fear of being rebuked, looked down upon, or ostracized.
10- Members are seen as “belonging to” a man or woman of God.
11- Members are afraid to assess, or even consider these things.
...Be careful little children of God
“a professional sword swallower with a past as a male stripper”
Okay, wait a minute. “Sword swallower” used to be a euphemism for gayness. Is that what they’re talking around here?
I have seen churches with pastors that stay decades that end up destroying themselves and I have seen churches where it worked out fine. If the pastor stays true to the Word and gives God the credit it usually works out fine. When the pastor starts taking the spot light and deciding his opinion, rather than God’s Word is the way the church should go look out!
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