I don’t think Thompson’s kicking anyone out.
Whatever Dobson might think Dobsonite isn’t the same thing as Christian.
At the time he asserted Thompson wasn’t a Christian, I observed that as a mere subdeacon of the Patriarchate of Antioch (where the disciples were first called Christians) I had a better claim to the name than Dobson, and to deciding who got to bear it. Neither I nor my bishop would deny the name ‘Christian’ to someone just because he was lax in their church attendance, nor even because he wasn’t in communion with us.
Quite frankly, questioning someone’s faith, as Dobson did of Thompson, unless the person is an notorious sinner who does not repent after correction or has denied a major doctrine, or the questioner is his spiritual father and knows the weakness of the person’s faith and questions it to strenghten it, is an insult for which the questioner deserves to apologize.
As Thompson is neither a notorious unrepentent sinner, nor an apostate, and Dobson has never even met him, much less gained enough insight into his spiritual state to question his faith as a means of correction, Dobson owes him a public and forthright apology.
Thompson’s attitude can hardly be characterized as kicking Christians anywhere, unless maybe you regard Dobson as your Pope, and his declaration of Thompson’s non-Christianity to be an infallible ex cathedra pronouncement.
A very good post. And to the rest of the born-agains and holier-than-thous on this post. Please familarize yourself with the prodigal son and the hiring of the servents during the course of the day. Two of my favorite’s in the New Testament. One says that if you leave God, he will accept you if you return. Not only accept you but will meet you more than halfway. Just make the effort and God is there. The second one - no matter what time of the day - your life - you come to work for God, everyone gets the same reward. I beleive most born-agains have a hang-up with that one.