SORRY! It was an HONEST Mistake...
Like sharks in the water who smell blood, many of you came swarming, ready to devour me! I say, "shame on you!"
And, yes, I'm an author and I am usually careful to acknowledge where material is derived from.
Before you, Pharisee like members jump on people like me, give us the benefit of doubt, like Rev. and Solo Saint! I continued to come across people claiming to be believers while accusing me of being legalistic, saying no one can interpret Scripture because no man can understand the Bible! And I wanted to get your input on what you see or understand about these folks, not your concern about my so-called plagiarism.
It seems that the mood of this board is suddenly interested in finding out if someone committed plagiarism. Who among you has posted something that was 100% your idea? Who hasn't been inspired by something they read, and posted for the purpose of sharing? Was it 100% your idea? Words? Thoughts? Or did you use research to help put together an informative thread to solicit discussion and feedback?
How many of you have told a joke to friends, or from the pulpit? Did you give credit for the author of the joke or story? How many of you quote things, or use an adage in a sentence or sermon? Did you give credit for the source of the adage? I would say that like those who brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus, none of you are without sin...the sin of plagiarism, that is, in one form or another???
It is high time you get off the KICK of playing "GOTCHA" with those on the board you do not like. And I know those who tried to get me are not my biggest fans; so don't weasel out by saying that this wasn't the reason you went to the web to catch me in an act of plagiarism! Some of you must go to bed feeling so satisfied for righting the wrongs in the universe???
How many of you post a photo, emoticon, or a avatar/character to emphasize your feelings in a comment, and GIVE THE SOURCE OF THAT IMAGE? Is that not a form of PLAGIARISM???
Your hypocrisy is much worse than my honest error!
You folks are maybe missing the posts by others who are saying they came to the board to grow and make new friends only to find fighting, finger pointing and bickering! The comments in this post are an prime example of
not attacking the topic, but rather,
attacking the author!
Maybe this thought isn't fair [but then again, some of you lack fairness in your criticism], but the title of this article was
"Can a Person be SPIRITUALLY ABUSED?" Well, the truth is, a lot of you folks, and I say this in love, are abusive in how you speak to one another [all in the name of debating]. And very seldom do any of you apologise for your comments!
So, here is the finished article!
Can a Person be SPIRITUALLY ABUSED?
You better believe it...this world has its share of cults, and even well meaning people, who hang out their shingle with true sincerity to serve God!
The problem is, somewhere along the way to being a place that helps others by introducing them to Jesus, they get caught up in things like the need to CONTROL their members with misinterpretation of the Gospel [and if people do not rely on their own Bible when being taught, they can be deceived] leading to guilt trips; spiritual bullying; and worst of all falling into the Satanic trap of having preachers and teachers who are there to TICKLE their ears with partial truths!
Some may say, "Pastor Paul aren't you being awfully judgmental?" And I would answer that by reminding you that Satan started lying to us in the Garden when he said to Eve, "Surely you will not die for a bite of that apple?" And he is continuing to lie his way to the hearts and minds of the multitudes in cults, non-Christian religions, and now the Emergent Chruch, which just happens to be one of the most popular movements going on around the world today!
And I felt it necessary to provide you with Characteristics and Warning Signs of this dangerous movement...a movement that has the multitudes of young people, especially, flocking to its pews:
CHARACTERISTICS of the Emergent Church
>Sound biblical doctrine is dangerous and divisive, and the experiential (i.e., mystical) is given a greater role than doctrine.
>Emergents despise Bible prophecy and believe it is a waste of time.
>Emergents do not like to be preached to, in fact; the word sermon is a turn off!
>Israel becomes less and less important and has no biblical significance. Eventually, the promises for Israel are applied to the church and not Israel (Replacement Theology).
>Emergents consider the written works of others over the Bible.
>Church programs are planned around surveys and polls about the needs of families and individuals in their community.
>The truth of God’s word becomes less and less important
God’s Word, especially concepts like hell, sin and repentance, is eventually downplayed so the unbeliever is not offended.
>They hold ecumenical like conferences featuring leaders of non-Christian denominations to share their philosophies, beliefs, etc., in the name of tolerance.
>They love to call those who disagree with them "Legalistic" and accuse them of interpreting something that is unable to be understood.
>They despise rules, choosing few boundaries, other than love and tolerance.
>Everyone will go to heaven, as they see God as love, not willing to send anyone to hell, regardless.
>They live to "deconstruct," not construct. They work to tear down any denominational walls, believing holiness is not obtainable in this life!
>They're big on mysticism, and down on the supernatural acts and abilities of God to affect anything or anybody, including the influence or inspiration of the Holy Ghost upon man's heart and mind in understanding the Scripture.
SIGNS You are in an EMERGENT Church
*To have N
PINION is better than to have one that is wrong, and that is because no one can correctly explain and apply Scripture.
*Scripture is no longer the
ultimate authority as the basis for the Christian faith.
*The centrality of the gospel of Jesus Christ is being replaced by humanistic methods promoting church growth and a social gospel.
*More and more emphasis is being placed on building the kingdom of God now and less and less on the warnings of the Scripture about the imminent return of Jesus Christ and a coming judgment in the future.
*The teaching that Jesus Christ will rule and reign in a literal millennial period is considered unbiblical and heretical.
*The teaching that the church has taken the place of Israel and Israel has no prophetic significance is often embraced.
*The teaching that the Book of Revelation does not refer to the future, but instead has been already fulfilled in the past
*An experiential mystical form of Christianity begins to be promoted as a method to reach the
postmodern generation.
*Ideas are promoted teaching that
Christianity needs to be reinvented in order to provide meaning for this generation.
*The pastor may implement an idea called “ancient-future” or “vintage Christianity” claiming that in order to take the church forward, we need to go back in church history and find out what experiences were effective to get people to embrace Christianity.
*While the authority of the Word of God is undermined, images and sensual experiences are promoted as the key to experiencing and knowing God.
*These experiences include icons, candles, incense, liturgy, labyrinths, prayer stations, contemplative prayer, experiencing the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of the Eucharist.
*There seems to be a strong emphasis on
ecumenism indicating that a bridge is being established that leads in the direction of unity with the Roman Catholic Church.
*Some evangelical Protestant leaders are saying that the Reformation went too far. They are reexamining the claims of the “church fathers” saying that communion is more than a symbol and that Jesus actually becomes present in the wafer at communion.
*There will be a growing trend towards an ecumenical unity for the cause of world peace claiming the validity of other religions and that there are many ways to God.
*Members of churches who question or resist the new changes that the pastor is implementing are reprimanded and usually asked to leave.
*Homosexuality, same-gender marriages, etc., are not only accepted, but these people will hold key positions in the church from ordained pastors on down....
Remember that in Romans 1:21-25, Paul clearly shows that these people would be turned over to the lies they chose to believe, and finally in 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT) we read, "Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God."
SO....like that little Sunday School jingle says:
>Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see. . . .
>Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear. . . .
>Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say. . . .
>Oh, be careful, little hands, what you do. . . .
>Oh, be careful, little feet, where you go. . . .>
Shalom, and may God keep your feet safely, soundly and securely on the Narrow Path!
FOOTNOTE of appreciation -
Some of the "Charactistics" and "Warning Signs" are from an article by Roger Oakland!
I AM NOT LOOKING TO DEBATE ANYONE ON THIS TOPIC; I merely attempting to inform the traditional church as to the newest ANTAGONIST to faith. Peter said it best, "Our enemy prowls and roams about looking forward devouring whomever he can!"
