MFRANCL@CC.BRYNMAWR.EDU (02/10/90)
Paul,
The Crusades and Inquisitions, the witch hunts of Anglican England
(and the witch hunts we still engage in, vis. a viz some of the postings
I have seen here) - are probably not the result of some false prophet
turning Christ's Way inside out. Humanity fell- and part of the results
of that fall are that we can no longer see our way clearly. We all
muddle God's plan - and as we struggle to reach the Kingdom, we will
continue to muddle it up. But never despair, just because institutional
Christianity has made some errors in the past and is making them now
does not preclude our doing better in the future. Nor does it
invalidate Christ's message.
I think the sum of this all is that we are all false prophets from
time to time- and we all share some of the guilt for how the world goes.
In Christ, however, we are redeemed - and by seeking his face and his
kingdom we are saved.
MichelleC009GARY@UTARLVM1 (Gary Samek) (02/12/90)
On Sat, 10 Feb 90 04:35:00 EST The Golden Rule: He who has all the Gold makes the rules. said: > >Interesting points, now let me throw myself on the flames once again. >Consider this, if Christians fail to act in the manner inwhich Christ >taught, then could that show that J.C. or somebody down the road lead the >Church astray? In otherwords, we're to judge by their fruits: >Self-righteousness, egotism, contempt for their non-Christian neighbors, >judgementalism, unfair biases which leads the unweary towards blanket >condemnations, etc. I could go on, but I know that I've probably roused a >couple of tempers as it is, but I *DO* see a lot of hatred within the >Christian Church, and if we are to judge by their fruits.... > > Paul > >(PS. Again, I want to say that I do not condemn Christ as this false >prophet, but I do believe that some Christian leader somewhere along the >lines messed up what Christ taught and now we have a religion where the >Crusades and Inquisitions roam.) Paul, you have hit upon one of the great truths of this world. Yes, the church has done a great dis-service to God by not displaying these gifts that all christians have. Not only do these christians that do not reflect the gifts hurt and chase off other possible believers, but they are going against the will of God, in that God would have all of us reconciled and God would have us serve Him by serving others here on earth. Yes, it is a sad thing to see the church filled with those posing to be servants of light when they are wolves in sheep's clothing. And it is also sad to see people giving their lives to Jesus in search of 'after-life' insurance. And there are those christians that have simply burned out by not keeping their hearts open to Jesus. It is time for a revival in the land and I would ask that each of you pray for the revival to begin and that you pray this unceasingly. Let God enthrone our praises and let His perfect existence begin to rub off on us as our relationship with Him deepens and strengthens. ** Gary Samek **** C009GARY@UTARLVM1 * * ****