Post by philiprosenthal on Jun 14, 2006 11:19:11 GMT
TRYING TO CONTROL WHO STAYS AND WHO LEAVES
One of the practices I feel needs to be stopped is the attempts by various coercive 'false-pastors' to control who stays and who leaves the church. Many people have told me that when they decided they wanted to leave, such false-pastors 'wouldn't let us leave'. ie. put pressure on them to stay even though they were unhappy in the church. Such members can thus get spiritually confused and start to think they are getting out of their destiny and the will of God if they leave. Many also complain of peer pressure from friends to try to keep them from leaving.
Paul Daniel, in his last year, taught that church membership was like a marriage covenant - ie. it can't be broken except for the most serious and exceptional reasons. I feel such teaching is cultish and should never have been tolerated.
On the other side, one has also numerous stories of people being 'pushed out' of the church because they happened to challenge some leader on some ethical issue. I feel this is also cultish.
Geniune pastors need to regulate who joins the church on the basis of whether they are a Christian and agree substantially with the teachings of the church. They should excommunicate them if their behaviour is scandalous and unrepentant.
But trying to control who comes and goes just on the basis of what is good for the hierachy is not a healthy practice. If someone would prefer another church, then they should leave with the blessing of the pastor and not all sorts of spiritual warnings about going the wrong way. Similarly, it is not for pastors to abuse their authority to push out all the people who don't agree with their way of doing things.
Philip Rosenthal
One of the practices I feel needs to be stopped is the attempts by various coercive 'false-pastors' to control who stays and who leaves the church. Many people have told me that when they decided they wanted to leave, such false-pastors 'wouldn't let us leave'. ie. put pressure on them to stay even though they were unhappy in the church. Such members can thus get spiritually confused and start to think they are getting out of their destiny and the will of God if they leave. Many also complain of peer pressure from friends to try to keep them from leaving.
Paul Daniel, in his last year, taught that church membership was like a marriage covenant - ie. it can't be broken except for the most serious and exceptional reasons. I feel such teaching is cultish and should never have been tolerated.
On the other side, one has also numerous stories of people being 'pushed out' of the church because they happened to challenge some leader on some ethical issue. I feel this is also cultish.
Geniune pastors need to regulate who joins the church on the basis of whether they are a Christian and agree substantially with the teachings of the church. They should excommunicate them if their behaviour is scandalous and unrepentant.
But trying to control who comes and goes just on the basis of what is good for the hierachy is not a healthy practice. If someone would prefer another church, then they should leave with the blessing of the pastor and not all sorts of spiritual warnings about going the wrong way. Similarly, it is not for pastors to abuse their authority to push out all the people who don't agree with their way of doing things.
Philip Rosenthal