A day of prayer and fasting was held yesterday in regards to the unity proposal.
Now, we wait for this Monday when the list of ratifiers appears on DToday.
After wrestling with this for over a month and posting my thoughts here, I am still choosing to take a stand on this Unity Proposal.
- I can abide the return to discipling partners because it is voluntary and transitory. I do not agree with it, but I am willing to consider myself the weaker brother a la Romans 14
and let it go. - I can abide supporting HOPE Worldwide again – I believe they still engage in one questionable practice of garnering cash from overseas, but they have eliminated many positions that should not have ever existed. Again, I can consider myself the weaker brother because I cannot prove my perspective to most people here.
- I originally voted for our participationg in the Eurasian Missions Society without sending money. Now, whether we send money or not, they appear to be above board. Besides, Kip has appeared in the Ukraine, so they need whatever help we can send.
I want to be unified with other churches. I do not believe that every individual congregation is an island unto itself.
However, this is the final straw. I cannot abide a return to our bad theology. I cannot abide setting up a shibboleth to see who is towing the party line. Jesus did not pray 1 Tim 4:16 in the Garden of Gethsemane, he prayed that we would be unified. More importantly, though, most folks here seem to want the unity proposal. Why should I create problems for them? They have wrestled with it and come to different conclusions.
I have prayed and wrestled and hoped for so many things. My faith in change is all but gone and I cannot live with the present reality. Make no mistake, I have not left my church. I am, however, feeling faithless and hugely disappointed. I did not draw this line. Others drew it and asked where I will stand. I stand on one side, and many I know are on the other.
In Grace Based Parenting, Dr. Kimmel says that there are two fundamental truths he wanted to teach to his children:
- You are a gift from God, go make a difference.
- You may struggle doing the right thing sometimes, but you’re forgiven.
I am struggling to do the right thing and I want my son to do the same. The right thing appears to take me on a path that diverges from the path of my friends – and thus I hesitate where I usually push ahead. It may be knightly to tilt when you should withdraw, but I am neither knightly nor noble. I am only a man. I pray and search for God with everything I have.
I will be okay, I just need to express some deep sadness and disappointment. I am still hopeful that things will be different. I still trust that God has His own purposes in mind. I am grateful that He has led me down this path for all its ups and downs, even if this ‘downturn’ feels really painful
Exactly. This is probably my biggest issue with the whole thing right now. I feel alienated to a degree. It has already divided folks, divided me from others I guess is what I’m saying, even if temporary and slightly. These are people I know well and love dearly. We will get through it, but it will take work, grace and humility. No different than anything else, I guess, but it’s an issue that was forced upon us, not that we found on our own.
I feel like if I try to express this feeling of personal division or isolation because of the UP, it will be viewed as my own interpretation and even as a sort of straw man set up to block signing on. I don’t know how to make it possible for folks to see my perspective without seeming like an obstructionist. Which makes me wonder if it’s possible for me to really see theirs. It’s hard and I just want to hide from it all. Phooey.
We haven’t talked about it as a church leadership yet. We plan to Sunday, with the larger group of house church leaders and then the deacons & evangelist. I have only talked to 2 brothers about it here, mostly because I’m a little gun shy. One feels like I do, the other seemed pretty in favor of it (he was somewhat non committal).
Hang in there brother, God is bigger than the UP.
What seems like a mountain right now may be a minor speed bump in the big picture.
I personally have no desire to participate in the formation of a faction within the Lord’s church. If all Christians were welcome, both inside and outside our traditional fellowship, then my uneasiness would be less. In any case I intend to continue being unified with all my brothers and sisters as far as it depends on me.
Alan
Neither will I. I plan to place membership elsewhere to avoid creating a faction within my own church. It’s been stated here publicly that leaving because of a theological issue is acceptable.
Really? Wow, that saddens my heart. A lot. A whole lot.
I haven’t been with the ICOC for some time and was an outcast before I left so there you go. But I still care deeply about stuff and probably get involved too much for my own good. It may sound bad but I think I need to pray not to care. Anyway, I wanted to say I enjoy your posts and read your link to Vancover’s website. I agree with what Vancover said, as far as I can tell, wholeheartedly. I thought a UP would be something like a creed which we can be completely united on our core doctrine. When they went on and on it seemed more like a set of laws to protect them and set up structure than any thing else. I felt that if you want to go that long you should at least explain what you got from the heart ache of the past. I thought that it could be in the form of an apology to show they got it and be humble but I don’t know if that will work now. Any the who, I thought the way you expressed it and Vancover made a lot of sense to me and probably more sense than I am or have made. Thank you.
There are now 3 additional Q&As on DT – why we aren’t expanding to mainline churches, how will we avoid stigmas w/churches that don’t sign, and how is this different than our historical structure?
ttk
fwiw – although the BTLs were given a ‘confidential’ early copy of the UP, the UP has not been discussed w/the church in SA since the proposal has come out and I don’t believe anyone even mentioned the Day of Prayer and Fasting. Maybe not all that unusual except that our LE is one of the Group of 9.
Doug – Pronoun trouble on my part. If we ratify this agreement, I plan to continue attending, but will withdraw my membership. I do this because I do not agree with the shared beliefs and practices. As stated within the document, a church should not ratify this agreement if they do not agree with 100% of the beliefs and practices. Why should I be here if they are not my beliefs and practices? Instead of having disputable matters and allowing freedom, we’re mandating practices. That is not biblical to me. It is not how I understand God, or his thoughts through the books of Romans, Ephesians, Corinthians, Acts, or the Epistle of John. Yes, it is incredibly sad to me and my family.
TTK – Gang of Nine, by the way, is not a derisive term, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_of_Nine
Anyway, the three new Q&A’s show a lot. I understand in many ways where they are coming from. However, blaming the laxity of the post-modern world is missing the point. They really believe that they have to determine who has the same doctrine and practices before working together. That is a crying shame.
“TTK – Gang of Nine, by the way, is not a derisive term, ”
Glad to know the genesis of the term. I knew there was something other than how we’ve been using it (I just supposed it was like the title of some old Japanese Ninja movie or something)
ps – did you guys in Omaha ever fill your evangelist position?
The position is not filled. It looks like the mainline CoC guys will not even be considered. We had our first person in to preach this past Sunday. I wasn’t here, but it was recorded. Folks here think he was pretty good.
Was it the person you and I spoke about?
Thanks for the clarification, it helps my heart a bit. I still hurt, but not as much.
The three new Q&A entries help me–in particular, the clear statement that outsiders who accept the statement of beliefs are welcome. For me, that takes it from the area of conscientious objection to a question of wisdom.
I still think that, if we are not united naturally by relationships, signing a document would be a poor substituted. And if we are united by relationships the document is unnecessary (and perhaps a hinderance).
Alan
I think alot of the A part of the Q&A is alarming. At least they said if you don’t agree with all of it don’t sign it. This thing looks more and more like a congressional bill that has a great title, some solid doctrine and then a bunch of pet projects thrown in to hide behind the first two things. I need to get away…