In case you’re wondering, yes, I’ve heard about Syracuse. It is actually one place where I don’t know anyone (though I have a friend in MN that knows someone a part of the iCoke there.)

As I wrote somewhere else, is Bruce Williams going to fly up there and tell them that no one can sign the UP? (It’s near the bottom of the page entitled The Syracuse Story.)

Yes, I’ve heard about Northern Virginia where I did know folks, including one of the sweetest women I ever knew. I visited her and some friends a few years ago. I was trying to get her to marry my buddy Neil. Guy who leads the south wanted to take over, so now he is. There’s a lot of conjecture that I’ll keep that to myself. I want to be able to be unified with someone that thinks that we need to move back toward some of the practices we used to hold sacred. Key phrase, move back, not reintroduce wholesale. I don’t think we can have the old practices without the old abuses (AKA the kinder,gentler ICoC), but some believe that they really can have ‘accountability’ and ‘discipling’ and ‘evangelistic goals’, but be nicer to each other. In some ways, embracing a brother like this is like embracing a Calvinist as my brother in Christ whom I will see in Heaven. I can embrace my Calvinist brethren, I hope to be able to embrace my conservative brethren as well.

I didn’t finish the thought on Middle Paths last week, but one of the points is that the space halfway between two opposing sides is not always right. In matters of unity, the challenge is call another ‘our brother’ or ‘our sister’ that has the opposite viewpoint, as I said earlier.

However, the other point I hoped to make is that sometimes one side really is wrong. When it comes to Kip’s churches, he is wrong and those that ally themselves with him are wrong. How can I say that? It’s simple, Kip’s churches are all about Kip. He is the star, as he has said himself. This isn’t a disagreement about Scripture or doctrine. As can be abundantly proved, conservative ICoC’s and Kip’s churches are theologically the same. The issue is Kip. Those that disagree with him are excommunicated. This includes the ICoC which he helped build.

But if someone wants to be one with others, like Salt Lake, then there needs to be understanding. When Salt Lake reaches out to the ICoC, it is not the time to thunder against Kip, or their association with Kip. It is time to say, “Thank you for wanting to be a part.” When the small group from Syracuse wrestles free of Kip, it is time to say, “We are here to help you heal.” Not ask them what they were thinking when they followed him in the first place. More of this is going to happen in LA, New York, Chile, Hawaii, and anywhere else that Kip has a church and we need to be there for them.

Anyway, in passing, I heard about the two events.

PS: iCoke is an acronym, but you’ll have to guess what it means.