Ex-Church of Christ Support Board

Ivy wrote:

Moogy wrote:My opinion is they stop bothering us once they think they have fulfilled their obligation to chastise us. They figure they are no longer destined to account for why they didn't try to get us back.

But Moogy, wouldn't that apply only to the ones who have actually chastised? What about the ones who never said anything. Would they still be on the hook for our eternal destiny?

If they know other people have confronted us, particularly church leaders like elders and preachers, they probably let themselves off the hook. As well as I can recall, I only contacted SOME of the wayward members, thinking it was ok to just do my share of the chastising. But it's been a long time, thank goodness, so maybe I don't remember all my rationalizations.

Moogy wrote:

Ivy wrote:

Moogy wrote:My opinion is they stop bothering us once they think they have fulfilled their obligation to chastise us. They figure they are no longer destined to account for why they didn't try to get us back.

But Moogy, wouldn't that apply only to the ones who have actually chastised? What about the ones who never said anything. Would they still be on the hook for our eternal destiny?

If they know other people have confronted us, particularly church leaders like elders and preachers, they probably let themselves off the hook. As well as I can recall, I only contacted SOME of the wayward members, thinking it was ok to just do my share of the chastising. But it's been a long time, thank goodness, so maybe I don't remember all my rationalizations.

True!! Of course only a few were assigned as chastisers, then they went back and gossiped about their meeting with the erring brother (not you, Moogy; I know you didn't gossip). So, others rationalized that they were off the hook.

That's a good one!

*** GORDIE NEWS ALERT*******

This alert may turn into a separate post. But the Father-in-law, on a recent visit just asked when we all could get together and with urgency and after a plea from the pulpit to remember those people that have taught you from your youth. (I went to the last night of his gospel meeting as a courtesy ) The plan has been discovered, wait it out until the prominent, long time preacher, father-in-law can formally confront said erring son-in-law that is influencing daughter to go astray.

Then if that fails, then everything has been done and everyone is off the hook similar to the way Ivy and Moogy have described in the above posts.

Also, I did explain that I would answer questions but no arguments or proof-texting in line with agricola's and others previous advice.

gordie91 wrote:*** GORDIE NEWS ALERT*******

This alert may turn into a separate post. But the Father-in-law, on a recent visit just asked when we all could get together and with urgency and after a plea from the pulpit to remember those people that have taught you from your youth. (I went to the last night of his gospel meeting as a courtesy ) The plan has been discovered, wait it out until the prominent, long time preacher, father-in-law can formally confront said erring son-in-law that is influencing daughter to go astray.

Then if that fails, then everything has been done and everyone is off the hook similar to the way Ivy and Moogy have described in the above posts.

Also, I did explain that I would answer questions but no arguments or proof-texting in line with agricola's and others previous advice.

Declining a meeting is another option. Then FIL can just blame it on you and again he is off the hook in his own mind.

Whatever you choose to do, best wishes.

Gordie

Thinking about you, hope it's not too stressful.

Thanks, I appreciate the well wishes.

KLP wrote:I remember is a "evangelism" class as a young adult that we should be aware that when someone loses a loved one that they are good candidates to convert since they are thinking about death and the afterlife. So if you have a friend that loses a parent, that is a prime opportunity to approach them about a Bible study. And of course, I did that on at least two occasions that I can recall.

Yes. I had a friend who died suddenly when I was in my 20s, and the members of her church tried to convert people she knew. They met us at the funeral and started inviting us to their church. I was put off when they implied that my friend might be in hell instead of heaven. She had died in a car crash late at night and there was a lot of undue speculation about what she was doing out at the time of night, and where she had been. This upset me a great deal and I was put off by it.

faithfyl wrote:

KLP wrote:I remember is a "evangelism" class as a young adult that we should be aware that when someone loses a loved one that they are good candidates to convert since they are thinking about death and the afterlife. So if you have a friend that loses a parent, that is a prime opportunity to approach them about a Bible study. And of course, I did that on at least two occasions that I can recall.

Yes. I had a friend who died suddenly when I was in my 20s, and the members of her church tried to convert people she knew. They met us at the funeral and started inviting us to their church. I was put off when they implied that my friend might be in hell instead of heaven. She had died in a car crash late at night and there was a lot of undue speculation about what she was doing out at the time of night, and where she had been. This upset me a great deal and I was put off by it.

The CofC really needs a "last rites" type figure.....like the Catholic church. The older I have gotten, the more I have seen the parallelism of CofC and Catholic theology.....it seems that Campbellism in the final analysis was simply a retreat back to Roman theology, after all, Campbell was at first himself a product of Reformed thought. When one looks at the CofC in that light, it becomes more understandable as to why they tick the way they do....the irony is that they condemn Catholicism right along with every other tradition of Christianity.

Really, you have to have a special personality to be attracted to a group so obsessed with judging others and patting themselves on the back while and for doing so. I remember sermons about how we can never know whether we or anyone else is saved, that we can only hope and pray, that God has the last say....what joy. I guess due to my cretinous brain, I could never understand what you do with all the scriptures that talk about our redemption, justification, and reconciliation to God in present terms......I guess it's a focus and expectation on perfect obedience with a resulting complete neglect of what Jesus did for us.....like He made it only an attainable possibility, as an example of perfected obedience, for us to behave perfectly like Him and then gain favor from God and access to heaven....so that God in the final day tells us if we have "attained" it. All I know is I'm glad that on my own I realize I could never attain it, and would abhor myself thinking I did. It renders glory to one's faith to trust in Jesus only as the one who has and does attain my favor with God for me.....such a liberating feeling and a sense of having already entered the Shalom of God.