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NeitherFirstnorLast · 02-03-2013, 08:19 AM

Chapter 5 Con'td: Resurrection of the Buried Believer

The God-Men, pages 123-124

"Local Church members regard their "burial" as a desirable state of affairs resulting in special measures of God's protection, care and affection. Sociologist, Pastor and Professor Anthony Campolo (www.redletterchristians.org) sees the end result as the passage from an individual ego to a group ego. The "buried" individual is "raised" anew to a greater form of existence, the group existence. Individuals are raised to a greater consciousness of group success, Campolo says, thereby adopting a perspective in which they receive stronger emotional benefits from group success than from private achievements. The individual ego is subsumed within the larger group personality, embracing its successes and sorrows. Members transcend their individual concerns, becoming thoroughly identified with church concerns. The member who no longer wrestles with submitting to authority, but consistently, willing exalts group goals, has been "resurrected" to a transcendent state.

Contented Local Church converts regard their passage through the investment-divestment and burial-resurrection stages as an honorable but arduous journey toward glorification. Former members say they seldom felt abused by Lee but did feel confused about themselves, perceiving their qualms about the Local Church as temptations to be unspiritual or disloyal.

***************

The tactics Lee employed to gain such loyalty of his membership were as effective as the tactics used amongst the other "One True Churches". And as the authors of that site note, it is our fallen human nature that allows us to willingly fall for such tactics.

"Human pride desires elitism. We like to belong to the “best” group. Children want to be accepted by the popular crowd. Teenagers want to be on the winning team or in the best clique. Adults want whatever marks them as being one of the prestigious levels of society. One of the gimmicks of a well-known discount store is to offer card membership to people in certain professions only; this makes people want to “make the grade” and shop there.

Christians usually try to steer clear of such obvious pride. But what happens when our Christian heart wants to belong to the best church? The one that is special? The one that is more spiritual, more godly? What happens to a Christian who goes looking for the “right” church? The “true” church?

Those of us guilty of this very subtle elitism were easily snared by the bait of one of the “one true” churches. We saw a group that looked so very pious in their clothing, their demeanor, their speech, their dedication that we suddenly wanted to be a part of this spiritual clique.
And as we began wearing their uniform, observing their restrictions, talking their talk, we were special. Though of course we spoke much about humility, we were still publicly portraying our heightened spirituality—just like the Pharisees with their broadened phylacteries and lengthened tassels.

There do exist false brethren, false apostles, and false teachers in the world and in the churches. There are entire denominations that have no part of the truth of Jesus Christ, and a modern evil is to combine them all into ecumenism. It is not wrong to want to worship with a church that teaches the Bible correctly. It is not wrong to desire to walk closer with Jesus. The pride of elitism comes when we unite with a particular denomination and then turn and denounce all the rest of the Christian groups as non-churches. This would be as arrogant as one child claiming to be the only heir of his father and denouncing all his siblings as illegitimate.

There is a one true visible church, an organism composed of all true believers everywhere on the globe. But there is no one true denomination, no one true organization. Jesus Christ evaluated the seven churches in Revelation as individual congregations and found some to be strong, some weak, and one dead. He looked at each congregation with its particular strengths and weaknesses individually. Each stood or fell on its own, without denominational umbrella coverage. What He did not do was recognize one denomination as His church. And that’s the first mistaken notion we must discard before we can be free.

We must stop looking for the “one true” denomination. It doesn’t exist. But the One True Church does."

02-03-2013, 08:19 AM	#345
NeitherFirstnorLast Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 348	Our Reading Continues... Chapter 5 Con'td: Resurrection of the Buried Believer The God-Men, pages 123-124 "Local Church members regard their "burial" as a desirable state of affairs resulting in special measures of God's protection, care and affection. Sociologist, Pastor and Professor Anthony Campolo (www.redletterchristians.org) sees the end result as the passage from an individual ego to a group ego. The "buried" individual is "raised" anew to a greater form of existence, the group existence. Individuals are raised to a greater consciousness of group success, Campolo says, thereby adopting a perspective in which they receive stronger emotional benefits from group success than from private achievements. The individual ego is subsumed within the larger group personality, embracing its successes and sorrows. Members transcend their individual concerns, becoming thoroughly identified with church concerns. The member who no longer wrestles with submitting to authority, but consistently, willing exalts group goals, has been "resurrected" to a transcendent state. Contented Local Church converts regard their passage through the investment-divestment and burial-resurrection stages as an honorable but arduous journey toward glorification. Former members say they seldom felt abused by Lee but did feel confused about themselves, perceiving their qualms about the Local Church as temptations to be unspiritual or disloyal. *************** The tactics Lee employed to gain such loyalty of his membership were as effective as the tactics used amongst the other "One True Churches". And as the authors of that site note, it is our fallen human nature that allows us to willingly fall for such tactics. "Human pride desires elitism. We like to belong to the “best” group. Children want to be accepted by the popular crowd. Teenagers want to be on the winning team or in the best clique. Adults want whatever marks them as being one of the prestigious levels of society. One of the gimmicks of a well-known discount store is to offer card membership to people in certain professions only; this makes people want to “make the grade” and shop there. Christians usually try to steer clear of such obvious pride. But what happens when our Christian heart wants to belong to the best church? The one that is special? The one that is more spiritual, more godly? What happens to a Christian who goes looking for the “right” church? The “true” church? Those of us guilty of this very subtle elitism were easily snared by the bait of one of the “one true” churches. We saw a group that looked so very pious in their clothing, their demeanor, their speech, their dedication that we suddenly wanted to be a part of this spiritual clique. And as we began wearing their uniform, observing their restrictions, talking their talk, we were special. Though of course we spoke much about humility, we were still publicly portraying our heightened spirituality—just like the Pharisees with their broadened phylacteries and lengthened tassels. There do exist false brethren, false apostles, and false teachers in the world and in the churches. There are entire denominations that have no part of the truth of Jesus Christ, and a modern evil is to combine them all into ecumenism. It is not wrong to want to worship with a church that teaches the Bible correctly. It is not wrong to desire to walk closer with Jesus. The pride of elitism comes when we unite with a particular denomination and then turn and denounce all the rest of the Christian groups as non-churches. This would be as arrogant as one child claiming to be the only heir of his father and denouncing all his siblings as illegitimate. There is a one true visible church, an organism composed of all true believers everywhere on the globe. But there is no one true denomination, no one true organization. Jesus Christ evaluated the seven churches in Revelation as individual congregations and found some to be strong, some weak, and one dead. He looked at each congregation with its particular strengths and weaknesses individually. Each stood or fell on its own, without denominational umbrella coverage. What He did not do was recognize one denomination as His church. And that’s the first mistaken notion we must discard before we can be free. We must stop looking for the “one true” denomination. It doesn’t exist. But the One True Church does."