Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
Since there has not been any increase among the LC's that cling to that old "vision" of the ground of oneness, with members leaving on a regular basis, I think they have been taking steps backward for far too long.
If Neider and company really wanted to do something for the ground of oneness, don't you think a reconciliation with the likes of John Myer would be a good starting point. Shouldn't Neider and the other Cleveland elders sit down prayerfully with Chuck Debelek and allow him to voice his concerns and the reasons he departed from their fellowship? Why don't they take a look at Debelek's school staff and see how many former members are now there? Why don't they begin to seriously ask themselves why the Debelek's are so well loved and respected by all who know them, and yet it is TC alone who is revered by them? Why is it that the real wall of division between those still in the LC and those who have left is not some teaching but TC himself? Why is it that no one who sees TC in action ever learns how to treat his brother with respect, one of the key ingredients of brotherly love and kindness?
My conclusion is that the ground of oneness has transformed many dear brothers and sisters from Philadelphia into Laodicea. Laodicea has many wonderful things like truth, vision, and teachings, but brotherly love is not one of them. II Peter 1.5-8 is quite significant here ...
Note how love and brotherly kindness should not be just how we began our journey, but the result of healthy leadership and all diligence.
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Ohio,
Your conclusion is perhaps based on the premise that all the previous situations were standing on the ground of oneness, at least in a biblical sense. Or you mean that those relations were not really based on the scriptural ground of oneness. Or maybe you mean that there is no such thing as a ground of oneness.
Yet, whatever you believe you make the assumption that a true ground of oneness would result in reconciliation with everyone regardless of the ground they stand on. Of course, that cannot be true. If one is not standing on the ground of oneness then they will not be in the fellowship of oneness because they exclude themselves.