Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
Here's a quote by Piper that is salient:
"So, it seems to me that all of us who are Christians need to decide how we will do our part to minimize the lamentable divisions and not be paralyzed or utopian in our view of the inevitability of divisions until Jesus comes back. It seems to me that top-down efforts at global unity inevitably lay claim to powers that belong only to Jesus. And I think you can see that in the Roman Catholic Church."
I like how Piper says, "It seems to me. . " and "I think" versus presuming one final truth for all, based on his logic and a few verses.
And another reason for being in a "Baptist" church is that at least you know, more or less, what you're getting doctrinally. These "Oh, we're just Christians" folks will suck you in, and then you find out about the Deputy God, and all the hidden extras.
|
As I was departing the program, one brother I respected used this word "extras" when describing the LC system. His description was quite helpful to me and undeniable. Oh we claimed to be "just Christians," but that was just hiding our connections to LSM. We claimed to adhere only to scripture, but we had so much more, lots of which we had to hide from the "new" ones.
I also caught Piper's comment which you quoted, especially the "
and not be paralyzed or utopian in our view." Nee and Lee successfully employed that dynamic to entice Christians into their fold. Oftentimes the unrealistic goals of "perfection" in a
utopian "normal" churchlife are the biggest enemy to a healthy churchlife. Think about how much the daily condemnation upon the rest of the body of Christ damaged us. LC oneness may appear to be more scriptural, but appearances were deceiving, and it took time to see thru the appearances.