Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
Can we examine how "group-speak" resulting from "reflexive group-think" is now "error."
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Error is error. Group-speak and group-think disseminate error, without the critical examination it needs.
"Exercise your spirit, brother!" is a push to shout and jump and wave. But where does this shouting and waving come from? The Bible says, "Exercise yourself to Godliness" but does that mean jump up and down and shout repetitively? I think such interpretation is error.
Suppose I created a meme that said, "Don't think, just repeat this meme" - it might get some traction, unless someone said, "Why shouldn't I think? Who says, 'Don't think'?"
So "exercise your spirit" was the "don't think" part of it, and then we disseminated the meme with group-think and group-speak. "Don't think - drink!" Remember that one? Unthinking, reflexive action was how the error got disseminated widely.
"Exercise yourself unto Godliness" really means what James meant - Godliness (true religion) is to visit widows and orphans and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. God so loved us that he sent His only begotten Son to save us. This son was holy, as the Father is holy.
The Son then said that we his disciples are to obey his commands, just as he obeyed the Father's commands. So we're likewise sent as emissaries to the unlovely, the unloved, the unlovable (in our eyes). That's what James meant by "visit widows and orphans". To love them, in this context, is to show some actual blessing. Healing, comfort, encouragement, food, clothes, shelter, something. Pay attention to them, listen to them.
And the second part is to keep unspotted from the world, like Jesus did. That is "exercise yourself unto Godliness". Not jump up and down and shout. And notice where the jumping and shouting got us: 1) We were told to ignore obvious sin in church leadership; 2) We were told to despise the poor., the widows, the orphans. "Don't waste your time" was the word at FTTA. Get good building material instead.