Quote:
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Originally Posted by Terry
“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ Matthew 25:22-25
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I like this parable because it emphasizes individual responsibility/accountability. This is a concept that is foreign to most LCers, because everything happens at the group level. In the LC, someone cannot trod far down the path of individual spiritual growth without being viewed suspiciously.
As I started to become concerned about the LC, there was an interesting phenomena that I noticed. The elders would regularly criticize the rank and file for failing to take initiative in an activity, to attend a conference/training or even something like preach the gospel. They usually call this being "lukewarm". At the same time, the minute anyone took any amount of initiative, they quickly got "corrected". It's no wonder that so many of the rank and file choose to live in the shadows, waiting until they are called upon to do anything at all. The elders know this and are frustrated by this, but at the same time they also know that they can't encourage anyone to take initiative. It's just one of those things that I'm sure drives members crazy and they probably can't ever put their finger on what the real problem is.