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[Peter Debelak]

Originally Posted by Truth

I was not impressed...with either sides. Titus's case was definitely different from John Ingalls. John had no intention of overthrowing WL. Titus clearly did not want to work with the BB. Even before the quarantine, I heard him many times make fun of the BB and FTTA. He was holding his own 9-month training (doing the same thing as the BB in the FFTA), so there was no reason why he should make fun of FTTA, unless he wanted to elevate his own work above the BB.

Anyways, I was not not impressed with either sides during the storm. Both sides and their supporters did some really nasty things to each other. At that time I knew nothing of John Ingalls's story (and others' such as John So, etc...), so I was very much on the BB side. Still, even knowing what I know today, I'm not sure if I would chose Titus over the BB. Titus has abused his authority just as much as WL and the BB.

I guess I ended up choosing neither sides. I just moved away to a locality outside of the midwest, not affected by the chaos. I'm glad I moved away. Who knows? If I didn't move away, maybe I would have fought on LSM's side and said some nasty things to the other side...and I would have regretted today. Today, I still have very good friends on both sides. If I had participated in the fight, I might have lost some of these precious friends on Titus's side.

The thing that struck me the most during the recent "storm" was that no one seemed to get it if you weren't taking "sides" and yet were nevertheless disagreeing with them...

Thing is - one could not be a fan of Titus at all, at yet still disagree with the BBs. Those on the other "side" however, bought into the BBs entirely. Titus didn't make a claim that the BBs were inferior - only that they weren't "it." He didn't either make a claim that he was "it." Different ministers ministering according to the portion they were given. The fact that Titus started the 10 month labor is not a "competition" with the FTT. If time and again you see young people return from the FTT, beginning with zeal but then falling flat in the day-to-day afterwards - you might want to address that too. That does not mean the 10 month labor was the answer. But neither does it have to be seen as "competition" (that presumes a posture). It could very well just, well, trying something in light of a recognized situation.

That said - I don't hold a brief for Titus. I haven't heard him speak for close to 14 years now. Nothing I'm saying comes from any knowledge of his thoughts. They are simply "possible." Yet such "possibilities" and freedoms never seemed to be any part of the "one with the minister of the age" sort of thinking.

The difference was the absolute "one with the ministry" and oppressive stance the BBs took versus the "to each according to his conscience" stance taken by the Great Lakes brothers.

While one might take issue with Titus in particular, this point shouldn't be lost in that. And in that sense, the issue was not unlike the 1980s "storm" as regards concerns over overbearing and faith-stealing meddling of "authority doctrines".

Thoughts?

In Love,

Peter