[mizpeh]

Originally Posted by pelathais

*The "Half Shekel" teaching says that you can buy your salvation and even healing in your body if you gave "a tithe plus five!" or 15% of your income to the church. It was growing in popularity in the UPC at the time. Dan Seagraves wrote an excellent article in the Forward to try and warn our ministers against this false teaching, but hey - an extra 5% looks pretty good when you're saving up for a horse farm or Florida condo.

Because of the way we approach people with the "YOU HAVE TO BE BAPTIZED... YOU HAVE TO SPEAK IN TONGUES" and we so often leave out the "JESUS MADE A WAY FOR US ALL!" many people in our society have looked upon us as offering a "works based" version of salvation rather than a "faith based" one.

Because of the way we tell our people in our churches "YOU HAVE TO TITHE...YOU HAVE TO PRAY IN THE PRAYER ROOM...YOU! OVER THERE! TAKE A LAP!" most of our people have also adopted a "works based" view of living for God.

Okay, Pel, I can see where you're coming from but not every UPC preacher is like this. I'm glad you see that there is another half to the UPC.

Would you appreciate someone who said...You WILL speak in tongues when you receive the Holy Spirit and one of the purposes of baptism is to remit sins? Would that be more palatible to you than "YOU HAVE TO"?