[larrylyates]

Your post is interesting. You accuse me falsely, the very thing you claim I had done to you. I never once told Sister Marie that she didn't need teachers. I have no idea where you got that. What I actually said was:

Marie, I recognize and fully accept the role of the five-fold ministry in the Church today. They are gifts given to us by God, "for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry."
The pastor is a Shepherd who leads and guides and yes, feeds the flock. But they were never intended in any way to be our sole source of spiritual nourishment. That is simply not a Biblical concept. Each of us is commanded by Scripture to be responsible for our own understanding of the Word.

Let me be clear, I believe wholeheartedly that God has given to the Church, gifted men to lead, inspire, teach and protect.

I did point out the problem with the particular way of thinking followed by some:

To follow your belief to its logical conclusion has led many into serious error. they end up following a man rather than the Scriptures under the guidance of the Spirit. Hence we have today, Calvinism, Lutheranism, Campbelites, Russelites (Jehovah's Witnesses), a myriad of other cults, as well as such tragedies as Jonestown and Waco. All of these were direct results of exactly the kind of thinking you described.

Can you show me where I told her she didn't need teachers?