Can someone please tell me...?!

[josh]

Originally Posted by Brother Strange

Dan, Josh,

My recollections from that '92 business meetings is that there were those there had varied agendas that would be nicely accomodated by the passage of the document from hell. I listened to the debate very carefully though I do not recall it all.

There were those there that could see the drift from our traditional holiness standards there were rightfully alarmed by the the worldliness threat that seem to be creeping in. Certainly, I applaude these good men's desire to hold back the rising tide of worldly influences, albeit misguided in thinking that they could employ carnal weapons to do only what the power of the Holy Ghost can do alone.

As I recall, there was no discussion on the floor that the resolution must be passed for the sake of the 3 step position. That discussion took place before the meeting was called to order. I stood with a few friends in the Word Aflame lobby browing among books, to talk of the upcoming business meeting. It was obvious that their interest in the document from hell was in defense of the NB position. While I applaude their pure desire to see that the pure gospel is preached, they also forget that it is not by might, nor yet by power, but BY MY SPIRIT, saith the Lord. When foolish men try to do what only the Spirit of the Lord can do, they are leaning on a broken reed of Egypt that will surely pierce through their hand. Today, the pain of that piercing is deeply felt. If men would only learn not to lean upon their own understanding (Egyptian) but in all thier ways acknowledge the Lord, they would surely be rightly led in righteousness. There is a big difference in the rod of God that has all power and authority compared to the broken reed of Egypt that can only bring pain, discomfort and unrest.

How foolish little men are who try to do God a service by the carnal implements in their hands. God is offended, iniquity grows as a black mold inside the walls, and the church languishes with impotence while souls are lost to eternity.

I'm tempted to tell of a long conversation that I had with a now deceased, universally revered Apostolic stateman before the meeting, though he was too sick to attend. I believe the conversation with him was divinely orchestrated as a confirmation to me concerning the burden and misgivings that I had felt.

Anyway, each had their own agendas, some of which was indeed the NB issue though I do not have anyway of knowing if the framers of the resolution specifically had the NB issue in mind. However, it would be hard for any reasonable person to conclude that were so clueless. Surely, there had to be some talk by which that end would be the result. Surely they were not deaf, dumb and blind right up to the time of the debate. Surely some of their friends would have called their attention what the end effect would be. Nobody is that numbskulled.

Bro Strange, I am not sure who the "little" men were you had in mind, so I won't take offense. I also saw your heartbeat over the LA camp and greatly respect you for speaking your heart.

I will say that I heard two of the framers speak their mind, and I can perceive no purer motives than these two expressed. Paul Price spoke to a group of us preachers shortly before the resolution came out...it was in the formation stages evidently.

Many of us were young ministers. He passionately implored us to stop working to change the organization he had poured so much of his soul into. His focus was entirely upon the open statements many young men had made about being dissatisfied with the UPC, with its restrictions, etc. He carried us through some of his history in it, the men who molded him, the men who led it....then he spoke of rising to the battle to defend it.

He never alluded to any past battles, to any regret over a merger, or even specifically to the New Birth.

Ditto for all conversations with Bro Westberg.

I think you gave Dan and others an accurate assessment of how others came in with various ideas in mind, but I pretty much followed the thinking of the two men mentioned above...as well as my dad.

I felt that the document would be non-effective. I think before it got started good, Bro Westberg did, too. However, if we say that said document was a foolish leaning on the flesh then we must also render the same judgment on the entire articles of faith. They are all documents of man's attempt to legislate the parameters of a fellowship.

I, for one, am glad that the document came. I don't think it helped with anything the framers originally intended. However, I do think it helped some of us see the fruitlessness of spending our passion and effort trying to affect something we can't affect. In reality it just became something handy to blame for the splintering that would have happened anyway.

For me, what I learned caused me to refocus my energies on the ties I can affect and upon the work of the Kingdom of God in areas I can actually be useful.

I realize some of your angst about the A.S. is probably from your pastor's feelings. I don't know everything about how he felt, but I don't think he was duped into speaking as some say. I think he was just as concerned about some things as others were. Then, in hindsight, he regretted that the A.S. was causing many to leave. From the outside of his mind and thoughts, I see him as making a voluntary and sincere effort, and then realizing he wished he hadn't. We all do that all the time, and most of the time it wasn't sinister motives by anyone that got us into it.