Quote:
Originally Posted by A_PoMo
Well, I guess it's obvious that I couldn't disagree w/ya'll more. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree as I don't want to contend for my views to the disunity of the group. I give specific examples of long term patterns of behavior and I'm "trashing a bishop". I'm sorry, but that people seem happy isn't all that matters. Righteousness and justice are what matter to God. This is the dominant theme from Exodus 34 through the new covenant. While in the UPC I heard alot of talk about accountability. But it seems that the level of accountability gets less and less with the more power and influence you gain. The bigger you get the more people bow and scrape and the more you know you can get away with. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It is tragic that the people that have the greatest opportunity to do the most damage seem to have the least amount of accountability and are given the most latitude in wreaking havoc on people's lives. This is a systemic problem in the UPC (and evidently in the WPF based on NW's sermon as the titular leader of the new org) and it's slowly strangling the UPC in my view as it worms its way deeper and deeper into the fabric of the ethos. And it all starts (going back to the original point of this whole series of posts) with bad theology. There is an inbalanced view of respect for leadership, loyalty, accountability, church discipline, and the role and authority of pastors that over time leads us further and further away from truth and into more and more negative consequences for people and for the org. It can be stopped if people will say "enough is enough." However, evil triumphs when good men do nothing. We would NEVER stand idly by and watch a parent verbally and emotionally abuse a child. We won't even do that to dogs. But we do it all the time in our churches and I want to know why that's ok. I was talking to a preacher not long ago who is a high official in the UPC and who has been licensed w/the UPC for nearly 50 years. He told me that the UPC has changed over the last twenty years or so. He said that if he were starting over today and looking for an org that he'd not join the UPC and he'd discourage anyone from joining. He made the comment that its one of the only orgs he knows that kills its wounded almost as a matter of policy. One of his sons is in the UPC and this man has given him his blessing to leave. His reasoning has nothing to do w/the the WPF or lib vs.con or anything like that. He just recognizes the sickness in the UPC in this regard and based his opinion on principle. I thought that was pretty telling for one of its most loyal ministers to say something like that. As odd as it may sound, I love the UPC and its leadership. I want it thrive and I wish I could come back. So I guess I'll just leave it at that. |
Not everybody reading disagrees with you. I don't know you, haven't read all your story, but I believe you have spoken truth about the abuse of power incidents.
George - as in curious
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