Letter From C.M. Becton Regarding Resolution 4

[StillStanding]

Originally Posted by PreacherV

I am guessing the answer to that would be no. At GC this year we voted on several other resolutions besides Resolution 4. I noticed that a large contingency of voters voted against every single resolution that would change any of the wording in the manual, even on non-holiness issues. I noticed this because many of the votes were standing or voice votes. There are a lot of ministers who almost view the manual as a sacred or inspired document and feel changes to any of our previously articulated positions would be a grave betrayal of our forefathers.

The internet is okay only because our forefathers didn't address it.
Cell phones with streaming video....
IPods...
Satellite radio...

You see, our founders didn't have the foresight to reject all future technologies that would have the potential to assault holy minds. All these other things slid in because they didn't put us in a position that required going back on our previous commitments to "holiness". Never mind that everyone on the outside can see the blatant double-standard and don't buy the idea that our current positions are held on the basis of principle. The "fact" remains in the minds of many that TV is the one thing we cannot control. You can navigate the internet and still be holy, you can navigate the radio, your ipod...anything but television. It alone successfully resists all attempts to control it. You turn it off...it will turn itself back on! You change the channel to something "educational" and it will reset itself to the most depraved and perverted material available. TV is not a technology, it is a demon-possesed entity!.

Sigh...My point is that I just think it would have been better to teach people principles instead of establishing blanket bans against this that and the other.
The Apostle Paul's approach to holiness was very simple: In essence, he stated that over here in Column A are the works of the flesh. And over here in Column B are the fruits of the Spirit. If you walk in the Spirit, you will not do the stuff that is in Column A.

Excellent post!

I like your comment that TV is the ONE thing that Apostolics can't seem to control! They can control the internet, the cellphone, and all other media, but there's something about that TV invention that just gets the best of us no matter how we try to control it!

[BoredOutOfMyMind]

Originally Posted by Pianoman

Excellent post!

I like your comment that TV is the ONE thing that Apostolics can't seem to control! They can control the internet, the cellphone, and all other media, but there's something about that TV invention that just gets the best of us no matter how we try to control it!

It is not a problem here.

I don't have one.

[TRFrance]

Originally Posted by PreacherV

The internet is okay only because our forefathers didn't address it.
Cell phones with streaming video....
IPods...
Satellite radio...

You see, our founders didn't have the foresight to reject all future technologies that would have the potential to assault holy minds.

A fascinating point you bring up there. One must wonder... if the internet was invented in the early 1960's, what would the forefathers position on it be?

Makes you almost think they'd be anti-internet too, at least in the beginning.

But I think one thing that makes it hard for even the anti-TV crowd to be anti-internet is the fact that many people (including many saints of God) use the internet at work for business related purposes. The same cant be said about TV. So the internet is seen as more of a necessity in today's world, while the internet is still seen as optional.

Fact is, if the anti-TV folks wanted to, they could make a hard-hitting case for why the internet is just as "evil" as TV (or even worse) if they wanted to. But of course, they're not inclined to do that, especially the ones who have internet ministries/websites.

...Kind of a selective indignation, if you ask me.


.

[staysharp]

Originally Posted by TRFrance

A fascinating point you bring up there. One must wonder... if the internet was invented in the early 1960's, what would the forefathers position on it be?

Makes you almost think they'd be anti-internet too, at least in the beginning.

But I think one thing that makes it hard for even the anti-TV crowd to be anti-internet is the fact that many people (including many saints of God) use the internet at work for business related purposes. The same cant be said about TV. So the internet is seen as more of a necessity in today's world, while the internet is still seen as optional.

Fact is, if the anti-TV folks wanted to, they could make a hard-hitting case for why the internet is just as "evil" as TV (or even worse) if they wanted to. But of course, they're not inclined to do that, especially the ones who have internet ministries/websites.

...Kind of a selective indignation, if you ask me.


.

Amen...just like selective amnesia, selective memory, selective teaching, selective scriptures, selective associations...and the list goes on and on and on...

[Felicity]

I love Bro. Becton. He has always been one of my favorite preachers.

I'd suggest at least giving careful consideration to the advice of these older, wiser, seasoned men of God who have been through life and have experience and wisdom to pass along.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by PreacherV

...
IMO, a lot of needless division could have been prevented if the statement regarding holiness in the Articles of Faith did not include a list of specifics.

Wouldn't this have been better? "We wholeheartedly disapprove of our people indulging in any activities which are not conducive to good Christianity and godly living." (PERIOD-DELETE-DELETE-DELETE) "We admonish all of our people to refrain from unwholesome practices in the interest of spiritual progress and the soon coming of the Lord for His Church."

Well, as I've said before, I am not UPC so this issue does not affect me, but I agree that it would have been better to have a statement like the one proposed above than to try to list specific "no-no's" since "worldly" activities, places, and styles vary from time to time and place to place.

How many preachers are still preaching against golf, red cars, bowling, radios, hair ribbons, curled hair, bare legs, fictional reading, etc? These have sorta fallen by the wayside.

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by TRFrance

A fascinating point you bring up there. One must wonder... if the internet was invented in the early 1960's, what would the forefathers position on it be?

Makes you almost think they'd be anti-internet too, at least in the beginning.

But I think one thing that makes it hard for even the anti-TV crowd to be anti-internet is the fact that many people (including many saints of God) use the internet at work for business related purposes. The same cant be said about TV. So the internet is seen as more of a necessity in today's world, while the internet is still seen as optional.

Fact is, if the anti-TV folks wanted to, they could make a hard-hitting case for why the internet is just as "evil" as TV (or even worse) if they wanted to. But of course, they're not inclined to do that, especially the ones who have internet ministries/websites.

...Kind of a selective indignation, if you ask me.


.

I've felt the same thing about beards and facial hair. If the popularity of beards hadn't dwindled in the post WW1 years when a lot of the OP orgs were first getting established, our stands on beards and etc. would be much different today.

We seem to "lock" into a stand on an issue and then refuse to confess we might have been wrong or that times have changed and so the need for the original stand no longer makes any sense.

Such stubbornness would in fact be commendable if we limited our rule making to the core principles of holiness. But instead we need to "prove" our salvation and so there's always a steady stream of resolutions and ammendments decrying and outlawing every social fad.

At the end of the day we end up looking ridiculous and lacking in wisdom due to all of the frivilous and contradictory stands that we have taken.

Originally Posted by Felicity

I love Bro. Becton. He has always been one of my favorite preachers.

I'd suggest at least giving careful consideration to the advice of these older, wiser, seasoned men of God who have been through life and have experience and wisdom to pass along.

As long as we aren't talking about Gary Becton.

Originally Posted by Sheltiedad

As long as we aren't talking about Gary Becton.

Careful now, Gary was in service with us (as a visitor) on a Sunday Morning in Moss Bluff a few months back. His sweet wife joined him for the evening service.

No need to cast a negative shadow a man that has no defense.

God is merciful and we should be too.

Merry Christmas.

Originally Posted by philjones

Careful now, Gary was in service with us (as a visitor) on a Sunday Morning in Moss Bluff a few months back. His sweet wife joined him for the evening service.

No need to cast a negative shadow a man that has no defense.

God is merciful and we should be too.

Merry Christmas.

I just remember him standing in our front yard with Westberg... I could care less what he has done since then...