Quote:
Originally Posted by CC1
Yup. Lets just sweep it under the rug like it never happened. Another fine old time Pentecostal tradition!
What will be interesting is to see if his many years in the UPC and connections will get him a quickie "restoration" after a quick sit down of six months (usually reserved for the sons of Blue Blood UPC folks) or if the extended timeline of his moral failure will complicate that.
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The UPC has two sets of rules: one set for average, run of the mill, garden variety pastors whose daddy's weren't preachers, or aren't well connected among the "elite" of Pentecost. When they violate the manual, or if they have family issues or personal issues, then the letter of the law is adhered to, or there isnt a single call or letter of encouragment or anyone who says, "he needs a friend, I'm going to reach out to him, he must be hurting."
When the blue bloods or well connected hit the low places in life, a vast network of support, a circling of the wagons, the pastor's daddy's friend has a job waiting for him or someone who is willing to help restore a fallen brother. And a lot of preaching about leaving this matter to the family. Of course they had spent countless hours crucifying, defaming and butchering the "lesser" guys when they were hurting or publicly humiliating folks, sitting them down, asking them to leave their church, when they had their fall.
When there's a bloody trail from the local church, the district and at HQ of folks that weren't extended grace, weren't given second chances, character was defamed, sometimes for innocuous violations like: cut hair on women, jeans on women, asking questions because a doctrine wasn't understood, speaking truth to power, or simply not maintaining "Apostolic Identity", it's not surprising that there are a lot of people who aren't willing to just simply say, "we're all human".
I've seen it many times that larger than life pastors who rule with an iron fist and manipulate the system to favor them politically, when their children fall or they themselves fall, suddenly become big believers in mercy. I don't rejoice at the fall of anyone or the hardships brought on by sin to a family, but when you've been on the receiving end of unfair and unjust treatment simply for asking honest questions, for simply not playing the image upkeep game and simply being real, it's tough to not feel vindicated.
How was it said to me: "if you want to be liberal, that's fine, but in the UPC it's going to come with certain consequences." Well I guess if you want to be political, judgmental and set yourself up as the protector of "Apostolic Identity" all the while being a major hypocrite, that's your right, but there will be consequences.
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