NOT CREDIBLE – FROM THE ORGANISED CHURCH

“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness” Hebrews 5:12 (NIV). What are these elementary things? “…..repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, ² instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment”Hebrews 6:1-2 (NIV). This sounds like the stuff you get in most Churches most Sundays [Editor]

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• Its actually simple as this paper describes in detail. What is a Christian? A Biblical Perspective.
• Christian maturity however, is not intellectual. See this paper – The Apollos Heresy in the Church Today.
• Christian maturity does not judge, but upholds God’s judgement as revealed in Scripture.
• Ultimately, authenticity as a Christian is where understanding leads to freedom from worldly human values/expectations and acceptance/practise of a new way of life in Jesus.

“But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.” Titus 3:8-10 (in Context) Titus 3(Whole Chapter).

• Some Christians are misled into believing that arguments over disputable theological controversies is a sign of being faithful or a qualification to express a view
  
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“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature”.Luke 8:13-15 (in Context) Luke 8(Whole Chapter)

• “The myth of the Christian peace-maker” is a short paper written in 2005 describing the effect of compromise upon the Biblical notion of the peace-maker.
• Putting your hope in things like Democracy, Environmentalism or Work. See the
  • Political ideologies, eg  “Crisis in the Western Democracies” 
  • Other ideologies & ‘isms’, eg “Environmentalism”
  • Work, eg .
    
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“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will”.Romans 12:1-3 (in Context) Romans 12(Whole Chapter)

1. Clericalism
   1. Should Pastors Be Salaried. A Closer Look at Popular Tradition. The Worldly Corporate Model
   2. Should One Man Be The Dominant, Focal-Point Of A Church Service (i.e., “the Pastor”)? Another ancient human pattern.
   3. Church Without Clergy
2. Organised Religion/Institutional Church
   1. Why I left the Organised Church : A Personal Testimony  A thought provoking experience.?
   2. The Papacy
      1. The Pope exonerates the Jewish nation. From the Bucharest Herald 11 April 2011. Could it be that after 2,000 years the Papacy is interpreting this passage of the Bible better? Why did it take so long?
      2. Some Quotations
3. Living the Christian life as a set of morals
   1. George Washington and Sam Harris have an interesting viewpoint
4. Living the Christian life as a set of religious rules
   

   See the section on “Religion“

5. Switching authority from the Living Risen Jesus to Human Figures, Institutions or Human Intellect/ideas