Open Challenge

Let us know what you think, but you must THINK first

I’ll start by saying this challenge is to everyone, but I particularly challenge any/all in LEADESHIP POSITIONS IN CFCMI to answer it. 

I think the debate (that has gone on in blogs in the past and somewhat continues today) would be much better and more meaningful if there was a deeper level of discussion on the issues. Most of the time we remain on the surface level, not getting much past emotion, with only the slightest bit of stating a point and justifying. Even then, many of the arguments (on both sides) have an element of "God told me this or that", "I know this/that was of God/not of God", etc. These types of explanations or rationalizations are fine to make yourself feel good or to justify your thought process or actions to someone who already thinks like you do. However, they really are relatively meaningless in supporting your position objectively, unless you have something very specific to back them up.

I can say, "I felt God was leading me to do this or that" and there’s pretty much nothing you can say against that, other than "Well, I don’t think he was". Sure, you could come back with the exact opposite action and say that you felt God was leading you to do what you did... and I could express that I disagreed. But then we’d be at an impasse. Why? Because what we had just expressed were nothing more than opinions, not positions.

I think the more you stop and think about things, the more that your mind will demand a deeper explanation. Think about it. It would scare me if I were satisfied with a baseless explanation of such a serious matter. I’m embarrassed and occasionally angry with myself that for 16 years I simply took what an ordinary man said as ground truth, with no logical basis for it.

There must be more. Finding of truth in a situation (and I’m not talking about Biblical doctrine) doesn’t come easily. It doesn’t knock on your door and offer itself to you. Many, many people spend their life’s work just pursuing truth. Billions of dollars and immeasurable efforts are put into scientific, legal, philosophical, religious and other endeavors, just to find out or confirm truth.

It’s no different for us. If you really want to know the truth, you’re going to have to dig it out, with hard mental work. If the most important thing for you is to make sure you are right in what you believe or what you stand for, the process is going to have to be continuous, rigorous and passionate. It’ll take much more than the commonly stated "God is going to have to tell me to get leave/stay", more than the almost-pavlovian, patent one-liner responses or justifications (again, on BOTH sides). We simply can't "just move on" without coming to some sort of grips with the how's and why's of everything.

But, we'll never get there if all we do is nitpick on each other. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I've done my share of nitpicking too. I'm not coming down on any of the posts on the various blogs (re-read my third paragraph above). I also recognize that there is a lot of soul-searching, research, seeking, discussing, praying, etc. that goes on outside of the blogs over the years.

All I am offering is for anyone to take up the challenge of seriously examining the issues, arguing the pro's and con's, etc. Thoughts don't have to be written out with a Shakespearean flow and don’t have to be seemless in there supporting comments. I am just asking that you take an issue, state your side of it and the reasons you have taken that stand. Again, use more than scripture or unsupportable/irrefutable "spiritual" rationalizations.

Here are a few brain-teasers to get things going (many are repeats from some of my earlier posts):

- Why would grown men remain in such an abusive relationship for so many years?

- Were LRD’s 20+ years of perverse activities isolated events of wrongdoing, or were there supporting activities, teachings or policies associated with that activity?

- Do you think that if there were errant teachings that were associated with this wrongdoing, they could have affected other areas of CFCMI?

- Do you think it’s possible that some church policies, practices or teachings could have been shaped by or been put in place to protect, or as a result of, these activities?

- What makes a Pastor someone "called of God"? What objective measure do we have to know that we are to follow someone’s advice without serious question?

- Is it generally healthy for a person to further their education?

- Is financial secrecy necessary or beneficial in any way for religious organizations?

- How does the biblical example of tithes and offerings apply to the modern-day church?

- If LRD’s activities actually did occur, what, if any, are the responsibilities of the CFCMI leadership with respect to the victims?

- What organizational model should a religious ministry follow to ensure it is remains healthy and that it is not abusive to its members? What mechanisms should be in place to prevent aberrant behavior amongst its leaders or abuses of power?

I could go on and on. You pick the topic. These are just a small part of my brainstorming. It could go in a million different directions. You can just put down a statement and a two line supporting explanation. Fine. You could be like me and write a small book every time you post. I don’t care. Most importantly, understand WHY you stand on what you stand on. If it would feel strange trying to explain your position to a complete stranger, and in particular if you feel you simply couldn’t do so sensibly ("They would never understand because they’re lost", etc.), it is probably not the right position. Think about it. You deserve better...claim it.

So, I’ll close by begging you to do the following: THINK about the positions you have taken, actively question and examine what you are telling yourself or are being told, and then send us a note and we'll talk to you about posting it for the benefit of others.

Why not? If you can’t answer that question, it should tell you something about yourself.

Looking forward to hearing from you!