Was tongues- now -- "The SOAPBOX"

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At 08:30 AM 5/30/97 -0700, Mike Harvey Climbed on a soapbox and wrote:

<snip>

>Ok Bro.  Im not a preacher but climb down off your soapbox and let me up
>there!
>              __________________
>             /\ As I See It     \
>            /  \ From The Top    \
>           /    \_________________\
>           \    /of Bro.Harvey's  /
>            \  / SOAPBOX         /
>             \/_________________/
>
>

There..... I even fixed the soapbox for you so that the edges are
now where they need to be.... that'll help you from not falling in ;-)

>hmmmmmm  Bro. you have an interesting way of thinking… The TV issue is
>not about controlling your actions its about SIN.  

I agree.... "TV" isn't sin by itself.  It's what's on TV and how it's used.
Don't *broaden* and condemn the useage of TV only to whats being piped 
into it from local cable or broadcast airwaves.  If TV doesn't *cause*
one to sin, then it should be judged to be o.k.

>According to our "ARTICLES OF FAITH"  of the United Pentecostal Church
>booklet. (Pages 9-10) 

<snip>

Not everyone is UPC.... being an ALJC'er... though I don't *recommend*
anyone to own and operate a TV, I've never seen it as a published article.
I recommend against putting the crappy stuff as broadcast towards it,
but remember, that's not the only use.

>Any preacher without the intestinal fortitude to preach it is not worthy
>of his license and should turn them in. For the lay people, if you dont
>want to live it...why not go join the AOG yer taking up space and
>paluting others.  

The ALJC pastor of the church I've been attending here in Indianapolis 
since I've moved here, has a video tape of a well known evangelist in the
UPC ranks say from the pulpit something to the effect, "we might as well
admit it, we all have TV's in our homes."  He's well known and respected
and doesn't make any bones about it in his messages.  I've only seen him
once on a video and I know his name has come up many times in this forum.
Whether Bro Arnold or not refered to himself and his home, or the other
big wigs and their households, I don't know... but that's a pretty astounding
statement from someone held so high.  I can get the real quote on the video
tape if necessary.

My Indy's pastor son, when he used to go from town to town to sell steaks
from a company (however in the world that works I don't know) ... he was
always provided a list of households to visit first which was mainly 
comprised of the UPC ministry.  When he'd enter the homes, he'd see TV's
in way more occurances than not when visiting these homes.

Here in Indy is the UPC church "Calvary Tabernacle", they have full video
editing three cameras in the balcony and they send the signals from the
cameras to two huge large screen TV's on the left and right wings from
the platform for the folks way off to the side to see.  A real amazing 
use of TV.  Maybe they videotape the services and send them (or even
sell them) to the shut-ins.... I don't know. 

To me... there just seems to be a double standard of some kind.  An outlawing
of something with potential evil plus loopholes to go with it.

TV is like air.... there's *clean* air to breath... which is the recommended
kind of air to consume.  Or there's *paluted* ;-) air ... which is not
recommended.  Though air is a necessity and TV isn't ... you still have
power over the TV.  In many christians cases, their power over a TV is to
elect to not to have one....which is perfectly fine.  For others, they elect 
to have one, but they control it's useage.  Is the TV then *sin*?  Is the TV
evil?  I don't think so.

This whole TV thing is a *standards* type issue.  The core beliefs of everyone
on the list are probably just about identical.  But because of their different
regions, environments, belief systems, ethnic backgrounds, and all kinds of 
other variables... not *every* saint in every instance adhere to the same
elements of standards that make up each and everyone's walk with God.  It just
doesn't happen.  Does that make the saints that don't measure up to other's
standards *less* of a saint?  I think not!  Just different.  Look at all of the
fish in the sea.... quite a variety.  There's probably fish in the sea that 
haven't even been discovered by man (and probably multitudes of different 
species).  Because they look different from the fish that have been discovered,
does that make them *less* of a fish?  I really don't think God wanted just
*one* kind of saint.  Had he done so, he probably would have stamped out 
christians like gingerbread men.  Look at the *body*... (as it says in 1 Cor.) 
is everyone a toe, an eye, a finger, a patella, an appendix, etc?  I don't 
think so.

Moderation, moderation, moderation.... there's *lattitude* in holiness.

Bro "off of my invisible soapbox now" Tyler
--
Tyler Nally  <tgnally@prairienet.org>