ONENESS ONENESS

• Messages sorted by:[ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]

On Mon, 16 Sep 1996 14:50:12 -0800, you wrote:

>Now, since you have opted to bow out of this conversation, I WILL AND DO
>respect that. I actually feel you are very right in this choice you have
>made, in that I don't feel you are at a level to speak for your entire
>organization, and I do sincerely respect your wisdom in recognizing that,
>and I also do very much commend you for it. And therefore I will, and that
>respectfully, not expect a reply from you.

>But I will still be waiting to hear someone from your organization's
>specific SCRIPTURALLY STATED ANSWERS to the other questions I have
>specifically asked. 

You seem to have some kind of misunderstanding... You cannot GET a
response from the organization... There is no such thing.

The organization is a ministerial fellowship, and a cooperative body
of individual ministers who are SUPPOSED to be moving toward the unity
of the knowledge of the perfect man. Unless you can find a statement
that will satisfy your concerns with a statement  form the UPCI
articles of faith, you won't get an satisfactory answer.

No elected official speaks for others on matters of scripture, and
obviously that works the other way. The UPCI is a *fellowship*, not a
theocracy. We are not told what we believe. We join willingly in
fellowship on the basis of common faith.

Being for whatever reason unable to partake in that particular
fellowship, in and of itself,  does not place one outside the church.
There may be attitudes and beliefs which would as most see it, notably
a denial of the fundimantal doctrine.

More and more it looks like you are acting the champion for another
individual, gallantly challenging to prove one person or another
right.

Bro. Tom, I'd get my story straight, and then live with it, all these
scriptural issues aside. Any battle you win or loose here for the sake
of another's reputation, wont really add up to a victory. We really
don't know and (I think I can speak safely for most everyone else on
this), don't want to uncover what sounds like a harmful situation from
the past. 

Perhaps the Lord wants to deal with an individual to work a healing.
Be assured, that as Almighty God, he can.

Your brother in the Lord, 

-mwb