A recent reading made a particular verse jump out at me. In the letter of 1 Corinthians, Paul expresses his frustration that the congregation is divided. One follows Paul, another Apollos, etc. This passage is often used to express that there should be unity in the Church. Ironically, how is…
I came across a rather odd link at http://www.livingcog.com/wheat.htm. It looks like a homepage, but typing in http://www.livingcog.com brings you to a different page as well as http://www.mycog.com. The page references seem to be rather intertwined, so it is difficult to untangle. As best as I can tell, it is…
Dr Robert Thiel (see, I can get his name right) posted an article on “LCG Financial Statements Out”. He then takes a stab at comparing finances of LCG and UCG. One item he consistently brings up is that UCG spends a lot more on “Home Office” and “feeding the flock”…
I pretty much expected the pro “one man rule” types of posts. I have previously posted articles about the “Myth of the OT Hierarchical Government Mandate” and “What Should Church Government Look Like?”, so I am not going to re-write those. However, there have been some interesting surprises along the…
This is a touchy and somewhat controversial subject, but I wouldn’t feel right without addressing it this week. Some teachings (not so sure “doctrines” are strictly correct, but maybe I’m splitting hairs) in WCG waxed and waned. Most of these are minimized or even thrown out by some COG splinters….
If we believe that God intended to lead Israel into the Promised Land and that He was going to be the One to drive out the Canaanites, and if you acknowledge that instead Israel had to fight (although blessed by God), then you need to acknowledge that something changed. However,…
It’s been a busy but blessed week in many ways. I appreciate the prayers of my friends, as always. Yesterday, I gave an update on Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar/Burma. Many of the Legacy Institute students are from various ethnic groups from within Burma, and some of those groups…
One of the detriments of this electronic age is that people believe they are “indispensible”. They are tied to their work via email and BlackBerry, even while on vacation! However, in the business world, a good leader shows his abilities when his organization can get along without him. He has…
Well, by now I’ve probably offended just about everyone who takes church government “seriously”. Meanwhile, I’m still looking for the verse in the Bible that says believing in a one-man rule is a requirement for baptism. However, no discussion of church government would be complete without including UCG in the…
Came across this post from Wallace G Smith of LCG. While I don’t really agree with the hierarchical form of church governance, his post shows that it isn’t all bad, either. Thoughts on our leadership in Charlotte « Thoughts En Route