It is written all the time: Spiritual Sword, Gospek Advocate, Firm Foundation, STOP, etc.

God bless,
Alan Scott

The Gideons placed over 72 million Bibles throughout the world (188 countries(. You call that “draining resourses”? Get your “self-righteous “heads out” guys! The world is drowning in man’s word and starving for the word of God.

Next – the music issue is the silliest one of all. Consider God-inspired Psalm 150:3 “Praise him with the sounding of trumpet, praise him with harp and lyre.”

References below:

• Worship with an instrument, or
• Allow women to lead in worship, or
• Support parachurch organizations that engage in
false teaching, or
• Allow parachurch organizations to drain resources
from the congregation

This is important, and it reminds me of our creed. We’ve traditionally held to the notion that “we have no creed but Christ [meaning the New Testament scriptures]” When in actuality, we do follow hermeneutic constructs that lead us to what could be deemed as an unwritten creed. Of course, since it is not written out formally, we pretend that it doesn’t exist.

Here is Jay’s actual post: “Really? You see, the thing is: I already have lists and lines of salvation aplenty. My bookshelves sag under the weight of checklists written by Daniel Sommer, David Lipscomb, H. Leo Boles, Thomas Warren, Bert Thompson, Goebel Music, etc., etc., etc. My conservative brothers have never been reluctant to draw salvation lines or offer checklists. They don’t agree with each other on just which doctrinal errors result in apostasy or why, but they do seem to agree on the drawing of lines and making of lists.”

Would please point out to us non-lawyers which of the above words is a villification?

However I notice you have used descriptions such, “lawyer’s dexterity,” “rhetorically nimble,” “lack of accuracy,” “has mischaracterized,” and “doctrinal divergences.” Would you say that any of these terms are terms that villify?

God bless,
Alan Scott

First, I challenge Jay to produce the checklists he asserts have been composed by the men he names. I cannot say that none of these men ever composed such a list, but I have never seen a list of this nature among our people.

I’ve only been watching the posts from afar without a real dog in the hunt, but I think the lists are pretty obvious. Just because they aren’t written in an ordered list with a title that includes the word “list” doesn’t mean the lists don’t exist. Some are obvious in pattern language that has been passed around from as far back as the five-finger-exercise. Others are more like social mores: you only know you’ve violated the list when you’ve done it because social consequences are delivered.

With a lawyer’s dexterity…

The conversation would be more constructive if all parties would refrain from ad hominem commentary.

I am not saying that Jay, or any other of my Progressive friends, are no longer Christians.

If this is true, then you have made a profoundly important statement in the current conversation. Can you make that statement about a congregation that has a different belief and practice from you on, for example, divorce and remarriage? Qualifications for elders? Term limits for elders? The role of women? Instrumental music? If not, why not?

If you can make that same statement about each of those questions, then what are the implications of that for fellowship?