“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela
That is why fundamentalist regimes like the Taliban and Hezbollah oppose change of any sort and discourage learning and education. Keep the masses ignorant and you maintain control. If you can maintain control, you can prohibit change.
When these fundamentalist regimes begin to lose that control is when their ability to remain civil is also lost and any course of action they choose can be justified, including acts of terrorism, sabotage, personal attacks, intimidation, and/or bullying.
The moment we come to believe we have all the answers is the moment we have crippled our ability to learn and grow, if not outright kill it. The moment we believe “we’ve arrived!” is the moment we’ve failed our journey.
The Religion of the Institutional Church has attempted to make itself synonymous with the authority of God. The Religion of ‘Churchianity’ has earned people’s mistrust. This mistrust has erroneously carried over onto God, and Faith has been crippled in many people. The distinction between ‘Faith in God’ and ‘Faith in Church’ has been lost and needs to be reclaimed.
The Religion of ‘Churchianity’ responds to people’s apparent lack of Faith by withdrawal into Fundamentalism. “We are the select few who hold the Truth” becomes their gnostic mantra. They retreat into an extreme state of social isolation. The only question that awaits an answer is how will this extremism manifest itself, through terrorism or extinction? And don’t fool yourselves, The Religion of ‘Churchianity’ has already attempted “terrorism” by it's bullying and intimidation through it's ‘Fire and Brimstone' Sermons.
I think the final stage the Christian denomination of ‘Churchianity’ has left to enter is Extinction. Once it becomes extinct people may once again reclaim their Faith in God because that barrier has been removed. Now please allow me to make it clear what I am, and am not, saying; I am not talking about the death and extinction of the Christian Faith. I am talking about the death and extinction of that aspect, that ‘denomination’ called ‘Churchianity’; the end of the Institutionalized Church. I am not expressing my hopes or desires, but I am expressing what I foresee on the horizon.
Trust, like mistrust, is earned but not given.
Trust leads to Faith.
Faith without Reason leads to Blind-faith.
Blind-faith leads to degenerative Fundamentalism.
Degenerative Fundamentalism prohibits change and cripples education.
Degenerative Fundamentalism leads to isolationism.
Isolationism eventually leads to extremism.
Extremism manifests itself as either terrorism or extinction
Rogue: n. & v. 1. A dishonest or unprincipled person. 2. joc. A mischievous person, esp. a child. 3. (usu. Attrib.) a. a wild animal driven away or living apart from the herd and of fierce temper (rogue elephant). b a stray, irresponsible, or undisciplined person or thing (rogue trader). 4. An inferior or defective specimen among many acceptable ones.=A wild [untamed = undomesticated = non-indoctrinated] animal [individual] (driven away or) living apart from the herd [community = “church”] (and of fierce temper). [wild].=
A non-indoctrinated individual living apart from the church/community.
Christian: adj.1. of Christ’s teaching or religion. 2. Believing in or following the religion of Jesus Christ. 3. Showing the qualities associated with Christ’s teaching. 4. Colloq. (of a person) kind, fair, decent. n. 1a. a person who has received Christian baptism. b. an adherent of Christ’s teaching. 2. A person exhibiting Christian qualities.
Rogue Christian: Rogue = adjective, Christian = noun"An non-indoctrinated adherent of Christ’s teaching, driven away or living apart from the church/community."
Living apart from traditional church has it's implications and complications. In addition to being a Rogue Christian it also makes me an Abbaian, a follower of the Father.
Abba: father, customary title used of God in prayer. Whenever it occurs in the New Testament it has the Greek interpretation joined to it, that is apparently to be explained by the fact that the Chaldee "ABBA" through frequent use in prayer, gradually acquired the nature of a most sacred proper name, to which the Greek speaking Jews added the name from their own tongue.1
-ian: suffix var. of –an. Forming adjectives and nouns, esp. from names of places, systems, zoological classes or orders, and founders.Abba + ian = Abbaian: Follower of the Way of God the Father.
As far as church membership goes, I am not a member of any local visible church or denomination (which is not to say I am not active within any local church or churches). Denominational background really doesn't apply. I consider myself a member of the Invisible Universal Church, which transcends denominations. I belong to a Postdenominational Christianity.
However, another implication is an apparent lack of doctrine. What's my views on soterology? Am I a Trinitarian ? Am I an Evangelical?
I am often asked, Calvinist or Armenian? Are those the only options? I find the question somewhat limiting. To be honest I agree with both and neither. I think - from a very simplified perspective - Calvinism and Armenianism are the same thing, but from two very different perspectives. If a man's life - from birth to death - were a movie, we would perceive it as an audience watches a movie. we're experiencing it as the movie "plays" or "flows" forward. However, from a divine point of view - from God's perspective - the movie reel is unrolled and the entire film, every static frame, is viewed at once. "Time" doesn't flow. For the occupants "in" the movie, choices and free will exists. From an omnipotent perspective, God can view the beginning, any and every choice made via free will, and the end and it's consequences, at once. Even though free will choices were legitimately made, God still knows their outcome.
I have a problem with predestination and God's chosen elite. It's the inverse implication that bothers me: We have a loving God who has also created people for damnation and without hope.
Some have told me I'm more Armenian because I do believe you can shipwreck your faith and lose your salvation. I don't think I really am Armenian though. You see, both Calvinism and Armenianism share their defaulted starting positions. In both, man is born in original sin, fallen and condemned. At some future point, salvation occurs. They differ on the point of whether that salvation is permanent or not.
Although I believe you can lose your salvation, I'm not convinced we begin in a default state of being "fallen" anymore and I'm not convinced we "accept" salvation but rather (potentially) choose to opt-out of it.
I've been told my "soterology" is closer to a hybred of Catholicism and Universalism. It all have to do with my understanding of the nature of Grace.
1 Strong’s Lexicon for “Abba”
Friday, October 5, 2007
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