Showing posts with label Bereans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bereans. Show all posts

Sunday 30 December 2012

Presidents and Christadelphia

LBJ
LBJ (Photo credit: kevin dooley)
Presidents and Christadelphia? "(President) Lyndon Johnson was raised a Baptist, but later became a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Lyndon Johnson's Grandfather  became a Christadelphian, following his wife and daughter.
Kyle Tucker The LBJ ranch surrounds the Christadelphian Bible School in Hye, TX. LBJ himself was not a big fan of the Christadelphians.
Anna Williams Duvall I thought that the Bible school was donated by LBJ'a grandmother?
English: Christian Church Disciples of Christ ...
English: Christian Church Disciples of Christ in Brunswick, New York, United States (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Ady Miles Amazing his grandfather and close relatives turned to Christadelphia when he turned to war!
 (Dave BurkeHe was not the first president to recognize our CO status, and not require jail time.  Our conscientious objection had already been successfully recognised without penalty during the American Civil War.
Kay McGrath Ady, brother George Booker wrote a few posts on E-D (ecclesia-discuss) several years ago ... as did several others, and they were of the Berean fellowship ... one comment was 1997:

"the Hye Bible Camp bordering the grounds of the LBJ Ranch.

Lyndon
Johnson's father, who knew the Christadelphian teaching,  desired to be baptized on his deathbed. As the Unamended tell the story, the "Bereans" refused to baptise him.

This is what led to Johnsons antagonism toward the Christadelphians, manifested by his occasional visits to the Bible Camp complete with secret service entourage where he would stamp on the ground raising a duststorm (easily accomplished in that part of the country during certain times of the year)."

and further:

"we attended the Texas Bible School several years ago, one of the elder sisters in the ecclesia there related the story about LBJ, his father, etc. She also went on to tell of how he (LBJ) hated the Christadelphians so much that he became intent on taking the land upon which the Bible School sits, which does actually border the LBJ ranch. On his way to the courthouse to file suit to take over the land, he was stricken with his fatal heart attack."

Though George's accounts of "Cousin Oreole" are wonderful to read!


Robert Lloyd Lyndon Johnson did not ever become a Christadelphian although many members of his family were but none of his immediate family.

English: Lyndon B. Johnson at his ranch in Sep...
English: Lyndon B. Johnson at his ranch in September 1972 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Monday 24 December 2012

Those who call the Christadelphians a cult

Glenn Joseph Lea was annoyed at Google for when searching for Christadelphians, the term Christadelphian Cult comes up as one of the search phrases.

He should know that shall happen with other smaller religious groups as well. But he has reasons to complain on what he can find on those websites who tell people that we are a cult. We also found that at those websites telling us that we are a cult, they often present a wrong picture of our denomination. Often they even tell gross lies which can not be rectified because there is no way to reply provided. And when there is a comment section the comments we give and the explanation we provide about what cults really are and what we do believe and do not believe, they mostly let our reply not published or send us different sorts of letters, some hate mail, others with viruses, and others saying that we have to read such and such other postings before they want to place our reply in the open.

Mostly the label “cult” is applied to the Christadelphians because they do find that because we do not accept the Trinity, we can not belong to Christianity, like Jehovah Witnesses,  Abrahamic Faith Churches can not considered Christian according to them.
Jesus cult logo
Jesus cult logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


All about Cults“  uses the term “cult” because we are a group of believers which "claims to follow Christian doctrines. Though they have a belief that there is only one God, Christadelphians’ doctrine is clearly non-Christian (James 2:19)." Strange that we, who do believe that there is only One God, which is the same God Abraham believed in and the God of Judaism, are considered to be a cult, but the Jews and Muslims not. So, why does this website not include Judaism, Islam, and a mulitude of other world religions?


English: Christadelphian Hall, Skircoat, Halif...
Christadelphian Hall, Skircoat, Halifax This building looks to have been a Methodist (?) chapel.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Those discussing the Christadelphians do seem either not to know so much about them or their gospelfaith and could better do some more and thorough research. Other websites with a more hating tone are written by ex-Christadelphians, who should know better. The majority of those ex-christadelphians have left faith in God totally. By ex-Jehovah Witnesses we often see the same thing happening, that they offer a lot of stories about their faith group where you can have doubts if they are really true. By them lots also become strong adherents of the Holy-Trinity or find the singing and speaking in tongues by the Pentecostals more attracting  and good fun .
But those who leave the more serious Biblestudent mouvements, their hate and distorted view from what they underwent in their community does not create a good sound review. Strangely enough very small groups are often protected as main streams. As such we can find a recurring error that the “Bereans are the most popular” (popular to whom, in what context, where?) when you look to the worldwide community of Christadelphians you would notice that they only form a small part. some would even say: "they barely exist today".

The peaceful, pacifist Christadelphians are perhaps not so quickly noticed by people, first of all because we are not with so many and secondly we never force our ideas to others. We do preach, but not often going to ring the bell from door to door like Jehovah Witnesses or Mormons. We prefer the softer way of putting leaflets in the mailboxes, where we are authorised to do so. (We always keep to the red, blue and green stickers if they are on the mailbox and never would put a leaflet in a box where is a notice on it not to put unrequested advertisements or unsolicited or non personal mail in it) We like to tell others what we believe, but always keep respecting their beliefs, and do not force to accept our beliefs or our faith.


ChristadelphiansChurchBrisbane
ChristadelphiansChurchBrisbane (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Christadelphians do not have an overall structure with one basic leader, like the Roman Catholics have their Pope. We only follow Jesus Christ, whose teachings can be found in the New Testament. All the different Christadelphian ecclesiae are independent in essence, though they may have international connections with each other and adhere certain main groups. but every Christadelphian is personally responsible for his or her actions. Nobody is tied to one or another group or institution. everybody is free to come and free to go.Not exactly the idea of a cult, where it is mostly very easy to come into but very difficult to get out.

Googling The Christadelphians leads to plenty of websites denouncing this community, but also an awareness of the reaasoning for the denouncement – soley based on a rejection of orthodox Christianity. That is very sloppy reasoning and only serves to show how little basis they have for such a derogatory term.

Please do read the article by Glenn Joseph Lea: Googling “Christadelphian”

find also:

What Christadelphians teach
Who, what are Christadlephian people
Christadelphian beliefs

Association of Christadelphians: Christadelphia

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Saturday 30 July 2011

The Great Trinity debate

The Great Trinity Debate

Rob Bowman vs Dave Burke
Now this is eternal life — that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent. (John 17:3)
It is a matter of eternal life to know the true God and his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is our responsibility to understand the one true God. But do we really know him? Or do we just believe in a God that we've learned about from others?

The identity of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is a fundamental belief in Christianity and increasingly Christians don't know why they believe in what they do, unable to defend the doctrine of the Trinity when challenged.

There seems to be a kind of complacency that comes from being a mainstream Christian, thinking that being in the majority is enough to make the doctrine true without needing proof.
The Bereans searched their scriptures daily to make sure what they heard was true and that's no different with the doctrine of the Trinity, we have to search our scriptures to decide if it's true or not, not take it for granted or rely on someone else to tell us that it is or isn't true.

The debate about the Trinity has been raging on since the early church and it still rages on today. Rob Bowman, a Trinitarian issued a challenge last year for a non-Trinitarian to debate him on the subject of the Trinity. This year, Dave Burke a non-Trinitarian, took up that challenge and presented his case for the unity of God. A fascinating debate resulted and was captured on the Parchment and Pen blog.

I recommend you read both sides of the argument thoroughly, it's not all as black and white as you might think as both sides have strong arguments.
The Great Trinity Debate
The Challenge | Introduction | Resources List
Part 1: God & Scripture Burke vs Bowman
Part 2: Jesus Christ Burke vs Bowman
Part 3: Jesus Christ (continued) Burke vs Bowman
Part 4: Holy Spirit Burke vs Bowman
Part 5: Father, Son & Holy Spirit / The Trinity Burke vs Bowman
Part 6: Closing Statement Burke vs Bowman


A Trinitarian blogger (Dale) provides useful commentary on the debate... Final Summary | Full Commentary List ... concluding that Burke won the debate.
P.S. If you are a Trinitarian and still think 1 John 5:7-8 is a valid proof for the doctrine of the Trinity, you most definitely need to read this debate to learn some better proofs! Also read "The Trinity is Like 3-in-1 Shampoo". . . And Other Stupid Statements