tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111780890240797163.post5096063848480190223..comments2012-12-07T07:25:11.752-08:00Comments on Feetwashing and Four Square: The evangelizersNicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17430817984366224109noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111780890240797163.post-43087702426004328142008-06-25T22:37:00.000-07:002008-06-25T22:37:00.000-07:00If you want some clarity on the early history of t...If you want some clarity on the early history of the COB, read Durnbaugh's "Fruit of the vine". It looks imposing, it isn't. It is not a bad read. <BR/>COB does do evangelism, we just do it in a passive aggressive way. The problem is that evangelism evokes images of Falwell, Bakker and other sham artists (my political view showing) who have used the name of God in an effort to further their political and power agenda's, often through their wallets. We, as COBers, like to believe that we do not evangelize, but we do, and it is not bad. We just do it differently than most. Mr. Mack had it right, and there is a beautiful song that echo's his sentiment ("They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love"). Our lives are evangelism, not our words. Humanity has always wanted answers, hard and fast, concrete, rock answers. I don't believe that there are as many concrete answers as we would like to believe. I just returned from Scotland last week and while there I heard a story of Pelagius, a fourth century Celtic Christianity influenced theologian, who was deemed a heretic because of a misrepresentation. A lady wrote to Pelagius asking her to give him a "rule by which to live." She wanted a formula of how to do things. Pelagius responded, "I can give you no such rule. All I can tell you is to examine your heart and your life. They examine the life and heart of Jesus. If there is discord, re examine your heart and life." Part of not having the answers is the discovery of the relationship we, as a part of God's creation, are to have with our creator. I understand the allure of answers provided by religion, I truly do. I am thankful for the JW's if, for no other reason, they foster discussion, and people talking is not always a bad thing. However, any religion that claims to have all the answers raises some flags immediately in my mind. We, as COB, often like to say that we don't have the answers, and we don't...but we have an answer, that may or may not be right. More often than not however, those presenting an answer believe that they are right and that others are wrong, or better stated that the opinion giver could not possibly be wrong. Our passive aggressiveness is on display then when we pay lip service to the ambiguity of God and then "swear" that we have the truth. <BR/>Just my two cents.mufasahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05798657024151318170noreply@blogger.com