HOUSE CHURCH DIRTY DIAPERS CHRONICLES NUMBER SIX - The Gene Edwards Disaster
The Gene Edwards Controversy
Gene Edwards- The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Gene Edwards- The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
An Email
Received 5/31/05
6/6/05
and
my response
Hi,
I
came across your website while searching for some Gene Edwards books. I wanted
to share a piece of advice with you.
First, you would do well to mind your own business and not criticize whole
movements, people, and particularly individuals like Gene Edwards. It sounds
childish, old-fashioned and impotent when a Christian denounces another
Christian in the name of “true doctrine”. Your “zeal” for correcting and
criticizing is not Christ’s life in you, but your own mental hang-ups and
personality issues. Just like the rest of us. We’ve all done that at one time
or another. Look into the Lord Jesus and step out of this self-righteous
religious zeal.
Second, show us the way by practically revealing how your idea of church can be
applied. Rather than listing your 17 principles, copying/pasting Scripture
verses which we all know by heart, and launching clichés such as “proclaim,
invite, warn, contend for the faith” etc., tell us how your church is doing,
give us encouragement that there is a way to do church outside of the
Catholic/Protestant system, share how work to build the house is done.
Finally, get some first hand experience of the cross. It will tune you down,
break your pride, and increase your need for other Christian workers and
brothers. Preconditions before you start telling Christians who and what to
follow.
Take
care, B.
Jim's
Response to B. sent 5/31/05
6/9/05
B.,
I
would be a fool not to take your criticisms seriously. I’m grateful that there
are still people left who would love others enough to confront them.
You
have guessed right: I am childish, fleshly, self-centered, lacking in love,
self-righteous, proud, jealous, etc. etc. But I don’t want to be. Jesus is
breaking me and remaking me.
But
even if that is all true, it’s a different issue as to whether one should
proclaim, warn, confront, correct, rebuke.
Who
has convinced you that it is childish to proclaim, warn, confront, correct,
rebuke? You did not learn that from reading the New Testament.
The
only question is are we motivated by love.
What
makes a follower of Jesus different from a mystical pagan who follows his guru?
They both can appear nice, humble. It’s the truth. Mystical pagans are
convinced that truth is relative and unimportant and they promote the “deeper
things”. They self-righteously look down their nose at anyone’s concern for
the truth.
Our
Lord Jesus reveals himself in the word. We are transformed by the truth of the
word. The New Testament is very clear about the need to warn of false gospels
and false Christs.
You
and I have an opportunity to be friends in spite of our differences.
Jim
Baumgaertel
Proclamation, Invitation, & Warning
http://procinwarn.com
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