House Church Talk - Eldership - so simple we miss it.

[David Anderson]

>...
>She told me they've received reports of several people who are "simplifying"
>TAS's books; editing them and making them more "readable" and then
>copyrighting them with their own names but they felt that they are losing
>the Life and Spirit in the process... She said they are also doing this with
>Andrew Murray, Watchman Nee and Oswald Chambers writings because the
>copyright has expired on them and some think that they are too hard to
>understand.  They also know of one big 'ministry' in Houston where the
>leader has taken many of TAS's books, taken all references to TAS off of
>them and has republished them as his own writings. She said what concerns
>them the most is when his writings are changed, but that God sees and knows
>and it is all under His jurisdiction and judgment.

   Hey footwasher,

Thanks for directing our attention to the sprawling T. Austin-Sparks 
site. Ain't it amazin' how much one determined person could accomplish 
without computers and MTV? How did he write all those words? And send out 
all those magazines?

Lemme digress on the subject of infidelity in the book trade. Did you 
know that the writer of the mega-best-seller "Prayer of Jabez" didn't 
write it and did not mention the real author until he was exposed, 7 
million copies later. After that embarrassing episode, the ghost-writer's 
name was printed on the cover so you would have: by Bruce Wilkinson WITH 
so and so in much smaller print. And, of course, on the cover of 
Wilkenson's newest offering, he is credited as being the author of P of J 
all over again. (I think the ghost was named "Kopp.")

I'm on another list, the NTCP. A guy named Keith mentioned last week a 
book which he written which was later republished by another "brother" 
under the other "brother's" name. LOL. With friends like that, who needs 
enemies?

Jim, I notice you posted under the eldership subject line. Did TAS make 
any definitive statements on the subject? Was he a member of the Brethren 
church which has a plurality of elected elders? If that was the context, 
there probably wasn't much to say further. He could have just pointed to 
all the NT eldership passages.

Well, the times are a changin. I see where KY just elected a "publican" 
for governor. I hope he includes God in his administrative plans and 
looks to heaven each day for wisdom in his private affairs, too. If some 
of our politicians don't get their acts cleaned up they're likely to be 
compared with those in the Christian bookselling business. Sighhhhhhh.

  Just one state over in TN, ybiC, praisin' the Lord anyway,

       David Anderson