House Church Talk - hc, women JL et.al

[Claire Bennett]

Since I get the list in digest form, I will not reply any more, I didn't realize it sent to whole digest and it is not possible to reply to a specific email.

I am not saying any of the people involved are not nice people; this is something I don't know one way or another, but I take the word of others who say good things.  Anyone is welcome to come to our homechurch, so if anyone is in the San Diego area, please just contact me.  If we take a look at history, many sincere people sincerely led many astray.  Far more things ended up going the wrong way than the right way, and even groups going the right way for a while did some turns and twists.  What I notice time and time again is that there is never an examination of why things went wrong and what can be done to prevent its repeat.  

Since we are all have hearts that are deceitful above all else and desperately wicked, the only method of prevention I see is the system of checks and balances mentioned in scripture, to submit to one another.  In other words, everyone has a voice and is an essential part of the body.  If certain people are either not allowed to participate or encouraged to limit their participation for fear of rejection, need for acceptance, the safety procedure doesn't work.  

I think the best "leaders" serve by facilitating the use of other's gifts.  I would find it very uncomfortable to sit in a meeting where the women had to be silent while the men were free to speak.  Why not go to an IC and just listen to the preacher?  I know a lot of men would find this uncomfortable, not just women.  I'm sure the theologians, of which I am not one, would be able to argue all the bible verses better.  I knew a brilliant man who told me he could argue any doctrine from any angle.  So, this is not the point.  As others have stated previously, I believe it was Steffi and Wayne Jacobsen who commented that this was not the heart of God.