House Church Talk - Re: First century power grab

[Dan Beaty]

Dan,

You have well stated two different concepts of submission. The first one,
where you learned not to blow a gasket, reveals a heart attitude.

The second, where submission would require you to go against your
conscience, is the more difficult one. For example, Martin Luther would have
never led the Reformation had he not been pressed by the Lord in his heart
and through the Scriptures to preach against the evils of his day.

It is easy for me to discuss this with someone like you who agrees with the
principle, even though there are questions about it. My concern is with the
extreme cases where the idea of submission is totally denied.

But just let me clarify that I am not advocating the blind obedience that
some Christian leaders have demanded. Even those passages in the NT relating
to obedience to elders use a Greek word connected with
faith/conviction/persuasion.

What I am saying is that "in the fear of the Lord" we should offer due
respect to one another and give particular consideration to the words of
those who are more mature spiritually. In our HC we have many strong
opinions and differing points of view, but also I believe a general
willingness to accept that the other one might just as well be correct.

Hopefully there is a healthy balance of "give and take" on the non-essential
issues.

Dan B.