The God Journey » Blog Archive » The Doctrine Police

The Doctrine Police

It appears the doctrine police are out in full-force these days. On Internet lists, forums, blog comments and email there is a growing number of people who want to draw the lines of sound doctrine and then intimidate those who don’t conform to their views. They bully people with name-calling and false accusations, refusing to listen with others point out their distorted conclusions and they do it convinced they’re doing God a service. What to do about such people? Brad and Wayne take a look at the havoc such tactics can cause if we are driven by the need to convince others or the need to defend ourselves. Freedom in Christ means we don’t have to give in to either.

By: Wayne | 2008/03/28 | Show content | Trackback | Comments [RSS 2.0]

9 Responses to The Doctrine Police »»

Comments

Dave A

Comment by Dave A | 2008/03/29 at 10:58:33

I just downloaded this podcast and will be listening to it this afternoon. I actually look forward to Saturday house chores for they give me an excuse for listening to the lovely, ongoing, freedom spewing rants of brothers Wayne and Brad. (Hugs all around)

I disconnected myself from the forum a while back… no hard feelings, just where I am right now… a need to break away and focus on other things. But I do go back occasionally to peek in to see what the conversations are. Good grief… “The ongoing God journey dialog” for some seems nothing more than an opportunity for venomous attacks and strawman arguments. I just don’t get it… why hang around here if all you’re going to do is spend time trying to knock people down? Proves to me that the Pharisees are alive and well in Christendom.

Keep slinging that freedom, boys.

Love to you both-

Dave
Gordon Halford

Comment by Gordon Halford | 2008/03/29 at 15:21:03

Just thought it was fascinating (’Godincidence’) that the most recent post to the Austin-Sparks website (http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/002089.html) is talking about very similar issues.
Stephen

Comment by Stephen | 2008/03/30 at 18:39:28

I had forgotten that I had signed up for the forum a while ago and never did anything about it, but this podcast gave me new impetus to go and have a look ;=). I spend all day at a keyboard, so I don’t really think I will be adding many comments of my own on there, but it give me a chuckle to see how this little storm is developing.

It reminds me that there are still a lot of people out there I don’t understand at all. I don’t get the point of spending (wasting?) time on a forum where you know that 99% of the people there are going to disagree with what you say. It seems like a refrigerator salesman going door-to-door at the North Pole. The only possible motivations I could conjure up were either that this person (persons?) imagines him / herself as a brave missionary hacking through the jungle to rescue one or two from the lion’s den of delusion, or perhaps it is just a case of liking the attention - whether positive or negative.

At the end of the day, one reason why a lot of people like to listen to what you say is that we also are “thinking outside the box”. As a group of people, it would seem that we are actually more likely to consider and weigh what we are being told by anyone - including you guys - and so (I hope) are less likely to be deceived.

Finally, I was wondering, Wayne, whether your experience of having to hold your tongue for 2 years while your reputation was being attacked was in part to help you deal with this experience. After all, The Shack was at 57 two weeks ago and 47 last week (USA Today list), so I imagine the list of detractors is only going to grow as this message of grace and love is spread.

Anyway, thank you for reminding me that in the everyday run of life, I need to entrust God with everything, including my reputation. I, too, have had a predisposition to verbal counterattack, whereas I now wonder whether I should have reacted differently.

Keep doing what you are doing, walking the walk God has laid out for you.
Lennart S. (South Africa)

Comment by Lennart S. (South Africa) | 2008/04/04 at 06:40:53

I have just finished, reading “THE SHACK”. Well, it shook my little ‘religious’ world so much it has left me wondering why on earth do I belong to a church which reveres their senior pastor so much! GOD is my source and target of my love, affection, power, wealth, affirmation, grace, goodness and everthing else.

Oh man, these “Doctrine Police” are in for whopper of a emotional hiding when they experience God’s goodness and love. God does not need anyone one to defend HIS doctrine. We just got it all screwed up. We mess with the understanding of His love, then we spend 2000 years trying to defend ourselves.

The phrase that goes “God is good all the time, and all the time God is Good” is totally under-rated!

Blessings and God’s Grace to all

Lennart
Tom

Comment by Tom | 2008/04/04 at 21:30:42

“oh my gosh” how many times can one person say “gosh” on a pod cast. love ya brad, but gosh you say gosh alot
george howell

Comment by george howell | 2008/04/14 at 11:30:21

FREEDOM Scares traditionalist!
Only TOTAL FREEDOM will set the captives free to be free!
Keep going forward because what you find up the road a little ways is even more heretical than what they accuse you of now! You guys ROCK!

Peace
George
Kim

Comment by Kim | 2008/04/16 at 18:09:05

Thank you, guys, for discussing the Doctrine police. I have been a victim of the Heretic Hunters and am still recovering from it. My experience was on a certain popular christian website which has now become more of a cult. If a person doesn’t follow the “approved doctrine”, the Heretic Hunters come out in force and beat the poor person to dust. How can anyone say they are walking in love while destroying another person?? I like certain TV pastors and I’ve been accused of not knowing scripture to being called a heretic simply because I listen to them. I have seen so many who were hurt by the Doctrine police and yet the accusers care little about whom they hurt or destroy. All that matters to them is forcing others to ‘agree’ with their doctrine. The Doctrine has now become god and Jesus is tossed into a corner. They kick the Holy Spirit in the gut and tell Him He’s not doing a good enough job. Thank God they are there to help Him. They truly believe they are ‘helping’ God. How sad to stand before the Lord at the end times and have Jesus look at them and say, “What were you thinking??” Shivers!! But I like your response, walk away. That’s what I’ve done. Walk away. Doctrine Police are just as lost as the world.
Mari

Comment by Mari | 2008/04/17 at 00:07:38

Thank You for not only “thinking outside the box”, you are “talking outside the box” and I can only surmise that you both are also “walking the walk!” I’m encouraged by your conversations.
Marcia M

Comment by Marcia M | 2008/05/31 at 08:59:05

The doctrine police were around to attempt to trip up the Lord Jesus as well, so it is an age old problem. The Lord handled each query quite nicely and then went on to what He was actually doing. He actually broke the law when He chose to forgive the woman caught in adultery.

It is also quite interesting that it was the “uneducated” who actually listened and heard His message.

However, it is a challenge to properly handle criticism. You tended to focus on “method” of communication rather than on “what” was being said by your critiques. No you actually did talk about the “what”, but it is so easy to ignore the what because of the how. I am often reminded of how King David allowed the man (can’t remember his name) to rail on him when he was fleeing Jerusalem and Absalom. I am one of those people you talked about that was involved in a cultic group for a number of years that now I am slow to be dogmatic.
Also, it is so easy to dismiss another’s critique just because they didn’t say it the way “I would have said it”.

Albeit, I totally agree that so many are missing the beautiful message of The Shack because of TMI.

The Doctrine Police

9 Responses to The Doctrine Police »»

Comments

Leave a Reply »»