Comments of the Week Feb 10-18
Comments of the Week Feb 10-18
“I think it might be useful to mention that most employers do not give any details about the decision to terminate an employee. They are not required to do so and as someone who has terminated employees, I can tell you that an employer does not wish to incur any liability by speaking about or publicizing the reason for termination. The terminated employee can spin it any way they want….and Mr. Kelly likely will.” –Linda Nottingham on Ron Kelly being fired
Comments on Aunt Sevvy, Fundamentalism vs. a Simple Faith, Our Conspiracies & Theirs, The Bible & Satan’s Poison, and Michigan Conference Firing Ron Kelly
Aunty, what is the “latter rain” I hear so much about?
EDITORIAL: Fundamentalism vs. a Simple, Humble Faith
“What both progressives and fundamentalists don’t always understand is that doctrinal belief is lower on the totem pole than living a kind, generous, helpful life.“
–Michael Wortman
“I think most responses will point the finger at the organization, and while this is reasonable we also need to consider if the pointing needs to be done at ourselves. Do we harbor thoughts of ‘If you don’t keep the Sabbath you won’t be saved’ or ‘If you don’t accept Jesus before you die you won’t go to heaven.’ Or ‘If you’re living in poverty it’s your own fault’ or, heaven forbid, ‘If you think, act, differently from me, you are wrong.’ We do tend to look around us through the lens of our own life experience and unwittingly attach our prejudices towards other people. That’s a form of fundamentalism, right?
Has Our Time Come? Our Conspiracies & Theirs
“One of the things that gets me about the whole TGC controversy is how much effort, money, and resources have been wasted on it. ADRA will bring more people into God’s kingdom because it meets people where they’re at and helps them. ADRA does way better at representing who Jesus really is in this world than any evangelistic crusade.
–Pam Grootemaat
Michigan Conference Fires Berrien Village Pastor Ron Kelly
“I think it might be useful to mention that most employers do not give any details about the decision to terminate an employee. They are not required to do so and as someone who has terminated employees, I can tell you that an employer does not wish to incur any liability by speaking about or publicizing the reason for termination. The terminated employee can spin it any way they want….and Mr. Kelly likely will.”
“They write the letter as though everyone knows the reasons. But I for one wonder why they didn’t mention how the congregation became obsessed with anti-vax and Christian nationalism, and whether that had anything to do with the result.”
“To reconcile Jesus’s own words with what was put forth previously is a challenge…. I’ll go with Jesus’s own words EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. There cannot be conflict in a God who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The heart of Jesus…. if it means that I delight in the destruction of my enemies (killing, vengeance, and taking from them), I really don’t want a part of that. Fortunately, God IS love.“
–Larry Stolz
“You hit the nail squarely here, Don. The notion that the Bible is somehow word-for-word only the will of God doesn’t stand up to study. I have never been able to reconcile the cruelty God demands of Israel toward their enemies, and I have to assume that some angry human wrote them and put them in God’s mouth.”
-Loren Seibold
Aunty, will the Sabbath be the test at the time of the end?
“The whole idea of a final test denies the gospel. The Bible teaches that we are saved because of what Jesus did – not because we did something to pass a test, or to prove we love God. And we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said his followers will be identified by their love, not by what day they go to church.
–Debbie Gilbert
“Perhaps our final test will be the same as Peter’s, do we know Jesus, and can people tell our love for Jesus by how we treat others?”
–Claudia Santellano
