The Old is New
OK, we went through all of the old mail and deleted it. We posted everything that looked like it hadn't been posted. If you wrote something that you really wanted on the blog, please send it to us again. We will be glad to post it. If you have been in touch with other people who may have stopped visiting the blog, let them know that it is active again.
Thanks and blessings! DPR! (arrgh!)
7 comments:
This is unrelated to the post, but, so what:
something that always makes me smile or laugh: Do you remember Member's Meetings (or whatever they came to be called in later years) - there was one mic for new topics and another for continued input on the current topic. On Sundays when Karl preached, there would often be a line at the "new topic" mic. Then, when someone would begin to share about the mornings' message, much of the line would rush to the other mic. Were we brown nosers, or what?
as long as we didn't contradict the "apostle"! Some of us rabble rousers would try to bring up real questions about his revelations and look out! I don't remember anyone ever getting ejected from those meetings, but I probably had a talk with HCL's afterwards.
Does anyone know if LFF has ever publicly retracted (or apologized) for any of the false doctrines that have been taught there? (23-1/3% tithing, etc, etc....)
If not I'm sure that it's still "business as usual" there -teaching the same old stuff made to look new and improved.
What the place needs is a planned and concerted effort to systematically address and "unteach" their "Bardenized" doctrines and attitudes so that it can restored to the rest of the Body of Christ while there is still time.
My sincere guess is that this project would take about 5 years but is extremely doable. The process should start with public retractions and apologies and then directly proceed to correcting the errors.
This process is called "repentance." And I find it extremely ironic that the church that contantly preached their version of "repentance" to their members seems to be unable to repent themselves -then or now.
Thank you for creating this blog. I have been struggling for nearly 9 yrs with my experiences at LFF and find myself consumed with worry about the folks that I left behind when I left. I wonder who is still there and who has left and I pray for friends that I think are still stuck and may never get unstuck. So, in my morbid curiousity I look to see what I can find out about LFF with the hope to discover someone that was once (and to a degree still is) important to me has left. In that process I discovered this site a couple of days ago and I thank you. While most everyone in veiled by anonymity (and rightly so) it is good to know that many have left. I am especially glad to see the number of PCS kids that have "gotten out!" I was never comfortable with the degree discipline (aka corporal punishment)used on children and most especially on toddlers there.
Oops! I meant 'degree of discipline"
Regarding the 7/19 post:
"23-1/3% tithing" is another example of non-sensical teaching and is on the same order as a "63% half" or a 43% third." A tithe is 10% -end of story. But Karl was arrogant enough to believe that he could "improve" upon what scripture really taught.
As I remember, the verse in Malachi about bringing in "all the tithes" was a favorite Bardenized (twisted) scripture that was used to hit LFFers over the head with. (Do they still do this?) The people of Malachi's day were largely made up of farmers and shepherds. So if you had 3 different types of crops and raised sheep on the side you would bring in a tithe from the increase of your wheat, barely, figs, and a tithe from the 10 new lambs born that spring. You would bring in "all the tithes" to the House of the Lord. Jesus confirmed this later when talking to Pharisees about tithing from the dill and cummin but disregarding the weightier things of the Law.
(Using Karl Barden's fractured mathmatics, if a farmer in the OT tithed from 11 different crops then we should be required to pay 110% today!)
The New Testament teaches about giving and doesn't mention tithing at all and (contrary to Karl Barden) makes giving a matter of the heart and not an issue of "exceeding the standard of the Old Testament" as was taught by Barden.
But all this was a symptom of his belief that all LFFers should be a type of "super-Christian" and go above what was really taught by scriputure. (The Lord says, "Turn neither to the left hand or to the right." Good advice for Karl.)
This "super-Christianity" belief goes back to the roots of LLF (then known as "The Covenant") and the influence of a man named Bill Britton who taught that we should all be "Overcomers" and set apart from other ordinary believers.
This, of course, led to pride, arrogance, and ongoing error. (Tell me, has anything changed?)
Beware of anyone "improving upon" what the Word of God really says or anyone teaching a "higher standard" than what is really taught by the Lord. "There is a way that seems right to man but it's way ends in death."
Here is an example of this subtle error that still goes on today. The LFF slogan (invented by Karl Barden):
"If Christianity is anything, it is everything."
Sounds good doesn't it? But it is simply and subtly not really true.
The first part is true: "Christianity is anything..."
Christianity is the religion of those following Christ -certainly a very significant thing. But Christianity is NOT everything! Scripture clearly points the Way to Christ and not to religion itself. Our lives are not to be consumed by church (as taught at LFF) but by Christ.
Believe me there is a subtle but very important difference here! Do you want to spend your life under the command of church leaders or do you want the freedom and liberating call to follow Christ? Following Christ is not the same as being consumed with involvement in your local church! (In fact, I personally believe that many bury themselves in church involvement in order to disobey what God is really calling them to do. Subtle but effective disobedience to the real Christ!) Do what the Spirit of Christ tells you to do and throw off the control of men and women who are not in harmony with His Voice of Truth.
No King but King Jesus.
ML99
to ML99:
Thanks, that was well-expressed. It helps explain why so many of us felt inadequate all the time. Scripture tells us that we can't even make God's standard - how could we expect to exceed a standard that was already above us?
Post a Comment