Comments on: Change Is Never Easy http://bill-hayes.org/2008/06/27/change-is-never-easy/ An attempt to write about how I am feeling at the moment about God, nature, family, friends, animals, and other important -- and not so important -- things. Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:29:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Rev Bill » Blog Archive » Advice From “The Gruntled” http://bill-hayes.org/2008/06/27/change-is-never-easy/comment-page-1/#comment-216712 Rev Bill » Blog Archive » Advice From “The Gruntled” Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:06:09 +0000 http://bill-hayes.org/?p=1083#comment-216712 [...] major decisions of the General Assembly — particularly changing the Book of Order standards of Ordination — must be passed by each Presbytery to become official. If those who disagree with such [...] [...] major decisions of the General Assembly — particularly changing the Book of Order standards of Ordination — must be passed by each Presbytery to become official. If those who disagree with such [...]

]]> By: Bill http://bill-hayes.org/2008/06/27/change-is-never-easy/comment-page-1/#comment-216706 Bill Sun, 29 Jun 2008 12:18:03 +0000 http://bill-hayes.org/?p=1083#comment-216706 Thanks, Stushie, for reading my blog 00 and sharing your opinions. Thanks, Stushie, for reading my blog 00 and sharing your opinions.

]]> By: Stushie http://bill-hayes.org/2008/06/27/change-is-never-easy/comment-page-1/#comment-216705 Stushie Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:46:45 +0000 http://bill-hayes.org/?p=1083#comment-216705 All week long, I watched the 218th General Assembly. It astounded me how many times people stated that Jesus would do this or say that to bolster their arguments. What a load of baloney! None of us were around with Jesus in New Testament times. We have no earthly idea about what He would do or say with regard to our cultural dilemmas and ecclesiastical issues. We question the authenticity of the Gospels and the authority of the scriptures. We transfer our own cultural preferences and see our own societal prejudices in the texts that were written by the people who truly knew Him. We are a bunch of narcissistic hypocrites looking to justify our politically correct ways and cultural orientations. We cast aside our allegiance to Christ because we don’t want to submit to Him. We change what the Bible says because we want everybody to like us. And then we get up to the microphones and tell other people what Jesus would do as if He’s our best buddy, turning Him into a theological ventriloquist’s dummy by putting words into His mouth and thoughts into His head. Bovine manure! We are the biggest bunch of failed followers in the history of Christianity and we have so diluted the Gospel that we have deluded ourselves into shaping Jesus like play dough and making Him a bobblehead character to sit beside our PCs. Our modern Presbyterianism is a theological tacky, mood manufactured, and cheapened grace of a faith. Even the word faith is false when applied to us – we have spiritual trends, and that’s about all. Perhaps we still have time left. Perhaps we can return to what we once were. Perhaps the Church will go through a revival, instead of cultural capitulation and doctrinal denial. Philippians 2:9-11 can be the starting point. 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. All week long, I watched the 218th General Assembly. It astounded me how many times people stated that Jesus would do this or say that to bolster their arguments. What a load of baloney! None of us were around with Jesus in New Testament times. We have no earthly idea about what He would do or say with regard to our cultural dilemmas and ecclesiastical issues. We question the authenticity of the Gospels and the authority of the scriptures. We transfer our own cultural preferences and see our own societal prejudices in the texts that were written by the people who truly knew Him.

We are a bunch of narcissistic hypocrites looking to justify our politically correct ways and cultural orientations. We cast aside our allegiance to Christ because we don’t want to submit to Him. We change what the Bible says because we want everybody to like us. And then we get up to the microphones and tell other people what Jesus would do as if He’s our best buddy, turning Him into a theological ventriloquist’s dummy by putting words into His mouth and thoughts into His head.

Bovine manure! We are the biggest bunch of failed followers in the history of Christianity and we have so diluted the Gospel that we have deluded ourselves into shaping Jesus like play dough and making Him a bobblehead character to sit beside our PCs. Our modern Presbyterianism is a theological tacky, mood manufactured, and cheapened grace of a faith. Even the word faith is false when applied to us – we have spiritual trends, and that’s about all.

Perhaps we still have time left. Perhaps we can return to what we once were. Perhaps the Church will go through a revival, instead of cultural capitulation and doctrinal denial. Philippians 2:9-11 can be the starting point.

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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