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leftin1991
Intermediate Member
Username: leftin1991
Post Number: 472
Registered: 11-2004
Posted From: 72.24.207.240
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 12:40 am: | 
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Just as Graham has gobbled up several churches in the Tacoma area, the Holly Hills church did the same thing in the St. Louis area, several times. When this happened, such as with Forest Avenue, Overland, and north St. Louis outreaches, a few of the people came down to Holly Hills. But for most of them, who were 10-15 or more miles across the city, they did not find this practical. When the former pastors inquired about what to tell their disenfranchised members, R.W. told them, "Send them to the Baptist church!" What is ironic about this is, Baptists in general stand for and are staunch defenders of several foundational truths which NTCC fails to uphold!
1. LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE. In NTCC, you do not have this. They practice mind control and information control, dictate your beliefs to you, and "if you don't like it, there's the door!" Neither are you free to visit other churches without scrutiny and censure. This was the same scenario in the Dark Ages under the Roman Catholic Church in Europe. They forced the conscience, and dissenters who did not capitulate to them on various doctrines were hunted down and summarily tortured and executed. In NTCC it's "Leave your Bible at home, and check your brain at the door!" Baptists preach the opposite.
2. THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS. In NTCC, they have a hierarchy and have basically set up a priesthood through their ministry. The way we know this is, "If you're crossed up with your pastor, you're not right with God!" and things like, "God won't show you something without telling me first," & "I've already prayed" (R.W.)
Baptists emphasize the truth that each believer is a king and priest to God, and we need no earthly priest or pope to mediate with God other than Jesus Christ. There is no earthly head of the true church of Christ, or 'headquarters' to which all believers are beholden, such as Roman Catholics are to Rome & the pope.
3. THE COMPLETE AUTONOMY OF THE LOCAL CHURCH. In NTCC, the local church has no autonomy whatsoever. What little authority may be found there is encapsulated in the pastor himself, however, he is duty bound to preach the NTCS party line (the catechism camp from whence he must be credentialed), and to send 10% of all church revenues to the Graham compound. Pastors may not be selected by the individual congregations, or raised up from within the church, but they are always shipped in from points beyond, at the behest of the overseers (usually R.W.). This M.O. is made clear by statements such as, "Before I'd be an Independent, I'd join the Catholic Church!" - R.W. Davis
4. THE SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER IN CHRIST. While many Baptists need some doctrinal balance on this issue too, they are better off than NTCC, where your salvation is doubted or called into question for the least of peccadillos, not mindlessly obeying your pastor, or because you like cats, cream & sugar in your coffee, etc. Roman Catholics are similar, because if you claim assurance of salvation, you are classed as a heretic.
CONCLUSION: NTCC is little more than Catholicism in Pentecostal britches! Getting 'sent to the Baptist church' is the best thing R.W. could have told those former NTCC members. |
rls
New member
Username: rls
Post Number: 10
Registered: 12-2007
Posted From: 65.28.108.137
| | Posted on Monday, December 31, 2007 - 3:36 pm: |
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*BUMP* |
rls
New member
Username: rls
Post Number: 11
Registered: 12-2007
Posted From: 65.28.108.137
| | Posted on Monday, December 31, 2007 - 3:45 pm: |
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I wanted to bump this up for several reasons. I used to be a southern baptist, was raised as that. I think in comparison, the baptist church was the better deal, now that I look on things in recollection.
However, he refused to say much about other pentecostal denominations or organizations except to defame them. And, I think I have an idea or two why.
He was possibly caught in some stuff in the organization that he came out of. And, he knew that most others had a better thing going. Assemblies Of God churches I know by experience run with a minimum of interference once they answer to the national level only, and can do pretty much what they deem is right for their church, as long as they hold to the basic tenet of faith, and at least to some degree go along with AG national bylaws. They really are not that restrictive. That being the case, I think RWD was feeling inferior to the other pentecostal and for that matter charismatic organizations, because he knew he couldn't measure up to their standards. |
rls
New member
Username: rls
Post Number: 12
Registered: 12-2007
Posted From: 65.28.108.137
| | Posted on Monday, December 31, 2007 - 3:50 pm: |
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In addition, since he felt inferior and hemmed up, he wanted to start his own organization. One that would surpass all the others. With that he recruited from those who he had a good idea would follow his orders, be seduced by being called elitists, and would become the ultimate sales force for his organization, that was to be better than all other Christian denominations and organizations.
Well, to me it was an interesting theory on how a narcissitic individual might have brought things about, although a very sketchy one and not as well thought out as it could have been. |
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