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How to disagree with people you love
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How to disagree with people you love

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28 July

How to disagree with people you love

By Kevin|2019-04-11T06:04:58-06:00July 28th, 2017|Uncategorized|64 Comments

Some commenters here wrote recently about disagreeing without being disagreeable. As a result, I thought it would be good to write about how to disagree with people you love. That should be everyone, right? I've actually heard SCOC members mock the saying, "we can disagree without being disagreeable." To them, that's false unity, because disagreeing and remaining brothers in good standing are mutually contradictory. I'll attempt to show you why they are not—in fact brothers in disagreement is the only way we can ever be. That's because the basis of brotherhood is relationship, not shared opinions, and the basis for maintaining that relationship is love. If you love someone as a brother, as a spouse, or as a son or daughter, of course you aren't [...]

The problem with May Week
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The problem with May Week

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27 February

The problem with May Week

By Kevin|2019-06-15T08:58:03-06:00February 27th, 2014|Uncategorized|48 Comments

The annual May Week (or sometimes March Week, as in 2014) is the third rail of church politics. Touch it, and you are toast. Criticize it, or question its similarity to the Baptist Convention or any other religious body's annual doctrinal meeting, and you'll be promptly corrected, rebuked and/or withdrawn from—and perhaps all three. If your status is high enough in the "brotherhood" upon such an offense, history shows you probably won't even get a chance to defend yourself. You need to be made an example of, quickly and decisively. One would think that May Week, if the attempt is to truly follow the example of Acts 15, should be reserved for weighty subjects of earth-shattering importance to the unity of the brotherhood, i.e. the [...]

21 September

Teachers in lieu of elders

By Kevin|2019-04-11T02:09:12-06:00September 21st, 2013|Uncategorized|12 Comments

One of the most far-reaching mistakes of church history in the last 2000 years was when congregations started colluding to give bishops influence over multiple congregations rather than over a single congregation, as Paul originally established. Bishops are just another word for pastors, elders, presbyters, overseers, or shepherds. Whatever you want to call these local shepherds, they were a God-given form of church oversight to help keep wolves out of the flock. Paul outlined the qualifications for them, and instructed both Timothy and Titus about those qualifications. The only problem was that human ideas for church management (and control) just seemed so much more practical. The congregation in Rome—not unlike Stanton or Spring Valley—asked for, and received the deference of its peers. Their bishops began to [...]

26 August

Speaking the same thing

By Kevin|2019-04-11T02:08:44-06:00August 26th, 2013|Uncategorized|11 Comments

I have never seen a group misapply 1 Corinthians 1 about "speaking the same thing" so radically as this church does, and with such devastating results to freedom of conscience and congregational autonomy. "Older ones" get sent as delegates to what amounts to the Church of Christ Convention (not unlike the Baptist Convention). We typically call this May Week, or May Meeting, or sometimes March Week. Stanton discusses and debates petty matters of conscience, and returns with "new understandings" for the congregations to adopt. In a national game of follow the leader, the congregations do so, posthaste, as good followers do. This charade of unity-keeping is performed under the guise of living up to Paul's instruction in 1 Corinthians 1:10 to "speak the same thing." But [...]

"This needed to be said Kevin, thank you. I believe you are getting to heart of the problem in the church. Instead of a Christian being allowed to exercise their own conscience, the conscience of a few people living in South Carolina and California is forced upon the entire brotherhood." ~Anonymous

"Great blog, Kevin. I'm originally from Stanton (I remember you being a young boy there). I Spent almost twenty years in the church seeing many of the things you speak about but keeping them in the back of my mind, and doubting my own feelings that something wasn't right.

"This constant gossiping was so confusing because it was OK for teachers to talk about people, but no one else to even question actions of a teacher. Being outside of that influence and away from the constant intimidation, it is so much more clear. There was no love or understanding. I'm sure most, except for the leaders, know something is wrong if they would just be honest with themselves. I regret so much putting my children through this more than I regret putting myself through it.

"I'm just glad I left. No need for being bitter toward anyone because it was my choice to be there and stay there. Keep up the good work." ~Loraine Forshee

I have read every word of this blog… I spent many hours/days reading… Feeling so sick inside… I felt so grateful to find this blog." ~Anonymous

"I left the group because I realized that what the group taught and what God teaches were often-not always-vastly different. I had to make a choice; stay out of fear, obligation, because of relationships, or leave so I could continue to follow Christ. I left. You know, one thing I heard A LOT while in the group is that “fallen away ones” are always longing to come back into the group.” At the time I believed it, but I just haven’t found it to be true! If it were, there would be plenty of people flocking back, and it isn’t happening. I have been in contact with quite a few who have left, and not one of us has thoughts about going back. Ever." ~Debby Stevens

"What’s ironic is that we point these things out to them only for them to ignore, dismiss and scoff at the blog both publicly in talks or sermons, and among themselves in secret. For you leaders and members of the SCOC who still read this blog, it’s one thing to dismiss the dissenters, but when you have people in your own ranks parroting the SAME EXACT PROBLEMS we talk about here (some of whom don’t even read the blog yet they see the same things we do), it may be time to consider your ways instead of having “unity” (conformity) meetings trying to ignore it." ~Advocate for Peace

"I too am a current member in 'good standing' in the church. I read the blog and I know of two other current members who also read it. I am sure you're wondering why in the world I would still be attending after reading all of this. Honestly, I am weak and just don't have the courage to leave because of family members who are still involved. Because of the threat of withdrawal for murmuring it's impossible to ask others what they think of the blog posts and videos. I am sure I will leave someday, I'm just not quite ready." ~Anonymous

"I'm currently a member in "good standing" in the church. I read the blog, even though its frowned upon. I can't begin to tell you how closely the comments and personal testimonies align and match what's happening in the church. You read something here, and it opens your eyes to that behavior now. so that when you see it happening, you instantly think about who it happened to here on this blog, and you know the damage it causing." ~Anonymous

"I’m not giving up on God like they believe I’m lost now. I’m so glad I found this blog. It helped open my eyes to what I was a part of for TOO long." ~Not going back

“But men cannot give up their opinions, and therefore, they can never unite, says one. We do not ask them to give up their opinions–we ask them only not to impose them upon others. Let them hold their opinions, but let them hold them as private property. The faith is public property; opinions are, and always have been private property. Men have foolishly attempted to make the deductions of some great minds the common measure of all Christians. Hence the deductions of a Luther, and a Calvin, and a Wesley, have been the rule and measure of all who coalesce under the names of these leaders. It is cruel to excommunicate a man because of the imbecility of his intellect.” Alexander Campbell

"Someone told me here just recently that, Gary, do you realize what’s happening, under cover? People are coming out and expressing what it is that they feel, their disdain and contempt for what you believe. I’ve got to know how to respond. And I know how I respond. That’s the basis of this lesson. I refuse. I refuse, to the uttermost of my being to dignify the absurdity of the questions and the challenges in which it is that people will present. What I mean by that is that I will not honor, they are not worthy of my consideration. … [M]y whole estimation was to not give it a nickel’s worth of consideration. But I want to give you what it is how I deal with things like this. How I respond. Because I don’t. I don’t." Gary Preman

Trusting in women teachers. on Why I care about politics and cultureTrusting in women and teachers There are very good reasons why God wanted men to be preachers, men to be teachers, men to be elders, men to be deacons, men to be bishops, and meant to be a evangelists…
Merie, women teaching, and lust on Why I care about politics and cultureMerie Weiss, women teachers, and lust. There is absolutely no arguing the fact that there has never been, in the history of humanity, a time when there was more temptation for lust then exists today.…
Women keep silent on Why I care about politics and cultureHow is an older woman going to instruct a younger woman to love and obey her husband, and to raise her children, of the older woman never learned herself, and isn’t practicing it? She can’t, can’t giv…
Rebellion is witchcraft on Why I care about politics and culture1 Samuel 15:23 or rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king What…
Rudolph on Rules of attireIt’s a pagan tradition, and wasn’t even widely celebrated in America in 1776.
anonymous on Rules of attireIn today's 'Woke' culture, the term 'patriarchy' is considered a toxic and outmoded vestige of a bygone and oppressive era; I would daresay that even the word 'masculine' now has a universally pejorat…
anonymous on Rules of attireAnything beyond teaching a scriptural admonition for modesty of dress, is personal opinion, and cannot be bound upon anyone, as neither can one impose their own conscience upon another. That being sai…
anonymous on Rules of attireDon't forget that Christ is in Christmas!
Confirm, don’t just conform on Rules of attireSo very sad, The vast majority of humans will go with the flow, not realizing only dead fish go with the flow, and no one kicks a dead dog. A church begun by a woman, funded by a likely communist, Mr.…
Plot against the Church on Why I care about politics and cultureAccording to the Jewish Talmud, every woman who isn't a Jew is a prostitute. Their disdain towards other peoples goes so far as to assert: “What is a prostitute? Every woman who is not a Jewess.”5 And…
Annie Mouse on Rules of attireHere we were teaching manmade rules/judgements/doctrine and screaming at nonmembers for following religions with manmade rules. Members would claim that those crazy teachings were judgements and not d…
Advocate For Truth on Why I care about politics and culture1929, Jewish bankers crashed Wall Street, with their manipulation of the Federal Reserve. By removing money from circulation, and calling in loans, it brought on the crash of 1929. Afterwards, it brou…
Sunny on Rules of attireThis was taught under the context of whatever the scripture is that says a women shouldn’t wear things pertaining to a man. That is the explanation given when I inquired what the big deal with wearing…
Advocate For Truth on Why I care about politics and cultureExactly what the Jews are doing today. Whining about being victims, while they try to plunder and loot the entire earth. “However, this Christian opposition to racial discrimination is very skilfully…
Anonymous on Why I care about politics and cultureNot DWC she was in Des Moines, the other wicked false female teacher was in Great Falls Montana. (BD)
Striped Fish on Why I care about politics and cultureIf you’re talking about DWC being the regional counselor who fell away; she didn’t fall away; she was permanently ousted and told never to return. She had no choice in the matter of attending once thi…
Anonymous on Why I care about politics and cultureGuess who?
Craig Cusick on Why I care about politics and cultureThere is no such thing as private counsel with the cult. Counsel is shared and even the more so if you leave the cult.
Anonymous on Why I care about politics and cultureOne of the greatest gifts I was given in the SCOC was the teaching of daily study. I still study every day and not just the Bible but people as well, to me people are just like books. I learn the begi…
Anonymous on Why I care about politics and cultureAnother question one must ask when being accused of wrong doing from the pulpit is when did this happen? I was constantly being reproved for things I did one time years earlier. You could do a load of…