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Hi Daniel. My name's Brian Craig. I've been a member of the International Churches of Christ for 9 years. I just received your message. Thanks for making your point known. I wanted to respond to a couple of your points. Firstly, you said, "In the same way, you who are members of the church believe that it is the greatest in the world, but to ignore the short comings of your organization would be foolish at best and disastrous at worst." No thinking level-headed person would argue that our church is without problems. We are not brainwashed, short-sighted people that simply follow blindly along. We see that there are things that need to change --and there always will be problems as long as the church is full of imperfect people and imperfect leaders. I do not believe that these problems go ignored. If there is anything that I do not agree with or have a problem with I have the luxury of thousands of listening ears who are not just willing but eager to hear me. These things may not change immediately, but if God truly is in control they will eventually. We need to work to change the things that are wrong, not give up and quit all-together. And in the 9 years I've spent in the Kingdom I have seen many, many things change for the better. Our church does have problems, but it is simply the closest organization to the first-century church that currently exists on this planet. It's our best option right know. As Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, to whom shall we go?" The only reason to leave this church would be to go to one that was more closely following the doctrine, heart, and commitment-level of the first-century Christians (and if there was one out there I bet we'd join forces!) People who leave the church always have criticisms of the church, and often these are valid. However, where else are you going to go? If you were really leaving for spiritual Biblical reasons it would be to go to a more Biblical church. If there really is an eternity, if the Bible really is God's word, if there is only 80 years spent on this earth and then forever, than all that matters is our spiritual welfare. I have researched many churches and many ideologies and there is no other church that is following the Bible more closely, having more global impact, and changing lives for the better more significantly than this organization which I believe is the Kingdom of God on earth. That said, I wanted to offer my comments on your 3 criticisms. 1) Mandatory Minimums I agree with you on this point. A "mandatory minimum" is wrong in my eyes. The Bible says "Each should give what he has decided in his heart to give --Not under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." However, let's examine the heart behind the situation. Where does the money go? To guild the luxurious mansions of the church leaders? NO!! It goes to saving souls, to fulfilling Jesus' great commission to make disciples of all nations. What better could you spend your money on!? (Again IF there is a God, the Bible is his word, there is eternity after death, etc.) We are so lucky to be in a church that has never seen any kind of financial scandal. I think it's great that we can actually see our money going to work for God. In the Old Testament God's people's tithes went "up in smoke." Imagine if your family group leader collected contribution and then burned all the money. God would still see the sacrifice, and the sacrifice is the point. Also, the early Christians watched there spouses and children eaten by wild animals for the sake of the gospel. The were burned at the stake, boiled in oil, skinned alive, sawed in two, extremely persecuted. They sold all they had and gave it to the church. Enduring the financial hardship of having to come up with $10 a week pales in comparison! How much does the average American college student spend on movies, food, entertainment, dates, etc? Why not give a little bit to God's cause! While I agree with you that a mandatory contribution rate assigned by someone other than the contributor is wrong, I am extremely offended by your statement of "Therefore you must give money to get into heaven --Contributor=member=saved" This assessment is WAY off!!! There has NEVER been a single member of this church who was turned away or considered not a member because they missed their contribution. Your comparison to the Catholic Church's policy of indulgences is totally unfair. I agree that a contribution level should be something that the contributor decide in his own heart, but it's the leader's decision to figure out how much money we need to get the job done, and how much we need for each member to be giving. College students who only give $10 a week get to experience the same great meeting places, have the help of the same full-time people, participate in the same events as the married couples who contribute $250! Again, this is no reason to give up on God and stop going to his church! I paid my own way through college and I know it's difficult, but really! 2) Excommunication The concept of "marking" is absolutely Biblical. Anyone that repents, even if they have been formerly marked, is ALWAYS welcome back. If someone was turned away as you assert happened to your friend at UCLA, that is wrong. However, no one could keep me away if I had been marked and then repented! I don't care what people think, I want to go to heaven! I would convince whoever I needed to that I had truly repented. I'm friends with disciples who are now faithful members and were "marked" at one time. You are right in that friendship should not end just because someone decides to leave the church, but the motivation for marking is to protect the flock. Again, it's Biblical! The Epistles are FULL of warnings to stay away from certain people and certain groups! 3. Psychological Damage I know in my own heart it's painful to hang out with friends that have fallen away. In my eyes they are lost and that hurts! You say they we should just be a friend and you ask, "must your friendship always be comprised of membership to your faith?" yet to us, our faith is everything. And that is absolutely Biblical. If there is an eternity after this short life, than all that matters are our spiritual lives. Spending time with a friend who has fallen away and not trying to convince them to come back would NOT be love and friendship for me. Your point taken spiritually is like saying it's rude to keep trying to convince someone to leave a burning building or not use a blowdrier while sitting in a bathtub full of water when they've made up their mind. We as a church are trying to better at maintaining contact with those who have left. What you are criticizing is exactly what is being preached against again and again, particularly by Al Baird. We have had a few "homecoming" services in our sector and made a special effort to contact our friends that are no longer members. Another reason I don't spend a lot of time hanging out will people who have decided they will never come back to church is time management. The Bible says that the time is short! Again, IF there is a God, the Bible is his word, there is eternity after death, etc, than those that haven't heard the gospel need to hear it! Those that have heard it and have decided to not follow God's Word --though I love them and hurt for them --should not be the focus of my time if I am trying to be a "fisher of men." It doesn't mean I love them any less, but it's not fair to the rest of the world for me to not spend my time making disciples efficiently. Conclusion While some of your criticisms are valid they are certainly no reason to give up on God's kingdom. Scientist estimate that with today's population, 1/2 the people who have ever lived on this earth are alive right now. We can reach those people with the gospel. By the year 2000 there will be a church in every nation! It's incredible what God is doing in our generation! I would recommend the book Will the Real Heretic Please Stand Up, by Bercott, to you. It was written by someone who is NOT a member of our church analyzing the extra-Biblical writings of the first century Christians and their lifestyles. You will be more convinced then ever that there is no other organization on earth that is more closely following the model of the church of Jesus Christ that was originally established almost 2 years ago than the International Churches of Christ. You can email Brian Craig and tell him what you think. Contact: Daniel de Sailles
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