A Church for the Outcasts
This breaks my heart. We need the Church (God's people) to also be strong and confident enough to comfort and care for outcasts of churches (groups within God's people). Where is the love?
Who are the First Class Losers?
Labels: Church
posted by Kay @ 9:32 PM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you."
(1 Corinthians 5:1-13)
We watched the HBO Special Last night. I was so impressed with Ted Haggard. I agree, we were so sad about the way the church treated him. What was that??
Amy H.
Mag,
I appreciate your contribution, but a single passage left by itself hoping to make a point is a misuse of the Bible (at least the way in which your post comes across - maybe not universally). It's called 'proof texting' which is the citation of fragments of the Bible out of context. This is never enough in the application of scripture to Christian convictions and doctrine.
In this passage that you quote, Paul is addressing a church community where a man is sleeping with his father's wife and is not shy about it, maybe even proud of it. That specific church has failed to address the situation and so Paul does in a letter to them. He tells them to remove this man from their community (because of the man's and the church's attitude, not directly the man's action). The issue with Ted Haggard was not that he was sleeping with his mom. So from the very start you've misapplied this passage from it's original context.
Now if you want to discuss possible applications of this passage to contemporary life and world situations, we can do that. But that's a different post.
However, I would suggest you take a step back and study the example of Jesus to the marginalized peoples of the world (in which Haggard now belongs) before you attempt to take the teachings of Paul as instructions on how to treat sinners in the church.
I know I'm late...
I go to two churches.
One Free-Methodist church in Azusa, which provides a homeless meal every saturday for amost 100 homeless, some of which come to church services and experience community with that small church body. That's good.
I also go to a church called "Regeneration Life" (I think), which I adamantly refer to as "The Smokers Church." So good... We meet in an apartment & there are about 20-30 people who attend on a weekly basis. There are "cells" as they call them in a couple other cities which make up its whole church body & they all meet together once a month for a time of worship. There people ARE the outcasted, the ashamed, the broken, the searching, the desperate, the loving.... I'm glad to be one of them, as I am outcasted and broken in such a comparatively small way, I can't help but marvel at God's hand in this ministry. My hope is that the larger church body takes more cues from groups like these. There is hope to be had.
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