Uncoolman
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Rank:Regular Member
Score:4500
Registered:
05/04/2003
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RE:Articles and authors of 'Please Consider'
(Date Posted:16/04/2008 09:31:56)
A Journey of Faith
One Man's Testimony of Saving Grace
by Ian Thomason
It is perfectly reasonable for those who visit this site to ask the question, "...why did they do it? Why create a resource that openly challenges the way the RCI, the RF and the CAI approaches and understands the Bible and Christian teaching?" This short summary of my own journey of faith seeks to address this question, from my perspective, noting of course, that Drew has done the same from his.
Background
In common with a good many people I wasn't raised in a Christian home, or in a particularly Christian environment. Whilst I do have memories of stages during my childhood where I was, for a time, conscious of 'God', I didn't really go out of my way to learn about him, nor did I attempt to meet with him personally.
In 1983, whilst at High School, I read a copy of a book entitled, The Cross and the Switchblade. It was a biographical tale of David Wilkerson's ministry to the street gangs of New York City during the late 1950s and the early 1960s. It charted the foundation of the (now) worldwide 'Teen Challenge' Ministry. Although the book mentioned several charismatic phenomena, what really impacted me about the account was the way in which Jesus Christ actively intervened in the lives and struggles of real people. That Jesus was not simply 'out there' and distant made quite an impression on me at the time, however, this eventually passed and my life moved on.
The Revival Centres of Australia
It wasn't until early February of 1986 that my life took an unexpected turn, and I was confronted with the need to make a spiritual decision. I had finished school, and was experimenting with the concept of raising spending money for the first time, by hawking computers door-to-door. One Friday night I was door knocking in the southern suburbs of Brisbane, when I happened upon the unit of a couple from the Brisbane Revival Centre. They welcomed me into their home, and patiently sat through my rather lengthy sales pitch. It was only after I had finished all that I had to say that a Bible was produced, and I was confronted with the issues of faith and belief.
That night I heard about a God who answered prayer, about miracles and about spiritual power. I was challenged to prove the reality of God's existence for myself, and was assured that if I did so, that he would certainly respond. Being thus suitably confronted, I felt that I was ready to investigate the whole 'Christianity' issue further, and so I accepted an invitation to visit the couple's church the following Sunday.
On returning home that night, I reviewed my life to date, and so devoted myself to ardently calling upon God. I had an experience that night which convinced me that Jesus Christ was real, and that he even loved me - in spite of all my failings. In case you're wondering, no I didn't speak in tongues, but God proved himself real to me, and he assured me that he cared for me deeply. I was born again.
Sunday found me seated in the RCI hall at Camp Hill, listening to a number of people testify of their spiritual experiences. When the offer for baptism was made, I promptly accepted, and was duly immersed. Sitting in the tank I soon experienced the gift of tongues, and was warmly welcomed into the church. However, on returning home that afternoon, my father was less than impressed with my newfound decision to follow Christ. He and I parted ways, and sadly, were not reconciled before his premature death a short ten years later.
I immersed myself fully in all the activities and social aspects of my new fellowship. I attended all the meetings, and I spent considerable time street witnessing, and otherwise in the company of the saints. Little by little my involvement with the RCI consumed me, and previous friendships, interests and pastimes were discarded. I wasn't overly concerned, however, as I had new friends who loved me, I had plenty of activities to be involved in, and I had something new to live for.
Moving to Toowoomba
By mid 1997, I had become involved with a young lady from the Toowoomba assembly. Naturally, I wished to transfer with my work to that city, to be closer to her, and so I approached the Brisbane pastor to advise him of my plans. I was soon informed that I didn't have his approval to move, and that Louise would have to relocate to Brisbane. Unfortunately, due to her age and her employment circumstances, this simply wasn't possible. Although approval for me to move was eventually granted, and I did so, I was more than a little concerned to discover that I was not truly in the position to chart my own destiny without the concurrence of the Oversight.
Of course, I had spent much time visiting Toowoomba prior to relocating there, however, I was surprised to discover that the Toowoomba fellowship was quite different in 'feel' to the one in Brisbane. I found it to be far less restrictive and controlling, and so I relished in my newfound freedom.
My girlfriend, then my fiancée, now my wife and I were married towards the close of the following year. A series of events caused us to question the love, trust and honesty of several people within the assembly, however, matters truly came to a head after we were involved in a car crash on the way to church one Sunday evening. It became very clear to us that form rather than function seemed to be the emphasis in the assembly, and so we excused ourselves from the fellowship.
My wife and I were not prepared for what soon followed. The rumours started circulating almost immediately, coupled with supposedly trusted and loyal friends going to some lengths to avoid all contact with us - even to the point of crossing a street or turning around and walking away should we meet inadvertently. My wife and I found ourselves marginalized and completely isolated. Given the all-consuming nature of the fellowship, we soon realised that we had no friends.
As that the only Christian experience that either of us had ever known was that of the RCI, we were unable to accept what we perceived as 'compromise' within the Pentecostal churches we later visited. It never dawned on either of us to meet with a minister to discuss our concerns, or to visit a normal, denominational church. So we attempted to do the best we could alone. We discovered that neither of us was particularly mature spiritually, the net result being that our lives became somewhat grim.
It was during the most difficult years in the 'spiritual wilderness', that Jesus made his presence known. Circumstances would mysteriously shift, often to our benefit, and little by little we came to see his hand over our lives. It was during this time that I began to analyse what I had believed about my faith - and why I had believed certain issues to be true. This was to later blossom into formal and systematic theological study, however, at that time it was simply a case of methodical research borne from a pressing need to 'know'.
New beginnings
In 1993 I moved my family to Canberra, in order to further my career. It was then and there that we made the decision to re-enter into 'formal' Christian fellowship and community. Through the support and nurture of our church we grew spiritually, and became noticeably more tolerant and accepting of the beliefs of others. My rather narrow RCI world-view began to grow much broader, as I had discovered that God was far bigger than I was small.
Since our sojourn in the nation's capital, my career has required my family to relocate the length and breadth of our country on several occasions. As a family we have always prayed that God would place us into churches where we could both serve and be served, and the Father has consistently answered this prayer. The result has been that we have grown in Pentecostal as well as in non-Pentecostal fellowships. I have found that spiritual maturity occurs far more quickly when one is not bound by rigid denominational, or philosophical, conformity.
The here and now
I should like to emphasise that I am not anti-'Revivalist' in my focus. Whilst I will not vacillate or quibble on issues of belief, I do have a heart for those in the Revivalist fellowships, and a fervent desire to see the groups embrace orthodox Christian teachings even more closely than they have to date. My prayer is that the RCI and the RF will continue to move in the directions that they have been, and that this site might assist individuals, and perhaps even assemblies, in that journey.
What now?
God called me to be involved in the teaching of Christian truth a number of years ago. Consequently, I have attempted to be obedient, and so have laboured diligently to develop the skills and knowledge that is required to adequately serve him and his people in such a capacity. By engaging in theological study at degree level I have learned a significant truth: formal and academic theological training does not necessarily shape one's beliefs. Such involvement simply equips one with the skills that are required to properly discover what those beliefs ought to be.
My teaching ministry, several years on, now is to be found in three distinct contexts. First, and certainly the most important, is my service within the context of a local community of believers - a church. More recently, however, I have become involved in the training, advising and guiding of students studying theology at college level. In this way I hope to achieve a lasting impact in those men and women who will actively teach others into the future. Finally, God would apparently have me maintain a ministry to those in my former fellowship, via this medium.
It is true that there are several websites, all of which aim to present information to seeking RCI, RF and CAI members. However, each one does so in accordance with a differing philosophy, albeit most would share similar aims and goals. Drew and I pray that 'Please Consider' will meet a very pressing need in providing another perspective on certain issues to those that are officially endorsed by the varied Revivalist groups. Our aim remains to provide informed and reasoned views as objectively as we are able. Our philosophy is to make available researched information, coupled with informed opinion, and that as without judgement as we are able. I pray that, in some small measure, this goal is achieved.
God bless.
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Uncoolman
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2# |
Rank:Regular Member
Score:4500
Registered:
05/04/2003
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RE:Articles and authors of 'Please Consider'
(Date Posted:16/04/2008 09:34:33)
The story so far
By Drew
People visiting this site may be curious as to who I am and why I have involved myself in 'pleaseconsider.info'.
Let me begin by giving a short account of my past, this will help explain some of the reasons why I am here.
Where it began
Almost as far back as I can recall, I had a consciousness of God, but my relationship with him was not especially close. I went through the normal ups and downs of growing up. In mid 1989 (age 23), during one of those questioning times of my life, a good friend became involved with the Revival Centres International. From the very beginning, when she shared her experience with me, the focus was unashamedly on tongues and the Holy Ghost. In February 1990 I was baptised in water and soon after received the gift of tongues, though it was not expressed in this manner at the time. At that stage, I had been instructed to see this experience as representing salvation itself, nothing less.
As most are, I was made to feel welcome and part of the group. I became very close with a number of people, strong friendships were forged and my involvement in the work of the church increased. I was very happy with both my surroundings and my experience and almost all my time in the RCI was enjoyable (if not a little too busy). I was married in 1992 then began my leadership role as a youth group team leader, progressing to house leader, then in 1998 became a pastor and moved to the Gold Coast to look after a small assembly.
It was at this time that I set about to 'tidy up' my beliefs and refine a few of those loose ends, some of those scriptures that just didn't seem to fit my Revival belief system. I fully intended through this exercise to become an RCI 'defender of the faith', an apologist for the cause, if you will.
Things didn't quite go as planned.
During this time of study, the enormity of the whole situation also took on a greater reality for me. As a pastor, I became aware just how much control, we as oversight, had over people's lives. Many people were almost totally dependant on their leaders for guidance and advice. I began to see more and more, significant problems that had, and were, occurring for some due to the real-life application of RCI policy. These included coerced marriages, permanent assembly expulsions, and other general disciplinary measures. Some men had a huge amount of control in determining people's futures and a number were simply not qualified for this responsibility. Any system that allows the concentration of so much power to a relative few, should be seriously questioned.
These things began to weigh heavily on me.
One aspect of my focused studies involved listening over and over again to the New Testament on tape. It was during this continuous pouring over the NT, and gaining a better overall perspective and 'feel' for the New Testament Church, that more questions were raised than were answered.
There were many issues, but the main ones that created a conflict with my then belief system could be best summarised as follows:-
1. Listening to the NT Apostles over and over again just did not sound like what I and the RCI proclaimed.
2. Speaking in tongues held no prominence at all in the NT church and was never esteemed in the manner it is in Revivalist groups. I also became very cautious about the universal and unquestioned acceptance that all Revivalist's tongues were genuine, dare I say it 'pentecostal', especially as the fruit of the spirit was obviously missing in some 'spirit-filled' lives. I also began to question the 'process' that many people had to go through before tongues came.
3. A detailed critical study into the British Israel theme seemed to place it about as far from the NT narrative as one could get.
4. The RCI aspect of sin and the preaching by some leaders that 'they don't sin' simply did not match the NT narrative. I came to see that this view was a very dangerous position to take and produced a limited and 'boxed' concept of sin. A number in the assembly were living under condemnation as there was no clear way forward for any sin committed 'post-tongues'.
5. A number of key Revival support scriptures had obviously been interpreted wrong.
As I studied in more depth, I still hoped that the RCI and my then beliefs were somehow right, but eventually I had to concede that they were not. Not only did I believe we had a number of the incidentals incorrect, but I began to suspect that we even had the fundamental message of salvation wrong, it was this that caused me the greatest initial concern.
I still remember the time when that realisation hit me, it was a sobering moment. From that time on my conscience simply would not let me rest.
I approached my oversight with some of my concerns, knowing that the moment I called tongues into question, I would likely seal my fate as far as my future with the RCI was concerned. Certain subjects were simply taboo, and tongues was, and is, one of them, especially for a pastor. By the end of the first meeting, I was out of fellowship. Given the opportunity, I doubt I would have remained within the group in any case, but I was told I could no longer stay if I continued to hold the understandings I had developed.
The parting was as amicable as could be, and I understand why the Pastors concerned had to take the course they did.
Throughout my studies, my wife had been my proof reader and was well aware of the doctrinal problems that concerned me. She also attended the meeting I had with my senior oversight to hear both sides, her path and outcome took a similar direction to mine. Many of our friends, both members and oversight, ceased contact with us and a number of our attempts to simply continue some friendships were not well received. Departure from a group such as the RCI is a difficult situation, if you try to continue contact with your friends you are often seen as 'divisionary' or a 'wolf after the flock', however, if you don't pursue friendships then those you love and care for think that you have simply left them......dammed if you do, dammed if you don't.
As mentioned, our departure from the RCI was as amicable as could be expected under the circumstances, but it was extremely painful. For both my wife and myself, the RCI was our life. Between us, we had a total of around 25 years of dedicated fellowship and service. All of our friends, a number of family, and almost all our memories were tied up with the group, it was by far the hardest decision of our lives.
We lost it all and literally had to start again, but God is faithful.
Why this site
Christmas 2000/2001, when we left, was our darkest hour. Since then we have continued to grow and God has been a wonderful comforter. When we left, we never went after anyone to try and convince them of our views, I even turned away a number of people that wanted to hear more of my story, I was simply not ready. Over a period of time however, we came into contact with many current and former members of the RCI and RF and it became obvious that while some people had been 'out' for a number of years, their lives were still on hold and they had had trouble moving on, both personally and spiritually. Indeed life had (has) been put on hold for a number even within the fellowships. Sadder still, some considered throwing it all away. Now while we have suffered significant personal distress and sadness through the separation from our friends and those we love, spiritually we have grown stronger, as has our relationship with Christ. This prompted me to consider our journey after leaving the group, and why we did not seem to suffer a number of the problems that others had.
Everyone is different, but I believe there are several factors that contributed significantly to our spiritual stability and peace. One help was a balanced fellowship where we could sit back, take stock, and regain our Christian objectivity. However, I think that the greatest reason of all, from our perspective at least, is that we were able to untangle the scriptural web that is the Revivalist doctrine. For this reason, it is my hope to pass on some of that information to others to help in their own situation and perhaps help to initiate some change of practices within the groups concerned.
The intent of this site is not and never will be, to try and pull down any person or group. Rather, it is to help build, in whatever form that may take. My prayer is for a change in the direction these fellowships take, a direction that I would see as a more biblically correct application of the Word of God.
Revivalists are a people of the 'Word'
The Christian gospel is a simple one, and by the grace of God, easily grasped. People may rightly ask then why we need to present so much information on the Revivalist understandings if the Gospel is so simple?
This is easy to answer. Revivalists are a people of the 'Word'. They get at least three talks from the Bible every week, often in depth, with scripture after scripture dissected and presented in a very specific and directed manner. These beliefs are so heavily ingrained in the conscious, it is difficult for many to take a step back and objectively examine them. When people leave these groups, some of these incorrect beliefs follow them and create conflicts when they try and settle into a more orthodox Christian fellowship. I believe that as a Revivalist, I was not only systematically taught what to think, but just as importantly how to think.
As a pastor, I helped inadvertently cultivate the very system that bound me. It is my hope that this site will go some way to pulling down this sticky web that now binds others.
I have no personal grudges against any in the Revival fellowships, I still count them as my friends, both the oversight and the people. I pray for them continually. Nor do I see any of the pastors as deliberately trying to deceive people, they are as I was, totally convinced that what they are doing is both correct and scriptural. However, I feel it is the responsibility of all of us, especially those who have influence over the lives and beliefs of others, to carefully and prayerfully examine the origins, intent, direction and fruit of our spiritual convictions, for in them is the power of life and death. As Blaise Pascal once said;
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction".
None of us, including myself, are immune from the above reality. It is a possibility that should cause us all to diligently and objectively examine our beliefs and the impact these beliefs have on the lives of not just ourselves, but of others too, whether 'in' or 'out' of our respective fellowships.
May God Bless us all on our journey. All I ask is for those that visit this site to 'PleaseConsider' and let us reason together.
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