First Contact – Part 8 – Seventh-day Adventists

Shortly after joining the Church of Christ in 1980, I discovered that a coworker, Billy, was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist church. As was my habit, I began questioning him about his beliefs and tried to understand some of the differences he and I had. At some point he suggested that I come over to his house and meet with a couple of other members from his church. The main topic of discussion was to be the Sabbath and why the SdA worshipped on that day rather than Sunday.

I told a church friend of mine, Steve, about this meeting, and he was eager to join in. Steve did a lot of mission work in Africa and was pretty knowledgeable of the Bible.

Well, the big day came. Steve and I drove to Billy’s house. As promised, two other men were there. We sat around in a circle in Billy’s living room and started our discussion. We probably talked for an hour or longer, but I don’t remember very much of it. However, one exchange stands out clearly in my mind.

While defending Sabbath day worship, one of the SdA members brought up Matthew 24:15-21, where Jesus is quoted as saying the following:

“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.”

The SdA guy then followed up by saying, “Why would Jesus tell his followers to pray that their flight not take place on the Sabbath if the Sabbath was no longer a day of rest and worship?”

I sat in silence. I was a new believer and didn’t have many answers. Steve seemed to be stumped also, at least for a while. He said, “Well, let’s see, why would he say that? Hmmm. Why would he not want them to take flight on a Sabbath? Hmmm. Oh, I know, the gates to the city were closed on the Sabbath. That would make it much more difficult to flee the city. Yeah, that would be it.”

I was thinking, Now that was an obvious impromptu answer. They’ll see through that easily and have a definitive response. I was wrong.

I saw a look of concern come over one of the SdA members. There was a pause. No immediate response came. Finally they spoke again, but had nothing to definitively refute Steve’s explanation. I was a bit surprised.

Later, as we were departing, Steve said to me, “They don’t have a leg to stand on.”

I wasn’t that certain, but it did seem to me that Steve had gotten them on the run.

For some reason I never pursued having any further discussions with the Seventh-day Adventists. I attended one of their services, but that was about it. In actuality, I came to view the whole Sabbath vs. Sunday issue to really be a non-issue, mainly because of these words by the Apostle Paul in Romans 14:5-6.

“One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.”

First Contact – Part 7 – Worldwide Church of God

In the late 1960s and early 1970s my dad and I liked to watch a television program named “The World Tomorrow” hosted by Garner Ted Armstrong. The show was a production of the Worldwide Church of God. This church was actually started in 1931 as The Radio Church of God by Herbert W. Armstrong, Garner Ted’s father. The show talked about the future of the world according to Biblical prophecy. In 1972, Garner Ted and his father had a falling out, and the latter took over the broadcasts.

After joining the Church of Christ in 1980, I found myself attempting to understand other denominations and their teachings. At some point, I began ordering pamphlets on different topics written by Herbert W. Armstrong. They were all very intriguing. Armstrong was very good at explaining his position on Biblical issues in a structured and understandable manner. I also subscribed to their magazine “The Plain Truth”. My main takeaway from Armstrong’s teachings was that unless the New Testament specifically did away with a commandment in the Old Testament, it was still in effect. Thus, the day of worship was still to be the seventh day, the Sabbath, old covenant festivals were to still be celebrated, and so on. Animal sacrifices were nixed when Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice of his own life.

One day I was telling a friend and coworker named Jim, a devout Church of Christ member, about reading all of Armstrong’s literature. He said, “You don’t need to be giving your money to that organization.”

I responded, “I haven’t given them any money. All of their materials are free.”

Jim countered, “Now that’s really sneaky. Offering everything for free to entice you away from the Church.”

I wondered exactly how Armstrong was supposed to distribute his materials if charging for them was wrong and giving them away was also.

Anyway, I became so intrigued with Armstrong’s literature that I decided I wanted to talk to someone in his church. Unknown to me at the time, there was a local congregation that met in members’ homes. When I called the church’s main number listed in their literature, I was able to speak to a representative who arranged a meeting at my apartment.

When the date and time arrived, two men came knocking. If memory serves, one was a traveling preacher and the other was a leader in the local congregation. We had a good conversation about Bible doctrine and such. As our time drew to a close, I told them that I would like to visit their local church. I was informed that it was a closed service; only members were allowed to attend. I asked why.

One of the men said, “The Bible tells us we should be careful not to let false doctrine into the church, so we are careful about whom we allow to attend our services.”

I said, “You mean like it says in 2 John?”

The man responded, “Exactly.”

Of course I was referring to 2 John 1:7-11 where it says, “I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.”

Seems pretty clear, doesn’t it? But, of course, you can prove just about anything by reading just a few verses in isolation. I understood this even when I was still a Christian.

Well, anyway, I wasn’t willing to play by what I now call the Pelosi Rule. You know, where I had to join the church in order to find out what was in it. So, that was both my first and last contact with the Worldwide Church of God.

Many people considered the Worldwide Church of God to be a cult because of the strong influence Herbert W. Armstrong held over the church. Interestingly, after Herbert W. Armstrong’s death in 1986, succeeding church administrations began reversing much of the “radical” teachings of Armstrong until they became more in line with mainstream evangelical Christians. This caused the church to splinter into a number of different groups. The remaining group renamed itself to Grace Communion International in 2009.

However, there is one splinter group that claims to be the true church in the Armstrong tradition. They are known as the Restored Church of God.

Interestingly, I found a Web site with an archive of all the literature Herbert W. Armstrong produced during his ministry. It’s located at http://www.herbert-armstrong.org/ . If you want to see what I was so intrigued by, you can find it there.

First Contact – Part 6 – Mormons

As I was finishing up college, I had some free time on my hands before starting my new job. I would sit up late each night reading. I read mostly the various photography and astronomy magazines I subscribed to and science fiction novels. However, I would occasionally grow tired of these, so began reading the Old Testament in the Bible. I made it through about 2 Kings before it was time to head to Alabama to start my career.

I soon got busy with other things and quit reading the Bible. However, I would occasionally discuss religion with friends and coworkers. One person suggested I get a copy of the New American Standard version of the Bible as he thought it was one of the better translations. I did. Over time I came to realize that several people I knew at work were Mormon. I was familiar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, knowing about the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Joseph Smith and the golden plates, and the church’s family orientation. But I had never actually studied with a Mormon. That changed when a university cooperative student named Sam came to work for me. I found out Sam was also Mormon and began asking some questions about his faith. He soon set up a meeting between me and a couple of missionaries.

I guess I was sort of searching at that point in my life. Even though I had for many years felt like there was a God, but did not believe in any particular God, I felt like there had to be more to religion. After all, there were many people who did believe in a particular God and had a particular faith. Could they all be wrong? I didn’t know for sure. But I was willing to discuss it to find out.

I met once a week with the Mormon missionaries at Sam’s apartment. I found the studies somewhat interesting, but I was a bit dismayed by their approach. Rather than pointing out the evidence for believing the Bible and the Book of Mormon, they rather asked that I pray during the week for God to reveal to me the truthfulness of the these books. I did that, but got no response. I also attended the local Mormon Church a time or two. Then one week the missionaries told me that they thought I needed to set a date to join the church. They believed that if I showed God I was serious, he would honor that date and bring me to belief before it arrived. That did not set well with me. I told them that I didn’t think it was a good idea to basically push God into revealing himself to me on my schedule rather than his. So, I broke off my studies with them. Fortunately, Sam understood and we remained friends. Interestingly, a few years later Sam left the Mormon Church.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I ultimately ended up joining the Church of Christ, only to become an agnostic about seven years later. While I was a member of the church, a couple of Mormon missionaries came to my apartment while door knocking. I let them in. After some introductions, we began discussing the Bible in earnest. It was at that point that I realized how inexperienced some of these missionaries are. I began questioning some of their beliefs in light of what the Bible said. Often they were unaware of the Biblical statements or lacked an understanding of what the verses were saying. Again, it seemed that they believed that our faith should come directly from God via prayer rather than by study and understanding.

After my deconversion, I recall sitting in a booth at our company’s snack bar with a fellow employee that I didn’t know very well. I did, however, know he was Mormon. Our conversation turned to religion and I told him of my current beliefs. At this point in my agnosticism I liked asking religious people whether or not they believed I was going to hell. I let them know that I would not be offended by any answer they might give. After all, I would tell them, they were not going to be my judge, God was. This particular fellow found himself unable to give me an answer no matter how much I urged him to answer and no matter how much assurance I gave him that I would not be upset by any answer he gave. I assumed that if he believed I was alright in God’s eyes, he would tell me so. Thus, his reluctance to answer told me that he did indeed believe I was lost, but just couldn't bring himself to tell me.

The one thing that I find very interesting about people who are confident about their salvation and other people’s lack of it, is that they typically believe that many of those lost people truly believe they are saved when in fact they are not. If that is possible, then is it not possible for those people themselves to be wrong about their own salvation. Think about it. If you are confident you are right with God, you don’t even know to seek something different so that you will truly be right with God.

Several years ago my work took me to the Salt Lake City region of Utah where I was able to visit the Salt Lake Temple. It is something to see. While walking around the courtyard during one visit, a couple of missionaries started a discussion with me. I explained my religious background and told them why I was now agnostic. We had a nice conversation. They even told me about the some of the people memorialized there with statues. That is the last time I remember talking to Mormons about religious matters.

Like so many other religious people, I always found the Mormons to be courteous and nice people. They are strong on family values, which I like. But I personally cannot subscribe to their faith.

First Contact – Part 5 – Faith Healers

As I was growing up, there were a number of faith healers on television. They were always fascinating with their dramatics and head popping. I often wondered why there were so many sick people in the world given the number of people of faith capable of healing. I thought perhaps it had something to do with the lack of faith of the sick people. But upon examining the Bible, I realized that the healings mentioned there had more to do with the faith of the healer than the faith of the healee.

One faith healer in particular I used to watch on TV was Ernest Angley. Although I was always skeptical of the supposed healings that occurred at his hand, I found him to be flamboyant, yet intriguing and entertaining to watch. In October 1978, I heard that Angley was coming to a nearby civic center, and I knew I had to go. The program lasted about four hours and was filled with preaching, music, healing, and money collection. I was hoping to see what I would have considered a true miracle. This would consist of some type of healing that obviously violated the laws of nature such as a missing limb growing back instantly. I was not so fortunate. Most of the healings consisted of relieving nicotine addictions, reinstituting lost senses of smell, and reversing hearing loss. Absolutely nothing occurred during the four hours that came close to convincing me that Angley was God’s man of the hour. Further, when he began blessing boxes of trinkets before his assistants took to the audience to sell them, he lost any semblance of confidence I may have had in him. Still, I thought it would be interesting to talk to a person who was “healed” that day. About a month later I got my wish.

While at a funeral home during a visitation, my father introduced me to a man that he knew from years past and told me that he had been at the Angley service. Further, he had been on the stage and had had his hearing healed. No, he had not been deaf, just a bit hard of hearing. Since the healing, his hearing was much improved. Ever the skeptic, I began talking to him softly, thinking that if his hearing had not been healed he would have difficulty understanding me over the din of voices surrounding us. He heard everything I said. I was impressed, but not convinced. After all, I had never talked to the man before his healing, so there was no way for me to know the extent of his hearing loss. Perhaps he had gotten good at reading lips and knew what I was saying even though he could not hear me well.

In college, my friend Doug and I used to study and hang out together. At some point he got involved in a charismatic movement and converted to it from Catholicism. After college he got a job as an engineer just as I did, but later was led to work as a campus minister. The last time I saw Doug was at my wedding. While catching up on our lives he told me a story that I will never forget. One day at the campus ministry house a man showed up with some missing fingers due to an unfortunate run-in with a lawn mower. Doug and another person laid hands on the man and prayed for him. Then, right before their eyes, the man’s fingers grew back to full length.

I was astonished. What was I to make of this story? Was my good friend lying? Was he deluded? Had he been tricked? Or could it be that the healing actually happened just as he reported? Having not been present at the healing, there was no way for me to know for sure.

So, when it comes to faith healing, I remain a skeptic since I have never actually seen one. But, regardless of my skepticism, there do seem to be some credible stories that indicate healings do take place that cannot be explained naturally. But we must keep in mind that there is much we don’t know about nature, especially as it relates to the human body. Just as lightning at one time was thought to be from a supernatural source but now is known to be natural, perhaps one day those unexplainable healings will be explained.

I discuss this topic in more detail in my book God Is: Exploring the Nature of the Biblical God.

First Contact – Part 4 – Jews

I began to get serious about playing music in middle school when I got an electric guitar and a small amp. Later I got a classical guitar and learned to fingerpick. Then I got a banjo and learned to fingerpick-pick. At different points along the way I would get together with friends to play music. However, it wasn’t until I was in college that I played in a serious band that actually got gigs.

There were four guys in our band: Billy, Mike, Roger, and me. Sometimes Billy would ask me to play a simple duo gig where he sang and played guitar and I would accompany him on my banjo. The most memorable duo performance was at the local Jewish Community Center. There was a fairly large community of Jewish people in Louisville, KY. In addition to the community center there was a Jewish Hospital, several synagogues, and a temple.

We were to play at a party after a basketball game on just a regular ole day. December 24. Yes, it was Christmas Eve, but of course that was just a regular ole day for Jewish people. My parents and I always exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve, but playing that evening was okay by me. I knew I’d be home in plenty of time for gifts. When we arrived, the game was still in progress. This gave us time to set up and be ready when the party started. And soon enough it did. A bunch of young people started streaming into the meeting area where food was ready for them to consume as they listened to the musical machinations of Billy and Randy. We played some bluegrass, John Denver, and other music appropriate for a banjo. Everyone seemed to have a good time and was very friendly.

After about an hour the party ended, we were thanked, and we packed up and left. I saw no money trade hands, so I assumed we had played gratis, which was fine. However, on the way home, Billy informed me that he had been given $50 for our efforts and gave me $25. Wow! That was quite a bit of money in the day.

So, that was my first encounter with Jews at an official Jewish institution. It wasn’t until more recent times that I actually attended a Jewish service at a synagogue. While in high school, my son, Andrew, had a semester of Hebrew. He also became interested in the religious practices of different groups. He began attending the local Jewish synagogue occasionally and I went with him a few times. He was actually a participant at one of the services. I found the services interesting and the congregants very welcoming and friendly.

One of the members of the synagogue is a blind man named Stanley. As it turns out, he is very good friends with a now-retired Christian minister named Carl. The church Carl was a minister at was just a few blocks away from the synagogue. Carl is also an adjunct professor of religion at our local university. Andrew had many classes with him, and they became friends. Occasionally, Andrew would meet Carl and Stanley for lunch.

Isn’t it nice when people of varied beliefs can come together in fellowship and not let their differences hinder a friendship? Hopefully, heaven won’t be as exclusive as some people believe it will be.

First Contact – Part 3 – Jesus Movement

The Jesus Movement got its start in the late 1960s, continued through the 1970s, and then died out in the early 1980s. Parts of this movement were also associated with the Hippie Movement. The movement consisted mostly of young Christians who were fed up with the status quo and wanted to see real change in the world.

In 1975, I was in college and loved rock music. One group I really liked was Grand Funk Railroad, and they were coming to Louisville for a concert. Not being able to find anyone else to go, I had purchased one ticket.

It was January 26, and I had decided to go to Walgreens for an early dinner before the concert. Walgreens, as well as many other pharmacies, used to have what was called soda fountains. Later, they added food. As an interesting side bar, it was in 1922 that Walgreens invented the malted milk shake, which became an instant hit. But to get back to my story, the Walgreens near my house in the mid-1970s had essentially a small restaurant with very good griddle hamburgers. That’s what I was after for my meal.

As I was sitting there in a booth waiting for my burger to be cooked, a young guy about my age came over and asked if he might sit with me and ask a few questions. I didn’t have anything else to do, so I said yes. I don’t remember all that was said, but I do recall the following.

The guy asked, “Have you ever had those moments when you are at total peace with the world and everything seems to be in its right place?”

After thinking about it for a few seconds, I responded, “Yes, I have.” I was thinking of the times I would turn out the room lights, put on some ethereal music, and just lay still letting the music envelope me. I was thinking of the times when I would be laying on our couch at home with the cool flow of air from our window air conditioner swirling about me as I read a classic science fiction novel that took me to unknown worlds. I was thinking of the time I came across a Gregorian chant on the car radio as I was driving at sunset. All these things made me feel at peace with the world.

“That’s good,” he said. But, of course, that wasn’t the type of peace he had in mind. He was thinking of the peace that comes from a knowledge of God and his son Jesus Christ. He went on to share with me the Gospel as he understood it.

I told him I believed in God, but not Jesus or the Bible.

He said, “A group of us are meeting tonight at a friend’s house. I would love it if you would attend with me.”

I said, “I can’t do that. I’m going to a concert tonight.”

“Who are you going to see?”

“Grand Funk Railroad.”

“How much did you pay for your ticket?”

“Six dollars.” (Yes, this was the typical cost of a big name concert in those days.)

“If you will come to the meeting, I will buy that ticket from you.”

“I don’t want to do that. I really want to go to the concert.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Of course, I was also thinking that I wasn’t about to go off to some stranger’s house with some guy I had just met. There was no telling if this guy was for real or not. And later when I got home and told my mom about this encounter, she had the same thoughts, urging me not to go.

Well, we parted company, my delicious burger arrived, and later I went to Freedom Hall for the concert. It was fantastic. However, the guy sitting next to me was quite different from the one at Walgreens. When they started playing Also Sprach Zarathustra before Funk’s entrance, he stood up and started yelling, “Oh my God! 2001 A Space Odyssey! Oh my God! I can’t believe it! They’re playing 2001! Oh my God!” Hey, granted, I thought it was cool also, but this guy was over the top. He was obviously stoned, but he must have been godly in his own way since he apparently had a God.

Sometime after that first contact, I had a second contact with the Jesus Movement. But in a way it was a first contact since this time it was the hippie faction of the movement. A friend and I had been at an outdoor rock concert and were making our way back to the car. A group of Jesus Freaks (that’s what they were called) was sitting around in a big circle on the ground. As we passed by one person in the group asked if we wanted to join them. We thought “what the heck” and sat down.

Well, we sat there for about 5-10 minutes just kind of looking around waiting for someone to talk. Not one word was spoken to us the entire time by anyone. Finally, one of us said, “We have to go now,” and we left.

Hmmmmm…

I have thought about these first contacts with the Jesus Movement a number of times over the years. How would my life be different had I sold the proselytizer my ticket and went to the meeting instead? Could I have ended up being a minister? Might I have been disappointed and then pissed that I missed the concert? Maybe I would have been robbed and killed. You never know about these things.

It’s also interesting to think about how different the approaches of the Walgreens guy and the hippie circle were. The Walgreens guy was very proactive. He came to my table. He asked to sit and question me. He asked me to attend a meeting. He was willing to put his money where his mouth was by offering to buy my ticket. Six dollars may not sound like much today, but it’s the equivalent of about $26 today. That represents several hours of work at minimum wage.

By contrast the hippie circle simply asked me to join them as I passed by. Then apparently I was to somehow sense their faith and absorb it by osmosis without any further action on their part. I’m not a Bible scholar, but I know enough to know that the Walgreens guy’s approach was the more Biblical one.

In closing, you may find it interesting that at a later date Mark Farner, guitarist and lead singer for Grand Funk Railroad, apparently became a Christian and began playing contemporary Christian music. My wife and I bought a couple of his CDs. They were quite good.

First Contact – Part 2 – Hare Krishnas

Perhaps some of you remember the Hare Krishnas. They officially formed in New York in 1966 with the title International Society for Krishna Consciousness. They became quite visible in the late 1960s on into the 1970s. They were known for proselytizing around downtowns and at airports. Their popularity, I believe, was at least partly due to the band The Beatles popularity and their association with the Hare Krishnas, in particular George Harrison. Surely everyone remembers his solo hit after The Beatles split entitled “My Sweet Lord”. It was a very popular song that is still played in some venues to this day. It was about his longing to see the Supreme Lord, Krishna. Even the words Hare Krishna are part of the lyrics.

Anyway, in the early 1970s, I went into downtown Louisville to shop at a particular store. As I approached the entrance, I saw a Hare Krishna guy standing there.

“I would like to give you this book,” he said as he handed me a copy of the Bhagavad-gita.

I grabbed it from his hand, thanked him, and began to enter the store.

Somewhat panicked, he said, “WAIT! We ask for a donation in return for the book.”

I said, “I don’t want to give a donation. I thought you said you were giving me the book.”

“Well, yes, but we ask for a donation.”

“Are you saying I can’t have the book unless I give you a donation?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“How much?”

“We ask for at least three dollars.”

I handed him the book back and went into the store.

Obviously, this guy’s approach was not going to entice very many new followers. He either needed to actually give the book away and then ask for a truly volunteer donation, OR he needed to ask for a donation and let you know that you will receive a copy of the book if you donate at least three dollars.

That was the first and only time I remember having an actual encounter with the Hare Krishnas. Needless to say, I was not impressed.

First Contact – Part 1 – Church of Christ

Since it’s the holiday season and a time of the year where quite a few religious people celebrate, I have been thinking about interesting first encounters with religious groups. I thought I would share some of the best stories with you. Keep in mind that I may have had earlier contact with people of these faiths, but not in a religious context.

I wasn’t raised going to church much, but when I did attend it was Baptist churches. So, my first religious encounter with a Church of Christ member was in college. Mark was a friend in high school, but we never really discussed religion until we started college. I can remember one day standing in the school parking lot discussing the book of Revelation. Mark did not believe that the tribulation, rapture, thousand year reign, lake of fire, etc were actually going to happen. At that time in my life, this was foreign thinking. The Baptist churches I had attended and the evangelists I had listened to on TV all taught that they would actually happen.

So, I asked Mark, “Well, if the book doesn’t mean what it sounds like it means, then what does it mean?”

Mark replied, “You have to first understand that some parts of the Bible are literal and other parts are figurative.”

I inquired, “Okay, so how do you tell the difference?”

Mark said, “Well, that which is literal is literal and that which is figurative is figurative.”

I was dumbfounded. What he said was obviously true, a tautology in fact, but it helped not one bit in making a determination about literalness or figurativeness. There had to be something more definitive. Yet, we kept going around and around and never really understanding each other. This did not leave a very good impression on me of the Church of Christ. And to make it even worse, Mark’s preacher had a regular radio program which I began to occasionally listen to after my conversation with Mark. One day the preacher started talking about how some things in the Bible were literal and some were figurative. “How do you tell the difference?” he asked the audience. His answer: “That which is literal is literal and that which is figurative is figurative.” Oh, boy! Well, at least I now knew where Mark had gotten that phrase from.

Interestingly, after I graduated from college and took a full time job in Alabama, I made some new friends. They invited me to church, and I went. Lo and behold, it was a Church of Christ. I was a bit hesitant, but decided to give it a chance. Over time I began to understand how they actually distinguished literal parts of Bible from the figurative parts. I began studying with a teacher, Jim Massey, at a local Church of Christ college every Sunday evening. Jim was a man of many hats in the church. He was a minister, evangelist, teacher, missionary, author, and more. I was very impressed by the logical manner in which he approached the Biblical text and how he attempted to look at the Bible as a whole when determining doctrine. I eventually joined the church, and Jim baptized me.

Shortly afterwards, I was back home visiting my parents in Kentucky, so I decided to give Mark a call and tell him the good news. (Note that the conversation may not have been exactly as I quote below, but the gist is accurate.)

“Hey, Mark. Guess what.”

“What?”

“I joined the church.”

“Which church?”

“The Church of Christ.”

I was ready for his excitement to burst forth.

“Okay. Let me ask you a few questions.” Mark said.

Uh-oh, I thought. What’s up?

“Do you have a kitchen in the church building and eat in the church building?”

Oh, no. I had learned enough about the Church of Christ in the short time I had been a member to know that there were a number of divisions in it with differing beliefs. One of the more conservative wings was known by the group I had joined as the “anti brethren”. Not in the sense that they were not our brethren, but in the sense that they were opposed to more things than we were.

I responded, “Yes we do.”

Several more expected questions followed. I finally said, “Okay, you are apparently in the group we call the anti brethren.”

“Yes, I am,” he said.

So, after getting past my initial impression of the Church of Christ and then actually joining it, I was still not in the right group according to Mark. I guessed I was still bound for hell; I just didn’t know it. I wondered how many other people were in my situation. After all, if you believe you are right with God, but really aren’t, you don’t even know to seek out an alternative.

Oh, well.

Before I close, I would like to relate an interesting story about Jim Massey. He was known for being open minded. If he ever became convinced he was wrong about a Biblical issue, he was not above admitting his error and changing his position on the matter. In fact, in one of the classes I took from him he admitted that his position on a particular doctrine, after studying the issue in more detail, had changed since he taught the class the previous year. This impressed me.

Anyway, shortly after Jim baptized me, I had been studying the issue of drinking alcohol and had come to the inevitable conclusion that the Bible taught that drinking was not a sin, only drinking to excess. Somehow word got back to Jim. He caught me one day and asked me if I indeed believed drinking was okay. I said I did. In fact, I told him, the wine used for the Lord’s Supper was obviously alcoholic. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul chastised the believers for misusing the Lord’s Supper by getting drunk. Jim told me that the Greek word used there meant to be full, not drunk. I asked then why the translators translated it as drunk. He asked me to come to his office with me. Jim knew Greek and always carried a Greek New Testament with him to church. He pulled this out, went to the passage I was referring to and showed me the Greek word. Then he pulled out his Greek dictionary and looked that word up. I asked him what it said. He responded, “to be drunk.” After a pause, he said, “I’ll have to study this some more.” I never heard back from him on what he concluded from this study, but I always admired him for not trying to weasel out his dilemma, but rather used it as an opportunity to come to a deeper understanding of Scripture.

As for me, I was also open minded and willing to change my beliefs. After studying the Bible in more detail over the next several years, I ultimately concluded that many of the “facts” in the Bible could not be substantiated. I was therefore compelled to leave the church. I discuss all this in detail in my book God Is: Exploring the Nature of the Biblical God. It can be purchased in paperback or Kindle format at Amazon.