[Vision2020] Postcardgate [LONG]

Sun Oct 24 09:19:57 PDT 2010

Bob,

Thank you for the humor giving some thoughtful perspective on the danger of mixing politics and religion.  You write:

"People follow when they hear stuff they want to hear, that affirms their fears and hopes.But I thought that Lord Knerr's religion or church is non-denomination. Are atheists welcome there, by the way?"

Here is the answer direct from the Freeze Church website:
http://www.freezechurch.org/page2.html

Enjoy.

W.
________________________________
      Our Beliefs  

      The Constitution and Bylaws of Freeze Community Church

      ARTICLE -- 1. PREAMBLE 

      We Believe that the Elders of a church are accountable to God for the purity of the local church and it’s faithfulness to God’s Word as revealed in the Bible. Therefore, in order to restore authority in the church to the local leadership and provide a church body in the Palouse Valley that looks to the Bible as the supreme authority for doctrine and truth, we establish this statement of faith, constitution, and bylaws for Freeze Community Church. 1 Peter 5:1--4 

      ARTICLE – 2. PURPOSE 

      The purpose of Freeze Community Church is to provide an environment where the body of Christ can meet (Hebrews 10:24—25) and to begin to manifest Jesus Christ in ourselves individually, in the local church, and in the world as directed in Matthew 28:18—20. 

      We Believe that the Scriptures are the Word of God, and our rule of conduct for service and holy lives. The exposition of His Word and prayerful openness to a fuller understanding of it as the Holy Spirit illuminates is the basis of our ministry. 

      We Believe the indwelling Holy Spirit is that which motivates the Christian to a Christ like life and that our humanity alone would lead us to darkness. We do have this hope; “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Colossians 1:27, 28. (KJV) 

      We Believe that order is a divine attribute, that reverence is our due response to a Holy God. Therefore our services will be orderly and reverent. Singing of hymns and psalms, prayer, Bible reading, teaching and preaching will constitute our weekly service. The church gathering will emphasize the maturing of the saints and the building of the body of Christ. Our evangelistic outreach will be in homes, neighborhoods, businesses, campuses, and other like places. We will come together to grow and we will go out to win others to Christ. It is the obligation of every believer to proclaim the gospel to the community, our country, and the world. Our harvest field is the world. There is a great urgency to “contend for the faith” Jude v. 3. This urgency must be in the spirit of II Timothy 2:24—25, “And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.” (NIV) 

      The work of the ministry belongs to all Christians. Elders, deacons, overseers, and other gifted men and women are given to the body to equip all the saints for the various ministries of the church. I Corinthians 12:12-31. 

      ARTICLE – III. STATEMENT OF FAITH 

      We Believe the Bible is the verbally inspired, inerrant Word of God, in the original writings, by which all things are given to us pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). We therefore, place great priority on knowing God through the study of His Word. (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Matthew 5:18, John 16: 13) 

      We Believe Scripture must be understood at face value, in it’s most natural, normal, customary sense, acknowledging figures of speech, keeping the passage in its proper context, and considering all other passages of Scripture dealing with the same issue. Other Scripture will interpret Scripture bringing definitive conclusion. In seemingly contradictory passages we do not know that we have truth until the Scriptural common denominator is found that harmonizes all the passages dealing with a particular issue; not just those that prove a presupposition at the expense of those that don’t seem to agree. “Once the common denominator is found, then we have truth, but not before. Once we have truth, that truth stands in judgment of us; never do we stand in judgment of it!” (Understanding Scripture at Face Value, page 23, Robert Van Kampen) 

      We Believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, without ceasing to be God, became man by the Holy Spirit and virgin birth. He died at Calvary as a satisfactory sacrifice for sinners and His body was buried in and arose from the tomb. He ascended to Heaven and is glorified at God’s right hand and is coming again for His own. (John 1:1, Matthew 1:20-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 10:12, 2 Timothy 2:8, John 14:1—3) 

      We Believe salvation is the gift of God given to each individual by grace and received only through personal repentance for sin and faith in the person and finished work of the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:7, Ephesians 2:1-10, John 1:12, Luke 5:32, Acts 2:38) 

      We Believe the church, local and universal is a spiritual organism composed of the regenerated into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit at the time of the new birth. The local church is the manifestation of His body and has the responsibility to provide for the fellowship, discipling and edification of believers. The propagation of the Gospel in all the world is the responsibility of the church. (Romans 12:4—5, Matt. 28:18—20) 

      ARTICLE – IV. MEMBERSHIP 

      Freeze Community Church believes that when one accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, God places that person in the Church (I Corinthians 12:18). Salvation is the criteria for membership in this congregation. One maintains membership in this congregation by participating in the worship services and fellowship of the congregation. Doctrinal variations will not be a consideration unless that doctrine is considered heretical or divisive in the church. Where Scriptures are not specific we will display no dogma. 

      ARTICLE – V. CHURCH GOVERNMENT 

      Freeze Community Church will recognize those Elders who have the qualities and desire to serve as an Overseer. These men make up the leadership of the F.C.C. (Acts 20:17 & 28). Our recognition of Overseers is for our local body of believers. Any recognition outside of our body is an even greater honor. 

      We Believe the qualities of character for overseers are set forth in I Timothy 3: 7-12 and Titus 1:5-9. Compositely they are: above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, managing his own family well and seeing that his children obey him with proper respect, not a recent convert, of good reputation with outsiders, his wife is to be a woman worthy of respect, not a malicious talker but temperate and trustworthy in everything; he must hold to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it . (NIV) 

      In Titus 1:5 we find that Elders are to be appointed to the office of Overseer and will be done in light of the person’s qualities. Our reference to Overseer refers to elder men designated and commissioned by the Church Council to serve in an official capacity in the local church. Certainly many of the admonitions to the Elders apply not only to the overseers, but also to all older men. 

      The function of the office of Overseer is twofold: 1) teaching and 2) executive leadership. An overseer is to teach the Word of God and give direction on how to apply that teaching to the local church. “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. 1Peter 5:2-3 (KJV) 

      In I Timothy 3:1 we find that it is not only good to desire the office of Overseer, but that the office is “a good work”. 

      The term Pastor and Shepherd are synonymous and Acts 20:28 indicates all Elders are to shepherd the church of God. 

      F.C.C. recognizes the pastoral leadership of all Elders. This document is not considered to

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Dickow 
  To: Joe Campbell ; vision2020 at moscow.com 
  Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2010 5:30 PM
  Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Postcardgate [LONG]

  I've just got to play devil's advocate...

  [WARNING: People with jobs or have actual responsibilites or are short on time should avoid reading this posting.]

  > Gresham Bouma’s situation got me thinking about false religions.
  > 

  Any religion that is not my religion is a false religion. When I was an active Catholic, I could get stuck in purgatory after my death for a gazillion years (or more...but who's counting at that point?) if I but set foot in some other denomination's church on Sunday. That's because anything other than the Catholic Church is a false religion. At least that's what we were taught when I was a kid. But.. doesn't that seem silly?

  > I know I may not be too popular with some of you for my stance, but I
  > think Bouma’s Freeze Community Church is as dangerous to America as
  > the infiltration of our society by Islam and Sharia Law.
  > 

  Infiltration? Now... you don't really believe that do you? By the way, what about belief in Bokonon? I think we'd better investigate the rising tide of Bokononism. And just why do they call it the 'Freeze' Church? Do they have a stash of that Ice-9 stuff or something? Pretty suspicious if you ask me.

  > Bouma says that his campaign is not a political gathering, but a call
  > to return to God and His Laws, the Laws that this nation was founded
  > on. On the surface, a Christian could hardly be opposed to that call.
  > 

  Yeah. Thank God he only has about 10 laws, which will simplify many of our court decisions. I say AT LEAST 10 laws because, according to Mel Brooks in The History of The World Part I, there were more laws, but Moses accidentally broke the third stone tablet after descending Mt. Sinai.]

  > But what god is Bouma calling America to return to? Certainly he’s not
  > calling us to return to the God of the bible.
  > 

  People of faith will recognize that we never left God. He is just in 'standby' mode. Push the play button again and God will be back with us in full.

  > 
  > Bouma’s god was once a human being just like you or I.

  Uh oh... then we really are doomed.

  > I could go on
  > and on about the blasphemy and the heresy of Bouma's
  > non-denominational Freeze Community Church, but suffice it to say that
  > when Bouma tells you that you serve the same god that he does, he’s a
  > liar.
  > 

  He just THINKS we serve the same God (oh... be sure capitalize God when you refer to X73&S@#$ (name changed to avoid being struck by lighning)). I think the god some folks worship in the conservative party is named with a single symbol, the $ (dollar) sign. So, there are other gods out there that are worthy of our prasie, especially when those sales are announced at Walmart. (to be fair, I've know some Democrats and Independents who also praised the $).

  > I am appalled at the number of Christians who follow Bouma’s pastor,
  > Lloyd Knerr, 

  People follow when they hear stuff they want to hear, that affirms their fears and hopes.But I thought that Lord Knerr's religion or church is non-denomination. Are atheists welcome there, by the way?

  > 
  > If you think a man’s religion doesn’t make any difference, the day
  > will come when you will realize that you have been sadly mistaken.
  > 

  That's why Bokononism is the only way to go. Trust me on that one. I'm really not sure about Catholicism these days.

  > I would guess that 90% of those who attend Bouma’s non-denominational
  > Freeze Community Church would call themselves Christian. If that’s
  > true, the church in America today is in greater danger than I ever
  > believed.

  What is 'the church' in America? I hope our citizens still recognize that we welcome all religions. There is no 'the church'. Unless of course, the reference is to the Catholic church. Then... ok.
  > 
  > The true Jesus says that in the last days, many will be deceived. I
  > pray that you will not be one of them.
  > 

  But... this suggests that we are now in 'the last days.' Huh? I keep hearing that. In fact, I have trouble counting how many times I've lived through the predicted end of the World. Well, I suppose, philosophically speaking, we are forever in 'the last days'. How long are 'the last days?' I million years? 3 billion years? When is the sun going to explode anyway? I forget. God... I lose sleep just thinking about that... when the sun explodes. It's going to, you know. Any time now. And, by God, I'm a Catholic, so I'll be ready. 

  Bob Dickow, troublemaker

  P.S. You were warned.

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