My previous attempt to write my testimony got long enough to call a book. Here is my Cliff Notes:
I have a gift for teaching. I frequently taught technical subjects regarding aircraft maintenance. I'm a nut-and-bolt kind of guy. Details matter!
Fast forward, I realized long ago that I knew very little about the Bible. I knew a lot about the things I had been taught, however. I trusted the teachers and preachers to know and teach "the truth." I remembered so well that I was asked to both teach and preach. (How's that for the blind leading the blind?) It seemed like people liked my classes and sermons.
Then, I ran across scripture that contradicted what I had been taught. But, details matter, so I had to dig in and solve that problem. Despite what I had been taught, I found that I had been misled. That upset me. When I told people at church that I had found that something else was true, I found that the friendly people stopped smiling at me. So, I changed churches.
I knew nothing of hermeneutics, exegesis, eisegesis, need for awareness of Hebrew history or culture, church history, or the history of the Bible. I enrolled in school and started solving that problem. That, however, created another problem that was not fully revealed for years.
During that time, I created my own non-profit to host evangelism events with a group of volunteers and did that for several years. I took over a small group Bible Study and created my own lesson plans instead of using the commercial booklet the church provided. They were way too shallow and sometimes misleading.
For some reason known only to God, I never attempted to discern the truth of the Trinity until that past year. That became a major issue for me. That doctrine is rarely challenged, because it had become "a core of Christianity." Well, one of my members of my group told me that he didn't accept that doctrine and had been told that he couldn't be "saved" because of that. I told the whole class that I knew of no requirement in scripture announced that.
Eventually, I dug into it for myself. When it was revealed to me that it is a bad doctrine, I mentioned that to the church pastor. It was only a few days later he called to tell me that he and his deacons decided I was not acceptable to lead Bible studies in his church. I went to see him, and I asked him why. He really had no answer other than because it was in the Southern Baptist Statement of Faith. The word got out in our small town and the gossip flew - even to the people who do not attend that church.
I let the pastor know that believing in the Trinity is a sin against God, because it make Jesus a liar and God a deceiver. So, I cannot participate in their worship services or sermons. They wouldn't prohibit me, but most songs sung today worship only Jesus as God, and statements in sermons make the same claim. I cannot participate in that. I realize most folks here seem to be escaping from a more controlling type of church, I think I am simply avoiding the sin of ignoring God's 1st and 2nd of the Ten Commandments.
I do miss my friends from that church anyway,
I have a gift for teaching. I frequently taught technical subjects regarding aircraft maintenance. I'm a nut-and-bolt kind of guy. Details matter!
Fast forward, I realized long ago that I knew very little about the Bible. I knew a lot about the things I had been taught, however. I trusted the teachers and preachers to know and teach "the truth." I remembered so well that I was asked to both teach and preach. (How's that for the blind leading the blind?) It seemed like people liked my classes and sermons.
Then, I ran across scripture that contradicted what I had been taught. But, details matter, so I had to dig in and solve that problem. Despite what I had been taught, I found that I had been misled. That upset me. When I told people at church that I had found that something else was true, I found that the friendly people stopped smiling at me. So, I changed churches.
I knew nothing of hermeneutics, exegesis, eisegesis, need for awareness of Hebrew history or culture, church history, or the history of the Bible. I enrolled in school and started solving that problem. That, however, created another problem that was not fully revealed for years.
During that time, I created my own non-profit to host evangelism events with a group of volunteers and did that for several years. I took over a small group Bible Study and created my own lesson plans instead of using the commercial booklet the church provided. They were way too shallow and sometimes misleading.
For some reason known only to God, I never attempted to discern the truth of the Trinity until that past year. That became a major issue for me. That doctrine is rarely challenged, because it had become "a core of Christianity." Well, one of my members of my group told me that he didn't accept that doctrine and had been told that he couldn't be "saved" because of that. I told the whole class that I knew of no requirement in scripture announced that.
Eventually, I dug into it for myself. When it was revealed to me that it is a bad doctrine, I mentioned that to the church pastor. It was only a few days later he called to tell me that he and his deacons decided I was not acceptable to lead Bible studies in his church. I went to see him, and I asked him why. He really had no answer other than because it was in the Southern Baptist Statement of Faith. The word got out in our small town and the gossip flew - even to the people who do not attend that church.
I let the pastor know that believing in the Trinity is a sin against God, because it make Jesus a liar and God a deceiver. So, I cannot participate in their worship services or sermons. They wouldn't prohibit me, but most songs sung today worship only Jesus as God, and statements in sermons make the same claim. I cannot participate in that. I realize most folks here seem to be escaping from a more controlling type of church, I think I am simply avoiding the sin of ignoring God's 1st and 2nd of the Ten Commandments.
I do miss my friends from that church anyway,
