Thank You ED! You said what I have been wanting to say. The truth is like this though. I love my wife, she loves me. She despises Christian Folk and WILL NOT accept them no matter how hard anyone tries. It's been 11 years of marriage now. So the issue now because I'm married to a non-Chistian is my Christianity. How can I be a Christian if my wife isn't? I am a Christian. I accepted Christ in 1981 when I was in the 5th grade. When I married my wife, I was going through a rebelious period in my life. I knew what it said in 1st Corinthians about marrying a non-believer and threw it out the window by just shrugging it off. and saying "so?" Non-believers don't understand Christian concepts. They don't understand many of things that we as Christians have always considered the norm. It would be naive to expect them to. On the Other hand, we as Christians can be equally naive, unknowingly and inadverntly. We automatically assume that because one person in a relationship is a Christian, that the other must be also. In a Utopian world that would be correct, but since this isn't utopia, it always isn't the case. Now here is what happens. People find out that yes I am a Christian and my wife is not. All of a sudden I am treated like a lepper and have some strange form of cooties. People begin to doubt my integrity and my salvation just because my wife isn't a Christian, I get treated as if something is drastically wrong with me. You know what? Something is drastically wrong with me. I admit it and I'll go into it in a minute. I am sombody who has been known to be a very patient and loving person, but my fuse gets really short when people come whining and complaining to me about how my wife needs to be a Christian. (she does need to be a Christian, this has been established) When people start this whining and complaining to me I will dismiss it quickly. I don't have the time or plan to make the time to entertain it because no one bothers to back up their complaints with action. I want to know what type of support that they are going to give me to help attain this goal. (I'm looking for spiritual support not financial support) My wife sees all of this whining bickering and sniping that people give me for her not being a Christian and she is appalled by it. I don't blame her. Those people empty out their testimony to her every single time they give me grief over the matter. She tells me that if that's what being a Christian is like then she doesn't want any part of it. she see this as those people made a personal attack on us. After this Camporama, I will be stepping down from Rangers. Parents are getting too concerned and hung up over this idea that my wife is not a Christian and are very uncomfortable with it. (and they think I'm not?) In their eyes, I have not repented of this sin of marrying a non- Christian wife until she either becomes one or passes away. (in my eyes it is for God and God alone to make that determination and God knows my heart) ) My wife again sees this and puts another mark in her book as to why to not become a Christian. Again testimony is lost. She sees this as Christians being high class, hoytee toytee, snooty, holier than thou and wants no part of it because she feels that those people's minds are too narrow to accept her for who she is. For some people, she is probably right. Parents are asking "Why am I in Rangers when I don't have any kids?" The reason is because I don't have any kids. Since I got involved in Rangers in 1988, I have wanted to help kids in the best way I could. Especially now more than ever about the part of where I said that I threw 1st Corinthians out the window. I didn't have the encouragement and support that I would have needed to help me do the right thing as far as that was concerned in '91. Realizing my erroneous ways, I was of the belief that I could potentially help someone to not make the same mistake I had made by doing that. Basically as it is now, 11 years later after dealing with this problem, Al l I want is action and NOT lip service. No one wants to touch it and help. Just complain about it and try to get me to believe that I'm going to hell because I can't get this resolved. Uh, Huh, yeah how does anyone respond to that one? Back Channel me or call me to talk about it
Iron Mike 540-891-6448 or 1-877-530-4080 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Edward Christiansen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2002 9:48 PM Subject: Re: [RR] Kickin' a big bee hive... > Well... > > As I read my Bible only two instances of divorce are sanctioned such as they > permit remarriage. First we have Jesus' stating that divorced people commit > adultery in new relationships unless the divorce was due to infidelity: > Matthew 5:32. > > Second we have the Apostle Paul who states that a believer whose unbelieving > spouse abandons them is free to remarry as they are no longer bound: > 1 Corinthians 7:15 > > Another piece in this puzzle is that a person who divorces someone and > marries another may not remarry the first either upon divorce from or death of > the second partner. This is specifically forbidden: > Deuteronomy 24:1-4. > > Divorce exists so that an innocent party may terminate a marriage that has > been subject to sacrilige. I am personally disgusted with the way the > church as a whole deals with it. So many take a view that pretends to a > greater holiness, yet deprives people of the grace that God provides in > His Word. Sometimes remarriage after a divorce is perfectly acceptable > according to a very straightforward reading of the Bible. Divorce is treated > as the one sin that the Blood of Jesus does not cover as exemplified by > the AG position, which I formally repudiate, that if you've been divorced, > even before your salvation, you are not eligible for ordination. The church > shoots its innocent wounded, tramples them, relieves them of their ministry, > and throws them away as useless. > > Thank God that Jesus is more Merciful than the AG Executive Council. > > Ed Christiansen > > > > > > I'm interested in Biblically (not emotionally) based opinions on the role of a > Divorced / Remarried Commander. > > I'm aware of the baby steps in policy change at General Council on the > subject in regards to clergy, but I'm very > interested in seeing what you folks who have sound Bibilcal counsel on the > subject as it relates to lay leaders such as a > Ranger Commander... > > If you feel you'd like to back channel for fear of an all out flaming > assault from others who see it, feel free. There will be > no flames from me on the matter... > > I'll be watching my inbox... > > Blessings, > > Parson. > _______ > Let the Golden Rule be your daily rule. > > Please pray for your list sponsor: http://eBible.org/mpj/ > > To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > or visit http://rangernet.org/subscribe.htm > http://rangernet.org > _______ Let the Golden Rule be your daily rule. Please pray for your list sponsor: http://eBible.org/mpj/ To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://rangernet.org/subscribe.htm http://rangernet.org
