Brethren for Biblical Authority

Name it, claim it - Look Out !

2012-03-12T12:51:00.000-04:00

I really don't like to be critical of other Christian groups, but I have seen people hurt by this "Word of Faith" movement, so I felt led to offer this message.

Polemics or Mission

2012-03-07T21:14:00.000-05:00

In recent times, as I looked at the atmosphere of the church, the amount of time we invest in polemics was quite frustrating to me. I've been known to lament regularly about how much we could get done if we would stop debating and "return" to the Great Commission.

I must admit, my more recent conclusion is that the Great Commission is something we shouldn't need to "get back to." As we do the Lord's work, polemics and outreach are not either/or components of what we do, but they are both necessary elements of quality ministry.

As we look back to the earliest days of the church, we see the Apostles struggling with the Judaizers, and before long false teachers came upon the scene with Gnostic concepts to corrupt Biblical Christianity. So, as the earliest followers of Christ where spreading the Gospel around the known world, they were also debunking bad teaching.

My plan for this coming weekend is to preach about the fallacies of the "health and wealth, prosperity Gospel." As a shepherd, I am doing this because I have become aware that several of my people have been hurt because of experiences with this erroneous Theology.

In the process, I don't plan to stop our outreach plans for the coming Easter season. So, in practice, I find myself multi-tasking and fulfilling the role of an evangelist and a defender of orthodoxy. To keep my flock healthy and on mission, my efforts need to include both.

We Dare Not Defend Our Rights

2012-03-02T14:44:00.001-05:00

We Dare Not Defend Our Rights

From the Gospel Coalition

Speaking Engagements

2012-02-23T17:22:00.003-05:00

I'm pleased to announce some upcoming speaking engagements.

West Marva District Bible Study - April 29th

Carson Valley COB - Spring Impact Weekend

May 4-6

"Rediscovering & Fulfilling Our Mission"

"It's time to stop spending precious time on arguments, and refocus on our true mission. If we don't like the culture around us, then we need to create something better."

My Wife, Laurie will be doing music with me at both events. Also, my band, "Them Preachers" will be playing May 5 at Carson Valley.

Them Preachers by David Stiles, Guitarist
Site Editor, David Stiles

A Radically Old way to "Do Church"

2012-02-21T11:55:00.003-05:00

What passed for "church" in the first century, would most likely be unrecognizable to many "church folks" today. First of all there were no "churches" (by that I mean buildings.) The upstarts who decided to follow Jesus simply met wherever they possibly could. Often, they would meet in homes or outside of temples. Even Jesus, Himself never had a pulpit.

To be a part of the early church really meant something too. Your faith had to overcome your fear, because the group your were joining was not liked by the established government or religion.

It was an up struggle, but I am typing these words right now, because a small group of ordinary people, empowered by the Holy Spirit got the message out. In a bleak world, they were able to tell a story of hope that captured a lot of people's attention.

Over the centuries, various Christian groups have taken the Bible's message and wrapped it in their cultural traditions. I tend to believe that people's disinterest in Christianity comes from unpleasant experiences with the traditions and actions of mankind in churches.

One of our main goals with our "alternative service," 2nd Shift, is to strip away all the additives that "regular churches" have tacked onto the teachings of the Bible. In essence, we are hitting "restart" and "doing church" as if were in the first century. It is simple, comfortable and Biblically solid.

I'm starting to get a taste of what those early church days would have been like with Curryville's gathering we call 2nd Shift. We meet at a weird time (Monday's at 7:00pm). We use an old schoolhouse, not a church building. The gathering is the antithesis of the mega-church. Our current group of "regulars" is 13 people. That may seem small, but the Spiritual energy in the groups is amazing.

It's been a pleasure to see support and bonding taking place with these people. We have all been able to touch each other's lives and support one another through the rough journey of life, as we study the Bible, pray for each other, and just hang out. We have a "come as you are" attitude. Jeans & T-Shirts are the norm.

Don't be surprised if you run into a Christian in our community who tells you they "go to a church called 2nd Shift."

http://www.curryville.org

The FAQs: The Contraceptive-Abortifacient Mandate

2012-02-17T12:05:00.002-05:00

The Gospel Coalition, a very solid source for info from a Biblical Perspective.

The FAQs: The Contraceptive-Abortifacient Mandate

A recent Sermon on I gave on Judgmentalism

2012-02-17T10:09:00.007-05:00

Judgmentalism

2012-02-15T11:04:00.002-05:00

A new post on my personal Blog

http://davidspastoralgraffiti.blogspot.com/

B4BA Stats

2012-02-14T12:21:00.000-05:00

As we seek to use this site as a networking hub. It may be useful for you to know about the reach of the site. Currently, this site has an average of at least 500 hits a month. Peak months have been significantly higher, and uneventful months have fallen in the 300-400 hit range.

With more contributions from others and networking together the site will be what we make it.

Blessings
David Stiles, Editor

An Interesting Piece

2012-02-13T14:29:00.000-05:00

A friend passed this brief article along to me. It's about "the struggle" in the Methodist church.

http://www.breakpoint.org/features-columns/discourse/entry/15/14003

Networking

2012-02-01T12:57:00.000-05:00

As the post below indicates, I am not yet prepared to roll out a lot of new material. I am working with others to establish goals and events. As site editor, I do want to make one thing perfectly clear. My days as a critic are over. I entered "the conversation," in a big way about two years ago. Since then, not a whole lot has changed.

The efforts that I personally put forth in the future will focus on networking with others to proclaim the Word of God and fulfill the Great Commission.

Editors note

2012-01-27T14:34:00.000-05:00

Updates & new ideas will be coming soon. B4BA meetings have been held in Mid-PA & S. Ohio. Some very good POSITIVE ideas are coming soon. Stay tuned.

In the coming weeks, my son & mom are both having surgery. So, it may be a little while before I get the new ideas together and posted

Site Editor
David Stiles

Special Note

2012-01-12T12:19:00.000-05:00

Take note, please: As this site editor, I am no longer advocating a Split for the reasons listed below.

What I'd like to see is a network of like minded folks who stand for Biblical Authority to find ways to work together.

Other ideas?

2012-01-11T11:43:00.000-05:00

As I am getting feedback from various people, even though a "split" in the COB would be Biblical; like our government we have a rather cumbersome bureaucracy that would make an official split very messy and difficult.

Wouldn't it be great to simply work at our mission like Paul & Barnabas did? So, here is a more realistic question, how do we continue to function effectively in the broken state the COB is in?

If you are a pastor or leader in the COB, and would like to network with B4BA to stand for Biblical Authority with B4BA please contact me.

Soon, look for a list of "affiliates." We are not afraid to step up and tell you who we are. If you take a look at this site, several churches are already listed, and various Pastor's Blogs are part of this site as well.

I don't mean to be ignorant towards progressive folks, but I hear from you enough. I'm not interested in debate. I simply don't have the time for it.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-14T10:46:00.000-05:00

It was disappointing, but not surprising that the December issue of our "official" magazine of the COB, The Messenger did not feature anything on the cover about the Christmas season. I scanned through the magazine, hoping to see something about the most important event in the history of the world.

Yes, Editor, Randy Miller's piece at the very end of the issue was a "Charlie Brown" Christmas piece.

But, that's it?

The Messenger is looking more and more like a journal for some kind of liberal think tank, rather than a publication that represents the majority of the membership in the COB.

So, Let me Just say: MERRY CHRISTMAS

By the Way

2011-12-03T16:22:00.001-05:00

This is NOT the Mid-PA district office. You may have been misled by an erroneous blog.

Also, the BMC has been granted exhibit space on the floor of A.C. for 2012. Are they an officially recognized group within the C.O.B. ?

Why this Site is Here !

2011-12-01T22:44:00.001-05:00

There seems to be a new wave of activity about the "ongoing struggle" within the COB. Especially with many in leadership, who just can't seem to understand the mindset of the majority of COB members and continue to obviously keep leaning in a progressive direction. So, one more time, in just a few minutes, this video tells you why this site is here.

If you like this video, PLEASE share it. Put in on your Facebook walls, email the link to others. Get it out there !

A voice for our Viewpoint.

2011-11-21T10:16:00.001-05:00

A common thing that I've been hearing from others in the COB is, we need an alternative voice that speaks for our Biblical world-view. May I humbly suggest that you could be looking at it right now.

In the past few weeks, this site has received over 600 hits. What do we need to make this a really affective voice for those who support Biblical Authority . . . We need YOU ! {I stand corrected,by now we are ready to break 800 hits over the past month.}

You've probably heard the term "viral" used, regarding the internet. Going viral means YOU the reader share this website with EVERYONE you know who is like-minded.

It will take a little of your time, but you can turn that 600 hits into 6000. I can't do that. You can !

If you look at the left column of the page, you will see the list of contributing pastors is growing and a list of like-minded churches has also started.

If you have bigger questions, about how you can be involved, please email me.

Site Editor
David Stiles

Here we go again.

2011-11-18T11:32:00.000-05:00

Once again, the "official voice" of the COB has spoken for the minority. It's just another fine example of top down bias in favor of the Progressives within the denomination. The 11/16/11 issue of Newsline featured a write up about a gathering of progressives and how they are preparing to respond to this year's annual conference decision.

In Middle PA, B4BA held a prayer service right before A.C. Our goal was to be inclusive and invite the entire district. Transparency was our intention. We were told that since we were not an officially recognized organization within the COB that our district office could not announce this event for us.

Ok, that's fine. I understand the importance of consistency. I can respect that decision.

I don't believe that the groups mentioned in the Newsline piece are officially recognized COB groups either. So, why are they being covered as if they were?

My church board has decided to continue to receive only 2 copies of the Messenger, so we can monitor what's being said, but that's it.

If those who control the "official flow" of information for the COB are trying to commit institutional suicide, it would seem they are well on their way.

If there is one way that I believe that "Headquarters" is going to hear the voice of the grassroots, I'm guessing that it will be with our checkbooks, or rather the lack of checks, or smaller checks going to national level agencies and the Messenger.

The Penn State Scandal

2011-11-11T11:40:00.000-05:00

/Some thoughts about the awful scandal here in Central PA on my personal blog. It's a new URL & Title Pastoral Graffiti http://pastoralgraffiti.blogspot.com

A Rant that came my way . . .

2011-10-26T10:40:00.001-04:00

"You people are ALL hypocrites. You don't follow the bible, word for word. You pick and choose what you WANT to follow, and discard the rest under the guise of societal changes. Not ONE of you practices "an eye for an eye." None of you stones anyone to death. Do you (weak) women believe you are the PROPERTY of men, and do you own property of your own? You are all hypocrites.

Anonymous"

A simple response:

Do you personally know any of us? Do you know how we treat our families? Do you know how we treat the people in our congregations? Do you have the courage to even use your name when trying to contact us? What is the answer to all of the questions? It's NO

And people call conservatives Judgmental? You have just done exactly what you accuse us of doing. You painted with a broad brush and utilized a bunch of "talking points" to speak ill of anyone who disagrees with you.

If progressives don't like casutic language, they may need to do some self examination to see if you are suffering from "Plankeye"

The Place for Grace

2011-10-12T11:05:00.000-04:00

A rather elaborate idea plan is emerging from the progressive wing of the COB. It's called, "Feast of Love." - http://www.feastoflove.org/

The goal is to create, " a new district within the Church of the Brethren." Thus, this movement would mean the creation of a denomination within the denomination.

I propose something that is much simpler and Biblical. Take a good look at Acts 15. When Paul and Barnabas came to the point where they could no longer effectively partner in ministry, they simply parted.

If we continue "living with the tension" that is dead-weight on all our churches, we are going to lose what little life we have left in the COB. So, what is a win-win situation for all parties? A graceful release. If congregations find themselves outside of the basic orthodoxy of the COB, why continue to fight? Wouldn't it be better to just let them begin a new work? As far as the "elephant in the living room," let them keep their buildings.

Out of Touch

2011-10-12T10:20:00.000-04:00

In late September, I received my copy of the September Messenger. On September 29th, an email landed in my inbox. It was from the COB News Services. The topic was budget cuts and lay-offs. This is very unfortunate and I feel sorry for those who are losing their jobs.

Then, on September 30th, another email comes down the line from the Annual Conference office. If I can just cut to the chase, it was to encourage me to read the Messenger to learn about what happened at Annual Conference, this Summer. I was there and I saw what happened. I don't need the Messenger's spin on what went down.

I can review the pivotal events in a few sentences. The will of the delegate body was very clearly articulated in the passing of Standing Committee's recommendation to keep the 1983 paper on Human Sexuality, with one amendment offered by Jim Myer.

Also, following proper protocol, the delegate body called Robert Krouse as our Moderator-Elect. I've known Bob for a long time. He is a solid, Christ-Centered evangelical. That's what I believe we were voting for. I really don't think Bob's calling had ANYTHING to do with gender.

If the folks at the Messenger and other parts of denominational level leadership can't figure that out, what reason do we have to put any faith in what they publish or release?

Out here, in the grass roots, the progressive agenda isn't floating. If the people who put the Messenger together and release other materials that are "officially" from the denomination make significant efforts to get in touch with people at the grassroots level, then maybe we'll have some unity.

At the moment, I'm not seeing anything to make me feel optimistic about that happening. That said, my goal is to put my efforts into the ministry I've been called to, and network with other's who share a solid, Biblical world-view.

Moving On

2011-10-03T09:22:00.004-04:00

I really do want to talk about other things. For the moment, I am in the middle of a set of messages called, "Fixing the Broken Church." I was blessed to receive a ton of books and from a wonderful brother who grew up in the COB. He is now in the world of church consulting, but wanted to help me. So, he sends me lots of useful information.

After studying various topics over the Summer, I came up with a list of things that we could be doing to make our ministries more effective. So, I offer you, Fixing the Broken Church:

Message One - "Lose the List" (Do we have a list? written or unwritten regarding who is welcome)

Message Two - "Not Guilty" (Guilt trips don't work. Love is Motivation)

Message Three - "Outsourcing" (The importance of parents teaching about faith at home, and not outsourcing all their children's spiritual needs to the church)

Message Four - "Man Factory" Challenges men to step up to their posts as Spiritual leaders in their homes & then other places.

The order is backward on the player, because it put the most recent message on top.

Also, check out the Recommended Reading list.

Responding to the Sept. 2011 Messenger.

2011-10-02T23:37:00.000-04:00

The activity on the internet surrounding the September, 2011 issue of the Messenger, began long before the magazine landed in my mailbox on September 23rd. Naturally, this issue was the Messenger's opportunity to report on the events of Annual Conference. With that, they also had a chance to show the entire denomination journalistic objectivity or editorial bias.

You don't even need to open the magazine to see what they choose. When I saw the cover, I thought I was looking at a Marvel comic book. An innocent, sweet damsel {complete with a rainbow scarf} was on the cover. The picture shows her unknowingly in grave danger. What danger? The Incredible Hulk is poised behind her, ready to attack. (The Hulk would be the unflattering photo of Jim Myer, made even more unflattering by the Photoshop job done on the picture.)

There has already been a great deal said about the words inside, so I'll not add much to that brouhaha. The old cliché, a picture is worth a thousand words is really quite valid, when you look at this cover photo. In the case of the Messenger, the thousands of words inside simply echo the cover.

The editorial pieces and the letters to the editor are full of loaded emotional language and "verbalism", which is the logical fallacy of using abundant words without much meaning. They are also devoid of any Biblical support for their arguments

So, I'll just return to the cover. By the way, my BA is in Communication, so I know how media works. I can only speculate, but I imagine that when the photo was chosen from the abundance of pictures taken at Annual Conference, it was likely seen as the "perfect" picture to encapsulate a progressive spin on Conference. Using a photo, in this manner, is the pictorial equivalent of using a quotation out of context.

The photo also implies several dichotomies: young vs. old, sweet vs. mean, female vs. male. This was quite a photo op !

We could have had a very accurate depiction of Conference with a photo of the overwhelming majority of those at conference standing to approve the final decision of the delegate body.

I will offer a brief commentary on one statement made in the Messenger. The "P.S." to Mrs. McFadden's opening salvo as the publisher, "Yeah, I know. Clearly I'm preaching to the choir."

Indeed, that is exactly what she was doing. However, her "choir" is quite small. I believe I mentioned before, the Messenger has a circulation of around 11,000. The COB is a denomination of approximately 123,000 to 124,000. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt that two people read each copy. With that assumption, the Messenger is not even reaching 25% of the Church of the Brethren's membership.

With the clear current editorial spin, I would not anticipate that their circulation is going to grow. If Mrs. McFadden wants to see more people subscribe to the Messenger, perhaps an editorial shift to represent the actual majority of the COB would help.

What part of this year's Annual Conference decision is so hard to understand? The delegates clearly spoke, with a strong majority.

History of Biblical Authority in the COB

2011-09-26T14:53:00.004-04:00

The Breaking Point

2011-08-25T12:20:00.001-04:00

Here is a post from my personal blog about some exciting things happening in my area. Perhaps you'll find it helpful.

Moving the Church Forward

2011-07-26T09:48:00.000-04:00

This is a reprint of my most recent column from our local paper. Hope you can find some practical ideas and some things to ponder. Churches, Contractors and Urban Legends

Answer to Recent Questions About Inclusion

2011-07-25T15:06:00.000-04:00

Since Annual Conference, several people have contacted me to sincerely ask me a similar question. Basically, they boil down to this: How can we be true to the Word of God and still be inclusive of others who are involved in sin. My response has always been, people who are living in an ongoing, unrepentant, sinful lifestyle are not qualified for positions of leadership. That's all ! They are welcome to attend and participate in church life.

And, several folks have really pushed the issue that we all have some kind of sin in our lives. (FYI, I don't disagree) This question leads to the next one, how can we be justified in excluding a certain type of sinner from positions of leadership?

Thanks for the push, that one is pretty easy to answer. The Apostle Paul {a far better source than me} has already addressed the qualifications for those in church leadership in the Pastoral Epistles: 1st & 2nd Timothy & Titus. Just read those books. There's nothing hard to understand in there.

I would simply add two other passages. According to James 3:1, ” Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness." (ESV)

Also, the Bible itself views sexual sin as different from all other sin, "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." (1 Cor. 6:18 ESV) In my opinion, this is logical because of sexual sin's profound effect on the family which is the foundation of society.

A Brethren College Experience

2011-07-14T15:06:00.000-04:00

One concern I've often heard people express is the strong presence of the "progressive" agenda at our "Church Affiliated" colleges. Click the title for a piece I wrote last Fall, "A Freshman Experience at Juniata College."

Ok, Now What

2011-07-14T12:37:00.001-04:00

With Annual Conference behind us, there is still a lot we can do if we keep communicating & supporting each other. The issue of Biblical Authority is still very much on the table. Also, we need to be very aware of the ground we have lost because of: arguing with each other, stepping back and handing control of the COB to Liberals, and neglecting to adjust our methods of "doing church." Because of that, we have lost many of our own young people.

We still have to deal with the fact that the COB is NOT growing, it is very much in decline. But, if we work our way forward with God's help nothing is impossible.

What can you do, right now? Send the address for this website to EVERYONE you know who has a computer. Right now, this blog is being read by over 100 people a day. With your help, we can make that number a lot bigger

Pastor David Stiles Sermon/Reaction to COB Annual Conference

2011-07-11T10:54:00.000-04:00

To wrap up this year's A.C. - Here are the highlights

2011-07-08T11:56:00.002-04:00

The Big Question
After all these years, standing committee made this recommendation regarding human sexuality. It passed, along with an amendment, offered from the BRF. The amendment is in bold type:

"In light of the Special Response process, as outlined by the 2009 paper A Structural Framework for Dealing with Strongly Controversial Issues, the 2011 StandingCommittee recommends to the 2011 Annual Conference that A Statement of Confession and Commitment and Query: Language on Same-Sex Covenantal Relationships be returned. It is further recommended that the 2011 Annual Conference reaffirm the entire 1983 Statement on Human Sexuality From a ChristianPerspective, and that we continue deeper conversations concerning human sexuality outside of the query process."

Take special note to the words: "outside of the query process." That means, not on the floor of Annual Conference. In the years ahead, we need to keep reminding Standing Committee of this.

Other Highlights:

Bob Krouse - A GREAT guy was called to the position of moderator-elect, via floor nomination.

Several of the main speakers were far better than what we've generally been hearing for the past decade. District Minister, Craig Smith gave a fantastic message on Sunday morning.

Even though we had a very heavy issue to deal with, I believe that the overall tone of the conference was very polite and respectful.

However, one major announcement did create a very disturbing feeling for those at the Conference. After the "big issue" was decided, I heard the very disturbing news that a homosexual person at our conference received a "creditable death threat." I stand with our leadership in absolute condemnation of this behavior.

Drawing a Line

2011-02-24T11:58:00.000-05:00

Printable Flyer

2011-02-04T12:38:00.000-05:00

Printable Copy of Brethren For Biblical Authority Flyer. Click the title, it's a link.