Post by kerygmata on Nov 19, 2008 3:22:45 GMT -5
The Levitical Priesthood was instituted *and abolished* by God. The hierarchical structure of church government imposed on the body of Christ by well meaning but unbiblical leadership is a mix of levitical and pagan structures, this is what I was trying to communicate, not that God's old
covenant systems resemble pagan governments. But who made the decisions? Were they made at "council meetings", or by "elder boards"? Seems to me that in scripture, it actually was consensus, it was the whole church, not a democracy where whatever you vote for is OK, that's not what I'm saying. Consensus is not done through a vote, it through the body working things out, reasoning from the scriptures, dying to themselves, and aiming for the best, all guided by those who stand out in their maturity. There is not one modern denomination, especially of the Presbyterian/Reformed bent, that practices consensus style problem solving. The PCUSA, PCA, CRC, OPC, CREC, whoever, they have nothing to do with what I said and am saying. Trying to say, anyway. Who is voting on the gospel or the commandments? I don't know about that, consensus is a way of doing something, if you do something wrong with it it is not because of consensus (which there was not in the case of the PCUSA, nope, no consensus, and a bunch of people got booted out) but because of wicked people.
By the way, on the actual subject of the original post, the book Crossed Fingers by Gary North is a good look at how this kind of thing happens, at least in the reformed and presbyterian world.
covenant systems resemble pagan governments. But who made the decisions? Were they made at "council meetings", or by "elder boards"? Seems to me that in scripture, it actually was consensus, it was the whole church, not a democracy where whatever you vote for is OK, that's not what I'm saying. Consensus is not done through a vote, it through the body working things out, reasoning from the scriptures, dying to themselves, and aiming for the best, all guided by those who stand out in their maturity. There is not one modern denomination, especially of the Presbyterian/Reformed bent, that practices consensus style problem solving. The PCUSA, PCA, CRC, OPC, CREC, whoever, they have nothing to do with what I said and am saying. Trying to say, anyway. Who is voting on the gospel or the commandments? I don't know about that, consensus is a way of doing something, if you do something wrong with it it is not because of consensus (which there was not in the case of the PCUSA, nope, no consensus, and a bunch of people got booted out) but because of wicked people.
By the way, on the actual subject of the original post, the book Crossed Fingers by Gary North is a good look at how this kind of thing happens, at least in the reformed and presbyterian world.