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An Open Letter to Conservatives
By P.E. Huffman
February 18, 2002
I’ve
been troubled the last few months by some letters to ninetyandnine.com. As a conservative Apostolic, I can appreciate the
concerns of those that are upset by (what I regard as) the misguided views found
in some articles that appear. Yet just because my views are not presented in
every article does not mean that I’m going to abandon the web zine. You
shouldn’t, either.
ninetyandnine.com
is a unique site. In their own mission statement they claim, “This is your
Voice.” I believe that in this
statement the word “your” refers to Apostolics collectively. Not every
Apostolic has the same beliefs or convictions. It has never been that way¾not
even in the early Church. The Church is made up of individuals
with varied experiences and different levels of relationships with our Lord.
Does that mean that we should sever with those with radically different views
than us? My answer is “No.”
I
John 4:10 states that if we are to love God, then we are to love our brother
also. What does that entail? Should we blast our brother or sister because
he/she has an errant view (once again, from our perspective)?
I believe that giving a clear, thought-out presentation of our view is a
more sincere way of showing God’s love to our brother than an attitude of
“Bless God, it’s my way or the highway!” Nobody gains anything from that.
Maybe people won’t change their mind when they read our views, but then
again we’ve done what we could. The rest we have to leave in the hands of God.
Also,
as responsible Christians, and as conservatives, we need to consider the views
of those that are different from us. Of course we should always measure them up
to the supreme standard of the Bible; praying and fasting for God’s guidance
and understanding in the more difficult issues, for perchance we have acquired a
tradition or erroneous opinion that can be corrected. I recently read a sermon
by the well-known, 1800’s preacher Charles Finney. It was based on the last
part of Romans 14:23, which states “...for
whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” In
the sermon he presents a strong case for the responsibility of every Christian
to know, and not just accept, why they believe what they believe. If we don’t
make an effort to establish our faith in God through His Word, then we are being
less than dedicated.
If
I had the time and energy to rebut some of the ideas presented here, I would
probably be writing a couple articles a month. Realistically though, I don’t
have the time. I personally know a couple of the zine’s staff members and
believe that they are committed to fulfilling their Mission Statement. They are
willing to publish thoughtful articles and letters that conflict with their
views. Although it may be
contrary to some people’s opinion, just because ninetyandnine.com
is willing to print articles with a liberal bent, publishing them does not
make them a liberal web site. The apostles Paul and Peter had different ideas on
whether the Jewish law should still be observed after the Holy Ghost was poured
out (Galatians 2). What did they do? They brought it out into the open and
discussed it; likewise, that is what ninetyandnine.com
is doing.
Yes, if you write an article, they will probably do some
editing, and possibly even give some suggestions on how to present your ideas
better. Don’t let your feathers get ruffled. The purpose of writing is to get
your viewpoint across, make people think, and hopefully make them better
Christians.
In
the end, the collage of articles coming from different viewpoints will continue
to make ninetyandnine.com an
interesting and informative Apostolic website. Giving up on it helps no one.
Sincerely,
P.E. Huffman
ninetyandnine.com
ã
2002, P.E. Huffman
--------
P.E.
Huffman
lives near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and anxiously
awaits the coming of Spring.
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