Pastoral Traps: Exclusivism/ Chuck Swindoll

Do I highlight articles, posts, because I have nothing to write about? No. I have so many studies in my head to write, I have some posts written ahead of time. This is also my third post today as words seem to come spilling out here lately.

I do it because I want some truths to sink in that replace the lies some have been told. And when I find a piece that accomplishes that, I rush to highlight it. I highlight yet another good entry today by Chuck Swindoll whose topic is the Pastoral traps that, not only can ministers fall into, but any of us who are a member of a local church. I appreciate Chuck Swindoll because he tells it like it is, doesn’t mince words, yet does it in a way that you know he is saying it because he cares for those whom he is addressing. Sounds a lot like the Apostle Paul. Chuck writes:

A major trap pastors can fall into is exclusivism. That’s the attitude that says, “I alone am right.” It’s the “us-four-and-no-more-and-I’m-not-sure-about-you-three” kind of attitude. An exclusive spirit occurs when a pastor allows (or even promotes) a clannish, cultic kind of following around him.

Paranoia often accompanies an exclusive spirit: “Other ministries don’t do it as well as I do”—or some similar statement. Watch out for that kind of attitude. Guard yourself from too many first-person pronouns. It is nothing more than pride.

Read the rest of the needed piece here.

Amen. And may we, who claim to follow Christ remember that, repenting from it. It’s not who we are.

The Harare Diary

I have been reading with both fascination and a broken heart the BBC’s carrying the pages of the Harare Diary. The diary is written by a woman going under the pseudonym of “Esther”. “Esther” is a  28 year old professional, who works in Zimbabwe’s capital. She has been keeping a diary of the events happening in Zimbabwe, and the challenges of trying to lead a normal life through all of it. The BBC has been publishing a page from her diary daily.

The one that gripped me the most was Descent Into Violence. Here is an excerpt:

One hears horrendous stories of torture, violence and unbelievable cruelty being perpetrated against rural folk.

A headmaster of a school in my rural home was abducted from his home and severely beaten.

His wife found him in the woods nearby. They then fled to Harare to stay with their children here, but he died about two weeks after the incident.

Then there is a business client of my company who told us she had gone out to the countryside for her three-year-old niece’s funeral. She was also killed during political violence.

The little girl was allegedly dropped on the ground by a man who had abducted her from her parents’ home, to punish the father for supporting the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party.

Please read the rest  here. Also scroll down to the bottom of the page for more reading in Esther’s diaries.

In my pages, under the heading Social And Political Issues, located in the sidebar, there are two links to websites containing more information on Zimbabwe, there is also information on these websites on how you can help. Prayer is an essential. We are blessed here in America, as Christians we can do something, even if only to pray for these people. First let’s save their lives, then let’s give the good news so Christ can save their souls.

In Bonny;Thousands Flee Nigerian Militants

From The BBC: Thousands of Nigerians have fled the Niger Delta oil town of Bonny after militants threatened to behead people who are not originally from the area.

The unknown group attacked soldiers in the town two weeks ago, killing nine people including a pregnant woman.

According to a newspaper article widely circulated by residents, the militants said they would return on July 16.

For several years in Nigeria there have been attacks, in which one ethnic group attacks another. They attack anyone who they believe is non-indigenous to the area. In this case Bonny is a city of over 100,000 people whose main industry is oil. Militants have kidnapped oil workers, and attacks on the oil infrastructure is the reason Nigeria’s exporting has dropped around a quarter in the past few years, according to the BBC.

Please pray protection for these people, and make your voice be heard against these types of attacks where not even women or children are spared.