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Author Topic: “Every nation, this generation”  (Read 41800 times)
G_Prince
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« Reply #20 on: June 11, 2008, 10:06:53 pm »

Insulating yourself from the outside world seems like the strangest way to reach the world. Wouldn't working with other churches be much more effective? That's just common sense.  My church didn't even like working with other evangelicals. What is wrong with them?
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EverAStudent
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« Reply #21 on: June 12, 2008, 08:23:54 am »

Power-hunger and a deep desire to exercise authority and control can only exist in a closed and exclusive environment.  Us and them.  Those who can be controlled are "us" and those who are uncontrollable are "them."  Everyone of "us" whom I can no longer control must suddenly become one of "them," and I can comfortably retain my control.

In that paradigm, if the powerful (who glory in controlling others) are pastors, they dare not expose their people to any other pastors, for that would be to give away their power and authority.  It becomes a crisis if some of "us" find the other pastor interesting and go join "them;" it is a crisis because with every person that leaves we lose some more control.  So even other churches and pastors (especially Christian churches) become "them" along with the world being "them."

If you examine this exclusivity of GCx from that paradigm, I think it becomes more evident why they do not appreciate cooperation with other churches.  These other churches are a threat (real or imagined) to their ability to control and exercise power over their congregations.
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MidnightRider
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« Reply #22 on: June 12, 2008, 08:44:44 am »

Quote from: "G_Prince"
Insulating yourself from the outside world seems like the strangest way to reach the world. Wouldn't working with other churches be much more effective? That's just common sense.  My church didn't even like working with other evangelicals. What is wrong with them?

From what I could tell, the thinking was something like this: Those other churches didn't have the goal of reaching the world with the gospel in their generation. And they were too absorbed in their traditions and programs to devote much effort to evangelism.

To some degree, I think GCx's leaders were correct in that assessment. But in fairness, those other churches often had/have legitimate reasons for the things they do. To someone who is fixed on one particular aspect of Christianity (in this case evangelism), it seems like anyone doing anything else is seriously off track.
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steelgirl
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« Reply #23 on: June 20, 2008, 09:21:18 pm »

Quote from: "AgathaL'Orange"
Why is the world still in need of being reached if it had already been "reached?"  There are still dialects that are as yet unknown and the Bible hasn't even been translated into every language yet.

That doesn't make any sense.  Also if they really wanted to reach every generation than why is there NO emphasis whatsoever on tribal missions??  Wouldn't that be a reason to send someone to Bible school or seminary?  

I think it may speak to the practical "down and dirty" idea of numbers.  It's easier and takes less time to learn Dutch than a tribal dialect in Papua New Guinea and more people will be converted so it's better for them to go there.  Plus don't forget the "cool" factor.  It's way more hip and emergent to go to post modern places than to tribal places that have no idea how uncool it is to sing an old hymn.

Wow that was really mean spirited, wasn't it?  I may delete this later after feeling bad about it so READ FAST!!!


It is great that Wycliff and other organizations sends missionaries to Papa New Guinea.  On a side note one positive thing the GCM church I was a part of actually help support a family that worked with Wycliff.  They attended the Columbus Campus Church.

On another note Western Europe is a very dark place that needs Jesus.   People's heart are hardened however God still wants to get a hold of them.
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askingquestionsaboutGCI
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« Reply #24 on: September 12, 2008, 06:52:00 am »

Saw this t-shirt yesterday..... and it really caught me off-guard!  In our large homeschooling academy, a kid walked through, and the back of his t-shirt read: "Every Nation In This Generation".  So of course, being very nosey (and having read threads on this topic before!), I had to make my way unobtrusively to see the FRONT of the shirt, which said "Leadership Training '84"!!  Wow -- THAT shirt has been around for a LOOOONG time!!  I knew his parents had been in GC* for a long time -- just didn't realize it had been THAT long......
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puff of purple smoke
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« Reply #25 on: December 17, 2008, 04:55:47 pm »

Quote from: "MidnightRider"
Does anyone still have a copy of the booklet "GO - The Cry From Eternity" ? I think it was written by Henry Hintermeister back in the early days of GCx (1970s). My copy has long been discarded.

As I recall, the author put a lot of emphasis on the "Go ye" in the Great Commission, and argued that you could not obey this command unless you did some "going" (moving from place to place) to spread the gospel.

I suspect Larry Pile has a copy, as he mentions it and refutes its contents in Appendix One of his book Marching To Zion. Of note, Larry writes in footnote 2 that:
Quote
Since writing this booklet and others used (formerly) in GCI, Hintermeister has left Great Commission International and repudiated much of the argumentation contained in these booklets, including this assertion that every Christian is to go to every country.
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MarthaH
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« Reply #26 on: November 16, 2010, 09:26:29 pm »

Numbers, numbers, numbers! Where in the world do you all get this idea that GC is concerned with numbers  Roll Eyes?!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjdChsvM5Kw
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MidnightRider
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« Reply #27 on: November 17, 2010, 07:47:02 am »

Numbers, numbers, numbers! Where in the world do you all get this idea that GC is concerned with numbers  Roll Eyes?!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjdChsvM5Kw

Who is the man preaching in the video?
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AgathaL'Orange
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« Reply #28 on: November 17, 2010, 08:40:42 am »

First, I'm sure it's due to my newly formed cynical nature, but I find that video intense and disturbing.  And second, that is Pat Sokoll... at least at the beginning.  They look like brainwashed people to me.
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MidnightRider
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« Reply #29 on: November 17, 2010, 05:52:47 pm »

First, I'm sure it's due to my newly formed cynical nature, but I find that video intense and disturbing.  And second, that is Pat Sokoll... at least at the beginning.  They look like brainwashed people to me.

AgLo,

You are only a beginner-level cynic. When you reach higher levels, you will find the video less disturbing.

They quote some Bible verses about evangelism in the early Christian church 1900 years ago, then show a bunch of GCx kids at a conference. So what?

This movement has been around since 1970 and if they were right about their methods of evangelism, they would have reached the world by now.

I could not tell if those people were brainwashed, or just bored.

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AgathaL'Orange
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« Reply #30 on: November 17, 2010, 06:32:21 pm »

I hope you are right!  I think it was the loopy ecstasy.  Loopy, emotional ecstasy freaks me out in that context.   Grin
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MidnightRider
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« Reply #31 on: November 17, 2010, 09:28:17 pm »

I hope you are right!  I think it was the loopy ecstasy.  Loopy, emotional ecstasy freaks me out in that context.   Grin

You will not catch me defending loopy, emotional ecstasy. Or even non-loopy, emotional ecstasy.  Roll Eyes 

But such behavior is not the exclusive possession of GCx. You can go in many (most?) evangelical churches and see something similar.
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