If Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians was Published in Christianity Today

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Dear Christianity Today:

In response to Paul D. Apostle’s article about the Galatian church in your January issue, I have to say how appalled I am by the unchristian tone of this hit piece. Why the negativity? Has he been to the Galatian church recently? I happen to know some of the people at that church, and they are the most loving, caring people I’ve ever met.

Phyllis Snodgrass; Ann Arbor, MI

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Dear Editor:

How arrogant of Mr. Apostle to think he has the right to judge these people and label them accursed. Isn’t that God’s job? Regardless of this circumcision issue, these Galatians believe in Jesus just as much as he does, and it is very Pharisaical to condemn them just because they differ on such a secondary issue. Personally, I don’t want a sharp instrument anywhere near my zipper, but that doesn’t give me the right to judge how someone else follows Christ. Can’t we just focus on our common commitment to Christ and furthering His kingdom, instead of tearing down fellow believers over petty doctrinal matters?

Ed Bilgeway; Tonganoxie, KS

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Dear CT:

I’ve seen other dubious articles by Paul Apostle in the past, and frankly I’m surprised you felt that his recurrent criticisms of the Church deserved to be printed in your magazine. Mr. Apostle for many years now has had a penchant for thinking he has a right to “mark” certain Christian teachers who don’t agree with his biblical position. Certainly I commend him for desiring to stay faithful to God’s word, but I think he errs in being so dogmatic about his views to the point where he feels free to openly attack his brethren. His attitude makes it difficult to fully unify the Church, and gives credence to the opposition’s view that Christians are judgmental, arrogant people who never show God’s love.

Ken Groener; San Diego, CA

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To the Editors:

Paul Apostle says that he hopes the Galatian teachers will cut off their own privates? What kind of Christian attitude is that? Shame on him!

Martha Bobbitt; Boulder, CO

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Dear Christianity Today:

The fact that Paul Apostle brags about his public run-in with Peter Cephas, a well-respected leader and brother in Christ, exposes Mr. Apostle for the divisive figure that he has become in the Church today. His diatribe against the Galatian church is just more of the same misguided focus on an antiquated reliance on doctrine instead of love and tolerance. Just look how his hypercritical attitude has cast aspersions on homosexual believers and women elders! The real problem within the Church today is not the lack of doctrinal devotion, as Apostle seems to believe, but in our inability to be transformed by our individual journeys in the Spirit. Evidently, Apostle has failed to detach himself from his legalistic background as a Pharisee, and is unable to let go and experience the genuine love for Christ that is coming from the Galatians who strive to worship God in their own special way.

William Zenby; Richmond, VA

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Kind Editors:

I happen to be a member of First Christian Church of Galatia, and I take issue with Mr. Apostle’s article. How can he criticize a ministry that has been so blessed by God? Our church has baptized many new members and has made huge in-roads in the Jewish community with our pragmatic view on circumcision. Such a “seeker-sensitive” approach has given the Jews the respect they deserve for being God’s chosen people for thousands of years. In addition, every Gentile in our midst has felt honored to engage in the many edifying rituals of the Hebrew heritage, including circumcision, without losing their passion for Jesus. My advice to Mr. Apostle is to stick to spreading the gospel message of Christ’s unconditional love, and quit criticizing what God is clearly blessing in other churches.

Miriam “Betty” Ben-Hur; Galatia, Turkey

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Christianity Today apologizes for our rash decision in publishing Paul Apostle’s exposé of the Galatian church. Had we known the extent in which our readership and advertisers would withdraw their financial support, we never would have printed such unpopular biblical truth. We regret any damage we may have caused in propagating the doctrines of Christ.

-courtesy of sacredsandwich

Uh brother. Did you get permission from Christianity Today to use their name in this way. Seriously you could be in trouble for slander and copyright infringments. I know that may not be your intent. But there could be serious legal repercussions for you and Sermon Index.

Moderators I urge you lock this thread down to protect SI from any legal liability.

Blainr Scogin

I think it is ok that this can be discussed. If there were publishing a "controversial" piece they should expect replies back and even a challenging of its points. Christianity Today is a magazine for the evangelical people and if they are going to post liberial leaning articles the only way for them to go back to a more conservative view is for their viewing audience to ask for it.

Sadly book publishing and magazine companies are publishing towards what the people want and sadly many people are losing their evangelical conserative values.

I applaud Christianity Today for their decision to post an apology, that shows character and they might have had many reasons to post the article and not 100% support it.

I feel this shows better character for the magazine as one that can be trusted by evangelicals. That is just my two sense.

Brother, I see no problem in them mentioning the name of the magazine.

"-courtesy of sacredsandwich"

This article has been around for a long time, including on my blog and nobody has been sued yet... it appears to have originated at sacred sandwich and not at CT though. The name of CT can be used under the fair use clasue of US copysright laws.

I posted this because there is a small but vocal group on SI that the editorial comments typify.

Did not want to see SI getting into any legal issues that could jeptodixe the ministry. That was the only reason that I raised the issue

Glad no one has been sued.

Blaine

"Did not want to see SI getting into any legal issues that could jeptodixe the ministry. That was the only reason that I raised the issue"

I guess I didnt even think about that because this has been on other popular christian websites for so long - it is a legitimate concern though. Sadly, some western gospel enterprises / ministries would sue others to protect their reputation and keep the business going.

-Jim

Thank you for that, Jim. I like 'sacredsandwich' - had forgotten about them.
Wasn't sure whether I wanted to laugh or cry though, while reading it - because that's how things truly are now and would be, if Paul [or Jude or any contributor to That Book] were still with us.
Frightful days we're living in, truthfully.

love these letters, its kind of tragic Godly satire, there's a tragic truth interwoven in the whole piece, that just underlines the whole backslidden nature of the Church today.

i'm of the opinion that the entire rubric of denominationalism points directly to how far we have fallen, especially when considered in the light of John 17, Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, and i speak not of the hellish "one world church".

but before i get into that, Jim, i want to ask you, what you mean by this?

I posted this because there is a small but vocal group on SI that the editorial comments typify.

who and what do you mean? what you've heard in the inner rooms, dont whisper, shout it from the rooftops! if you're going to draw the sword, dont play around with it, use it.

the past nine months, i've had an interesting journey with Jesus. i moved to the wildwoods, upper midwest, truly a land of milk and honey, literally. and its very similiar to what the Hebrides in Scotland must have been like in the 1949 period for the revivalist Duncan Campbell, meaning there are many churches, mostly lutheran and united methodist, but as Duncan testified, the stream of vital Christianity is running low. there is so much "dry wood" around here.

and for a season, God the Holy Ghost hid me up. All summer, i ate of the Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the Twelve Minor Prophets, nothing "minor" about them, but thats the label i have to deal with. What a season! i believe i did three "laps" around that "course"....a blessed Time indeed, all of them pointing the Way to Messiah. How grateful and humbled i am in my lowly estate that God the Holy Ghost even deigned to transact business with me, and He kept me OUT of these assemblies.

i know what you all might say, "dont forsake the fellowship", which are nice words, but God was hiding me away for a season, He's done it from time to time with His children, and He did it with me, He's been speaking with me, no boasting but in the LORD.

then one day, not that long ago, on the Lord's Day, the Father tells me, "go to the Church"....."where Lord?" "the one with the Cross"

before i tell you where, i was "raised" up in an assemblies of God church, blessed with a Godly mentor, who is one of closet friends, my brother, Blood brother.

i say that, because that day i walked thru the portals of a United Methodist Church...pause....if anyone had ever told me, one day you will walk into a UMC, i would have laughed, but there i was, the dear pastor, a MAN, believe it or not, was giving his message. i was dressed in barn attire, a one piece work bib, and work boots...not out of disrespect, God just told me, "get up and go", but everyone was dressed real nice, "Sunday best". most of the folk were elderly, the pastor, lets call him DeWayne, finished his message, then they went thru some hybrid "high/low" church liturgy i've never heard before, and then they finished, and went into the fellowship hall for some sweet muffins and whatnot.

there was no appeal to come to Jesus, no appeal to tarry at the altar, and certainly no weeping......however i didnt feel any judgement, i was just there, because my Father told me to be there. i buttonholed the pastor, he had only been there 4 weeks. we introduced, i told him the LORD's leading upon me, and i told him two things, that God told me, we must cut out of this area, a small group of praying men to seek the Face of the LORD, and beg him to pour water on a dry and thristy ground, because once we do that Work, a Heaven Sent, God Breathed, Sovereign Revival WILL come to this district.

i dont know what he made of me, i'm sure he got a "kick" out of me. i stayed for a spell, chatted lovingly in Jesus love to some of the folks. It was rather like a social club, and the entire time, i cast no judgement upon this assembly, but that Divine Reality of God the Holy Spirit hovering and brooding over this building, It wasnt there.

a couple weeks pass by, pastor DeWayne sent me several cards, imploring me "come back", so i burned him a worship CD, honored that request, went in, heard the pastor's message, and God love this dear man, but it was without.....i cant find the word.....when God GRIPS a man of God, and he speaks the Words of God, there's a certain Power, engendered by God the Holy Ghost, and your spirit testifies to that Truth, that Power, tha can only come from God, and It wasnt there, so afterwards i gave him the worship CD with love, and then.....i walked kitty corner to the OTHER church in this town of 700 souls, and went in.

These saints meet in what was the "old" public school. God has a sense of humor, i dont care what anybody says. Oh, our LORD is Holy, amen, but i love Him so much, because He knows how to laugh too....let tell me how and why. He was the One that commanded me, "go over there as well", and i read the sign...there's the name of the church, and right below it, i see the denomination, and its says "UPCI".

i just looked Heavenward, and laughed, and said in my spirit, "oh My Dear Father, what are you doing to me?" i'm sure most of you know, UPCI stands for "United Pentecostal Church International", which is "Oneness". or a "Jesus Name" pentecostal church. i didnt post that to engage in a dissection or demounciation of "Oneness", but suffice to say, "Oneness" is not the Truth of God in my heart.

The pastor greets me, nice young fellow, mid to late thirties, he fears God, i can discern that, we exchange names, handshakes, i'm smiling as i point back to the sign, "UPCI....Oneness". thats all i said, he looked shocked, "How do you know about Oneness?" i told him being having read Frank Bartleman's "Azusa Street", loving it, but then how Frank went into the Oneness "camp", which just broke my heart, and being raised up in an AoG church. he started to do Oneness apologetics, i respectfully stopped him, and said, "lets just agree to disagree", told him i wanted to go out to my truck and I BOLTED.

halfway up the ridge, God thundered, well more like commanded, "Go back NOW", so i flipped around, and went back. pastor "Jay" preached a message, i had my ears open, and this was a dear assembly of saints, afterwards we chatted, it was nice.

the reason i testified to all this was because of "words", Greg, you used the words, "liberal" and then "evangelical conservative", and it kind of gave me the same spiritual indigestion, i had after that morning, because i think words are like fences. Dear brother, thats NOT a slam, its just that we use words, that i really dont understand in Messiah. You can outline them for me, just as pastor Jay attempted to do oneness apologetics ON me, but they're just words, no offense.

as God is my witness, we have to go beyond words, beyond satire, and seek Revival...not revival meetings, televised, and publicized, though i thank God for any meetings that bring souls to Jesus, but Something MORE, we got to get desperate with God Hunger, desperate in prayer, so desperate and heart broken, weeping, FOR REAL, that God brings a Revival...to here, to there, which is why He laid it out on my heart to seek out these two pastors, and any other praying men in the district, to take one night a week,(at first) to lay before The Throne, seeking His Mercy and come down in Power, to saturate this very area, in His Sovereign Nature with His Presence, supernatural and Holy, so that even the worst sinner, sitting in some hell hole country bar, starts to fear the ground beneath him will crack open and send him straight to hell.

God's done it before, and He's a Convenant Keeping God, so why cant He do it again? Because we, as the human agents of Revival have a responsibility, to seek Him, in travailing prayer, in our districts and by ways....asking, seeking, knocking.

cant be televised though, because you get cameras and such, and the human carnal show off nature rears its ugly head. thats my testimony, thats my burden, if you're in Vernon, Richland and Crawford counties in Wisconsin, and God spoke to you, respond to what i just wrote. neil

"Such style of literature is more likely to offer the "truly devoted" Christian an opportunity to smirk at the pathetic ones “out there” – even as their own self-righteous attitude goes unchecked.... and as they "forward" it to another 100 like-minded associates."

roadsign- I mean no personal offense to you, but these same words could be said of your comment. To go along with Neils request, I published this article because the Lord has shown me three lying spirits that harm the true saints on SI. Legalism isn’t one of them - the legalist is easy to spot and we have enough people crying out against it on SI (even wrongly sometimes), those who teach sabbath, submit to clergy, etc seem to get mowed down pretty fast.

These three spirits are false humility, false love, and false unity. I read all three of those in the CT comments and I read all three of them on SI comments since this wave swept in about 4 years ago. These spirits are also the most judgmental while pretending to be non-judgmental.

"We are so spiritually bankrupt, that we have nothing left for producing radical change in ourselves, our families, our churches and society. The only resource we have left is this “gift” of seeing what’s wrong with everybody else."

Just because people don’t come on and brag about what God is doing doesn't mean it isn’t happening. If I come on and tell you about the countless thousands of homeless people fed in Jesus name, my young son almost being stabbed on the streets of Detroit while out as a family working with gangs and prostitutes, the power of God falling and addicts being set free then I get a big applause. Like Neil, God calling me away from it all for a season - into the wilderness, in my case to strengthen my family to stand in the days ahead where the very elect will be deceived. Yet God hasn't called me to talk about those things right now. He did however, show me the lying spirits operating on this forum though and I will be faithful to speak of that. I found this satire piece the perfect fit to address it, though surely a ministry of satire is not what the Lord called me to I think it can be beneficial in certain cases.

" Why the constant habit of launching out against others? Why is this obsessive drive so apparent – even among God’s people? "

Because many of "gods people" on SI are promoting error and falsehood and then screaming "thou shalt not judge". This harms the body of Christ and is the subtle work of satan. There is a subtle criticizing that is rampant on SI and that is displayed in your above post. Sort of like "I will not tolerate your intolerance".

Gods best to you in Christ Jesus roadsign, I am not intending to attack you or any such thing but submit my comments for edification.

Jim

"How arrogant of Mr. Apostle to think he has the right to judge these people and label them accursed. Isn’t that God’s job? Regardless of this circumcision issue, these Galatians believe in Jesus just as much as he does, and it is very Pharisaical to condemn them just because they differ on such a secondary issue."

"In response to Paul D. Apostle’s article about the Galatian church in your January issue, I have to say how appalled I am by the unchristian tone of this hit piece. Why the negativity? Has he been to the Galatian church recently?"

Neil - I have had a season in the wilderness too dear brother. If you would email me sometime it would make my day in the Lord.

-Jim

" http://sacredsandwich.com/ "

I ain't a Calvinist [as s.s. com is] - but I enjoy anyone trying to make light of "us all", as even Art tried to, and now I'm also made to feel that THAT is off-limits here as well.

I give up!

Woe to you Jim - and any other sacred sandwichers out there!

I truly do give up. This week, in particular, has done do'd it fer me.
Between announcements that gave me a delayed pause and now this - I just plum give up. Whatever Greatly needed light-heartednees that I got out of the OP has been road killed.
But thanks Jim for reminding me that there are some sites out there that can still bring humor into this mixed mess of monitor meetings.
Art Katz has more satirical humor in the sermons I listened to last night and I'll stick with that. No one can hurt him anymore, neither.

See ya'll up yonder, I reckon.

Jesus said; "THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN."

" Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

" He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition."

The American Church usually has become void of the Spirit, from front to back. Get on you suit..your best dress ...pay the tithe, sit and listen, or lecture from behind a table...shake some hands and call a few people your brother or sister...and go home and do it again next week at 10:30 am.

This is what Church IS..to millions and millions of souls. Most have never one time experienced true worship..[ which is more than singing a hymn or two..] or ever seen a true move of God's Spirit.

We do not GO to church. We are the Church. This illusion of the ceremony being the church....and a BUILDING being associated with it, and the PAYING of a PRIEST-CLASS to run that meeting [ usually in a temple type orifice ] is NOT a NEW TESTAMENT function. It is, and was derived from Pagan ceremony.....and it guarantees one thing....God will be shut out.

When man is in charge; God isn't...as hard as the Pastor may grimace. How do you know WHAT God is going to do? Read the BULLITIN, silly.

Consider this....in the FOUNDATION CHURCH...Jerusalem and Pauline Plants....every member had a role, and as a vessel, each and every member was used to pour their gifts, and His Spirit through them, AS THE HOLY SPIRIT CHOSE! One had a testimony...One had a teaching....one had prophecy.....and they met in homes!!..House to house!...and both great joy, and great love rested upon hem......PRESENCE!....corprate worship....

They WERE the church, and the church was the community of believers!....The average, common members that lived here and there knew they were the Church, the TEMPLE of God Himself as LIVNG STONES......not this Religious idea we have today that promotes a paid, elite class that must dominate everything to be effective..and the pulpit that will reject Jesus himself to be heard, and in control of that meeting. "Run a meeting.."

So vastly different from Galations, yes...but so utterly different from authentic Spirit led Christianity too...another world, I'm afraid.I know that God is not finished yet. One is coming down, and the other will rise up in Resurrection life....unto the very least of the brothers and sisters whoever that may be.

Be led of God, and love the family of God, and get underneath to wash feet...and He will guide you to His people and their community...The Church.