Re: R.B. Thieme Jr., Berachah Church Houston, Robert B. Thieme Jr.
Posted by:
FreedomandLife
()
Date: August 07, 2009 02:31PM
This is my first time posting in this thread, and I want to start by saying how much I appreciate the honesty and openness with which our varied experiences with the 'doctrinal movement' are received here. A friend of mine found this site about two years ago, and I have been lurking, reading, thinking... checking in from time to time since then.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for having the guts to simply put it out there and let the world judge for itself the phenomenal damage which has been done the Col's Clones.
It's late, and I'll get around to telling my story here soon. Suffice it to say, I have about 35 years of experience in and around what Thiemites, 'tapers,' and 'doctrinal believers' eagerly and wholeheartedly call the 'doctrinal movement'-- which is a horrendous misnomer in itself. I can speak from much eyewitness experience and, as I'm certain many of you can, some measure of authority. Those random posters who 'taped' for 5, 10 or 20 years and like to drop in defending Thieme or his various clones have, honestly, no idea what results in marriages, families, and individual hearts, souls, and minds from being under one of these ministries. The 'fear-based' faith {which is no faith at all}, the constant guilt {not to mention shameful manipulation for deviating from the 'norm and standard' or Heaven forbid deciding to leave the cult-like atmosphere behind}, the grace-based legalism {how's that for another oxymoron? I'm on a roll}, the obessions with details that won't matter when weighed out in Eternity, the formulaic approach to God, the distance and isolation from others {remember the erroneous 'doctrine of privacy'... where exactly is that in Scripture? Yeah, what about all those 'one another's' we're commanded to obey: little hard to do when there are no 'others'}, the constant derision of all who differ spiritually in any way, shape, or form {Baptists, Fundies, Evangelicals, Charismatics, Pentecostals, etc., etc}, not mention the banishment of emotion. This last point may not have been the aim, the goal, but emotion was so derided and downgraded that it almost became a form of evil.
My question to 'doctrinal believers' is: If emotions are so bad, so wrong, why does everybody except sociopaths have them? Emotion resides in the very centre of the soul, the heart to be precise, and the soul was created by Jesus Christ. Are you telling me He made a mistake, He somehow blew it? I don't think so.
Again, to those who never sat under the tyranny of men who tried to clone Berachah in their churches{Good Lord, why?} or 'channel' Thieme in their pulpits, you have no idea how much damage has been done. A little humility in speaking about something you have no experiential awareness of might be in order. I don't know one truly healthy {and thus holy} family that centered its life and spirituality around 'getting doctrine.' Not one. That speaks volumes in my book. Divorces were rampant through the years in many doctrinal churches, no matter how many 'marriage principles' were taught because, hey, it's just another sin Christ died for. Just confess it and move on. Good luck in recovering from that shotgun blast to the soul by rebounding it and moving on. Not going to happen.
So, thank you once again for providing this forum. I have read nearly every post in here at some time or another and am deeply grateful, not only for the added insight but that our unerringly faithful Father has set so many of us free to taste and see that He is better, and BIGGER, than we could have ever imagined!