logos:

You are really making yourself look bad here.

Despite your attempt to rationalize the previous personal attack, it was a violation of the rules.

Last warning.

You will be banned from this board if you repeat such behavior.

"God appoints pastors"?

Is that in an audible voice witnessed by the congregation?

Your rationalization regarding authoritarian pastors that have little if any meaningful accountability, is again a typical response from "cult" members.

Do a bible study regarding deacons, elders and evangelists and read Paul's criticism of leaders in Galatians.

Christians have the right to openly criticize and hold leaders accountable.

Most Protestant pastors are accountable, despite your apparent willingness to accept a virtual dictatorship.

logos: ^{You're replies are shallow, emotional, and make you look extremely foolish, especially when compared to the posts of your opposition in this thread.}

Truthtesty: Funny that's the way your statement looks. And? Prove it.

logos: ^{Take your personal vendetta elsewhere, and stop attacking a man who is building up the church.}

Truthtesty: I am going to stay right here and I am going to keep telling the truth whether you like it or not and hopefully you won't like it. Got it? This is not Berachah. You have no control here. Thieme is done. Thieme handled the Word deceitfully. The truth about Thieme's deceitfulness is now "out of the bag" and there is nothing you can do about it. Thieme didn't build up the church, he retarded the spiritual growth of christians.


logos: ^{In 53 years, don't you think God would've done something about Colonel Theime, if his teachings were really as bad as you say they are? Do you think he slipped through the heavenly crack, and God didn't notice him?}


Truthtesty: You don't know? It is clear that evil does exist, and God allows it.



Truthtesty

Quote
Truthtesty
logos: ^{You're replies are shallow, emotional, and make you look extremely foolish, especially when compared to the posts of your opposition in this thread.}

Truthtesty: Funny that's the way your statement looks. And? Prove it.

logos: ^{Take your personal vendetta elsewhere, and stop attacking a man who is building up the church.}

Truthtesty: I am going to stay right here and I am going to keep telling the truth whether you like it or not and hopefully you won't like it. Got it? This is not Berachah. You have no control here. Thieme is done. Thieme handled the Word deceitfully. The truth about Thieme's deceitfulness is now "out of the bag" and there is nothing you can do about it. Thieme didn't build up the church, he retarded the spiritual growth of christians.


logos: ^{In 53 years, don't you think God would've done something about Colonel Theime, if his teachings were really as bad as you say they are? Do you think he slipped through the heavenly crack, and God didn't notice him?}


Truthtesty: You don't know? It is clear that evil does exist, and God allows it.



Truthtesty

So obviously you don't get your teaching from thieme anymore. So who do you learn from these days?
Do they teach you that hate is a right attitude to have as a Christian? And obsessive hate, at that?

Ever hear the phrase "vengeance is Mine, saith the Lord?"
If Thieme really is the monster you make him out to be, God will deal with him. If you feel he wronged you in some way, then God will pay him back with vengeance. But that is not your job as a Christian, and you should know that. Any pastor would tell you that, especially Thieme.

radaph:

You say, "God will deal with him. If you feel he wronged you in some way, then God will pay him back with vengeance. But that is not your job as a Christian, and you should know that. Any pastor would tell you that, especially Thieme."

Thieme may have offered such a teaching, but it is not what "any pastor" would either say or teach.

In fact few would offer such false teachings.

What you are describing is a dictatorship, where accountability to the congregation of believers has been essentially eliminated.

Overwhelmingly, Protestant churches have congregational and denominational accountability, through elected boards and officers.

When someone within a church has a grievance they can take it to someone as established on earth, as well as God through prayer.

The New Testament provided for this specifically through its discussion of deacons, elders and evangelists. An evangelist would essentially be considered a pastor today.

Paul openly criticized leaders on earth (read Galatians) and even the Apostle Peter (read Acts).

Sorry, but if this is what Thieme taught, he was wrong.

Quote
rrmoderator
radaph:

You say, "God will deal with him. If you feel he wronged you in some way, then God will pay him back with vengeance. But that is not your job as a Christian, and you should know that. Any pastor would tell you that, especially Thieme."

Thieme may have offered such a teaching, but it is not what "any pastor" would either say or teach.

In fact few would offer such false teachings.

What you are describing is a dictatorship, where accountability to the congregation of believers has been essentially eliminated.

Overwhelmingly, Protestant churches have congregational and denominational accountability, through elected boards and officers.

When someone within a church has a grievance they can take it to someone as established on earth, as well as God through prayer.

The New Testament provided for this specifically through its discussion of deacons, elders and evangelists. An evangelist would essentially be considered a pastor today.

Paul openly criticized leaders on earth (read Galatians) and even the Apostle Peter (read Acts).

Sorry, but if this is what Thieme taught, he was wrong.

No, I am not describing a dictatorship.

Look, I am talking about this in the here and now. And from that perspective, there is absolutely nothing you can do about the Col's teachings if you don't like it that will change anything at all. He is retired. He is probably incapable at this point of even giving a sermon, let alone writing any more books, etc.

So if you have a problem with his ministry, your problem is in the past, and it doesn't exist anymore. The Col isn't making anyone listen to tapes anymore (not that he ever was, but he has been so accused). If they do it, they can't blame him. It's their choice.

My advice at this point is to let God handle it.

My advice would be different 25 years ago, when he was still teaching, and you were a member of his congregation.
In that case, if you had a sincere complaint, I would recommend you talk to one of the church deacons. They are very nice men, and they will listen to you. And I gaurantee if you talked to the Col in an objective way, he would listen to you too. He would probably not agree with you when the dust settled, because he did not come to his viewpoints lightly. He studied hard and prayed hard to come to his doctrinal points of view, and therefore would not easily be swayed. But I am sure he would've listened.

Mind you he wouldn't have listened if you made an outburst during church. That is rude, and distracting, and it's not the time or place for such things. I've not known very many churches where this type of thing was acceptable. Berachah was no exception.

But after church, the Col is around for a while. He wouldn't turn you away if you had a question. Or you could email him. That applies to Bobby (RBT III) as well.

This unapproachable attribute that everyone wants to give the colonel is just not true. Now in his later years, his health made it such that it was all he could do to stand at the podium for an hour, so after church he quickly retreated to his office, to sit down and rest. But the door was wide open every time I walked by there.

radaph:

Once again you seem to be describing a dictatorship.

Who had authority over Thieme?

Only God?

Could the deacons discipline or fire him?

Quote
rrmoderator
radaph:

Once again you seem to be describing a dictatorship.

Who had authority over Thieme?

Only God?

Could the deacons discipline or fire him?

What do you mean, "only God?" As if that is insignificant?

Col Thieme only had authority over us because we allowed him to. So if you care to look at it that way (which I don't) he was under the authority of every single member of the church. Any single person could essentially fire him for any reason. All they had to do was leave.

radaph:

There you go again, illustrating through your posts that Thieme essentially ran a dictatorial church without any meaningful accountability to the membership.

You say, "Any single person could essentially fire him for any reason. All they had to do was leave."

This understanding of a leader's authority is commonly paraphrased as "My way or the highway."

In other words, if you don't like the way the church run by its dictator, get out.

Please try to understand that the overwhelming majority of Protestant churches would not accept such dictatorial rule regarding a pastor and don't work this way.

And the type of leadership you have admitted to on this message board precludes the possibility that Thieme was ever "under the authority" of any "member of the church."

You have never supported such a theory by citing specific church bylaws, which would support such a statement.