Post by Gerard Willemsen on May 23, 2007 12:49:04 GMT 1
Sandy Simpson, writing on www. deceptioninthechurch.com, has had a crusade against many fellow Christians since many years, among them all people involved in the World Christian Gathering on Indigenous People. Only now I happened to see his comments on the Kiruna WCGIP in 2005. Simpson seems to try to impress his readers by lengthy articles, full of quotes. But in spite of his very hard and, in fact, unloving criticism of good, evangelical Christians trying to reach their own peoples with the Gospel, he builds his arguments on loose sand. I wonder form where his "knowledge" of the Kiruna meeting comes. He was not there, I know, being one of the organisers. I doubt whether he has been on any WCGIP.
Simpson builds his criticism on two quotes. The quotes are taken totally out of context. Any Bible reader knows that you can even make the Bible say the most terrible things by selective quoting. Of course, you need the context. Simpson does not have the context since he was not there.
He does not even have quotes. The two Kiruna "quotes", which makes him condemn Terry LeBlanc as well as Gavriel Gefen (who he supposes has not read the NT lately) are taken from a blog of one of the participants. Thus the quotes are not necessarily literally quotes but the impressions of one participant of what two people said. The blogger does not even state she is quoting exactly. Simpsons sand to build on is very loose indeed. To give another quote: "Don't build your house on a sandy land".
And then, Simpsons arguments against the stated quotes are not too good as well. Terry LeBlanc sees a need for indigenous theology. So do I and many others. But Simpson says there are no different theologies. I would say: take another look into what theology is. Of course there are different theologies in different contexts, and there need to be. Simpson has apparently not seen the fruits of what Terry and others are doing. I have.
Simpson condemns even Gavriel Gefen "and his messianic Jews" for being back in the synagogue. He quotes Paul in Galatians to strengthen his case, a beautiful example of making short out-of-context quotes to serve your own case. A dangerous thing to do. But Paul does not anywhere forbid a Jew to be a Jew and to be in synagogue. He fights the víew that the jewish Law be put on the non-jewish Christians as a burden. He says we are free from the Law but he himself was in the synagogues and even in the temple. He even circumcized a non-jewish person, even if he saw that was not demanded by God, the circumstances made it a wise thing to do.
I can't help wondering. Pastor Simpson seems to be a zealous man, wanting to take the battle for Christs sake. I can admire that. But why, why putting all this energy in battling against his fellow Christians, instead of putting that energy into preaching the Good Word to those who are in need of it?
Simpson builds his criticism on two quotes. The quotes are taken totally out of context. Any Bible reader knows that you can even make the Bible say the most terrible things by selective quoting. Of course, you need the context. Simpson does not have the context since he was not there.
He does not even have quotes. The two Kiruna "quotes", which makes him condemn Terry LeBlanc as well as Gavriel Gefen (who he supposes has not read the NT lately) are taken from a blog of one of the participants. Thus the quotes are not necessarily literally quotes but the impressions of one participant of what two people said. The blogger does not even state she is quoting exactly. Simpsons sand to build on is very loose indeed. To give another quote: "Don't build your house on a sandy land".
And then, Simpsons arguments against the stated quotes are not too good as well. Terry LeBlanc sees a need for indigenous theology. So do I and many others. But Simpson says there are no different theologies. I would say: take another look into what theology is. Of course there are different theologies in different contexts, and there need to be. Simpson has apparently not seen the fruits of what Terry and others are doing. I have.
Simpson condemns even Gavriel Gefen "and his messianic Jews" for being back in the synagogue. He quotes Paul in Galatians to strengthen his case, a beautiful example of making short out-of-context quotes to serve your own case. A dangerous thing to do. But Paul does not anywhere forbid a Jew to be a Jew and to be in synagogue. He fights the víew that the jewish Law be put on the non-jewish Christians as a burden. He says we are free from the Law but he himself was in the synagogues and even in the temple. He even circumcized a non-jewish person, even if he saw that was not demanded by God, the circumstances made it a wise thing to do.
I can't help wondering. Pastor Simpson seems to be a zealous man, wanting to take the battle for Christs sake. I can admire that. But why, why putting all this energy in battling against his fellow Christians, instead of putting that energy into preaching the Good Word to those who are in need of it?