Impediments to membership in an Anabaptist fellowship

[Soloist]

I agree with most of what you said. While Eastern may not claim in so many words to be the one true church, the actions of many say otherwise. I know countless situations where an adult child chose to join another fellowship and was considered "lost". One couple was bemoaning this only last week- one of their children is now Pilgrim, the other Northeastern. I was told by my father-in-law that if we joined anything other than Eastern or Washington County he would consider us apostate, and the extended family agrees with this position. This was with us joining a congregation that was more conservative in practice than the Eastern congregation we were part of. One minister went so far as to tell me that transferring from Eastern to another conservative group was equivalent to divorce "which is forbidden in the Scriptures, so you are on a dangerous course".

Our friends were told they would lose their children if they left Eastern. They left and so far have faithful children getting married in the faith. Mind you, they were seekers and never joined.

[RZehr]

The logic I’ve heard for allowing it, is that golfing has largely lost its reputation as a sport only for the rich. With the rise of municipal courses, rental clubs, what all, it is now more of a middle class sport. So I guess that mean we are more comfortable associating with middle class sensibilities and norms and values, and have a bit of discomfort with the upper crust.

At one point, fly fishing was viewed the same way.

Reel Christians only use a cane pole and worms. Flyfishermen are instead, creel Christians.

[steve-in-kville]

Our friends were told they would lose their children if they left Eastern. They left and so far have faithful children getting married in the faith. Mind you, they were seekers and never joined.

At what point do we go from being a religion to a cult? Some of the stuff I'm reading in this thread is horrifying

[Josh]

Yeah us seekers are too complicated. Much easier to teach someone convictions that align with ours then face challenges about if ours are Scriptural or not.

In my experience they often weren’t scriptural at all, such as for example someone who is so convicted about homeschooling they pitched a fit when someone else put their kids in private school. (The family’s mom had ended up in the hospital from the stress of trying to homeschool so the dad simply did what had to be done.)

Or the person who decided everyone needed big long beards and left in a huff.

Or the person who felt we needed to wear suspenders and no printed fabric, because he’d read various pamphlets online arguing for that manner of plain dress.

[Josh]

I agree with most of what you said. While Eastern may not claim in so many words to be the one true church, the actions of many say otherwise. I know countless situations where an adult child chose to join another fellowship and was considered "lost". One couple was bemoaning this only last week- one of their children is now Pilgrim, the other Northeastern. I was told by my father-in-law that if we joined anything other than Eastern or Washington County he would consider us apostate, and the extended family agrees with this position. This was with us joining a congregation that was more conservative in practice than the Eastern congregation we were part of. One minister went so far as to tell me that transferring from Eastern to another conservative group was equivalent to divorce "which is forbidden in the Scriptures, so you are on a dangerous course".

In other words they have a “one true church” doctrine despite claiming not to.

[Soloist]

In my experience they often weren’t scriptural at all, such as for example someone who is so convicted about homeschooling they pitched a fit when someone else put their kids in private school. (The family’s mom had ended up in the hospital from the stress of trying to homeschool so the dad simply did what had to be done.)

Or the person who decided everyone needed big long beards and left in a huff.

Or the person who felt we needed to wear suspenders and no printed fabric, because he’d read various pamphlets online arguing for that manner of plain dress.

The issue isn’t that their stuff is more Scriptural, the issue is the conformity to things not Scriptural or applications that are valid on both sides that may or may not be convictions.

[Soloist]

You take a person who effectively rebelled against their upbringing to leave their historic faith for a true Biblical faith or at least a lot closer and then get told the answer is to do what the group says is more Scriptural. Do you see an issue here?
There has to be more understanding for the personal sacrifice and the stance against compromise. These people (myself included) left unbiblical nonsense and had no desire or intentional to replace it with the same of a different flavor.
Do they take stands on things they should be willing to compromise on? Sure, but so does the church.

The weaker brother should not only be the drunkard.

[NedFlanders]

I agree with most of what you said. While Eastern may not claim in so many words to be the one true church, the actions of many say otherwise. I know countless situations where an adult child chose to join another fellowship and was considered "lost". One couple was bemoaning this only last week- one of their children is now Pilgrim, the other Northeastern. I was told by my father-in-law that if we joined anything other than Eastern or Washington County he would consider us apostate, and the extended family agrees with this position. This was with us joining a congregation that was more conservative in practice than the Eastern congregation we were part of. One minister went so far as to tell me that transferring from Eastern to another conservative group was equivalent to divorce "which is forbidden in the Scriptures, so you are on a dangerous course".

In other words they have a “one true church” doctrine despite claiming not to.

I’m not sure either of you are accurate? Maybe some times but I would hope Eastern was focusing on direction of travel. One split I know of that left Eastern to become intermediate has struggled deeply with becoming worldly, adultery, idolatry and etc can be found… Looking on the externals I’m not sure anyone would think those things are happening but having gotten to know them it is a very sad state of direction. And sadly many of the young adults are leaving, cohabiting, marrying far outside the faith, etc…. When Eastern people see this as I have it certainly saddens a heart greatly and so we certainly want to warn on direction of travel!

And as this relates to the topic at hand as someone leaves a less conservative setting for a more conservative- if the more conservative setting is travelling the opposite direction of the person looking for more “biblically” conservative setting there will be a constant tension between the two and hence why I’d rather just send seekers to ultra conservative settings.

[Josh]

I’m not sure either of you are accurate? Maybe some times but I would hope Eastern was focusing on direction of travel. One split I know of that left Eastern to become intermediate has struggled deeply with becoming worldly, adultery, idolatry and etc can be found… Looking on the externals I’m not sure anyone would think those things are happening but having gotten to know them it is a very sad state of direction. And sadly many of the young adults are leaving, cohabiting, marrying far outside the faith, etc…. When Eastern people see this as I have it certainly saddens a heart greatly and so we certainly want to warn on direction of travel!

And as this relates to the topic at hand as someone leaves a less conservative setting for a more conservative- if the more conservative setting is travelling the opposite direction of the person looking for more “biblically” conservative setting there will be a constant tension between the two and hence why I’d rather just send seekers to ultra conservative settings.

I'm perfectly fine with a church holding to a "one true church" doctrine.

What I'm not fine with is ones that effectively do so, but claim they do not.

[ohio jones]

The logic I’ve heard for allowing it, is that golfing has largely lost its reputation as a sport only for the rich. With the rise of municipal courses, rental clubs, what all, it is now more of a middle class sport. So I guess that mean we are more comfortable associating with middle class sensibilities and norms and values, and have a bit of discomfort with the upper crust.

At one point, fly fishing was viewed the same way.

You can catch more flies with honey than with worms.