Power

Richard Horsley said this in his book, The Liberation of Christmas: "But biblical texts suggest that people in positions of relative power and privilege (kings, princes, priests, scribes, Pharisees) tend not to test their own prejudices and horizons but to use their power to impose them on others" (p. 148).

When I read that I thought that he could have included preachers and elders. Traditions and traditional views often become laws that cannot be broken because that will cause one to lose his soul. So only certain views are accepted and others rejected because those in power have the control, even though good brethren disagree on various texts. There can be no disagreement. Long gone are the days in which various views are found in brotherhood papers. Only those views that the editors accept are acceptable.

Read blogs by various brethren and you will see that many do not accept the traditional line. People have left churches because they have been criticized for questioning traditions or looking at texts in other ways.

What is forgotten is that Jesus is Lord and He alone has all authority. It is time for us to come to grips with this before we destroy ourselves through bitterness and anger.