Maybe I am just a bit slow today

[Pastor Gary]

In doing some research for a paper I am writing I stumbled onto a COGOP website from a church in Alabama that left me... confused.

It's kind of back-to-the-future. They have the "29 Important Bible Truths" posted (been at least a decade since I've even heard that term) and the "Advice to Members."

This sermon: http://www.thegreatspeckledbird.org/fea ... trine.html

...seems important enough to merit it's own link and web page, but (honestly) I tried to read it and just got mired in confusion... a tangle of mangled analogies, some out-of-context attempts at proof-texting and a lack of linear, cohesive thinking.

Wow.

[beckrl]

You mean you never heard that before? (The church coming out of the wilderness)

[Mountie12]

Bro. Chance is a nice man, perhaps, still clinging to the past. There is no church in Centreville (closest would be Eoline). I have not seen him in years so I didn't think he was still with the church. He is currently not pastoring nor holding an official position with the church in AL so his website title with COGOP name is somewhat misleading.

Guess he just one of those folks who feel we have missed the mark by making changes in our tradition. Some are honest in their convictions, some are judgmental. Some are good people who love God and some are just crazy. Kind of like most families.

[sinceresoldier]

Brother Chance is a wonderful Brother. He is still pastoring, still preaching, and I get his mail outs every month just talked to him yesterday to be exact. Good preaching to me...

[Pastor Gary]

Y'all are missing my point. I am not questioning the mans integrity or sincerity. I'm saying that message lost me. Completely. I didn't understand anything it said.

[sinceresoldier]

Bro Gary, I gotcha on the first round... I was basically replying on the comment right before mine just to let folks know he is still preaching :) Lol ... Umm, I'm sure Brother Chance would be willing to talk with ya about that message. Might be the best person to explain it or may be the audio disc of the live message he mails out might help you to understand it.

I tend to have problems understanding anything written by anyone on any subject the first way around because I am an "English" and grammar nerd, so I have to read things 2 or 3 times to understand something simply because I look for language errors.

[RamboPreacher]

I am with you, PG. Maybe there was a PowerPoint that went with it that might help us. (jk). Seriously though, If an audio recording is available, that would be something i would love to hear.

I have heard the references taught before at various times, but never linked altogether like this, with a common thematic approach. The "Alexandrian" (analogy) approach is interesting. But the "Antiochian" reading (historical/exegetical) is missing (I think that is at least part of what PG was saying too?). not that there needs to be a contextual basis for an analogy, necessarily, that would just be my opinion.

So, I think that I am missing something in the context of the message, and hearing it may be what is needed.

[deb]

Looks like the original ones that included comments are on the AL church website:

http://www.thegreatspeckledbird.org/29i ... hings.html

cogop still has their cleaned up version available also. With a search on google for "29 important bible truths, church of god of prophecy", the 1st listing took me to this link where I followed: about us page - our beliefs - important bible truths:

http://www.cogop.org/219645.ihtml

However, from the current website using the links about us and our beliefs you get an entirely new page:

http://cogop.org/324366.ihtml


That's what happens when websites aren't cleaned up - footprints/fingerprints all over the world wide web.

Sometimes people don't want them cleaned up and pay for their upkeep:
http://whois.domaintools.com/thegreatspeckledbird.org

[Brian]

deleted

forgive me, I was overly aggressive and didn't need to be.

[beckrl]

I think this brother is trying to show the meaning of song of Solomon 3:6 by relating it to other passages, where the confusion comes in is that many if not all of the other passage he gives don't aid in this interpretation of the wilderness, myrrh, frankincense, and powders of merchants.

That to me is where he has tried to interpert these into some meaning other than what it was intended. But then again that was how the cogop was, it did that many times with many sudjects, like the one on that site with the reference to the "ensign" and then making a flag to fulfill that scripture.

[Brian]

That to me is where he has tried to interpert these into some meaning other than what it was intended. But then again that was how the cogop was, it did that many times with many sudjects, like the one on that site with the reference to the "ensign" and then making a flag to fulfill that scripture.

beckrl, I knew someone who was actually there when the cogop prayed about the design of the flag, Sis. Annie Sharp. She told the story many times over in church about how the Holy Spirit gave His approval/blessing over the flag. I have no problem with that whatsoever. If the saints of God bring something before Him in prayer and He approves it, fine. But lets look outside the box for a second. I have prayed with my wife for God's guidance/approval over the home we should buy, or what car would be best for us. I seriously doubt the Holy Spirit "only" approved the kind of car /house He may have approved for us, for the entire world.

[Kevin]

PG, I didn't get it either.

I would like to point out that about two weeks ago the "29 Important Bible Truths" were still on the COGOP website.

I didn't see it on there a few days ago.

I guess it's been removed, but as of a few days ago it was still referenced as "Important Bible Truths" on either the about tab or the history tab as something we still teach.

I printed it out two weeks ago directly from the website for some study I was doing at the time. I had some questions I wanted to ask Pastor Ryan about. I don't even remember which teaching it was.

I can't even get on the cogop.org site now. They must be updating or something.

EDIT: If you hit the "about us" tab, then hit the "our beliefs" tab, you'll see what I was referring to. That's the address that had all of the teachings and the scripture references. Now, there's just one small reference to it in the last paragraph.

[PastorDaniel]

yes...per cogop connections email...the cogop.org is being revamped and re-launched in October...

[CantBCoy]

I just want some powder to throw on people.