The Mounce link is broken.

As awful as it sounds, parents could forbid any computer or cell phone devices in their children’s bedroom. I know, it’s barbaric, especially considering they might need their phone for a middle of the night “emergency.”

Tim, maybe you are already aware but the Robb Williford from the sad “Final Hours” post is the son of TEDS president Craig Williford. You can leave condolences at their blog craigandcarolyn.wordpress.com

Apologies ahead of time that this is so long, but this isn’t easy to explain and I feel I must speak if it saves another Christian brother or sister from the heartache we went through. If I’m overreacting, I’m very sorry…..

Several years ago my family had to leave a southern baptist church we loved and were very involved in. The new pastor had been heavily influenced by Don Garlington at Toronto Baptist Seminary. We didn’t understand until later that what our new pastor was teaching was the “New Perspective on Paul”.

***I’m not saying Mounce is teaching NPP in his article, but I am saying, “Please, please…be careful here.”***

One thing our pastor constantly brought up was the idea that, “I am saved, I am BEING SAVED, I will be saved.” How this theology translated into real life was basically, “You Christians have absolutely no assurance of your salvation. Sure, maybe you were saved then, but now you’d better continue to be saved by works, works, works (and as the pastor I will decide what those works should be) and I will make sure that you are in constant doubt of your standing before God so that I can manipulate and control you.”

Until this time, I thought abuse only happened in cults, not evangelical denominations…

This man was an abuser who totally destroyed a thriving church. He excommunicated and shunned more than 40 people. When anyone tried to disagree or have him removed he trumped up some accusation like “divisive” or “unteachable” and then had the congregation vote to remove them from membership and shun them (during the business meeting the “accused” was not allowed to speak unless it was to offer an apology, sometimes written by the pastor) Some of our dear friends have been wounded so deeply that they still can’t work up the courage to join another church. One woman stayed when her elderly parents left - she has not spoken to them for seven years, not even when her father nearly died of a heart attack and went through major heart surgery.

When we left, I went through a very dark time where I questioned my salvation because of the pastor’s teaching, my fear of joining another church, and my terror of reading the Bible. But ultimately I KNEW I was saved, once and for all, because as a child God RADICALLY changed my life, my desires…everything. I AM saved, my good works are the EVIDENCE of my salvation, and when I die I will be with Him in glory!