May 212021
This link is the first one at this month’s ACX link post. Making Prophecy Great AgainDue to a flood of failed prophesy about Trump’s re-election and COVID, some big names in Pentecostalism are proposing prophesy reform, and in particular
“WE BELIEVE it is essential that all spiritual leaders, including prophetic leaders, have a presbytery of peers and seasoned spiritual leaders who can hold them accountable regarding their life and ministry.”
Pentecostals are like the Libertarians of Christianity in terms of hierarchy and organization — there is (almost) none. The majority of churches are independent small businesses (with, yes, some franchises now), that thrive or die based on how well they serve their customers. It was a great demonstration in the power of markets, seeing as it went from one guy in early 1900s to half a billion+ now, while going up against institutions with centuries of market dominance and sometimes literal state-granted monopolies.
Anyway, I find this to be huge news, because it’s proposing an oversight committee to push reforms on the broader community, and it has support from major players. This means bureaucracy and hierarchy. If this push succeeds, we could be first-hand witnesses to the formation of a new orthodoxy. I imagine this is how people felt when they first heard that the Council of Nicaea was gonna be a thing.
One Response to “New Religious Institution Watch”
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As I recall the Council of Nicea was a complete failure that served only to entrench the already existing opinions of each member sect and served as a wedge that kept Christian sects fighting each other for dominance.