heart knowledge

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> > Joe Stanley wrote:
> >David Reed has a Doctor of Theology and wrote his dissertation
>  on Oneness.  If you think that you disagree with his artical in the
> dictionary,
> then you should read his dissertation!  
>  He was apparently UPC for a couple of years before he started
> his educational process, it is a shame that he never understood the
>  beliefs that he discredited.
>
> Steve Starcher wrote (refering to a forthcoming post on David Reed):
> This is written for those who are
>interested in the scholarly defense the editors of the dictionary
> were
  talking about. Its audience is intended to include those outside the
> Apostolic movement and to engage in the responsible dialog they
> desire
>  to justify the Apostolic faith. Those within the Apostolic movement
> may
> need no such justification.  In fact, my wife doesn't!  She just
> knows
> Jesus is real and the Apostolic faith is true! She told me to tell
> you
> that! And that she also tires of my endless theologizing!  With this
> disclaimer and dose of humility I will proceed to make another post.

> Donna L. Perine wrote:

> David Reed apparently had an abundance of "head" knowledge.
> Sister Starcher on the other hand possesses an abundance of
> "heart" knowledge.
> It is tragic that the knowledge in David Reed's heart was overcome by
> the "knowledge" in his head.  Satan in an expert in chaos and
> confusion.
> 
> In my prayer time I regularly ask the Lord..." to guide and direct me
> in
> the right paths.  Don't let me be deceived by the enemy. Don't ever
> let me think too highly of myself that I think I can make it on my
> own.
> Don't ever let me doubt in my head, what I KNOW is true in my heart."


	Sister Starcher is usually right.  And she never tires of reminding me
of that fact!  But I would like to talk about what it means to respond
from the heart.  (I have already had this conversation with Sister
Starcher and she actually agrees!)  The Bible says that we are to love
God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Responding to God
does not mean sacrificing your mind, the intellect.  For some responding
from the heart is responding from the intellect.  
	Why write theology?  God has given me a burden and a passion for the
presentation of the Apostolic faith from the perspective of contemporary
scholarship.  When I write theology I am responding from the heart,
albeit in a different way from many Apostolics. My heart is heavy with
the knowledge that many Apostolics, like David Arthur Reed, are
forsaking their faith after an examination of the Trinitarian
tradition.  I am saddened by the tragic loss of Apostolic young people,
like my two nieces, who are leaving their faith after attending a
secular College or University to advance their education.  I am troubled
by the rejection of the Apostolic faith as heresy by many within
Christendom.  I am distressed by the continued separation of Pentecostal
Christians who share a common experience and a common heritage.  I weep
in prayer because I am convinced of the reality of the Apostolic
experience of Jesus and the truth of the Apostolic faith.  I intercede
for those who are leaving their faith and making, what I believe is, a
very bad decision.  I pray that God will grant wisdom to those who label
the Apostolic faith heresy.  I continually ask God for a fresh
outpouring of His Spirit which will bring Pentecostals together.
	At the same time my burden and passion assumes a concrete form.  I must
use all of my abilities to serve the Lord who saved me and the Church I
love.  For me, that involves the use of the intellect.  I do not write
to impress but to communicate the faith of the Apostolic community.  In
this communication of the Apostolic faith I hope that Apostolics
struggling with their faith will become convinced of its sound,
Biblical, theological, and historical basis.  From talking with 
Apostolics who have left their faith I have found out that they are
convinced of the reality of their faith in Jesus, but struggled with its
Apostolic expression.  They were overwhelmed by strong intellectual
arguments from Trinitarian Christendom.  Will anyone deny that the
majority of literature that Apostolics read is written from a
Trinitarian perspective?  If all of this literature were burned there
would be very little Christian literature left.  Our beloved Scofield,
Dake, and King James Version Bibles would also be gone!  We cannot
ignore this literature or the plethora of information available via
various media and the the internet.  We cannot minimize the influence it
has on sincere, intelligent, and spiritual Apostolics, some of whom go
on to become prominent ministers and scholars once they leave the
Apostolic movement.  We must take this influence seriously and answer
the questions being raised by struggling Apostolics as the movement
enters its second century.  The answer is not to retreat further from
Trinitarian Christendom and confirm their belief that Apostolics are
sectarian and cultic.  The answer is to gain a comprehensive knowledge
of the Trinitarian tradition and provide contemporary answers to the
challenges it raises to the Apostolic faith.
	For many Apostolics proving an argument is simply a matter of quoting
scriptural texts which share a commonality of meaning within the
Apostolic community.  This is the dominant method of argument I have
seen used during my limited participation in the Higher-Fire forum. 
Because I am a member of the Apostolic community and have received Jesus
in an Apostolic way I can understand and appreciate these arguments. 
But, from my experience I have learned that these understandings of
Scripture and rational arguments are foreign to Trinitarians.  Their
understandings of the Christian faith have been shaped by different
experiences and different ways of doing theology.  In presenting their
faith they make appeals to the Greek and Hebrew texts of scripture, to
Christian tradition, and to human knowledge.  These are the appeals
which are so attractive to many Apostolics who are seeking understanding
for the faith they possess.  Trinitarian authors provide answers for
many of the complex questions Apostolics are asking, questions often
brushed aside by the Apostolic community. 
	 If it is possible for Apostolics to present their faith using the
Greek and Hebrew texts, then why not do it?  If it is possible to
present the Apostolic faith in dialog with the greater Christian
tradition, then why not do it?  If it possible to present the Apostolic
faith utilizing the best in contemporary human understanding, then why
not do it?  If it is possible to answer the questions of struggling
Apostolics, then why not do it?  Whether we acknowledge it or not, our
faith was, is, and will be shaped by our association with greater
Christendom and the world in which we reside.  Human beings do not
possess a pure consciousness of reality.  The best defense for the faith
of the Apostolic movement is a sound offense.  This involves using all
of the resources God has given us to present, defend, and remain true to
the Biblical Apostolic faith.  This involves worshipping and serving God
with all of our heart, MIND, soul, and strength.
	David Arthur Reed needed to follow his heart and be reminded of his
Apostolic experience and heritage.  He also needed someone to answer the
questions he raised about the Apostolic movement.  In a forthcoming post
entitled "An Apostolic Response to David Arthur Reed", I will be
answering his questions.  While my answers may come to late for Mr. Reed
they may help some struggling Apostolic remain steadfast in the faith of
their spiritual birth and demonstrate the sound Biblical, historical,
and theological basis of the Apostolic faith.