I sure do! Yes, it was a bit like the Wild West at times. We butted heads, busted noses, made each other mad, would leave in a snit every now and then (only to return–sometimes under a new pen name), etc. BUT WE WERE FIRED UP! We were passionate about important things (theological, spiritual, etc.). In fact, we were often so passionate that we were likely a bit less sanctified than we would like to have been, but I know that, over time, I have seen people who were diametrically opposed to my position (under my pen name, of course–we wouldn’t dare broach some of the things that we discussed back then if we had to use our real names)…and to whose position I was opposed…come closer together in our beliefs.Sometimes, it was almost imperceptible, but when someone made sense and had scriptural backing–and especially if we discussed it long enough or enough times–we would begin to moderate our own positions. I can tell you of a truth that there are LOTS of things I no longer post on Actscelerate because of the damage that can be done to one’s good name by EVEN ASKING certain questions, or questioning certain actions or decisions, or by taking a position that doesn’t line up with someone else’s definition of orthodoxy. And that’s a shame. I imagine we all got a little closer to the truth by being able to say what was REALLY on our minds. I noticed that many of the folks that posted under their real names seemed to always have in mind that I best write in such a way as not to undermine my chances of advancement. (Not everyone, of course; but some seemed to never miss a chance to toe what they perceived to be the company line–even though most of us, pen name or not, deeply love the Church of God.)Eventually, after enough people got banned or otherwise left, we began to lose our bite. It used to be, it seemed, that despite aggravating Cleveland with some of our comments, we did have their ear. I imagine that many leaders tread a bit lighter if they though heavy-handed tactics might be reported on Actscelerate. Yeah, it’s fair to take a little credit for that.But today the Excellent FB site has come in like Amazon to our K-Mart. Yes, much of it is milquetoast in nature. It offers much good advice and great encouragement–and it is much appreciated–but there seems to be no major wrestling with theological issues, church issues, leadership issues, etc. At least not in a way that really pushes things along, like back in the good ol’ days of Actscelerate.If you were trying to reclaim our once-dominant role as the social media venue that most caught the ear of Church of God leadership, was most involved in true theological wrestlings, etc. HOW WOULD YOU GO ABOUT IT?
There have been some great people on here like Memory, Penny, and Hey Doc. They have gone on to be with the Lord.That being said…We’ve also had some endearing nuts. ________________
Actscelerate definitely impacted the COG. It was a substantial impact and for the positive. Issues remain in the COG. We need to have discussions about the liberalizing of theology and even attacks on orthodoxy. It’s becoming an issue that is being baked in the cake. There are issues with some of our academics. It’s a discussion that needs to be had. We have some doctrinal forest fires going on among some of our academics. Those fires need to be dealt with. There are issues of substantially resourcing the Great Commission on a denominational level. If we don’t do it, our existence won’t be justified and our effectiveness will be blunted. I believe we are gaining good ground. Tim Hill has shown good leadership. Money was plowed into the church planting bank this year. $1.5 million to be exact. We need to back him with full throated support so that kind of thing happens every year. The forces that will push against that are structural demands. Our system demands support. But, we can still starve things out if it comes down to a choice between apparatus and furthering the establishment of a robust Great Commission engine. And, we need to take a serious look at the number of large churches we have lost, regardless of the reason or personalities. Statistically, it’s a high percentage. We may decide we want to be a denomination that only serves a certain size church. That’s our perogative. But, I believe we can have some informed discussions and make conclusions (with action items) to address that situation. We can do it without malice or animosity towards anyone…just love and a desire for increased effectiveness. The reality is that we are getting the exact results our system is designed to produce. We can tweak our systems and get different results (positive and negative). But, there are some good discussions to be had. There are plenty positive discussions to be had. We can have them from behind pen names or in our own names. For me, I would prefer that we not hide in the tall grass. I want to know what people are thinking. Principled people who can articulate a good Gospel future for our fellowship are critical. We don’t need any more people advancing just because of warm personality or camp meeting exposure. We need godly leaders with a principled clarity of thought…thought that isn’t based only on political pragmatism…but on solid Gospel conviction and clear leadership principles.
Travis is correct. Because of Actscelerate, there is a particular acronym forever etched in the psyche of hundreds of COG ministers:
Travis is correct. Because of Actscelerate, there is a particular acronym forever etched in the psyche of hundreds of COG ministers:
Very good post Brother Aaron. I did like it when it seemed most folk had pen names. I thought it was maybe not mandatory but expected, the use of pen names.One would be sorta naive to think you can ‘say what is on your mind’ and not pay for it, under OUR system. For someone like me or other members it cannot effect, but It can and WILL effect someone’s future by them stating certain views contrary to the norm.I still enjoy Acts. We have had a small resurgence lately, but nothing like when most of us were pen names.And YES I have heard from some ‘higher officials’ that they do read Acts. One of them up the ladder reads it daily (or did two years ago). We have a pretty good cross section of our movement I think. I believe we have some very men who ARE WORKING FOR to THE KINGDOM associated with Acts..I do wonder at the REal Name folk who like to use the term ‘Hiding behind a Pen name.’ This has been accepted since I have been associated here. I did know WHY and understood the reasoning behind MOST pen names. Since I was a kid I was taught it is better to be safe than sorry. It still applies. ________________Some facts but mostly just my [email protected]/
Travis is correct. Because of Actscelerate, there is a particular acronym forever etched in the psyche of hundreds of COG ministers:
I miss the spirited discussions and a lot of the people who have left. But having been a part of other discussion boards, I’ve come to realize it is a part of the cycle that occurs. You go through periods that are busy, others that are not so…there are very intense discussions where feelings get hurt and people get riled…then things calm down again for a while.Cojak, I don’t think people have problems with the ones who use pen names for reasons that are legitimate. It’s the snarky, gossipy ones that cause problems that are not appreciated..________________More of Him…less of me.twitter.com/camiracle77www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=691241499&ref=name
Travis is correct. Because of Actscelerate, there is a particular acronym forever etched in the psyche of hundreds of COG ministers:
Travis is correct. Because of Actscelerate, there is a particular acronym forever etched in the psyche of hundreds of COG ministers:
OTCP is well known.Some guys are used as examples of what NOT to do…Actually Oldtimer is ok – except when he takes a drive through Soddy Daisy..________________
Never been to Soddy Daisy, NB. I honestly don’t know what part a TN Soddy Daisy is located. But ya gotta admit, the Soddy Prophet was a rare breed.
Never been to Soddy Daisy, NB. I honestly don’t know what part a TN Soddy Daisy is located. But ya gotta admit, the Soddy Prophet was a rare breed. Believe me – you take an Actscelerate drive through Soddy Daisy often—taking us with you – on the way to ripping the Soddy prophet another new one________________
Never been to Soddy Daisy, NB. I honestly don’t know what part a TN Soddy Daisy is located. But ya gotta admit, the Soddy Prophet was a rare breed. Believe me – you take an Actscelerate drive through Soddy Daisy often—taking us with you – on the way to ripping the Soddy prophet another new one. I hate to disappoint folk, so, since you brought the subject up, NB, this ones fer you.www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151008268072521&set=o.266780153413355&type=3
questions for Travis
Questions:1. How is our theology being liberalized?2. What attacks are being made on our orthodoxy?3. What is causing the doctrinal forest fires?4. What issues are there with resourcing the Great Commission?5. It is fantastic that we have 1.5 Million dollars for church planting but what money is set aside for existing churches who need assistance, low cost loans, etc. Especially, churches who are faithful in sending in their TOT.6. It’s kind of hard for a pastor of a smaller congregation to focus too much attention on mega congregations when at times it seems he is ignored in his needs. How will this be addressed?7. How will these discussions be facilitated? I don’t mind if they happen on this site or facebook but if the conversations are going to be had we need serious dialogue and not the rants of someone who has a pen name or an axe to grind. I ask all these questions because I don’t know the answers. I am a church planter, Pastor, District Overseer and often I don’t know what my leadership is dealing with. I don’t know why my leaders chose to extend the moratorium on co-signing loans. I don’t know why it takes months for our missionaries to get the money we send them. I don’t know why the licensing process for some of our young people takes too long, I don’t know why it takes a long period of time to do a background check on someone…. I say all this because, I also have managerial level secular job on top of pastoring that requires extensive communication with my staff, problem solving skills, data collecting to anticipate future problems and continued support for those faithful members of my team. It also requires that I offer training(free of charge) to help my team continue to grow in their roles. Thanks for allowing me to ask questionsWayne Guilliams PastorMISSION Church of God
Never been to Soddy Daisy, NB. I honestly don’t know what part a TN Soddy Daisy is located. But ya gotta admit, the Soddy Prophet was a rare breed. Believe me – you take an Actscelerate drive through Soddy Daisy often—taking us with you – on the way to ripping the Soddy prophet another new one. I hate to disappoint folk, so, since you brought the subject up, NB, this ones fer you.www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151008268072521&set=o.266780153413355&type=3
You never disappoint old timer, 5 years later, and this is still news for you.Very sad________________