JIM MARSHALL SCORES ONE FOR OTHER TEAM
In 1964 Minnesota Viking defender Jim
Marshall made a monumental and embarrassing blunder. He recovered a
fumble that the opposing team made, and in a moment of confusion, ran
the ball 66 yards in the opposite direction to score a safety
for their opponent, the San Fransisco 49er's. Ouch!
If you were a member of that 1964
Minnesota Viking team, wouldn't you be a bit shocked and disappointed
that Jim Marshall would ever do such a thing? Do you think that the
coach enthusiastically ran over to Jim Marshall after making such a
colossal blunder, then pat him on the back and said, "Well done
Jim!" Or rather, do you think that the coach rolled his eyes
back in disbelief, wondering how one of his own players could ever
make such an embarrassing mistake under his leadership.
And if you were a big Viking fan
watching the game that day, I have no doubt that you would feel a bit
down and embarrassed that your Minnesota Vikings would score points
for the other team. Of course Jim Marshall would never think of
intentionally scoring points for the other team, after all, he was a
big, tough Viking through and through. But despite that, Jim
Marshall, who had an outstanding career in the NFL, must not have
been paying attention and did the unthinkable, earning him the
dubious distinction of making one of the greatest sports blunders of
all time; I have no doubt in my mind that Jim Marshall was crushed
and ruined after making such a massive and embarrassing mistake.
A SERIOUS ISSUE
I think there is a valuable lesson to
be learned from Jim Marshall's most embarrassing moment. I am talking
particularly about the negative reaction and feedback I have received
since my last post regarding Eric Dykstra's genuine repentance from
preaching a burdensome, legalistic, and works-heavy non-gospel
message to his congregation.
I want to be very careful here because
I have met some of the critics and you are undoubtedly genuine
Christians. My intentions here are completely noble and instructive;
I have no desire to be devisive, but to bring a spirit of love and
unity to the body of Christ. This is a serious issue that must be
addressed, and I am writing specifically to the critics and naysayers
of Eric Dykstra.
TWO TEAMS: GOOD VERSUS EVIL
Just as there are opposing teams in the
National Football League who play with the single-minded goal of
stopping their opponent and winning the game, there are two teams in
the spiritual realm, only, it's no game. On one side you have team
Jesus Christ who is ultimate Good, and on the other side you have
team Satan and his demonic cohorts who are ultimate Evil. There are
no other teams in the league, no gray area, and every person is in one team or the other. You are either playing on
team Good or you are playing on team Evil. Therefore, we live in a
reality where there are only two teams in existence, Good versus
Evil, and each team is seriously focused on winning the game.
WHO ARE YOUR TEAMMATES?
If you are a Christian, that is, if you
have put your trust solely in Jesus Christ and His finished work of
redemption, then you are on team Good. Satan, demons, and all sinners
who have not put their trust in Jesus Christ and His finished
work of redemption are on team Evil. Team Good is made up of the
Christian God, His heavenly host, and all redeemed sinners who trust
in Christ alone. Team Evil is made up of Satan, demons, and all sinners
who refuse to bow the knee to Christ. Simple enough.
Satan and
his foul minions love division, especially division within the body
of Christ. The Apostle Peter cautions believers to "Be alert and
of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8). If the devil can
cause division and conflict on team Good, then he is that much closer
to gaining the upper hand.
When I first started my blog, I was pretty sure (not positive) that
Eric Dykstra was playing for team Evil. But now I am convinced that he is on team Good. Obviously the Lord wanted Eric
Dykstra on team Good, so He pulled him out of team Evil and put him
on team Good. There are solid reasons as to why I believe that the
Lord has pulled Eric Dykstra out of team Evil and put him on team
Good.
For one, he is now preaching the message
that team Good wants to put out there for the world to hear. Team
Good's message is to receive that which you do not deserve by grace
alone by faith in Christ alone, while team Evil's message is to earn
God's favor by trying harder to be a good person through obedience
and rule-keeping. Why would team Evil ever want to do anything that
would help team Good win the game? You see, if team Evil has every
intention of winning the game, then it simply does not make sense to
consistently preach team Good's message, and that is exactly what
Eric Dykstra has been doing.
The
problem is, I don't think some of the teammates on team Good don't
want him on the team. (and since I have recently been removed from the BDMSG Facebook page after my post regarding Pastor Eric's repentance, I assume they don't want me on the team either!) In fact, they still think Eric Dykstra is still
playing for team Evil. This is despite the fact that the sermons he
has preached lately is team Good's message of trusting in Christ
alone apart from works in order to receive salvation. If Eric Dykstra
were still on team Evil, then he would still be telling people that
they have to do more, give more, try harder, then God will
bless them, but that is simply not the case.
If Eric
Dykstra has been gracefully put on team Good by the Lord Himself,
then how is it that his own teammates would like him off the team?
How is this of any merit for team Good? The truth is, there is no
merit whatsoever in booting a bright, faithful, dedicated, and
exceptionally gifted teammate off of team Good. It is just plain dumb
for teammates to want to be rid of him, especially if teammate Eric
was specifically chosen by the All-Wise Coach to be on His team. If
Eric Dykstra is a genuine Christian who is preaching team Good's
message, then his own teammates ought to love him and encourage him
in his ministry for the greater Good.
I know
about the spiritual abuses that occurred at The Crossing under Eric
Dykstra, at least peripherally. I realize that people have been hurt
and broken. But if Eric Dykstra is now playing for team Good, then
his teammates ought to recognize him as a fellow brother in Christ
and praise the Lord for rescuing him and love him with Christian
love. But when his cynical teammates bury their head in the sand, ignoring the great work the Lord
has done in him, and fume over all the bad things he has done in the
past, well, that's just like Jim Marshall's infamous run into the
opponent's end zone, and you end up scoring points for the other
team. Remember, team Evil loves divisions and conflict on team Good.
WHAT HAPPENED TO PAUL HAPPENED TO
ERIC
The
Apostle Paul used to play for team Evil. That Paul, he was a real
piece of work. You think Paul didn't cause people to become hurt and
broken? He wanted Christians dead! He signed death warrants for
Christians! Paul, he definitely made a mess of other people's lives.
But for some reason the All-Wise Coach took him out of team Evil and
put him on team Good. He didn't deserve it, he knows he didn't
deserve it, but was grateful that the All-Wise Coach did what He did.
And as a demonstration of the greatness and power of the All-Wise
Coach, Christians throughout the ages have been blessed with actual
Scripture penned by the Apostle Paul himself.
That is sheer beauty, all from from the heart of a former Christian
killer who would never be the same after meeting the risen Christ on
the road to Damascus. The Lord nurtured and shaped him into one of
the most brilliant theologians, and one of the most gentle, patient, kind, and humble people ever to grace this
planet, apart from the Lord Jesus.
When Paul was put on team Good, people couldn't believe it. Many
Christians were skeptical about the whole thing, and I don't really
blame them. It would be something like Adolf Hitler becoming a Jew, it was just to far fetched. But sure enough, Paul preached the
message of team Good and as you can imagine, was involved in quite a
bit of ministry, and so after awhile skeptical Christians could no
longer deny that Paul was on team Good.
Now, I get that some people don't buy
into the idea that Eric Dykstra has truly repented. But it is a good
idea not to jump to conclusions without verification, and I would
also urge caution not to come to your conclusions too quickly. If you
haven't done so, listen to Eric
Dykstra's words. My last blog entry had this very sermon on it.
It is pure, unadulterated Gospel Truth from the mouth of Eric
Dykstra.
And how did one skeptic reply, "Hmmmmm, more meaningless words from him as far as I am concerned". What! Did that person actually listen to the sermon? My reply was, "So you think the Gospel is a bunch of meaningless words?" I said that because all that came out of the mouth of Eric Dykstra in that sermon was pure Gospel. That person, whoever it was, was suppressing the Truth of Dykstra's repentance.
And how did one skeptic reply, "Hmmmmm, more meaningless words from him as far as I am concerned". What! Did that person actually listen to the sermon? My reply was, "So you think the Gospel is a bunch of meaningless words?" I said that because all that came out of the mouth of Eric Dykstra in that sermon was pure Gospel. That person, whoever it was, was suppressing the Truth of Dykstra's repentance.
My concern is that the people who have
been hurt under Eric Dykstra aren't taking the news of Eric Dykstra's
repentance seriously. They think it's the same old Eric. But you know
what? The Lord has power to change people. He did it to me. He also
did it to my mom on her death bed, my brother Mitch six months before he died of a heart attack, and my nephew among others, and these
are all people that you would never expect to become believers, not
in a billion years. So don't underestimate God's power to do good for
people who totally don't deserve it.
EXCERPT FROM MY LETTER TO CHRIS
I wrote a letter to my nephew Chris
yesterday. Chris is in a Texas prison awaiting news on his recent
parole hearing. When he gets out he'll be coming back to Minnesota
and living with me until he gets back on his feet. Chris knows Christ, and
he knows about grace. It wasn't until he lost everything that he
realized he needed nothing but Christ. His transformation from bitter
cynic to follower of Christ is nothing short of amazing. Chris knew
something about my blog from prior letters I had written to him. In
yesterday's letter I told him that Eric Dykstra repented from
preaching a false gospel and is now preaching the Truth. In the
excerpt below I describe the dynamic that is now in place between a
newly transformed Eric Dykstra and those who have parted from The
Crossing under his suffering. This is how I feel about the whole
thing....
Chris, I am absolutely stunned when the good Lord blesses and rescues people who are sooooo bad. You know, people like me and you, and now Eric Dykstra. I have read some of the responses to yesterday's post, and do you know what is tragic in all this? Some of the very people who had left The Crossing because of the spiritual abuse there, genuine believers, can only sneer and grumble in unbelief at the idea that Eric Dykstra has had a major paradigm shift, a spiritual epiphany that will forever change the way he approaches his ministry. Do they fail to believe that the Lord would ever grant such abundant grace and mercy even to Eric Dykstra, as if they themselves have never offended anyone? The truth is, Eric Dykstra is a bad person just like I am a bad person, along with all of Eric Dykstra's critics. Apart from the imputed righteousness of Christ, we are bad people. We are all very bad!
I believe Eric knows this about himself. However, he is no less deserving of grace than his critics because Grace, by definition, is totally undeserved and unmerited favor and blessing from the Lord. You cannot earn grace by being good because grace can only occur if someone is undeserving. And it is sick when his critics, the very people who would crucify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in their unregenerate state just as swiftly and methodically as Eric Dykstra would, cannot find it in their own heart to see past their own cosmic treason against the Lord and forgive Eric Dykstra. Jesus took their place at the cross, receiving in Himself the punishment that they rightfully deserve and gives to them His righteousness as a gift. Our Savior has been so wonderful, merciful, kind, gracious, and patient with them, yet it seems that some have no desire to extend the mercy, grace, patience, and kindness that the Lord has given to them and pass it on to Eric Dykstra. It's “conditional” grace, which is not grace at all. (“If only Dykstra would apologize for the things he has done, then I would be willing to receive him”).
Well here's a news flash for ya. (and excuse the language) Eric Dykstra is a total fuck-up. I am a total fuck-up, everyone on this planet is a major league fuck-up. And if the people who are bitter at Eric Dykstra are waiting for him to get his act together and approach them before they are willing to forgive him, well, they will be waiting a long, long time, because it will probably never happen this side of eternity. But genuine grace and perfect love can completely overlook the sins that others have committed against us. This is no better demonstrated than in Christ's work on our behalf. When we see ourselves just as fucked-up and disastrous as Eric Dykstra, then all we can do is sing praises to the Lord, not only for rescuing us, but also for rescuing Dykstra and lovingly bringing him into His fold.
MY CHALLENGE TO YOU
Those are not the easiest words for
some of you to read, but it's from my heart and it happens to be the
truth. And it is my prayer that that truth would penetrate into your
noggins. I know that the Back Door Ministry Support Group exists for
a very good reason, and I think its a necessary thing to do for some.
But if you want to really heal, I suggest that you do what is
completely counter intuitive. Jesus did it all the time.
Instead of stewing in your bitterness and waiting on Eric Dykstra to
come to you and apologize, take the initiative to seek him out and
give him your blessing. Love him with kind words and generosity and
expect nothing in return. He doesn't deserve your love, generosity,
or kindness, but to receive that which you don't deserve makes you a
better person. And I guarantee that if you go out of your way to love
Eric Dykstra, even if you think he still playing on team Evil, then you will feel a million times better than going to
your support group. Love your enemies, that's what Christians do, and
by doing that you make the world a much better place.
PRODIGAL ERIC
For those who still cannot come to grips with Eric Dykstra's repentance as you cling to your resentment, read the story of the Prodigal Son. Dykstra is the Prodigal Son in the Crossing Church version of the story, and his unforgiving critics are all the Older Brother. While there is a party going on in Heaven rejoicing over the salvation of Prodigal Eric, the Older Brother can do nothing more than bitch and complain that the Father would rescue him. I would like to suggest that your beef isn't really with Eric Dykstra, but ultimately it is with the Lord. Christ invites you join His massive party and rejoice at the Divine rescue of Eric Dykstra, which glorifies our great Savior for His undying mercy. Please, don't offend your Father in Heaven by choosing to stay clear of the party. Won't you please join Him now? And if your heart is not in it, then go to your Lord in prayer and ask Him to change your heart.
PRODIGAL ERIC
For those who still cannot come to grips with Eric Dykstra's repentance as you cling to your resentment, read the story of the Prodigal Son. Dykstra is the Prodigal Son in the Crossing Church version of the story, and his unforgiving critics are all the Older Brother. While there is a party going on in Heaven rejoicing over the salvation of Prodigal Eric, the Older Brother can do nothing more than bitch and complain that the Father would rescue him. I would like to suggest that your beef isn't really with Eric Dykstra, but ultimately it is with the Lord. Christ invites you join His massive party and rejoice at the Divine rescue of Eric Dykstra, which glorifies our great Savior for His undying mercy. Please, don't offend your Father in Heaven by choosing to stay clear of the party. Won't you please join Him now? And if your heart is not in it, then go to your Lord in prayer and ask Him to change your heart.
GOOD BYE AND GOD BLESS
This is the the last post on my blog.
It has served it's purpose and I have nothing else to say except that
I thank you all for following along here. This blog has done far
better than expected with over 15, 000 page reads. WOW! You probably think
I am someone who has it together pretty well but my life is a mess.
Despite that, the Lord has blessed me beyond measure and for that I
am grateful. I am grateful for all of you and I love you all. And
don't forget that we are all on the same team!
Casey
Casey, first of all why are you lying? You were not removed from BDM Support group, as you state in this blog. Secondly my comments were not about what he was preaching, but about not beleiving his repettance, true repettance would includde trying to right the wrongs, or at least reaching out to those that have been hurt. You obviously dont care or dont get what BDM was about. It looks like all you care about is what he is preaching today, but what about the damage, the permanet damage he has done to so many. Comparing that to a botched football play is completely idiotic!! Mark Marshall
ReplyDeleteI know your intentions are good. I know you aren't purposefully trying to harm anyone. But you must know this was completely dismissive, insolent, rude and damaging.
ReplyDeleteYou were never kicked out of BDM Casey. Just checked the members and you are there. Please tell the truth.
No one is saying Eric hasn't changed and is now preaching the gospel. What we are seeing is that his actions aren't matching his words. If he were repentant and remorseful for all those he damaged then he would apologize and make it right. He's done nothing. So yes, we are hesitant and skeptical.
Don't you dare have such audacity to state that my issue is with the Lord and not Eric. My issue is with a human being who caused massive destruction through spiritual abuse.
Glad this is your last blog because you are helping no one and did nothing but cause more pain.
Unfortunately the author is missing a very basic Biblical concept here. The Bible mandates that Christians should provide for the needy and provide a defense for the defenseless, however Christians are strictly prohibited from taking offense on account of those who are capable of defending themselves. This is where the roots of bitterness, gossip and dissension are sown, when one takes offense for a perceived slight against another who either has not taken offense to the action in question or who is refusing to speak for himself and is allowing intermediaries to insert themselves into matters that are his responsibility to address. The Bible specifies that if one is offended, the offended party must confront the offender personally, and if there is no response, then he or she may take the matter to the larger body. In this case, however, you (the blog writer) are not the offended party--you have not been spoken against. Instead you are taking offense on behalf of Eric Dykstra, who is perfectly capable of feeling and expressing any objection he may have to those who speak out against him. Though you may carry a fanciful idea that you are defending "the gospel" since "all that came out of the mouth of Eric Dykstra was Pure Gospel," in reality you are defending the man and his reputation, not the "Gospel" he may or may not have been speaking about.
ReplyDeleteAnother problem here is the assumption that Eric Dykstra has repented of his sin and therefore those with whom he has not made amends no longer have any right to do anything but express "love" for him. However, if Eric had repented of his previous wrongs, he would have made amends for his previous actions, because confession and requesting forgiveness are PART of repentance. Another part of repentance for a leader who has perpetrated abuses upon his flock is to remove himself (or be removed) from leadership for a time of reconciliation, rehabilitation and repentance, before restoration can occur. These are Biblical mandates for those in leadership who wish to repent. Yet Eric Dykstra has done none of these things--he has proclaimed only with his mouth that he has "repented" but his actions have not included any of the necessary elements for Biblical repentance.
The third area of concern I have about your article involves the metaphor of Team Good and Team Evil. Understand that there may be people on Team Good who are occasionally running the wrong way, but Eric Dykstra is not a player on Team Good--he is one of the assistants chosen by the Head Coach. And in this case, the assistant coach has been secretly molesting members of the team. That's right, by perpetrating spiritual abuse upon his flock, Assistant Coach Eric has been injuring, maiming, manipulating, spiritually raping, intimidating and shaming players into silence on Team Good.
[cont'd...]
[...cont'd]
ReplyDeleteThose who suffer spiritual abuse are never called by Christ to "love him [the abuser] with kind words and generosity and expect nothing in return." In an abusive relationship, when the victim lies down in front of the abuser in a show of submissiveness, the abuser is welcomed to continue the abuse. The Bible NEVER advocates for abuse victims to be submissive to their abusers. Instead, victims are called to 1. Get away from the abuser, 2. Notify the authorities of the abuse, 3. Alert others who may be in danger of suffering the same abuse, 4. Distance themselves from fellowship with those who are enabling the abuser and thus perpetuating the abuse, 5. Seek healing apart from the powerful influence of the abuser, and 6. Band together to testify to the widespread nature of the abuse in order to stop the abuser in his tracks and stop the cycle of violence the abuser has perpetuated among the flock.
Denouncing the victims of abuse as being unloving is an abuse unto itself. Always. Period. Abuse victims should NEVER be shamed for their feelings or their expression of them. In this case, it is even worse because the abuser remains in power and although he has said some sweet words aimed at itching ears, he has neither confessed, nor repented, nor been rehabilitated, so he tacitly continues the abuse cycle he has perpetrated.
Finally, by equating Eric Dykstra's recent words with "pure Gospel," and by saying that challenging Dykstra's words is the equivalent of having a "beef with the Lord Jesus Christ," the writer has elevated Dykstra to the level of infallibility, a level which only Jesus Christ occupies. Eric Dykstra is NOT JESUS CHRIST. Instead, he is the Jerry Sandusky of Team Good.
It kind of puts a silly single error on the football field into perspective when it is compared with pervasive gross malfeasance in the locker room, doesn't it?
You should visit the Crossing and tell Brother Eric who you are. Let him know you called his church a cult and had a blog named as such. Let him know everything you did. Then tell him how happy you are that he is now on Team Good. Let us know how that works out for you.
ReplyDeleteCasey I agree with you! I think these BDM people need to get over themselves! It has been a year since most of you left the Crossing according to your blogs. Some of you say you now have no faith because of Eric Dykstra. Ha...really, he caused you to lose your faith? For one, if you lost your faith because of "Pastor Dykstra" how can you say you had faith in the first place? If you have no faith stop trying to tell people to repent. If you do have faith and call yourself a Christian act like it. Like Casey says...love one another in Christ. This is all so ridiculous. You are giving each other a bad name. Remember that other people who don't yet know God can and probably will stumble across this blog. What will they think? when they see so called Christians arguing with one another? I am now no better than you because I put my two cents in. If you have listened to Eric's sermon he says that God has put it on his heart to stray from teaching law and focus on Grace. He also says he was taught law and thats what he knew until God opened his eyes. Although I don't go to the Crossing anymore, not because I was so called "abused", but because I moved away. I do read your stupid ass blogs and see you crying over the same ol' shit. The majority of you say you've been excommunicated. Really? Says who... because people choose to unfriend you dose not mean they were asked to. If I had to listen to people talk crap about the Church I was going to where I perhaps found God I would do the same. Does anyone know for sure that they were told to not talk to you? I went to the Church when most of you left and never heard anything about it. I think Satan is sitting back right now and loving this, because he's playing you like a bunch of pawns. All you wanted was for Eric to preach the truth and it appears he's doing that. I seen some of you on the news and it seemed as though you just didn't want people to get hurt anymore. Well I don't hear of that happening now. So bam! Got your wishes. Now all the sudden you want more than that. You want a personal apology as if he did something to you that he didn't do to hundreds of other people. Move on with your lives, quit your bitching for something that happened over a year ago.
ReplyDeleteContinued
DeleteI know...I know...it still hurts. Your right it does! Pastor Dykstra apologizing to you will not stop that. You forgiving him will! If you want to comment back and tell me how insensitive I am, and how I don't know your story of the pain and hurt he caused you and your family that's cool. Let me just leave you with this...a few years ago I lost my kid sister to a drunk driver. I was pissed and rightfully so. I hated this person with a passion. I wanted him to suffer the same harsh death. He said he was sorry over and over. Do you think that helped? I was close to my sister, and after her death my life started to fall apart. I was just filled with anger! Shortly after I started going to the Crossing Church with my mom who found Christ at the Crossing and tried to get me to come for months. I went for a while and it was ok, but nothing miraculous happened to me like she experienced. After a year of going on and off, I remember hearing a message where Pastor Dykstra was talking about forgiveness and how it will change you. It took me a long time, but that message was stuck in my head until I finally broke down. I have wrote this man before to tell him how much I hated him and how he made me feel. Then a few months after hearing this message, I decided to try it. I forgave him. Not through a letter though. I, with my mom drove 6 hours to visit this man in person. I did it! I forgave him. You have no idea how hard that was or how incredibly freeing that was. Although I can't bring my sister back, this man sits in prison for the next 7 years dealing with this pain that he killed my sister. All my anger did was condemn him and trap me. I went from hating him and the rest of the world to leading him to Christ a year later. I still get upset sometimes sure. I will say all I can think of when I see this dumb shit that you all write is get over yourself! Your not helping anyone including yourself. Why do you fight with each other? Why do you condemn Eric? Are there not more important things to take care of in your lives. Do you still have your family? Did Eric take that from you? I'm not talking about your son going off and getting married or moving to Fl. Or getting "to involved in Church". Love each other! You want to throw around biblical crap to each other as if one is more right then the other. What does Jesus say is the most important commandment? Why did this never seem to factor in when all this nonsense bull is going back and forth. Well the bible says this or the bible say that. Get off it! You were hurt, and that's a shame. Are you going to continue to hurt until Eric says he's sorry to all of you personally. If so...don't you dare blog about it and give my God a bad name. Are you going to claim that you lost your faith because of something that someone said to you. If so don't you think you should get alone with God and ask him for forgiveness instead of demanding it from someone else first. I apologize for the harsh things I've said. I am sorry if I too give us Christians a bad name at times. I started this blog off pissed and ended up in tears. Our God is to good to do this anymore!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you've been duped by this false repentance. Come back and let us know how it feels when you get burned by this church yet again.
ReplyDeleteBrethren, If I assumed I was kicked out of BDMSG, then I sincerely apologize for that. I wasn't able to access the FB link as I had always had success in the past, so what was I supposed to think?
ReplyDeleteI have said all I wanted to say on my blog, they are my thoughts and feelings about Eric Dykstra's repentance and the whirlwind of skepticism I knew would result from it. This final blog post was something I felt really needed to be addressed, and I know that it would really frost some of you.
But I am unapologetic about it because to love other human beings, even those who have hurt you, IS the biblical mandate. I wrote what I did out of Christian love and concern for the body of Christ.
In our cosmic treason we have all hurt the Lord, yet He forgave us in Christ, so we ought to forgive others of lesser offenses. Read Matthew 18: 21-35.
I really do not want to get bogged down in all the negativity and bitterness that my final post has created. I have not an ounce of bitterness or resentment against those who wish to condemn me for what I have written, but I am sad that some of my brethren are not taking my final message to heart.
We are all on the same team and want to work with any and all Christians in sharing the Gospel and refuting errors. I want to stay focused on the Gospel, stay positive, and rejoice in the salvation of sinners. Jesus Christ is so Awesome!
To the person that wrote the verbose, egregious and punitive response; I’ll take your main points individually. No, Eric Dykstra did not take away my faith but your use of the “maybe you never had faith” comment was quite the unoriginal jab. My journey through churches took many paths and what I experienced at the Crossing was the final blow. At your request I will stop using the word repent as I know longer relate or ascribe to the Christian faith; I will instead say apologize. If people who don’t “know God” see these blogs and never convert then how can you call your God sovereign and loving? Shouldn’t your God be bigger than any blog? The majority of us do not claim excommunication. Many of us left after witnessing it happening to others though. I don’t not require or expect an apology but I want to see it for others. What we are saying is that if Eric is now preaching truth then he should see that he should make amends and do so. That is the bottom line here. And one final note; please explain to me how you can post such accusatory, rude and condescending words and then end with talking about the greatest commandment given by Jesus?
ReplyDeleteCasey - stop using the "same team" and "Christian love" to back your rudeness.
Casey,
ReplyDeleteOf all the spiritual abuse we've received, your latest blog is one of the worst offenses. The Crossing is at least oblivious to what they do. Your post was not about exhibiting Christian love and setting someone (BDM) on the right path. You are stuck up on your high horse bashing people that are already wounded.
What were you to think when the link to BDM didn't work for you? You were to think to ASK first before making an assumption and then posting a blog accusing us!!!
So very glad your blog is going away as it's helping no one.
It can only be offensive if there's truth to it. It's funny out of all that he said, you point out the fact that he said he was kicked out of BDM. Also, if this is the worst offense then what the hell have you been blogging about for so long? Let it go!
ReplyDelete"It can only be offensive if there's truth to it." Are you a total idiot?! It's the lies that are offensive! And much more was pointed out to each of the offenses. Did you read the post by S. Norris? Amazing and dead on. What the hell has been blogged about for so long? Read all the blogs. None speak of Casey and all speak of Crossing offenses.
ReplyDeleteCasey,
ReplyDeleteI just ran across this blog recently and have read some, skimmed most.
You seem to be closing it up and calling it quits. I have to wonder why.
Your words in August of 2011 were:
"Anonymous, First of all, exposing false teachers and crooked churches in not just a noble cause. It is commanded in Scripture that Christians contend earnestly for the faith. It is spiritual warfare against God's enemies, and the consequences of losing the battle in the war of Truth is the difference between Heaven and Hell for people who buy into a lie. The whole of Scripture never endorses an apathetic attitude toward false teachers and doctrine. God will deal severely with those who distort the Truth and cause unwary people to stumble."
Then again on September 6th you stated:
"Anonymous, Number one. What am I supposed to do, ignore God's call for Christians to contend earnestly (go to spiritual battle) for the faith and keep the Gospel from being mangled by false teachers? "
In your "Why This Blog" feature:
"There is but ONE Gospel, and the Lord calls His people to defend the Gospel from false teachers who want to pervert it into another gospel. So serious is preaching a false gospel that the Apostle Paul warned that those who do so are damned to Hell (Galatians 1: 6-9) There are eternal consequences for believing a false gospel. No matter how sincere you are or how active you are in your church, if you go to your grave trusting in a false gospel you too will be damned. Read the following anaolgy to help you better understand the relationship between the true Gospel and a counterfeit gospel."
You never do make it clear why this aversion to false teaching was not present until you started writing about The Crossing. While I personally am curious as to the reasoning behind that in the grand scheme of things I guess that does not really matter. What does matter is what you do next. Has your opposition to false teaching suddenly evaporated? Obviously at some point it seemed to you that you needed to fight false teachers. Now you no longer see Pastor Dykstra as a false teacher. To me that seems like the perfect opportunity for you to move on to another false teacher, and try to help another group of people. Your own words and the Scripture, the ultimate authority, say "teachers" and "churches", not "Eric Dykstra" and "The Crossing Church."
So, what legacy will you leave? A person attacking a single pastor at a single church for no apparent reason that drops everything when over a year of spiritual warfare seems to have resulted in a victory. A person who is continually attacking a pastor at a church, even if only one at a time, until that spiritual battle has played out that moves on to new battles as they end.
I am not at all familiar with the crossing church and don't know if they are engaging in spiritual abuse or not. That said, if those of you who feel abused by the teachings of this church need a place of healing and restoration, visit the Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove. Pastor Dave Johnson actually wrote a book on spiritual abuse. The book is titled "Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse" and is available on Amazon.
ReplyDeleteThe church is probably the most authentic Christian church I have ever attended (my personal view). You can see thier beliefs and core mission statement (I highly encourage this to see if the Door lines up with your beliefs) on their web site at thedoor.org. You can also get podcasts of the sermons on iTunes if you want to check them out before attending.
Wow,looks to me like Casey got sucked in by false preaching. Casey,your going to answer for your blog. Yessir you will. Even the elect will stray. One minute your bashing & the next your cozy cozy? Dryska is a good manipulator,I've heard his work & almost fell in...until he made a pass at me! That is the truth & Jesus knows it. I defended that guy until he pulled that trigger & now I feel ashamed to have defended icky false teacher man. Plus now he's all into joining the circus of happy money preaching warm & fuzzy feeling junk teachers. Olsteen?serious?
ReplyDeleteYou went tossed by the waves as Jesus warns us sternly about. You couldn't stay straight. Tossed by a few teachings that made your ears tickle. Shame on you!
Sorry to burst people's bubble, but a close friend of mine still deals with people who left The Crossing Church. His counselling team finds that they were exhibiting post-cult symptoms.
ReplyDeleteWhatever's going on there, isn't over.