"What improvements are needed in today's *church?..."

by Gary Schooley

...a brother of mine asked. That is a GOOD question and one that has been needing to be asked for decades. It's a question that more and more *Spirit Filled Christians are asking every day. It's a question that begs to be answered. In order to assess what areas need improvement, it is important to identify the main problems. So, let's look at some of the things that hinder the Body of Christ; things that are being done that aren't scriptural and things that aren't being done but ought to be. Things that don't bear witness with The Word or the spiritual discernment that the Lord has given me; discernment that has never failed and proves accurate and reliable daily.

The cornerstone that leads to the majority of spiritual mistakes is in the one-way (only) form of communication that MOST churches have adopted. If the pastor makes even one spiritual mistake, it may as well be set in stone, because it will be believed by a substantial portion of the congregation. I have seen pastors miss it a little, and miss it completely, yet there is NO forum; no means of asking why or where or what scripture, etc. But, if they were to overhear a candid conversation of Christians discussing things that don't bear witness with their spirits (or the Word), they would hear some things that would surprise them; things that they should and would be aware of, if only the rest of the body had some input. I have often wished that each person had a little button that they could push when things don't bear witness with their spirits in church. Some way to say "I challenge that; I don't buy it; Show me from the Bible".

In talking with other Christians, I have found that I was not alone in my feelings that something was not always right. In fact, it was surprising to find that there are quite a few that share my understanding that things are sometimes wrong. Before, I would just blame myself, because it looked as though every one else accepted what was said and done. I wish I knew how many times I went to God and said "Father, I don't understand - the word says one thing but they're doing or saying another". But, when I finally found out that others felt the same way, I was so relieved. At last, I wasn't alone; I wasn't the only one who "must be wrong", as I often felt I was.

The Word likens the church to a (human) body, with many parts. Now, in a human body, there is almost total feedback. That means that the body is always talking to the head, as well as the head talking to the body. It's not a one way "monologue". Try this: take a pin and stick it in your leg. Does the "message" reach your head? Now, stick it in your arm. Same result, right? That's called two-way communications and it is present in all forms of life. So, when did the Body of Christ become quadriplegic, so that the head can't hear what the body is saying (or wanting to say)?

Corinthians 14:28 says ...but if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church;... This gives a clear indication that there was some effort to determine just what gift(s) the members of the body had, and more importantly, to use the various gifts appropriately. They could literally look around and say "Is that guy with the gift of interpretation here?" and "Good, he is here; that guy with the gift of tongues might have a message".

If this were so in today's church, there wouldn't be as many spiritual mistakes and unfulfilled spiritual needs. Yet, there is still NO effort to evaluate the different gifts of the various members of the body. That leaves a LOT of people feeling left out and useless; either not knowing their gifts, or unable to use the gifts that they know they have. This is not how the Lord intended it to be. Not at all.

But, all is not lost. There is hope. I once attended a church where it was routine to assess ones gifts and use them accordingly. I had never seen a church like that and haven't seen one since. I wish I could have continued to attend, but circumstances dictated otherwise. Nevertheless, I continue to look for such a church. The gifts of the spirit were really allowed to work in that church. And not just the major gifts listed in the Bible either. There are many, many minor gifts that aren't listed, but are none the less important to the overall functioning of the body. For example: A "Hugger" - now, this gift is a valuable and useful gift. There have been many times when I would have literally paid $10.00 for a decent hug. No kidding! I really would have paid. Even now, I tend to seek out "huggers" for a hug. And medical science has proven that there is a positive physiological benefit from a good hug.

Even though that gift isn't listed in the Bible, that doesn't mean it's not a valid gift of the spirit. Here is another example: I seem to have the gift of discerning human need; it won't go away, nor is it being used. It never has been for that matter. And at this rate, it never will be. Case in point: I noticed that there were NO tissue boxes anywhere in the church that I recently attended. None at all. That might seem like a trivial and insignificant thing, and most of the time it may be. That is, until you need one. Picture this: You are there in your nice suit, and you shed some tears, and then your nose starts running, and you forgot your handkerchief. Then you dribble on your nice suit - all because someone didn't perceive human need (or wasn't allowed to).

There is another spiritual gift that I possess. I don't know if it is one of the ones listed in the Bible, or not (discernment of spirits?) but it has far more serious implications and applications. The best way to illustrate this is to give an excerpt from a letter that I had previously written to a church:

...Once upon a time, my wife and I attended a nondenominational spirit filled church. It was blessed and prosperous in many ways. Then, one day the pastor thought that he heard the Holy Spirit tell him to give the church to another, and then take his ministry on the road. The man that he was planning on giving the church to spoke at the men's breakfast preceding the announcement of what was to come. His message was "dry as dust" and NOT anointed by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, no one seemed to perceive it, but me (us). But, we decided to give it a chance, as the pastor had asked us to do. Now, we were used to being fed "steak and taters", spiritually speaking, and all of the sudden, we were getting "tumble weeds". So, bit by bit, people had to seek spiritual nourishment elsewhere.

Then, the original pastor realized that the new pastor was not following the vision that they had agreed upon, and tried to wrest the church from him by force, as he had already given legal control over to the new pastor. There was a scandal, a big meeting and the shattering of a church. The old pastor tried to re-gather his flock, but his efforts were futile; our trust in him was destroyed. The point is this: Had anyone sought the conviction of the less comely parts of The Body Of Christ, this catastrophic schism would have been averted. I knew from the beginning that the pastor had "missed" the Holy Spirit; but, who cares what I think- I just fill a seat in the pew and a tithe envelope, not MY part in the body, as it should be. No one knows how many more spiritual gifts exist in the body that are being neglected, and very little is being done to find out. Gifts that could have a major impact on the well being of the body. It's clear that to ignore these gifts is harmful to the body in general and its members in particular.

More about feedback. Even though there is a need for feedback, that doesn't mean that church services should be a question and answer session, or people should raise their hands and challenge the pastor (or should they?). But some sort of secondary forum should exist. Maybe a feedback box or something of that sort. Had some sort of feedback existed in the previously mentioned church, that "problem" would have been detected and avoided. But, it's clear that pastors can and do miss it, and on occasion, miss it "big time". Jeremiah 23:1 ...Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Don't stop reading there - Read on down to Jeremiah 23:5, and you'll see that it's not a thing to be taken lightly. God gets downright upset when it's not done right.

Another reason that the body doesn't speak to the head (the pastor, etc.), is out of respect, which is good, to some extent. But there should be some consideration for the rest of the body, especially in serious situations (like giving away a church). Remember "sticking the pin in your leg"? Now, did your body say "well I better not bother the head - it's busy with more important things"? NO WAY! It spoke up boldly and without hesitation; and the head listened too. The needs of the body are always monitored by the head. In fact, it is the primary concern of the head; is the body doing O.K.?

"Do I fall down now?", an elderly lady was heard to ask, as she had hands laid on her for healing. That is a question that shouldn't be heard in today's spirit filled church. What caused this lady to ask such a question?

Well, it seems that she had experienced a spirit filled church in which some were using the gifts of the spirit to exalt themselves rather than stick to what the word says about laying on of hands. In fact, it has become more of a "baseball" game than the proper operation of a spiritual gift. Complete with a pitcher, a catcher and something that slightly resembles an umpire. It ought not be so. It hinders and damages the body of Christ and how it was intended to work. And people who truly NEED to be healed (but won't play a game) find themselves reluctant to have hands laid on them, so they go without, or just get healed on their faith alone. I have seen a certain increase in my faith for healing, due, no doubt, to the fact that God knows that I won't play that game.

How does it hurt the body of Christ, you may ask. It makes people lie. Would you intentionally make someone lie? I doubt it. Christians are typically known for their honesty and integrity. But Christians can and do get caught up in causing people to fall and the feeling of power that they get from it. And if you don't fall on your own, they push you.

I will never forget the first time that I went along with this strange custom. I was new to the spirit filled church and didn't know any better. But, I needed healing, so I went up to GET HEALED. Well, the "pitcher" pushed me back, the "catcher" caught me and laid me down, and the "umpire"(?) covered me with a cloth! Now for the really bad part - I experienced the most absurd assortment of emotions and questions and thoughts. Emotions like "I feel like such a fool" and "I feel like such a liar" and worst of all, "I feel like I have lied to God". And questions like "How long do I lay here?", "Do I smile?", "Do I roll around?", "Do I make any noise?", etc. And thoughts like "God didn't knock me down; a man pushed me". Since then, I have learned MUCH more about the word and how it is used (and abused) regarding healing. And one thing is overwhelmingly clear: This practice does NOT bear witness with the Word, nor does it bear witness with the gift of discernment that God has given me. A person shouldn't feel like a "liar" or a "fool" when they need healing. When it is done properly, they won't.

And the poor "umpire" ... He didn't know for sure whether or not to cover men. So he just covered EVERYTHING. Now, I can understand covering a woman (in the interest of modesty), but covering a fully clothed man? That doesn't make any sense. Maybe if it were in the Bible, there wouldn't be these awkward situations.

Don't get me wrong; I have absolutely NO problem with God knocking me down. In fact, I would be thrilled if he did - as long as it was TRULY God that did the knocking down. But, when a man (or woman for that matter) pushes me down, I now know that it is an unchecked, self exalting ego in operation, not the Holy Spirit. I have even seen a T.V. Evangelist take it to such an extreme that he simply "blows" at the choir, and they fall down. Therein lies my use of the word "Game"; Because this behavior has NO foundation in the Word of God whatsoever and has become just that: A GAME.

And it's a game that does harm and damage to the body of Christ.

Some have argued that this is scriptural, (mis)quoting John 20:22 which says ...And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith onto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Now, does it say that they fell down? NO! And how many times does one receive the Holy Ghost? Every week like this Evangelist is doing? NO! I don't buy it - it's just not scriptural. That argument "doesn't hold water".

Some say that a powerful healing touch from God invariably knocks one out.

Again, I don't buy it. Acts 3:6-8 says ...Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 7And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. Now, if a supernatural touch from God knocks one out, this guy should have leaped straight up, and then fallen back down into the same crumpled heap that he was in before he was healed, right? Does anyone deny that this was a powerful touch from God?

Luke 6:10 is another good example that a powerful healing does not mean that a person passes out. You have to admit that the healing of a withered hand IS a heavy duty touch of power. There are three accounts of this particular healing in the Bible and not one mentions that he passed out (and Jesus certainly didn't push him). In fact, as I read it, contact wasn't even made; the man was healed in the process of stretching out his hand.

But the most powerful touch of all has got to be a raising of the dead, such as in Luke 8:54. And if a touch from God made one pass out, then the maid would have arisen, and fallen, and arisen, and fallen, etc. Now, how would a person raising the dead know that they have risen, if the resulting touch of God's power caused passing out?

After having experienced a number of these "baseball games", I found myself saying within myself, "I didn't fall down; I guess I'm not healed". That's when I realized that something was wrong, and decided to look into what the Bible says on the subject. Since I have discovered that this practice isn't scriptural, I have been watching carefully and taking mental notes. Although it can sometimes be comical, it's nothing to laugh about, as it is Christians playing games, instead of being about our father's business as Jesus showed us to be. I have seen quite a bit of resistance, too, which shows me that I'm not the only one who has a problem with the way the laying on of hands is being done. I have seen flailing arms, like someone trying to keep their balance. I have seen people pushed down in the sitting position, and maintain that position. I have seen people pushed down, only to immediately spring up again. And I have seen people refuse to be pushed down, no matter how hard the effort. This kind of childish game just shouldn't be seen in a Christian church. Not at all. It's hard enough to witness Jesus to the secular world without putting in a bunch of strange and unscriptural practices. No wonder they think we're all nuts.

Here is a prime example of how Scripture must be twisted in order to go from Mark 16:18 - ...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover... to what has become today "lay hands on the sick and push them down" and "fall down for every reason" (being "slain" in the spirit).

There is a booklet by a notable evangelist entitled "Why do people fall under the spirit?" (or something to that effect). In this booklet, he refers to John 18:6-7 which says: 6As soon as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. 7Then asked he them again, whom seek ye? Look closely at this Scripture and you can see why it cannot stand as justification for falling down, in the context of being slain in the spirit. First, Jesus wasn't laying hands on them, was he? Secondly, if they were passed out, how could Jesus continue to talk with them? No, they weren't "slain in the spirit" as this person supposes; they were just plain scared!

Have you ever been just plain scared? I have. Once a scaffolding fell from a three story building and missed me by mere inches. Guess what; I was just plain scared. In fact I fell to the ground, I was so scared. No one laid hands on me, and I wasn't slain in the spirit - I was just plain scared.

And the term "slain in the spirit" is not in the Bible, although from watching, you would think it were, as so many have fallen for it (no pun intended). It has gotten so that people are getting hands laid on them for any and all reasons, and falling (getting pushed) for all reasons. There are two other reasons to have hands laid on, but they don't seem to contain anything about falling either. They are: Acts 6:6, 13:3 for setting people apart for a certain work and Acts 8:17, 19:6 for the receiving of the Holy Spirit. How did we get so far away from the word on this matter? How did it become a doctrine?

I don't buy it! The fact of the matter is that this man gets a kick out of making people fall down - it makes him feel powerful. This doesn't make the man any less my brother in the Lord; in fact, he has taught me much. But, it is just another illustration of how Spirit filled Christians can (and do) totally miss the Holy Spirit. Recently, Kenneth Copeland said something to the effect of, the longer a person is a Christian, the harder it becomes (or less often?) to hear the Holy Spirit. That, I believe. Just as I showed previously, Christians miss the Holy Spirit all the time. No matter what your station in the body of Christ; From the pastor to the lowliest member...We ALL miss it. And we miss it MUCH more often than we have the courage to admit, too.

And you pastors had better be especially careful when it comes to rightly dividing the word of God and the administration of the gifts of the spirit - The word clearly indicates that YOU will be held accountable for the well being of your flock. How will you answer for those who needed healing, but wouldn't come forward because someone was exalting themselves with some game? And how will you answer for falsifying the gifts of the Holy Spirit (pushing)? I wouldn't want to be in your shoes on that day. Because of this, I have determined that, whenever I have occasion to lay hands on someone FOR HEALING, I will do it in such a manner so as to in no way whatsoever influence them to sit, stand, fall, jump, roll, kneel, or do anything other than what is clearly stated in Scripture. Furthermore, REGARDLESS of whether they do any or all of the above, THEY SHALL RECOVER! Just like the Word says to do it; nothing more; nothing less.

The more I have tried to find Scriptures to support the practice of pushing people down, the more Scriptures I have found to the contrary. Time after time; Scripture after Scripture - people get better: get healed: Get Up! I just can't find ANY scriptural evidence that this practice is sanctioned by God. My research has taken me through: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Dake's Annotated Reference Bible & Concordance, NASB-NIV Interlinear Greek and English Bible, Franklin "Bookman" Electronic King James Bible and over a hundred cassette tapes. And I have been looking for over twenty years! It's just NOT THERE! It is time that the church take stock of what it is doing, and exactly WHY; "Put up or shut up" as the saying goes. And if they can't show solid scriptural reasons for these practices, then they should have the decency and maturity to admit that there is a problem and to correct it. Just that simple. And it won't hurt nearly as much as it will if they continue to abuse the privilege of being pastor.

"Ca, Ca, Ca, Ca, Ca, Ca, Como Si, Como Sa, Como Si, Como Sa, Como Si, Como Sa, Ca, Ca, Ca, Ca, Ca ......." was the message in tongues, as the lady beat on the back of the pew. It went on and on. Then, when she was (finally) finished, the pastor said "This is of God". But, was it really? I have heard tongues, and then I have heard TONGUES, and this wasn't the real thing. Yet this sort of thing goes on every day in today's Spirit Filled Churches. How do I know the difference? Well, do you remember the gift of discernment that I mentioned? It acts like a "filter"; It's like a red light that comes on in my spirit, and when it comes on, I know that something is not right. Again, let me say that I have NO problem with TRUE tongues, as long as it is genuine, but, once again, I DON'T PLAY GAMES with the gifts (tools) of the Holy Spirit. Neither should you.

It's important to note that the pastor that said "This is of God", is the one that fed his flock "tumble weeds". He then decided (for everyone else) that since HE has horses, EVERYONE has horses, so he started a Christian Horse Clinic, in spite of the fact that less than one percent of the congregation had horses. We knew many in the congregation, and I don't recall knowing anyone who owned a horse. (Now, was this for Christians that had horses, or was it for "Christian" horses)? Any way, this didn't seem like much of a priority; I could think of a thousand things that were more important for the body of Christ to engage in. I guess he missed it (again).

There were two elderly ladies that attended this church regularly. They always sat in the front. On a rare occasion, one or the other of them would give a true message in tongues. When either of them gave a message in tongues, my spirit would just "eat it up". It was like a bird singing a beautiful song. It bore total witness with my spirit. Each and every word different and unique, just like any other language. There was complete peace and joy in my spirit, unlike what happens in my spirit when it is being done improperly. And what's really interesting is that something inside me understood every word. (I still haven't figured that one out). But it's clear to me that there IS a difference; one that bears looking into. It's way overdue.

There once was a Christian radio program in which they were discussing spiritual mistakes. It was a call in type show. They eventually got to the subject of tongues, and in this discussion the host mentioned that he had seen a church "emptied out" by two ladies speaking in "tongues". This is a perfect example of a pastor that is a spiritual coward, afraid to offend anyone, so he just let it continue. Yet, he offended the whole congregation, because by the time that the message in tongues was over, everyone was gone. There have been many occasions when my wife and I got our books together and were on the verge of leaving during a so called message in tongues.

There are hundreds of languages and thousands of dialects in this world. I simply can't accept that tongues consists of the same two or three syllables over and over again. Even animals and insects have a much more complex language than this. Take bees for example: They have an intricate system of communication that not only utilizes "sign" language (the little dance they do to tell the location of food), but also uses pheromones (scents) to convey information. Yet some maintain that this kind of vain repetition is supported by Scripture? I DON'T think so.

Look at Corinthians 12:29-30. These questions reveal that all believers are not apostles, prophets, teachers, and all do not have all the gifts. Although a person may have the baptism of the Holy Spirit (with the evidence of tongues), that doesn't necessarily mean that they have the gift of outwardly speaking messages in tongues. I have seen so many take this valuable tool and play with it like a toy, not knowing the proper use of it. Have you ever seen a child play with an item that has (had) a specific use and function? They pour dirt all in it , and run their toy cars on it, and do just about everything to it; except USE it the way it was designed.

That's pretty much what many Christians have done to tongues. They get hold of it and run it into the ground. They use it to show off to others and try to impress them with how spiritual they are. They ABUSE it.

Can gifts of the spirit be misused? Yes, they certainly can. Look at Numbers 20:7-13 with Deuteronomy 32:48-52. Moses had a gift that God had given him; he could speak (what God told him to) to things, and whatever he said came to pass. Yet, when God told him to speak to the rock, he hit it instead. He abused the gift. There are other indications that gifts can be misused. See also: Ecclesiastes 2:9; Corinthians 13:1-3; 14:1-40. So, if you are experiencing a bit of spiritual discomfort and confusion when you hear some messages in tongues, yet you are at peace with other messages, don't feel alone; you're not. And don't feel bad and "beat yourself up" as I used to do. You're probably right, and that feeling is probably that "little red light" of discernment in your spirit coming on. Instead, seek out a church that DOES understand that there ARE different distributions of gifts of the Spirit (and makes an effort to identify and use them accordingly).

Once, I did see a pastor that had the spiritual "guts" to correct a problem at a church service. It wasn't even a tongues problem. It seems that a woman got carried away, and started saying "Oooh Hallelujah". She just kept saying it over and over, and getting louder and longer. But, the pastor was mature enough to keep control of the situation, and on about the fifth "Hallelujah", he started saying "Sister, Sister". About the third or fourth "Sister", and the service was back in order. He did it discreetly (as much as is possible in a public service) and in the spirit of love.

Afterward, there was no gossip or bad mouthing about it. My wife and I discussed it, in the privacy of our own home, and we both agreed that the woman had missed it (and disrupted the service). But, we were especially impressed with the way that the pastor handled it, AND that he handled it at all. We had seen so many pastors just let anything that happens continue, not having the spiritual "guts" or discernment to keep things in order, as Scripture says to do. It's too bad that more pastors don't share these attributes.

I was recently attending a church that seemed to have things on an "even keel". It has taken years to find a church that isn't having a "funeral service" every Sunday (I'm not dead yet; I don't need a funeral). They lay hands on the sick, but there is no "baseball" games. They speak in tongues, yet there hasn't been any messages in tongues. They don't have the Holy Spirit typed into a tiny paper box that they hand you at the door; He is free to move. And it is a very prosperous church. They don't have to beg for funding, and are not confessing lack and failure. I thought I'd stick around for a while.

That is, until they pulled that stunt about a month ago, when the pastor told everyone to accept the Holy Spirit, even if they already had; that is when total chaos broke out. You should have heard it; it sounded like a mass murder was taking place. That is when I got up and left. When I hear someone scream at the top of their lungs, it's time to move on. The word is very clear that God LIKES order and is not the author of confusion. Look it up for yourself, and you will see; Look up all references to the word ORDER. Meanwhile, I challenge ANYONE to show me scriptural justification for the chaos that I witnessed. Oh well - I guess I missed it (by being there).

The last subject on my list, that I have seen do damage to the body of Christ, is "hit and run" evangelists. Visitors that the pastor has temporarily given the church over to. Case in point: Our pastor had taught us how to use Matthew 16:19 which says - And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (the prayer of binding and loosing). We would use it frequently. Then a traveling evangelist came by, and taught a completely different use of that same Scripture. Result: Confusion, and no more use of that Scripture in either manner. It also eroded and undermined the trust we had in this pastor; not knowing if he knew for sure just what he was teaching us. Don't pastors have enough material to cover? Can't they say "NO" to a traveling evangelist, on occasion? Must they let just any stranger lead their sheep off to strange pastures?

There also seems to be a trend with "hit and run" evangelists that we have dubbed "condemnation preaching". That is where an evangelist takes a congregation that is blessed, prosperous, forgiven and enjoying a good relationship with God, and by the time he gets done with them, they feel like rotten, low down worms in the dirt. We have experienced this a number of times; so much so that we have decided that we will not subject ourselves to this kind of abuse again.

So, what justification is there for this? What right do they have to take people who feel good and make them feel bad? And what good did they do?

There is a place for condemnation and there is a place for grace.

Condemnation is for those who are lost to motivate them to the Lord, not for a well established congregation who already has a good, working relationship with God. This kind of preaching is more suitable for a street ministry.

Besides, I don't need anyone to make me feel bad; I do a pretty good job of that myself. Anyone who has known the Lord for any length of time knows that acquiring "the joy of the Lord" is often a struggle; also that Satan attacks Christians in that area all the time. So, why do these Christians "join forces" with Satan to make us feel bad? Could it be that they don't have the joy of the Lord themselves, and instead of working on getting it, they would rather bring down those who do have it? Sounds like jealousy to me. "Misery loves company", as they say.

That pretty much covers the main problems that I see in the body of Christ, being: Abuse of tongues, pushing people down, missing the Holy Spirit, neglecting the gifts of the lesser members of the body, and "hit and run" evangelists. These are things that have been on my mind and spirit for many years. I hope that I have shed some light in some dark areas.

Remember, these are not just my opinions, but are shared by a surprisingly substantial number of Christians.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts that become available to believers are wonderful things. They are useful tools that God has given to Christians to be used when needed; not abused or played with. When used as God intended, the results are miracles, healing, prosperity and harmony in the Body of Christ. But, when abused, the results are confusion, discord, strife and ineffectual attempts at healing. Time is short, but the church is still far from realizing the full embodiment of Christianity as set forth by Jesus, both in word (The Word) and in deed. It is time to put away games and get serious, as Jesus was, about the things that will have eternal consequences; Things that we will be held accountable for. How will you fare?

Please feel free to make copies of this as the Spirit leads. Some DO realize that something is wrong, but can't quite put their finger on it. Maybe a subjective viewpoint and fresh perspective will help.

P.S. - Pastors:

The challenge still applies; open your Bibles and show me scriptural justification for these antics, without twisting the Word.

The rest of you:

Your comments are both beneficial and welcome.

ICQ#: 5150489

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© 1996 Gary Schooley; All rights reserved. Used by permission of Author

Page added February 1, 1998 and revised February 25, 1998. E-mail link & address removed as no longer valid.

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