Let's pretend a minute, OK?
Pretend that you are the leader of a moderate sized church.
Pretend that you are well known in your fellowship of churches. In fact you were once the leader of said fellowship and are largely credited with being its founder.
Pretend that after many "urgent" conversations in recent weeks, sixty five well known leaders of of your fellowship from at least 11 countries and every continent, including many personal friends, publicize a 12 page rebuke (HTML version), listing your sins, documenting a lack of repentance and calling for change.
How would you respond? Indignation? Eager to see justice done? Alarm? In other words, godly sorrow? Perhaps there would be hurt, tears, fasting, prayer and much advice from Godly men as well. I think if it had gotten that serious that they had to go public, perhaps I should consider a career change.
Or maybe you'd fight back, defending your actions, avoiding addressing the specific charges, attacking your accusers, quoting misleading statistics (see today's post at ICOCinfo) and generally obfuscate the issue.
This past week, that's exactly what happened. Sixty Five men publicly addressed the sins of Kip McKean, calling for repentance. To put it bluntly, he refused, justifying his sins as God's work. I'm not sure what happens next, but Kip seems determined to take the International Church of Christ name for himself and those with him, attacking churches for removing 'International' from their name. The irony here is that very few ICOC churches ever had 'International' in their name. Prior to Portland the only one I had ever heard of was the Indianapolis International Church of Christ. True to form, he is creating controversies rather than doing the hard work of loving people, respecting differences, honoring Godly diversity, binding the wounded and pointing people away from worldly diversions to their amazing God.
As far as I'm concerned, he can have the name and title, since it seems to be important to him. For many the ICOC will always be connected to the flawed doctrines of Kip McKean, which he refuses to let go of, and I want no part of it. What we call ourselves here in Columbus matters not at all. We can be "The Church of What's Happening Now Baby!" for all I care as long as we're doing the work of God.
(NOTE: What I'm not saying:
I'm leaving the ICOC. Maybe intellectually, but not physically. I think I left the ICOC intellectually a while ago, frankly.
My church is leaving the ICOC. Not my call, and not likely, as I see it now. That just fine with me because I don't see any interest in following Kip's lead either.
Just thought I should clarify.)
Well said. I wonder if your reaction is typicall of most?
Hmm, depends on what you mean by 'most'. I wonder if 'most' ICOC members are paying attention to this. I seem to have this moth-to-a-flame fascination with this soap opera, I wonder how many others do.
Of those paying attention, I have no idea. The hopeful part of me wants to believe that most do, the cynic thinks that most don't. Of course both views hinge on the idea that I have the 'right' view. :-)
Re-reading my words, I think the last paragraph is a little strong. My point was that I felt a certain level of indignation at Kip for claiming the name of my church for his own agenda. Then I realized that the name on the sign out from means very, very little. In this case, in fact, it probably means too much, calling to mind the exclusiveness and abuse of our past, almost requiring us to drag it along with us as we attempt to move forward. I guess I'm saying perhaps we'd just be better off letting go of it and the baggage it brings along.
Amazing, isn't it, how I can take two sentences totaling less than a dozen words and turn it into a four paragraph response.
I appreciate your post, Doug. I am extremely curious about how everybody else there in Columbus is doing concerning this issue! Well, concerning Kip McKean, I think that the scripture that is in order is 2 Timothy 2-3, "14Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly." ... "22Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." ... "25Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." ... "2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." ... " 6They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone."
The specific order is to have nothing to do with them. I am convinced that now that all the public admonishments have been made, we need to obey this scripture, and have nothing to do with him. Don't post, don't write, don't make public statements, just leave him alone. I haven't read a response by him, but I am confident that he will eat that letter of rebuke like a starving lion eats a zebra. Tearing from limb to limb, crushing bone and tendon in its teeth. He feeds off of that kind of stuff. Its rocket fuel for his depraved mind. This man, lord willing will repent someday! But, by reading his responses in the past, I doubt it. Lord willing I will never be in a position as him. He became the head of the church, and being only human, he was overcome by power. I mean, all we are is human! We can't take such mantles in a non-apostolic time in this world of ours. A mans faith would have to be phenominal in order to do such a thing, as would his contrition. Personally, with all the men of God I have ever met, none could fill such a role, and not have the same result; corruption.
I concur with Paul. Let's have nothing else to do with it.
The Portland response is enough to show that no matter what is said - the made up history of the "30 would be disciples" is all that will ever be touted by the Mckenas and those who are under their spell.
Paul - I almost forgot to resond to you on this!
I wonder too what folks from Columbus think! I know that a couple of people are following it and of their feelings, but other than that I'm not sure anyone has noticed. We haven't talked as a leadership about it other than a few on on one conversations. No one that I have spoken to about it has felt good about what Kip is up to, except perhaps some appreciation of their growth. We plan at some point to talk about it as a group, but I'm not sure when.
In some ways I'm disappointed that we haven't addressed it. I think that folks have a right to know where their leaders stand. On the other hand, I'm glad we haven't given Kip any further attention.