Recently I read the blog post of the conversation between Fundamental Baptist Evangelist Arv Edgeworth and the self professed ex fundamental Baptist church member Steve. The site is www.baptistdeception.com/arv-edgeworth-deception.
Apparently Steve has made it his mission to blog about his traumatic experiences in church and thus, to encourage others in their exodus from church. In an attempt to befriend and perhaps turn Steve, Arv reached out through e-mail correspondence, believing those e-mails to be private. Steve published what he claims is the raw and unabridged and unedited trade of correspondence. Steve warns his readers that it is brutal and urges those who suffer from post traumatic stress resulting from their life in an independent fundamental Baptist Church not to read. He claims at the beginning that Arv verbal fists were swinging so wildly that he eventually had to cut the correspondence off.
I read the thing in its entirety.
First, I saw nothing near what could have been called verbal fists. Arv did, near the end, suggest seeking legal recourse if his correspondence was published on the site. Steve countered that with a refusal to be threatened and some pretty good verbal jabbing of his own. His closest actual argument against Arv is that Arv would write a post and then write another before Steve had time to respond to the first. This, Steve wanted to clearly point out, and it is obvious that it really bothered Steve.
I know neither man.
The correspondence reads pretty much like I would think two men who are locked in disagreement might communicate. Both become frustrated that the other has not accepted his views.
The thing that does become blatantly clear is that Steve does not accept any passage that Arv refers to as a valid authority in the communication. He constantly asks Arv to support the Scriptures he cites with other references and he wants to know who taught Arv to accept Arv's understanding of the passage. Steve also likes throwing out term used in debate, argument and philosophy. Steve wants Arv to know that Arv doesn't have an education and Steve implies he does.
Bottom line, I came away from the blog with the sense that Steve has swallowed Satan's bate to catch Eve in the garden "hook, line and sinker." Whether he in fact grew up in an abusive church I do not know. I do know that there are some. But Steve just doesn't like authority. He has bought into the idea that he can be, as god, knowing good and evil. And he has elevated the man made education above the Word of God. Steve claims to be a follower of Christ, but it is after the order of Cain, it's on his terms and not the Lord's. Though he titles his blog about the deception of Arv, the deceived is Steve.
Marvin McKenzie
In the fields
Apparently Steve has made it his mission to blog about his traumatic experiences in church and thus, to encourage others in their exodus from church. In an attempt to befriend and perhaps turn Steve, Arv reached out through e-mail correspondence, believing those e-mails to be private. Steve published what he claims is the raw and unabridged and unedited trade of correspondence. Steve warns his readers that it is brutal and urges those who suffer from post traumatic stress resulting from their life in an independent fundamental Baptist Church not to read. He claims at the beginning that Arv verbal fists were swinging so wildly that he eventually had to cut the correspondence off.
I read the thing in its entirety.
First, I saw nothing near what could have been called verbal fists. Arv did, near the end, suggest seeking legal recourse if his correspondence was published on the site. Steve countered that with a refusal to be threatened and some pretty good verbal jabbing of his own. His closest actual argument against Arv is that Arv would write a post and then write another before Steve had time to respond to the first. This, Steve wanted to clearly point out, and it is obvious that it really bothered Steve.
I know neither man.
The correspondence reads pretty much like I would think two men who are locked in disagreement might communicate. Both become frustrated that the other has not accepted his views.
The thing that does become blatantly clear is that Steve does not accept any passage that Arv refers to as a valid authority in the communication. He constantly asks Arv to support the Scriptures he cites with other references and he wants to know who taught Arv to accept Arv's understanding of the passage. Steve also likes throwing out term used in debate, argument and philosophy. Steve wants Arv to know that Arv doesn't have an education and Steve implies he does.
Bottom line, I came away from the blog with the sense that Steve has swallowed Satan's bate to catch Eve in the garden "hook, line and sinker." Whether he in fact grew up in an abusive church I do not know. I do know that there are some. But Steve just doesn't like authority. He has bought into the idea that he can be, as god, knowing good and evil. And he has elevated the man made education above the Word of God. Steve claims to be a follower of Christ, but it is after the order of Cain, it's on his terms and not the Lord's. Though he titles his blog about the deception of Arv, the deceived is Steve.
Marvin McKenzie
In the fields
