From: sco@aero.org (Stacey C. O'Brien)
Subject: Re: Mike Warnke
Organization: The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 02:34:24 GMT

In article <1992Jul27.173313.27523@cbnews.cb.att.com> ajw@cbnews.cb.att.com (andrew.j.whitman) writes:
>In article <1992Jul27.011732.16988@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> jlaplant@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (John R Laplante) writes:
> 
>>  Is there something else we should learn from this? Certainly accountability
>> _is_ a big lesson. It's a hard lesson to learn for some of us, which makes
>> the lesson even more sobering. I just wonder what other lessons we should
>> learn from this. It might be a fruitful topic for further discussion. Perhaps
>> another lesson is the need to be _thinking_ Christians, not just grasping
>> to something just because it is labeled as "christian." (of course, that
>> would not have helped most of us on the net -- how were we to know the
>> things brought up in the cornerstone article?)
>
>I'm very, very saddened by this whole episode.  If the Cornerstone article 
>is true (and I'm withholding judgment until I read it and Mike Warnke's 
>response), then it would seem that a well-known and well-respected Christian 
>leader has invented a sordid past and "made up" a testimony.  And I find 
>myself wondering why someone would do this.
>
>Perhaps one lesson we can learn from this is to search our hearts to 
>understand why we, as Christians, often pay particular attention to
>other Christians who have experienced dramatic conversions.  I don't know 
>why this is.  But I know that I do it too.  I deplore tabloid sensationalism.  
>I don't care whether Elvis' Martian love twins actually exist or not.  But 
>I'm the first to prick up my ears when a brother or sister comes along and 
>tells me, "I used to be an axe-wielding, drug-addicted, sex-crazed psychopath 
>who killed my mama but then I found Jesus and, praise God, now I'm a normal 
>accountant."  
Yeah, I agree. I often feel very uncomfortable telling people that I
became a Christian at age 3 and stayed a Christian. I feel like I have
to explain that I really did understand what I was doing and that, yes,
it was real, and, yes, it stuck for 26 years (so far). I feel apologetic
for not having had a period of rebellion or major backsliding, never 
been drunk or anything like that. I feel like some kind of goodie
two-shoes ;-) because I think we look at dramatic experiences as somehow
validating Christianity. Somehow it's not really valid if you had a long
term, non-dramatic, day to day walk with Christ. You are more valid
as a Christian if you had to fight uphill through all kinds of hell to
find the Lord. It's as if Christianity wasn't enough on its own, we have
to add all this conflict and drama to make it REALLY VALID. Not to put
down the affect an ex-druggie can have witnessing to a current druggie,
an affect that I may not be able to have, not having been in his/her
shoes. But I do agree about this "National Enquirer" Christianity that's
so easy to fall for.

Along the same lines, who was that guy who used to go all around the
world dragging that cross? He left his wife and kids after moving them
to Florida so he could get a quick divorce and moved in with his lover
in Europe, explaining that he was "relocating his ministry". Several
pastors that I know tried and tried to talk to him about this but his
logic was that he was still "leading people to the lord" and was therefore
"still being blessed by God" so therefore "God approves". Very scary.


>>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>john r la plante                    calling from the Ohio State University
>>jlaplant@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu  political analysis done while you wait
>
>Andy Whitman
>AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio
>att!cblpn!ajw  or
>ajw@cblpn.att.com

             --Stacey