19 Christ’s Active Leadership Today *** 19 Back in early Christian times, some decisions made by the governing body may have been hard to understand at the time. Here's a great example of the Watchtower Society saying there was a governing body in the first century when there actually wasn't. All of this rhetoric stems from intellectual dishonesty, delusions of grandeur, spiritual elitism, and arrogance. When any group repeatedly uses Old Testament / Old Covenant analogies to promote or rationalize their authoritarian / legalistic power structure they are guilty of using false analogies, logical fallacies, sophistry, and mind control. The Christian congregation is not under any kind of human mediatorship or priesthood. But, Christians are no longer under that kind of arrangement. The Watchtower likes to continuously use Old Covenant analogies because on the surface, they seem logical and applicable, and Scriptural. Raymond Franz wrote an entire chapter in his book In Search of Christian Freedom explaining (Scripturally) the fallacy of centralized ruling bodies of men. We also see throughout the writings of Paul (most notably in the book of Galatians) that he invalidated the Watchtower’s modern day concept of a centralized Governing Body. One only has to read the book of Galatians to see that Paul was quite blunt and forceful in his rebuking this kind of attitude. Men continuously attempted to go beyond the Scriptures and enforce their own human laws, standards, and rules under the guise of "pure worship". Legalism was a reoccurring problem in the newly formed Christian congregations in the first century. This form of worship was referred to as "burdensome". The system of Talmudic legalism (where the Pharisees tacked on countless additional "laws" and rulings to established Scripture) was rebuked by Jesus and the Apostles. What was also done away with was the Talmud under which the Jews were subject. The Scriptures are crystal clear in referring to Jesus as the one and only mediator. One thing that is absolutely clear and unambiguous in the New Testament, is that there is no longer any kind of temple / priesthood arrangement mediating between people and God. It also states that there is only one head of the congregation - Christ Jesus not a ruling body of ten men. The New Testament repeatedly refers to Jesus as the one and only high priest. It is not a coincidence that virtually every cult-like pseudo-Christian group uses them to enforce its man made authority structure.įirst of all, the Old Covenant with its structure of authority and worship was done away with when Christ ushered in the New Covenant. Has anyone ever noticed how the Watchtower Society or individual Witnesses always use Old Testament / Old Covenant analogies in support of the modern day organizational authority structure? This is known as using a "false analogy".
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