at substantive adjectives in both English and Latin. He showed that we must
infer meaning from context, not simply from grammar, for there is nothing in
the grammar that will tell you the meaning from staring at the forms.
Among the responses from seven others where these points: because we
should give pause where something could have been expressed more simply
but wasn’t, we should be cautious about Derrick’s hypothesis; “Divine Human”
and “Human Divine” are adjectival forms of “God-Man” and “Man-God”
which God became; context is important to understanding, for the Writings
themselves say of certain word-order conventions that they have “sometimes”
been observed; ambiguity may lie more in the doctrinal concept than in the
grammar. Derrick ended the session with the thought that grammar is part of
the context, but that it breaks rules, as well.
What Induces People to Leave?
After a break, the Rev. Sylvain A. Agnes introduced the Rev. David H.
Lindrooth whose paper was called: “Closing the Back Door.” David began by
saying that his paper was change-oriented and was offering some approaches
we might take toward change. Applying our wonderful ideals can be messy.
We see some things not working out for the church and we are called to do
things better. There is a power struggle between clergy and laity and we need
to hear that people are unhappy.
He referred to a book by Josh Packard, PhD and Ashley Hope: Church
Refugees: Sociologists reveal why people are DONE with their church but not
their faith, and said that it resonated with things he has heard from people who
no longer participate in the General Church.
He said that we don’t need to abandon our doctrine, but make incremental
changes in four areas identified in the book:
1. People are desperate for friendship and community in coming to
church, but leave because they experience judgment.
2. People come to the church for conversation and dialogue for
developing their own faith but feel that they are served a dogmatic
faith that is not closely tied to what the Word says, judging by the
complexity of the explanations.
3. The desire for participation is illustrated by the shoes piling up at the
doors of these meetings, showing that women want influence in the
church. People who want to participate can get tangled in bureaucracy
and this discourages participation.
4. Only three of our congregational websites offer service opportunities
beyond the congregation. Finding ways to serve with others avoids
the pitfall of serving others in a condescending way. Benefactions of
charity are useful for leading people into faith.
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