MY PAPERS: THINGS EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD CONSIDER READING
Over the years, I have penned my thoughts about certain subjects. The following documents reflect my thinking at the time that I wrote. I am deeply interested in your comments on any or all subjects found on this page. If you should respond to any of my papers -- and happen to disagree -- you will be treated with utmost courtesy and respect. My major concern is not whether you will agree or disagree with my position, but whether I have written with clarity of thought. If you are having difficulty understanding what I have written, I would be happy to hear from you, and if greater clarification is needed, I will revise the document for clarity's sake.
Here's a Table of Contents. Click the one that interests you, and you will be taken to a brief comment about the paper. If further interested, click on the link and read the entire document.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Brief Argument Against the Concept of "Client Nation"
A Polemic on Accountability Partnership
Christian, You Never Have to Sin Again or Volitional Perfection
Freedom: Licentious or Responsible
PCT, RTP, and Personal Freedom
PCT, RTP, Natural Man, Carnal Man, Spiritual Man
Responsible Thinking Process in the Christian Home Environment
Reward Controls Behavior: the Fallacy of the Concept
When the Train Leaves the Station
Talking to Our Youngest Generation
If My People Who Are Called by My Name
Two Belief Systems: Old-man and New-man Systems,
The Process of Actualizing God's Word
Anger vs. Righteous Indignation
Changing Clothes in the Christian Way of Life
Memory Center and Dominance Explained
Displacement or Saturation and Infusion
Does the New-man Grieve Subjectively
Faith, Hope, and Love: A System
Holy Spirit Power: Not "What" or "Who" but "How"
Reversionism: Reaction/Distraction, Frantic Search for Happiness (refined)
A Biblical Perspective on Immigration: Is the Child a Citizen?
Three Terms: Objectively Step Outside One's-self; Trigger; Emotional Revolt of the Soul
"Operation KRRY" and Interrelated Thoughts
Organic Connection with Jesus Christ
Three Men Inside Every Believer
PAPERS
For several years I accepted the "Doctrine of the Client Nation" as taught by R.B. Thieme, Jr. At this time, I have serious doubts about its validity. My original acceptance was simply due to the fact that "the Colonel said it." However, after my own personal growth as a result of other aspects of the Colonel's teachings, especially, the Doctrine of Dispensations, the Doctrine of the Church, the Doctrine of the Mosaic Law, etc., I began to have conflicts in my thinking that have made it difficult for me to continue to accept the validity of this doctrine. My doubts about the concept of "Client Nation" do not diminish my respect and admiration for "the Colonel." My Bible teaching ministry is today what it is greatly because of him. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
2.
A Polemic on Accountability PartnershipI have compiled my thoughts because I am disturbed about the proliferation of the concept throughout Christendom today. I see it as dangerous to the moment-by-moment Christian walk because I believe that it falls short of providing the mechanics for carrying out that walk. I believe that its source is human viewpoint, and that it has been developed as a reaction to the persistent sinful failures of most modern-day Christians, especially Pastors who have fallen onto sin. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
3. Christian, You Never Have to Sin Again or Volitional Perfection
If you are struggling with personal sins in your own life, the solution is found in the application of “Operation KRY” to your old-man. You do not need a supernatural experience, and you do not need to get the Holy Ghost. You need to apply “Operation KRY,” and if you think you have applied it and still don’t have victory, return to the three steps of “Operation KRY” and determine which of the three steps, or combinations of the three steps you have failed to apply correctly. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
4. Freedom: the Home Environment
The same freedom that God extends to the human race is extended to the home environment and is granted to every member of the household, including children. Since children are members of the human race, freedom is extended to them as members of the human race. They, too, are involved in the angelic conflict whether they or their parents realize it or not. Parents have a responsibility before God to teach and train their children in spiritual matters. As the resolution phase of the angelic conflict unfolds in human history, children either grow-up in their respective dispensation as part of the problem or part of the solution. As freely obedient children, they provide resolution in the conflict. As freely disobedient children, they provide no resolution in the conflict. The freedom-oriented home is where God expects children to learn the principles, promises, doctrines, and techniques associated with His plan for resolving the angelic conflict. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
5. Freedom: Licentious or Responsible
Freedom does not enjoy the right to disrespect others, and it does not permit violation of the rights of another person. The word “license” when applied to freedom means to do whatever one pleases; however, license is not inherent in freedom. Freedom has a boundary, and that boundary is the rights of another person. Where one person’s rights begin, another person’s freedom ends. Freedom is enjoyed by everyone when the speech and/or actions of one person do not infringe upon another person’s freedom to achieve his own internalized goals. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
Freedom is the environment in which all of human life is to be lived because freedom is the policy of God in the creation of the human race to resolve the spiritual battle known as the angelic conflict. If man’s obedience to God is not born out of freedom, Satan would have the legitimate objection that man’s obedience to God is forced, and God’s judgment upon him is unfair. Freedom, then, is essential to the resolution of the spiritual conflict. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
In my estimation, PCT is not a theory. It is a principle of life decreed by God the Father in eternity past and revealed as such in Holy Scripture. It can be said, then, that perceptual control is the belief that man was created by God to control himself. He is designed to self-control rather that control by someone else. If this is so, and it is, self-control can only be self-control if one is in control of his own life. If self-control in a person’s life is really self-control, then self-control in that person’s life cannot be labeled as such if anyone or anything else is in control of that person’s life. Self-control must mean self-control. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
8. PCT, RTP, and Personal Freedom
This paper was written to answer the following question: How can I as a fundamentalist Christian possibly link myself with the thinking of two men who would be considered outside fundamentalist ranks. These two men are Bill Powers, the man to whom the Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) attributed, and Ed Ford the founder of the Responsible Thinking Process (RTP). It is my considered opinion that both PCT and RTP are biblically based concepts and should be embraced by Christians everywhere -- if we are at all interested in dealing with disruptive behavior in a biblical manner consistent with the freedom with which Adam was created and we were born. The Responsible Thinking website is located at www.responsiblethinking.com. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
9. PCT, RTP, Natural Man, Carnal Man, Spiritual Man
This paper will relate PCT and RTP to the biblical concepts of the natural man, the spiritual man, and the carnal man. It will also relate PCT and RTP to the biblical concepts of the old-man and new-man. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
This booklet contains support for my thesis. I have tried to consider every possible argument and every possible verse or passage of Scripture that might be used in opposition. If I have failed to consider any reasonable argument of refutation, it has been an unintentional oversight, and I will be privileged to address that issue if brought to my attention.
My thesis restated: There is no scriptural authority to employ any form of punishment, including corporal punishment, to bring about a change in a person’s behavior, including children’s behavior, during the New Testament Christian era. Biblical evidence has been set forth to support the thesis. Punishment is out, and discipline is in. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
11. Responsible Thinking Process in the Christian Home Environment
This booklet is written for parents and guardians whose responsibility it is to raise children in their custody. The intent is to give parents and guardians a handbook to guide them in rearing their children in a non-punitive and non-manipulative manner. There is an ever-present perception among the masses that punishment changes behavior. The proverbial “rod” was not designed by God to change behavior. It was designed only for justice. This statement is supported in a separate document tilted Punishment vs. Discipline. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
12. Reward Controls Behavior: the Fallacy of the Concept
This is a brief paper that discloses the fallacy that a system controls behavior. Have you ever offered your child a reward if he would do something you wanted? Have you ever offered your child a reward if he maintained the status quo? Have you ever offered your child a reward if he avoided something you wanted him to avoid? Do you really believe you were in control? Read this document for the answer to the last question. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
It is the opinion of this author that the Responsible Thinking Process (RTP), founded by Mr. Ed Ford, is as biblically based and divinely decreed as is PCT. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
14. The Big Picture
Unless man understands the big picture of life, namely, that human history is the rebuttal phase of the spiritual battle known as the angelic conflict, any truth that would explain the “why” of any historical event will be rationalized away resulting in a misinterpretation of that historical event with the further result that nothing in life will make any sense. Man, then, will do the following: he will attempt to control the circumstances of life for his own selfish benefit, or he will simply resolve himself to endure life until its presumed bitter end comes upon him, hoping for the best in the interim. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
15. The Existence of Absolutes
Since an author has the right to pen his own perception, this paper is written with the belief that absolutes exist by divine design, and for our common understanding, an absolute is being defined as a decree from God. The nature of a divine decree is such that denial, rationalization, or ignorance will not destroy its existence. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
16. Total Depravity
Total depravity is the term used to define the spiritual condition of every human being at the moment of his or her physical birth. Mankind’s depravity is realized when the human nature of man is compared with the divine nature of God. God is absolutely righteous. This means that He is absolutely good. There is no evil in Him. He is incapable of wrong-doing, and it is this quality about God that serves as the standard against which all human nature is to be measured. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
17. Two Systems of Consequences
Rules, rules, rules, they are everywhere. Life is filled with rules, and there is a consequence associated with every rule violation. Sometimes the consequence is implemented, and sometimes not; sometimes it is rejected, and sometimes it is ignored. None of these, however, cancel the fact that a consequence exists. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
18. When the Train Leaves the Station
19. Talking to Our Youngest Generation“When the train leaves the station” is a phrase coined by this author. When traveling by train from one location to another, the following are true: 1) there is a time when the train has not yet departed the station; 2) there is time when the train has departed the station but not yet arrived at its destination; and 3) there is a time when the train arrives at its destination. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
20. Agape Love: What Is It?This paper relates my comments delivered in love as a wake-up call to some Christian youth after returning from a Christian camp to which I had led them. I have added some bracketed comments since the delivery date to further amplify the message. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
21. If My People . . .The purpose of this document is to offer an explanation of agape love, and to do so in such a manner as to be consistent with the Word of God. I will tie my definition to the concepts of freedom and the angelic conflict. Without these ties, I believe that when agape love is explained only as unconditional love, this explanation makes very little sense. I listened to that abbreviated definition for years, and finally said: “You are telling me that I need to “unconditionally love” (fill-in this blank with a name) – and then I asked “Why?” The corresponding answer, “Because the Bible says you should.” No. That’s where I’m told to unconditionally love. That doesn’t answer the question “why?” It was only after I came to a clear understanding of the concepts of freedom and the angelic conflict that meaning of agape love began to unfold and make sense to me. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
22. Two Belief Systems: Old-man and New-man Belief SystemsI can understand how non-dispensationalists might misapply our text to the United States of America, but it is horrifying that dispensationalists should do so. This document will do two things: 1) Offer a possible explanation for why some dispensationalists misapply our text to the United States; and, then, 2) Offer an interpretation that shows why this text should not be interpreted and/or applied to the United States. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
23. Internalizing the Word of GodThis document is written as a challenge to any form of teaching that refuses to acknowledge that the goal of the Christian life is to become exactly like Jesus Christ in His humanity, and that to do so, victory over the world and the flesh – both reachable goals – must be achieved. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
24. The Neutrality of the SoulThis document discusses the means by which the Word of God is process from the printed pages of the Bible into and through the believer's soul in preparation for the believer to make a Christ-like application to the life situation at hand. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
It is the neutral soul, especially the neutral self-consciousness, that reckons the old-man dead to sin, and the remainder of this document is dedicated to support the thesis. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.) 25. The Process of Actualizing God's WordThesis:
26. Asking the Right QuestionsThesis: If the goal of your Christian life is to become exactly like Christ in His humanity, you must actualize new-man clothing to life’s situations. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
27. Anger vs. Righteous IndignationThesis: Asking questions is not wrong. The question regards whether or not we are asking the right question. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
28. Changing Clothes in the Christian Way of LifeThesis: Anger is sinful. Righteous indignation is not sin. Why is righteous indignation not sin? (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
29. Memory Center and Dominance ExplainedThesis: The old-man has his own clothing and the new-man has his own clothing. This article deals with taking off old-man clothing and putting on new-man clothing. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
30. Displacement or Saturation and InfusionThesis: The soul’s stream of consciousness, the biblical heart (kardia), contains seven compartments: memory center, frame of reference, vocabulary storage, categorical storage, momentum compartment, conscience, and launching pad. This article explains the memory center and the launching pad. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
31. Does the New-man Grieve SubjectivelyThesis: When the believer uses "Operation KRRY" to enter into the sphere of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit is absorbed by the believer and the believer is infused with the Spirit. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
32. Faith, Hope, and Love: A SystemThesis: People are told that grieving is normal and extended grief is abnormal. The question arises as to whether the new-man grieve under any condition. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
33. Generalizations and MoreThesis: Faith, hope, and love do not stand alone. They are a system that work together in the process of spiritual growth. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
34. Holy Spirit Power: Not "What" or "Who" but "How"Thesis: For lack of a better term at this time, I am going to use the word “generalization” to mean something taught that can possibly be true, but the possibility is slim because of a clandestine flaw contained in the generalization making it most unlikely to occur. This type of generalization when taught to a Christian community is detrimental to the spiritual well-being of that community because this generalized truth now held by the Christian community is so inaccurate that the Christian community holding the generalization is ill-prepared to refute its inaccuracy when applying it to a pertinent current life situation. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
35. In the SpiritThesis: When trying to determine the mechanics (I call it the “how-to” – R.B. Thieme, Jr. used the term “techniques”) for executing (applying) the protocol plan of God (phase 2 truths) to the moment-by-moment Christian walk, it is disastrous to the moment-by-moment walk if the person teaching the mechanics presents the “what” without the “how” or the “what-to-do” as though the “what-to-do” were the “how-to-do-it.” Let me illustrate. You need to pray. No, that’s WHAT I need to do. You need to give. No, that’s WHAT I need to do. You need to confess your sins. No, that’s WHAT I need to do; and the WHAT is never the “how.” (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
36. Love Your EnemiesThesis: It should be understood that there is nothing magical about the Greek language that leads to an accurate translation simply because something is written in Greek. In fact, by noting the several different uses of the preposition en + dative, it should be obvious that if an accurate translation whose intended meaning is to be consistent with God’s intended meaning, an accurate interpretation must precede an accurate translation. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
37. Giving: How It WorksThesis: Some Pastors are telling Christians that they need to “love their enemies.” In view of the present fact that Hamas has been launching rockets into Israeli territory, injuring Israeli citizens, the question arises whether Israel is escalating the violence because they have moved their troops into the Gaza Strip, the location from which the Hamas rockets have been being launched? (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
38. The Neutrality of the SoulThesis: Giving is an act stemming from the soul’s neutral self-consciousness that has become aware of a circumstance of life in which an act of giving is available. The circumstance enters the soul’s Reference Center through the ear gate, eye gate, or tactilely. The Reference Center either has a frame of reference for the circumstance or it doesn’t. If the Reference Center has stored a similar past circumstance, the believer has a frame of reference for that circumstance. Now, determined by the data that the Reference Center previously processed to the Memory Center and Application Center’s sub-centers, specifically data stored in the human conscience, a determination will be made based upon that data as to whether this is an act of giving will actually occur or not. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
39. Reversionism: Reaction/Distraction, Frantic Search for HappinessThesis: The question arises regarding reckoning the old-man dead to the sinful nature. Who reckons the old-man dead? Is it the old-man or the new-man that does so? The answer is neither. It appears as though it’s the NEUTRAL soul, specifically the soul’s neutral self-consciousness that makes the decision to reckon the old-man dead to the sinful nature. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
40. A Biblical Perspective on Immigration: Is the Child a Citizen?Thesis: I do not believe that reversionism should be viewed as stages, although at times there may seem to be a logical and chronological connection between one form and another. What is referred to as stages of reversionism are in fact conditions intrinsically present in the life of every human being born into the human race. Rather than stages of reversionism, each “stage” is a condition present in the unbeliever’s life associated with the old-man in every one of us. What we have heretofore referred to as stages of reversionism will be referred to as conditions associated with the old-man found in both the unbeliever and believer when either is functioning from the source of the old-man. Reversionism is not entered by choice. Reversionism is entered by physical birth. Reversionism describes the direction away from God’s divinely decreed solutions designed to meet man’s divinely decreed human needs. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
41. Three TermsThesis: The United States Constitution does NOT support the notion that a child born in the United States to an illegal alien mother is automatically a citizen of the United States. The Supreme Court considers the child illegal and therefore should be deported with the mother. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
Thesis: The following three vocabulary terms emerged from Webex Meeting #100: “objectively step outside one’s-self,” “trigger,” “emotional revolt of the soul.” Consider the three terms. (To read the entire article, just click on the link above.)
42. "Operation KRRY" an Interrelated Thoughts
Thesis: Let’s relate the concept of “protocol plan” to God the Father’s plan that provides the means by which every born-again Christian can overcome his or her very own personal sinful nature. “Oh, really?” you say. “You mean that God the Father has given me the means of producing victory over my sinful nature?” The answer is simple. Yes, He has. Well, if He has, then, what is it? I refer to it as “Operation KRRY.”
43. Organic Connection with Jesus Christ
Thesis: It is the organic connection between the born-again Christian and Jesus Christ that makes it possible for the believer to initiate 1) a desire to know the sincere milk of God’s Word; and 2) to be clean before the Lord through confession of post-salvation sin. These two functions open the pipeline to the Holy Spirit in the believer’s human spirit. The unbeliever is devoid of this pipeline, and the pipeline is closed to the believer until the criteria is met that opens the pipeline. Since the unbeliever cannot process truth into a non-existent human spirit, and the pipeline is closed to the carnal Christian, the conclusion is drawn that organic union between the believer and Jesus Christ is the key that makes possible 1) the desire to know the sincere milk of God’s Word; and 2) being clean before the Lord through confession of post-salvation sin to open the pipeline for truth to enter the human spirit for Holy Spirit ministry.
44. Three Men Inside Every Believer & the Concepts of Alertness and Awareness
Thesis: There are three men living inside the born-again Christian: the old-man, the new-man, and the neutral-man; and Until the born-gain Christian determines to activate the mental states of alertness and awareness of encountered life situations, old-man reactions will never be replaced because the process of transformation requires mental alertness so as to anticipate and identify through awareness oncoming life situations that heretofore were handled by old-man behavior.
Date and Time Last Edited: 01/08/12 08:05 AM