Introduction to Current Members

My name is Chris. For twenty years I worked with you, lived, laboured, witnessed, and provisioned with you. I rejoiced in the knowledge I could walk into any of your homes around the world and find a friend. I was grateful for your acceptance of my weaknesses and so I overlooked yours. I was happy to have a purpose for my life, so I didn’t mind the menial tasks. I loved the Lord so I was happy to do anything for Him.

In this letter, I want to explain to you the reason why the site Make Straight Paths at www.makestraightpaths.com was created, and its ongoing purpose. First of all, though, I want to assure you that neither this letter nor the web site contains personal attacks on Dad/Grandpa, Maria or any other Family member, past or present. There is no attack on you here. I appreciate that current members read material written by former members with some hesitation due to that very reason. The material written here is written to be as accessible as possible. We have common history, you and I, and that counts for something. For my part, I intend to treat your opinions with respect. I ask that you prayerfully consider mine. The web site is dedicated specifically to the study of the Bible in the context of the Family, not the Family itself. So, in general, Dad/Grandpa or Maria are not mentioned, except when it is necessary within the context of a Bible study, or to give a brief history.

Let me tell you what I know about you: You are sincere, you love the Lord, and you believe the Bible. Your sincerity is what I liked about you when I joined, and it was always refreshing to find people who put into practice that which they believed. Your whole hearted application of what you see to be the truth is admirable. Your love for the Lord is also clear. It is the motivation that drives you, that inspires you. And you believe the Bible. Not as a history book, but with special modern relevance that elevates it far above all other books. It is the Word of God.

In this letter, it is these three qualities of yours that I want to talk about: your sincerity, your love for the Lord and your faith in the Bible.

First, sincerity. It would be no revelation to you if I said that sincerity alone does not constitute truth. You’ve known that for a long time. There are terrorists who are sincere, Jehovah’s Witnesses who are sincere, church people who are sincere, atheists who are sincere. Sincerity is the virtue of being open, free from pretence, without hypocrisy. People who are sincere act on what they believe, and they do it wholeheartedly. However, it is obvious that sincerity neither confirms nor denies the validity of what is practised. It is a personal characteristic that is unrelated to the truth of what is taught or followed. If we want to know right from wrong, we have to be willing to lay aside any pride in our sincerity, and treat ‘truth’ as a separate issue from ‘sincerity’. I’m pretty sure you’re OK with that.

Second, love for the Lord. One thing I noticed in the Family, perhaps because of a great desire to be close to the Lord, perhaps due to an over-zealous attitude towards the Family as a whole, is the tendency to see the Lord almost as if He was a Family member. Sure, the Leader of the Family, in fact the Leader of all leaders, as well as being King of all kings and Lord of the universe, but still in some regards, a Family member. Now, I don’t mean, of course, that this is an official Family teaching. Rather, I mean that the perspective that the Family has of Jesus − Lover, Giver of unique revelations, Granter of unique freedoms − focuses so heavily on His ‘personal’ nature that the larger picture is somewhat neglected. Now, I don’t mean to imply that there’s something wrong with God being personal, of course there isn’t. But I do mean to say that if we neglect the big picture, then we are probably a bit off-balance. I’ll explain what I mean, but again, I really don’t think this is going to be anything you would seriously disagree with.

In our frantic quest to be led of the Lord, specifically within the Family, we sometimes forget that His primary role is not as the Head of individual churches, who are then pitted against each other. More specifically, as the source of truth, He does not, and indeed cannot give one truth to one church, and a different, contradictory truth to another. What is true for one must be true for all. That is the nature of truth itself, and indeed for a Christian the definition of ‘truth’ is that which proceeds from God. What this means is that God is God of all believers. Jesus is Lord over all, and He doesn’t play one church against another church. In other words, it is Jesus Christ, Lord of the universe whom we follow, not a church, not the Family, not ourselves, but Jesus. It is Jesus to whom we owe allegiance, not to any man or woman, and not to any organisation. Honestly, I think you do know this. It is Jesus you love first and foremost; He is to be worshipped above and beyond any personal affection we may feel for a group or a person. Sometimes, though, it does get a bit tricky when we try to differentiate between the group that we can see, and the God we worship in Spirit. But that’s where the third point comes in.

You believe the Bible. The Bible is, after all, the reason why you are in the Family today, not the other way around. Regardless of your background, whether you were born in, or whether you joined as an adult, you are there because of the Bible. For some it was the words in the Bible that inspired them to give their lives to preach the Gospel. For many others of you, it was your parents who made that choice. It is the Bible that provides the foundation for Christianity. It is only in the Bible that we learn of our salvation and of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. It is the Bible on which all other writings are based. This was the message of the Family from the beginning, this was the principle on which the Family was founded. The Bible is not, however, merely the founding book, like a declaration of independence or a bill of rights that requires constant updating and amending. It is not like the Love Charter which sets out the rules and responsibilities, with various laws being introduced or repealed depending on the circumstances. The Bible is far far deeper than that. It is insight into the mind of God, it contains glimpses of when God Himself communicated with man, enabling us to learn about Him. The Bible is totally unique. So in that way, the Bible is in a category separate from, say prophecies published in the GNs, or prophecies published by someone like David Wilkerson in New York, or messages from Billy Graham, sermons from Martin Luther, or written by anyone, really. The Bible is the only book that provides the standard of measurement. It is the only book against which all else should be measured.

Forgive me if I’m telling you things you already know. After all, Dad/Grandpa said this thirty years ago. It’s just that occasionally we lose sight of just how important the Bible really is. And that brings me to the reason why Make Straight Paths was created.

Make Straight Paths was created in order to provide a place where specific Family beliefs are measured up against the Bible. Now, please don’t get me wrong, I am not saying here that all Family beliefs are wrong. All I am saying is that every church, and I mean every church, should be willing to have its beliefs examined in the light of the Scripture. A church that does not do that can easily go astray. A Christian who does not do that can easily go astray. It is my firm belief that every single Family member should take his or her Bible in hand as the ultimate authority, and without fear start studying. It is a long process, this cannot be done quickly. But, the more you study, the more you learn, it is a wonderful experience.

As far as what I suggest you read on Make Straight Paths first, well anything you like, really. If you disagree with what is written, feel free to send your comment via the ‘contact us’ page. The authors of these pages do not pretend to know it all. Nor do they presume to give all the possible interpretations of the verses covered. But I do guarantee you will find some food for thought! And, as I said above, neither you or your leadership will be attacked personally. The focus here is squarely upon the Bible.

Finally, as Christians, we are supposed to pray for each other. I’m supposed to be praying for you and you’re supposed to be praying for me. As far as I can see, the common ground we have is on the Bible, so I suggest we each pray that we’ll all get to know it better, and through that knowledge, get to know its Author better.

Yours in Christ,

Chris

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