Posted by Robbin on 9/22/2003, 11:26 am, in reply to "Part 2"

146.129.125.5

I mailed my response on Friday. He should have received it Saturday.

September 18, 2003

Dear Don,

I just received your letter of warning to me dated Sept 8, 2003. I appreciate the fact that you care enough to write to me. I know that you care and have a love for me, as I do for you.

I suspect that your letter may have been based upon well meaning, but highly inaccurate 3rd hand information. It seems to me that if the content of my posts were of such concern you would instruct your assistants to print them out for you to read. Then you would at least be able to speak from a position of knowledge before contacting me regarding this issue.

Please allow me to set straight a few misconceptions in your letter.

First:

I have been attending a wonderful church since just after Easter of this year. It has wonderful worship services, in which I am completely able to open my heart to God and worship Him freely. The pastor there has been preaching wonderful sermons that have been feeding me in areas that I have had needs for some time. I am finding a much closer relationship with the Lord than I have experienced literally in years, and because of that I am gaining healings, strength and power in my life. True to a vision that was read by Ryan Robinson a couple of years ago, Jesus has met me outside the walls of the Church of Agape and He is healing me in such a tender manner that at times I don't even realize it has taken place until something comes up and I am no longer affected by it as I was in the past.

Secondly:

I believe that the information that Hal passed on to you was given to him by someone who completely misunderstood what I was trying to say on the website. After recognizing the misunderstanding I immediately responded back to that person, trying to clarify my thinking to them. At the time I had no idea if they even read my response. Now I see that if it was read, it was not accepted. Instead they took this faulty information to Hal, who in turn passed it on to you. You then, take this 3rd-hand information, couple it with out-of-date information and come to a wrong conclusion. I would just ask you this, isn't this the very thing you have taught us not to do?

Even though I am under no obligation to prove this to you I will tell you what my attitude is towards Church of Agape and those who attend there.

I have a great love for many of the people that attend there. Hal can attest to the fact that I attended two fellowships this summer, one at his home, and was greeted with hugs all around and I was very happy to see the people that were there. My heart IS open to my brothers and sisters in Christ, and that would include those who attend COA and those who do not.

I am not bitter against COA or the people who attend, and I do not in any way wish to hurt, harm or defame them, and that includes you. I have been very clear about my heart towards many at COA on the website. I have made it very clear that just because I may disagree with some teachings or practices at COA, that does not make me anti-COA or anti-Don. My disagreements are not on a personal level, but rather on a factual level and how I see the scriptures. I don't care to engage in ad homonym attacks so I steer clear of them.

As in any society, whether small or large, there are those within one's social circle with which one has troubles. This is the case with a few people at COA. I have placed that in God's hands to take care of, as there is nothing I can do to rectify those situations.

As for the intent and usage of the website:

I can confidently say that the majority of interactions on the website are Trinitarian/Oneness debates, and these can go on for days and weeks. Sometimes it seems that they never quit! The issues surrounding you, CCBTC/COA are a very miniscule topic on the site. We can go for weeks or even months without the topic even coming up. When the topic does arise the content concerning COA, or its members is more of a doctrinal or policy difference. Former members may say they think connections are wrong and why, just like we might discuss if infant baptism is wrong and why. And yes, we have discussed Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Catholics and even Lutherans.

I can also say that there is very little bitterness or rancor in people on that site towards you. In fact, it was recently posted that some have re-listened to some old Chapel sermons you gave and they are still very much thankful for the teaching they received from you over the years. Many joined in saying a hearty "Thank you" to you for your years of teaching. Has anyone passed that information on to you yet?

The verses you included in your letter concerning false witnesses truly have no bearing upon what is said there. Every person comes from their own background, with their own story, and lessons learned from experience. We all have our own point of view. Our point of view is not made invalid simply because it differs from yours, neither does it make us false witnesses to recount the factual happenings of our lives, or things we observed.

Scripture is very clear about false witness, slander, falsehood and evil speaking. These people on the website are speaking truthfully and honestly about their situations, what happened to them and where they are now and what they have learned. There are no lies there, and it is not correct to call them lies simply because they don't agree with you.

I will quote one of your paragraphs to me.

"1 Peter 4:15 says: "Let none suffer as a busybody in other men's affairs." People that don't go to this church have no business talking about it in a negative sense! It is not their business! They are not our judge! God is our judge! They don't attack the homosexual churches, they don't attack the Jehovah's Witnesses, or the Mormons or the Catholics or the Islamic people; they only attack the church that they are the closest to and have loved the most and were once a part of. They are like Alexander the Coppersmith – don't be a part of them, Robbin!"

Every statement you make in the above quote concerning the "busybody" aspect of your argument could also be said of you. It is not your business what we speak about on that site. You are not our judge. God is our judge. The simple fact that we once attended a church that you were pastor of does not give you continual ownership of our lives or speech. It does not give you the right to call down judgment and attempt to propagate fear in us by using scriptures to condemn us. We have come to the realization that we belong to Him and Him alone. As you said, God will judge us, and God is the only one who will judge our walk before Him.

I have not come to this place because of problems with my husband, in the manner in which you allude in your letter. Rather, the problems with my husband have caused me to cry out to God as never before. Since I could find no earthly help for the situation, I had to come to a place of relying solely upon Him, and He has not let me down. He has brought me to a place of strength and healing as a result of opening my heart and mind to Him. He has been filling me with truth from the scriptures and I am standing stronger in Him all the time. I am learning what I believe and why. I am learning that I am a sheep of His pasture and I know His voice. I am learning that I have a personal relationship with God, a relationship that NO man can interfere with, not even a pastor. I am learning that God is tender, merciful and just. I am also learning that He does not operate with threats, or by beating people over the head and threatening them with scriptures.

I want you to know that I also am not bitter. I also have a testimony of God moving mightily in my life and leading me on in Him. And yes, I DO have the "joy of the Lord and the glory of God in [my] soul" because HE has led me to friends and a church in which I can experience God, as well as the fact that He is bringing healing to my soul and spirit.

You adjure me to not judge lest I be judged. I do not condemn anyone to hell, but I do judge the fruit, which scripture clearly states we can do. We are to be discerning and forgiving. I have forgiven much and continue to do so as circumstances arise.

Don, you have come to some pretty strong conclusions based upon faulty, 3rd hand information. I know you want me to come back to your church, but honestly, why would I want to return to a church where the pastor has demonstrated an absolute willingness to jump to negative conclusions about me, and my walk with God? You have fired off a letter to me based solely upon those faulty conclusions, and yet you have not even attempted to contact me and speak to me in person about these things before forming your conclusions. I ask you again, why would I want to come back to your church and try to live under this cloud? In the future, I hope that you will not listen to rumors and believe them to be true simply because I no longer attend your church.

Respectfully,

Robbin Taylor