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Originally Posted by Pergamum  I had a aquaintance that went to a Reformed Baptist elder "ruled" congregation on the east coast. He reported the following:
To ensure that the congregation was not sinning, the elders wanted all the members under their care (the flock was divided up in groups of 7 or 8 per elder) to show the elders their pay stubs so that they could ensure that the members were not sinning by neglecting their tithes and offerings.
He said that he did because he wanted to obey those in rule over him.
And again, one of the elders took to counselling him about small matters of how his children dressed and how they were disciplined when they got into trouble. It seemed quite intrusive. Finally, the elder told the man's wife to do something, which she did not want to. The husband was softly urged in private later to teach her how better to obey.
He looked at me strange when I told him that I would have told the elder to take a hike.
Who is right? |
Depends on the situations certainly, however what you discribe certainly seems extreem, and possibly even cultic. I'd have told the elder to take a long walk off of a short pier, and most likely left the congregation.