Sorry, but whenever I see Frank A. Viola's name attached to a quote, my eyes glaze over, roll back in my head, and my wife administers the CPAP mask with the juice kicked up high.

I agree with Bruce that the arguments sound like Anabaptist anti-institutional ones. When I was younger, I was quite proud of myself for eschewing the "Rev." in favor of "just call me Dennis." Finally, it hit me that as C.S. Lewis noted, true humility does not find itself preoccupied with "me, myself, and mine." Whenever we invest so much energy arguing about what people "call" us we have put way too much emphasis upon ourselves in exactly the way Jesus forbade.

You can call me Dennis, you can call me Rev., you can call me Dr. D. But whatever you do, do NOT forget to call me for dinner . . . especially on Thanksgiving Day! "Yes, please, more yams, turkey, and another piece of that fiiiiiiine pun'kin pie. Of course with the whipped cream!"

__________________
Dennis E. McFadden, Ex Mainline Baptist (in Remission)
Atherton Baptist Homes, CEO
First Baptist Church of Alhambra, Member, Transformation Ministries (CA)

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