Then & Now

I think the history of the church in its entirety illustrates that products of the Spirit's working through the proclamation of the gospel are apt to be corrupted by the prideful nature of sin in man. Therefore, I fear that such divinely inspired institutions as the Salvation Army are destined to fall short somewhere along the line because imperfection is what the reality of sin in the hearts of men guarantees. This is a perfect example of why the issue of church government is crucial to the mission of the church; because a system of checks and balances is the best defense against the evil nature of man when it comes to the success of a spiritual organism in remaining true to the divine authority of God while achieving its purpose within the context of an evil and perverse generation. In Matthew 26:41 Jesus instructed his disciples, "Watch and pray, so that you will not fall into temptation." I would say that we need to prayerfully watch one another a bit more closely than we have within the context of ecclesiastical organizations to foster a stronger spirit of accountability amongst the brethren as servants of Christ. Yo, Adrian; absolutely, power corrupts.