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 General
Error is a high-ranking offender. He struts about, his
poison-oak-leaf clusters shining, bellowing ill-founded
conclusions, wrecking "general" havoc.
The
one (and only) day he was in Louisiana it rained. He had heard
about the swamps and bayou country, although he didn't see this;
but now he declares authoritatively, "Every day is a rainy
day in Louisiana: Water all over the state!" It is useless
to argue with him. He has been there; he knows!
The
General thrives on history. He thinks the Episcopal Church was
invented so Henry VIII could marry Anne Boleyn. Generations
of civil and religious struggles are as though they had never
happened. Henry loved Anne, and that's it. With such generalization,
he makes all pioneer preachers great Bible scholars. When the
Missionary Society was formed, in 1849, all congregations immediately
divided into "progressive" and "anti" groups;
and the next day each "progressive" segment rushed
out to buy an organ. Today, all who support the Herald of Truth
are "Liberals" -- who naturally do not believe God's
word is inspired. All who
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oppose
inter-church projects despise little orphans, and are do
nothing, "one-cuppers". The General really gets
around, and can prove every word he says --- generally.
There
is validity in the observation that people (and churches) may be
known by the company they keep. Sometimes "silence gives
consent" and churches and preachers give support to
unscriptural practices by failing to "reprove and
rebuke" -- or to set forth the truth in a positive way. We
may, indeed, observe "trends" among churches in
general, and a man's "liberal leanings" may be first
detected by his attitude toward certain things or his way of
argumentation. But love does not hasten to find evil. (1 Cor.
13:4-6) One straw does not make a haystack, nor one fault a
falling away.
Generalization
is the easy way out; the lazy man's research, the careless man's
excuse, the cruel man's tool. "Judge not according to the
appearance, (the "face", superficially, rt) but
judge righteous judgement." (Jn. 7:)
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