And, I did. But Ed is not the only CGGC mountaintopper whose writings I examine with a fine-tooth comb.
As will be obvious to regular readers of this blog, I now read Lance's eNews articles as carefully as I read Ed's. I also read The CHURCH ADVOCATE very carefully and comment on it here regularly.
And, I read the ERC hierarchs' Healthy Church Update with the greatest care.
Because of that, and as a result of my academic training and the obsession with truth that comes with my prophetic calling, I may understand more about what Dr. Richardson believes than his wife does.
Very simply, what Dr. Richardson believes about the church produced fruit in what he has done from the moment he ascended to the top of the ERC mountain nearly a decade ago until he (or someone) realized that the wheels are coming off the runaway truck that is the ERC institution.
(Incidentally, ERC hierarchs have done all they can to prevent me from reading what they write and viewing what they say by taking me off every mailing list they control. But, this is the Information Age.)
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Several years ago, Dr. Richardson wrote an extremely important Healthy Church Update article for Pastor Appreciation Month.
What Dr. Richardson wrote details the core elements of what he believes about the church.
In that brief article, Kevin articulated what he sees as the joys of and the importance of the men and women who serve in the role of congregational pastor.
Kevin rejoiced because pastors have the privilege of providing what amounts to Low Church sacraments to their church's laity from their cradle to their grave.
Kevin rejoiced because pastors have the privilege of providing what amounts to Low Church sacraments to their church's laity from their cradle to their grave.
A pastor, said Kevin, has the joy and privilege of, among other things, dedicating the laity's children, of performing the ceremony when everyday church people marry and of leading the funeral and graveside services when a member of the church's laity dies.
(Note: These are all Low Church equivalents of Roman Catholic sacraments.)
(Note: These are all Low Church equivalents of Roman Catholic sacraments.)
I've called many CGGC mountaintoppers "theologically conservative Lutheran wannabes," and Kevin fits that description to the tee!
In that critically important Healthy Church Update article, Kevin declared his devotion to the idea of church in which its leaders are parish priest pastors who provide Low Church sacraments to be consumed by the laity whose primary, if not only role, is to practice those Low Church sacraments.
In that critically important Healthy Church Update article, Kevin declared his devotion to the idea of church in which its leaders are parish priest pastors who provide Low Church sacraments to be consumed by the laity whose primary, if not only role, is to practice those Low Church sacraments.
For years, everything Dr. Richardson did has been the fruit of that belief system.
And, in its own way, in the CGGC, in the past decade or so, the fact that what Dr. Richardson said matched what he did is refreshing.
On the other hand, during that time, the ERC was declining and its rate of decline has been increasing.
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The CGGC Mission Statement declares that we establish churches on "the New Testament plan."
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The CGGC Mission Statement declares that we establish churches on "the New Testament plan."
Dr. Richardson, has been a determined, yet gentle, rebel who believes in the church of the Middle Ages.
He believes in an institution that has an elite leadership hierarchy. He believes in a priestly class that offers religious products and services to the common people, the laity, of the church. And, in practice, he wants the laity to happily consume priestly rituals.
He believes in an institution that has an elite leadership hierarchy. He believes in a priestly class that offers religious products and services to the common people, the laity, of the church. And, in practice, he wants the laity to happily consume priestly rituals.
Here are some things that belief system does not allow for:
The priesthood of all believers,
The active discipleship of every follower of Jesus,
And, probably most importantly, focus on the Kingdom of God whose coming Jesus proclaimed.
Read over what Kevin's been writing and, more recently saying, in his recent videos. Kevin LOVES the hierarchical, institutional, parish priest-centered church. He's loves the pattern of the church established in the Middle Ages.
The Kingdom of God is nowhere in his vision.
All of those things can't be disputed.
For years, Dr. Richardson has written what he's written, said what he's said and done what he's done.
The Kingdom of God is nowhere in his vision.
All of those things can't be disputed.
For years, Dr. Richardson has written what he's written, said what he's said and done what he's done.
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It goes without saying that Kevin and I disagree on the nature of the church and, far more importantly, on whether it is the Kingdom or the church that should be our focus.
The question for the ERC in the near future is:
Can someone with Kevin's convictions about the Kingdom and the church and hierarchy and the priesthood and the laity be the servant who takes the ERC into the future it hopes for?
Can someone with Kevin's convictions about the Kingdom and the church and hierarchy and the priesthood and the laity be the servant who takes the ERC into the future it hopes for?
To my knowledge, Dr. Richardson has not repented of the beliefs he detailed in that Healthy Church Update article he wrote only a few years ago.
If so, he hasn't made a public confession of the error of his ways.
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The ERC wants to make disciples.
However, based on what Dr. Richardson has written, he believes that a disciple is someone who faithfully participates in the rituals practiced by priests and a discipler is a pastor/parish priest who faithfully practices his/her church's sacraments.
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A problem confronting the ERC is that its laity has been taught that its role in the church is to consume priestly products and services and most of our people embrace that role.
We want to change that understanding and that reality.
But, that reality is precisely what Dr. Richardson has always believed in and stood for.
What is Kevin going to do when people resist the change he now wants to lead in the new New Strategic Plan BECAUSE THEY SINCERELY BELIEVE IN WHAT HE HAS ALWAYS TAUGHT AND DONE?
Unless there is radical repentance in Dr. Richardson, I can't imagine how this can work.
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The ERC wants to make disciples.
However, based on what Dr. Richardson has written, he believes that a disciple is someone who faithfully participates in the rituals practiced by priests and a discipler is a pastor/parish priest who faithfully practices his/her church's sacraments.
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A problem confronting the ERC is that its laity has been taught that its role in the church is to consume priestly products and services and most of our people embrace that role.
We want to change that understanding and that reality.
But, that reality is precisely what Dr. Richardson has always believed in and stood for.
What is Kevin going to do when people resist the change he now wants to lead in the new New Strategic Plan BECAUSE THEY SINCERELY BELIEVE IN WHAT HE HAS ALWAYS TAUGHT AND DONE?
Unless there is radical repentance in Dr. Richardson, I can't imagine how this can work.
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