Human Resources--in the bad sense

I have wondered for decades why I am looking for fallen graduates of my Bible college, when no one else is. One Godly leader from my college, who is now in Heaven, used to do it as well, but I cannot find anyone else.

While researching a problem for a troubled Christian, I came across a hatesite dedicated to a Bible college similar to mine. It is an unaccredited Ruckmanite school, run by a single megachurch, that requires its students to perform a lot of service for the church while not giving them a genuine college education.

The posts were about six years old, and contained the usual complaints about being forced to live for God and obey man-made rules when the person didn't want to. As usual, the posters eventually broke out in hatred for each other. They could not produce any evidence of fraud or immorality against the pastor.

But one poster explained my own situation. The college used its students as "resources." They were there to produce numbers. When it was clear that a student needed to leave, he was pressured to stay and keep paying tuition money. He was not informed that the college would never recommend him for a ministry, and that his credits would probably not transfer to a real college.

I am in contact with graduates, some of whom excelled in their Christian service, who hate the college today.

Attending an unaccredited college is almost always a mistake. My own college falsified records, encouraged gang violence, provided a sorry education, slanders its critics, and discards its victims.

And attending a Ruckmanite college is always a mistake.

Ishbi-benob  is a picture of our attackers.

2 Samuel 21:
^{16 Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the descendants of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, was girded with a new sword, and he intended to kill David.}17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him.

OUR CRITICS

Ishbibenob is a symbol of our critics.
2 Samuel 21:16Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David.
17But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him.
1) He didn't understand old age. Older experienced Christians can't be stopped:
Psalm 92: 13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
Proverbs 16:31 The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness.
Isaiah 46:4 Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.
2) HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND TEACHING
Titus 2:3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things ---
2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
3) HE SHOULD NOT HAVE USED A SWORD, WHICH PICTURES THE WORD OF GOD
Romans 14:4 Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
James 4:12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
4) HE SHOULD HAVE USED A BOW, WHICH PICTURES PERSONAL ATTACKS
Psalm 64:3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, And bend their bows to shoot their arrows --- bitter words,
4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.
Notice that they pretend that their evil words are "like a sword." They are able to fake Godliness in their slander.
Psalm 11:2 For look! The wicked bend their bow, They make ready their arrow on the string, That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
1 Timothy 4:10-11 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
These things command and teach. Reproach is an automatic part of serving God.
5) HE DIDN'T AMOUNT TO MUCH
Nothing else is known about him. His spearhead weighed half that of Goliath. Most critics of successful Chirstians are not leading successful ministries themselves.
6) HE WASN'T WELL THOUGHT OF
His name seems to mean "The Man From Nob," The Man Who Sits," The Man Who Breathes." He was not given any "champion" titles.

USING WISDOM TO LISTEN TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Certain sites are dedicated to restoring the spiritual success of the independent Baptist churches of the 1970's. The people in charge reason that if we will listen to the teachings of the greatest independent Baptist preachers of that decade, we will bring back their spiritual success. And the people who run these sites don't understand why they are failing.

The leaders back then followed a policy of covering up sin "for the good of the ministry." Eventually, they had to start criticizing Christians who objected to the growing sin. Criticism eventually turned to slander, and by the 1980's, their movement was in decline. Listening to the people who led that decline won't work.

But the people who run these sites believe that they also should cover up sin "for the good of the ministry." They truthfully tell of the successes of these great preachers, while censoring out any references to their failings.

And they do not understand why they are failing.

Using Wisdom to Ask the Right People

During the 1970's, a new Christian school opened every seven hours. As they began closing at an alarming rate, Bob Jones University, which had heavily promoted Christian education, tried to find out why. They asked the churches, the students, the leaders, etc., and were unable to find the answer.

God forbid that they should ask the teachers, who would have told them that the school and church leadership routinely sided with lying parents who wanted revenge on teachers who made their children behave. Christian schools became a death trap for their teachers, most of whom no longer attend church. There were few teachers with more than a few years' experience.

So why didn't they ask the teachers? Perhaps the teachers would have told them that their Christian colleges did not prepare them for the real problems of teaching (the parents), and that the teachers were trained to always have a good, loyal attitude towards leaders who did not deserve it.

It takes wisdom and humility to acknowledge that your methods and beliefs don't work, but it does get problems solved.

WISDOM AND KNOWING WHAT'S WRONG

In describing the failure of Christian schools and the activities of violent gangs at my college, something constantly shows up: the people who failed didn't understand what was wrong.

One Christian did an analysis of people who started new churches and failed, and he concluded: they usually didn't understand why they failed. When I talk to unsuccessful missionaries here in Mexico, I usually see that they don't understand what they're doing wrong.

Furthermore, when you try to tell them what they're doing wrong, they reject your explanation, because it is so different from what they believe. It takes wisdom (along with humility) to acknowledge that your failure is based on something you deeply believe but is still false.

APPLYING WISDOM TO FAILURE

One of the most colossal failures in American Christianity is the collapse of the Christian school movement. At one point in the 1970's, a new Christian school opened every seven hours. With better discipline and better academics, Christian schools were a major embarrassment to the jealous public school system.

And the churches got a side benefit, as the teachers also served in church ministries, teaching Sunday School, running bus routes, and volunteering in other areas. Plus, the spouses and families of the teachers were an asset to the church. It is no wonder that the Christian school movement thrived.

But today, most of them are gone, and most of the teachers don't even attend church. Time and again, enraged parents would get a teacher fired for making their child behave. Wanting the tuition money, Christian schools would get rid of Godly teachers and keep ungodly students (along with their ungodly parents). In my ten years of teaching, I observed that less than half of all Christian school teachers entered their third year. A Christian school teacher with twenty or thirty years of experience was unheard of.

"Wisdom is the principal thing" the Bible tells us; "Therefor, get wisdom." The consistent lack of wisdom of Christian school leaders destroyed what was once a mighty work of God.

APPLYING WISDOM TO SIN

One of the more puzzling parts of the four Gospels occurs when a person who was blind or had leprosy would approach Jesus for help, because Jesus would ask him what he wanted. Didn't Jesus know? And besides, wasn't it obvious? But what Jesus wanted was for the person to acknowledge what was wrong.

When I was in college, several students with large church bus routes organized violent gangs, with the encouragement of the college vice-president (a former Green Beret). When it came time for them to be expelled, they didn't understand why. They felt that they were the victims of a practical joke gone bad, and that their victims were partly to blame. The fact that none of them, including the vice-president, were disciples, nor that none of them feared the Lord, did not appear to be a problem for them.

A compromise was worked out: they would be suspended for one year, and the vice-president would be allowed to attach slanders to the records of the students who had opposed them. To the best of my knowledge, not one of them has ever obeyed the Biblical commands to get things right with their victims. And the result?

Despite their large bus routes, only one of them is pastoring today. One pastored for decades before his wife left him for another man. And as far as I know, none of them has ever figured out what the problem was. "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefor get wisdom" is a command they rejected.