Authority

Tim Troutman has a good piece up about this recent 'child-like faith' versus the Church as divinely revealed:

If we establish a subjective "trust in Jesus" which exists apart from the Church then we have done nothing but deceive ourselves. We wouldn't be any better than the atheists accuse us of then: we WOULD be guilty of believing in a God who is nothing but an imaginary friend.

Or, even more bluntly:

The individual who is caught up in a simple trust of a personal Jesus aside from the Church is like a child who accepts the candy from a stranger and goes along on a ride in a white van.

The solution to rebellion is not more rebellion, but it's like a disease that is contagious. Revolt, set up a new authority, only to have someone else revolt and set up another authority, and this goes on. The latest movements seem to have no doctrine. Just feel the love for the Lord. Love requires action, which might just include obedience to God's chosen spiritual authorities.

We are suppose to know, love, and serve Him. And the word order reflects the real order of things. We have to know Him in order to love Him and we definitely must love Him in order to serve Him.

Yes I know that I am libertarian- in some spots practically anarchistic, but I'm not talking about the temporal realm here. It's not the same game, nor the same injustices, either. How can anyone believe in the laying on of hands to heal, for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and yet not believe in apostolic succession? Are not hands laid in both cases?