‘Neighbourly’ will never sit on the same couch as ‘exclusivity.’
It simply will never be.
Thinking we are the only right way/glad we’re not like other men.. is condemning all others /outsiders to hell..which amounts to non-love/non-neighbourly.
Being exclusive will never authentically be neighbourly.
Neighbourly will have no part with exclusive mindedness.
So, I fear, being exclusive means one can never actually do the commandment Jesus uttered in answer to the most important question of our lives. What must I do to be saved? Answer: Love God, love your neighbour.
Exclusivity means we simply can’t do it.
Exclusivity doctrine is a curse ~ and it messes with our heads.
Being the only right way, yet at the same time never good enough (from the works based doctrine) is impossible to reconcile.
Exclusivity (being the only good ones) means compassion, conscience, moral compass for what we would ‘normally’ feel must be numbed; it’s like, the prompts to ‘feel’ must be ignored and a destructive mechanism of lying and covering up to maintain the facade comes into play.
Exclusivity doesn’t allow us to ‘do justly’ because the illusion of ‘the only right/good ones’ must be maintained at all costs.
Exclusivity breeds lying (for supposedly ‘God’s sake’). Lying becomes excusable. Lying is ok if it’s to cover other lies (or discouragements) … lying is ok if there is a threat to the illusion of ‘only right way’. The lying becomes pathological, lying to everyone, and especially sadly, lying to ourselves.
This HAS to BE the ‘only right way’… I have believed it for far too long, sacrificed too much to learn now, the truth. I will defend with a lie because this is God’s work and therefore lying to cover something ‘discouraging’ up is ok.
How sad, how mucked up.
Exclusivity breeds spiritual arrogance which feeds exclusivity which feeds spiritual arrogance which feeds… exclusivity…
It would be an interesting study to look into how many times Jesus got bagged by his own disciples for his non exclusivity ~ for helping someone ‘they’ didn’t see fit, or for ‘but, you’re going to the house of a sinner’.
(They didn’t like that He became friends and went home for supper with Zac;
They didn’t understand why He talked with the woman at the well, and possibly the disciples would’ve preferred if they’d avoided that whole region (imagine the disciples disdain when a ‘Samaritan’ was cast as the good guy in the ‘how to be saved’ case study);
they had a go at the woman who had the beautiful conviction that He was dying for her sins (soon), so broke the alabaster and washed his feet. The disciples were annoyed partly, I feel because they didn’t think of it for themselves.)
Very little has changed in our human nature—impartiality doesn’t come naturally, i fear our tendency towards elitism and partiality—Jesus hated it.
Exclusivity IS it. Exclusivity is all of these ugly things.
And we’ve been bathing in exclusivity since we were babies…overtly, and covertly through inferences in many hymns and sermons.
Exclusivity has a lot to answer for, and I fear exclusivity has poisoned the well.
Then, we mix our drinks ~ add in a few other doctrines to really muck us up…
Fear based doctrine means we keep on believing in a lie (going to meeting earns salvation) despite our cognitive dissonance. We’d rather keep believing in the lie, than accept that we’ve believed in a lie.
We are scared, because we think stopping going to meetings = lost out; fallen away; unsaved; hell.
Works based doctrine makes us boast,
and makes a mockery of his gift of Grace;
Legalism doctrine of manmade-up checkboxes turns us into Pharisees idolising dumb stuff;
Living witness doctrine created an untouchable/unchallenged/elitist higher priesthood where the form is idolised above the sacrifice of Jesus.
It’s such a Mickey Mouse mashup of Irvinisms and false doctrine.
And Jesus, lived every day trying to show us not to be exclusive, to love, not to be impartial, or thinking we’re better than, to love one another, not to idolise works to earn salvation or preach by virtue signalling (empty words/clanging cymbals); He tried to convince us not to fear, (my Grace is sufficient—I am your Saviour)… He tried.
He said and He lived:
Love God and love your neighbour.
(By loving your neighbour you ARE effectively loving God /the least you do to these, Even a cup of water, you do to me)
Sadly, We went…
‘Yeah…nah’.
(It’s a lot, please go gently and be kind to everyone and yourself as we each individually, find our way)
By Lynda
Brisbane
Rev March 3, 2025