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 %CHRISTIAN LEADERS IMPRISON LEGAL LAW RULE COMMAND+930819
  %COLLUSION ADDICT JUDGMENTAL EXCOMMUNICATE REJECT 930819

     Christian  leaders who are imprisoned in a legalistic
paradigm are duty bound by their paradigm to interpret the
New  Testament  in  ways  which  are  dominated  by  their
legalistic,  judgmental, and manipulative paradigm.   They
are duty bound to approach the birth,   youth,  teachings,
attitudes, death and resurrection of Jesus in such ways as
to  protect  their  legalistic  paradigm;   keeping  their
central   emphasis   upon:     commandments,    obedience,
discipline,     conformity,    judgments,     punishments,
subservience,  control and  related aspects of  supporting
their paradigm.   They are  not free to be open and honest
about all aspects  of their lives.   Some aspects of their
lives they must keep secret, mis-represent or lie about---
in order to  serve their paradigm.  They cannot accept the
good news of Jesus as presented to us in the New Testament
in  its  new  and dramatic interpretations of some of  the
most   integrative  insights  to  be  found  in  the   Old
Testament.

     Because of their insecurity  within their  paradigm's
prison  legalists  often engage  in fanaticism  and  focus
upon fundamentals which  they  carefully select to  defend
their  paradigm.   They provide  no   important place for:
humility,   doubt,  uncertainty,   forgiveness,   healing,
conflict resolution, reconciliation,   personal integrity,
communal  integrity,  openness or  honesty---if  providing
such  a place  might threaten the legalistic paradigm  and
expose its lack of integrity.

                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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