Upphärad Sweden
2001-04-10 (Note: At this time we were still ‘proffessing’
and had a meeting in our home)
Regarding
the expulsion of Marg Magowan from the work 2001
I am VERY thankful for the privilege of growing up in a professing home,
of knowing Godly workers from my younger years. Since that time I have had an
enormous amount of privileges in truth. I had the privilege of 16 years in the
work. 8 years in Canada and 8 years in Sweden that have
only given me wonderful memories and a wealth of good things to look back on.
Since then in our home here in Sweden, we have had more privileges than
most, as far as Godly friends and workers being in our midst most of the time.
We (my wife, 6 children and I) have had very much to be thankful for. And this
has helped us through experiences that otherwise perhaps would have been
negative in our lives. We do not question that these things are of God.
One thing that neither my upbringing as a boy, nor my many privileges
since then, has prepared me for is the situation that I have found myself in
these last months.
Seeing obvious and complete disregard for the spirit and teaching of
Christ amidst us, most evident at the top of the hierarchy itself, but accepted
and even encouraged as it filters its way down the ranks.
Some open questions I placed to Dale via email!
(In connection with the expulsion of Marg Magowan from
the work 2001)
Do you remember when the most
important question for both friends and workers was what was right and wrong
before God, not who it was that said it?
Do you remember when both friends and
workers were encouraged to be lead by the spirit of God - and to trust that
spirit unto death, if needs be?
Do you remember when the Spirit of
love and compassion for all was our goal, and regarded as the spirit of Christ?
Do you remember when love was a
virtue to be encouraged and respected?
Do you remember when the ministry was
both poor and homeless?
Do you remember when it was an honour
to be the least in the kingdom, and the concept of a hierarchy in our
fellowship was discouraged?
Do you remember when we all felt that
the Gospel was meant to bring 'light' to us all in our struggle to understand
our lives and the purpose of God for them?
Do you remember when seeking to keep the truth about situations
around us in darkness, and requesting blind obedience was regarded as a tool of
false religion?
This fellowship has always consisted of imperfect people but I can
remember when these things where the goal, and when we were all encouraged to
aim at these things.
Why does it seem to me it is different now?
Dear Edgar,
You have sent me a list of "remember whens" a couple of times
now. It is not difficult at all to
remember when these things were true because they are still true and they are
still are very much a part of the fellowship that we enjoy and value so highly.
Yours,
Dale Shultz
Here is the first point I mentioned in that email and
I can not understand how anyone can feel that the message proclaimed by responsible workers is the same today.
Begin quote from my letter
"Do you remember when the most
important question for both friends and workers was what was right and wrong
before God, not who it was that said it?"
End quote
Here is a direct quote from a letter Dale wrote in 1999 about the same
issues we are concerned about now. (The decisions of expulsion and
excommunication in Alberta)
Begin quote from your letter
Whether the decision is right or wrong, the right thing for all of us is
to respect it because of those who have made the judgment.
End quote
This is not saying that “The most important question for both friends
and workers is what is right and wrong before God, not who it is that says
it?"
Or has this policy been changed since this letter was writtenr?
Are the workers willing today to encourage people to do the right
thing, whoever may be encouraging them to do anything else?
Do you remember when both friends and
workers were encouraged to be lead by the spirit of God - and to trust that
spirit unto death, if
needs be?
Another quote from a letter Dale wrote in 1999
Beginning of quote from Dales letter.
So, there are two possibilities regarding the decision of the overseers
to maintain and support the status quo in Alberta.
One possibility is that the decision is a right decision for the
province. That would mean that they are seeing some things in the picture that
some of us are missing when we look at it.
Another possibility is that it was not the best decision for the
province.
But, whichever is
the applicable possibility in this case, it does remain the right thing to
respect that decision because of where it has come from and to work with it no
matter what our own thoughts might be on the subject.
I can't believe the utter disregard that this shows for the value of
what the spirit of God has laid on the hearts of individuals.
The phrase "No matter what our own thoughts might be"
is an admonition to disregard what the Lord has laid on our hearts.
What is said is "Pay no attention to what the spirit of God may
have taught you - do what the overseers have decided, however right or wrong
that may be."
Are the “overseers”
encouraging their staff to shepherd and care for any that
need and seek the help of God?
Are they encouraging them to listen to and trust the spirit of love and
compassion that the Lord has created within them??
Are they encouraging them to love and to serve no matter what the
consequences may be??
"Do you remember when the Spirit of
love and compassion for all was our goal, and regarded as the spirit of
Christ?"
How can this is true today when Willis has
written this to Dale and he accepted it.
Begin quote from Willis letter June 29th, 1999
2. Jack and Dale Shultz at our request agreed to disassociate themselves
from
those they have been linked with in Alberta.
This will surely help
to get
things resolved. They will write to our
Staff stating their
intention.
End quote
Dale agreed to abandon the people in Alberta that had trusted him, and
come to him for help. Dale was asked to promise this in writing to the Alberta
workers.
Is this saying that the Spirit of love and compassion for all is our
goal?.
I have a transcript of the meeting where Dale expelled Marg from the
work - and the ONLY issue taken up was her conviction to show the spirit
of love and compassion to the expelled friends in Alberta,.
(Dale claims
there were other issues but this was enough on its own) She was cruelly forced
her out of the work she had given her life for, and since they has had her
character defamed amongst as many of the friends as possible.( I also have
records of some of those conversations)
Where is the Spirit of Christ in all this??
Point
#4
I have asked the question
Do you remember when love was a virtue to be encouraged and respected?
Dale,
you have said it is true today, but just consider the fact that the reason that
Marg was rejected as a worker was because of her admiration and respect for
people that you didn’t think were worthy the kind of love and care she was
intent on giving them.
It
seems to me that you have done everything possible to discourage both her, in her love for these people, and others that may have
had similar love for them. Or am I missing something?
Seems to me that you have also had love
and respect for some of these same people until you were also 'discouraged'
from your love and care for them. I will again quote Willis’s letter documenting how he
'discouraged' your relationship with these people.
Begin quote from Willis letter June 29th, 1999
2. Jack and Dale Shultz at our request agreed to
disassociate themselves
from those they have been linked with in Alberta. This will surely help
to get things resolved. They will
write to our Staff stating their
intention.
End quote
Is this encouraging the workers to love and care for
ALL, or are there exemptions as to whom they are encouraged to love!
Is
unconditional love impossible in our day and age?
Dale feels the following statement is true today in
the fellowship that he is ‘overseer’ over!!
“Do you remember when it was an honour to be the least in the kingdom,
and the concept of a hierarchy in our fellowship was discouraged?”
The system of system-designated ‘overseers’ is in
itself a hierarchy of the most refined sort.
The sole purpose of creating this self appointed group of ‘the greatest’ is for ease of maintaining influence, and
easy administration. (Including expulsions and excommunications)
Look honestly at the system of seniority planned
workers lists - designated seating plans at convention (special ‘workers
tables’ and ‘workers seats’ - very
seniority conscious speakers lists - A very carefully seniority conscious
reward system with convention tours, special meetings plans and so on- etc.etc.etc.etc.
Can we honestly say that this is discouraging
the concept of a hierarchy? The word we have been taught to use as disguise for
this 'hierarchy' is 'responsibility' - but we all know it has become only a
play with wording! The word ‘responsibility’
is used to describe status in the hierarchy!
Here is a quote from a letter I have received from one
of our friends
Quote
With regards to the hierarchy, just over two years ago
I was in a local elders meeting with two workers and one of the elders
described "the order".
He gestured high in the air and said, "this is the worker's place",
lowered his next gesture, and said "this is our
place"
and then lowered his hand beneath him and said "this
is the friend's place".
At first I
could hardly believe my ears, and expect someone to challenge on this. However, he was met with head nodding by the
other elders and no response from the workers attending. I would have thought that at least someone
would have offered where Christ fits into it all. At first I thought, or hoped,
that this was just a local problem of power hungry men. But as I researched it, I found that not only
was this fairly common thinking in Western Canada, but apparently this was
specifically being taught to elders in Alberta by WP. Teachings as early as
1992 are reported in AB as "this way works because of the descending order
of submission". This is so obviously contrary to the teachings of Christ
that I hardly need quote His words on it.
End quote
If we wish, we can argue the merits of the system, but
we cannot honestly say that this is not encouraging the concept of
a hierarchy.
PS. I
haven't forgotten Point number 5 about the poor and homeless ministry. I am
still waiting for some numbers, but with what people have written me about
different funds and estates, accounts, etc, the assets that have been proven to
me to exist, add up to numbers that make the claim of poverty ridiculous, at
least to people in my income class. (6 and 7 figure numbers in several
different accounts)
Of course we could use the same argument the Catholic
priests use - 'It
isn't ours, we are poor, it belongs to the holy organization of our church'
The honesty problem we have with that explanation is
that we have been taught to believe our fellowship didn't have a worldly
organization!
Jesus said something about giving to the poor,
whatever he meant by that. Maybe it was
a suggestion of a way to keep the poverty of his ministry - even when there
were funds available! Perhaps he was
afraid these funds would otherwise be used as a power tool !!