Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Tuesday November 7, 2006

While rummaging around over the weekend I came across some old letters titled, "Notes From The Gated Community." One article in this pile was a review on the book, "Fire In The Belly" by Sam Keene. I must warn you that "Fire" is not even remotely a Christian treatise on successful living, but much of the insight would fly level in many a Christian piece.

Sam made a statement in the book that I use often and think about even more often, and it light of the news of the last few weeks and the bucket of tears to be shed later on this Mid-Term Election Tuesday, it may prove helpful:

"Without a friend, the best of lives would be too lonely to bear."

Not only is Sam's statement true, it is dangerously so.

Cults, even the Communist Party used the lack of friendships in people's lives to attract followers by seeming to give, even heap friendship on their targets. The threat of withdrawing said friendship was used as a motivator to get the target ever deeper into the clutches of the group. The reward of deeper friendship served to motivate by hope of a more intense relationship. The result of these and a few more techniques is a large, controlled following that is kept in check by fear and a form of greed.

Of course these friendships were and are false, for the moment you are no longer 'usable' you are history and back in the same fix where you began. The unstated slogan really is:

"You are my friend as long as I can use our friendship to further my own agenda. When this is no longer true, so long baby; or more apropos, sucker."

An acquaintance of some years stopped by to see me the other day and gushed about a new movement in our town and was asking for my approval. I simply asked, "And what is the procedure for dealing the malcontents who leave your group." A frown crossed the face, and in short order I was assured that such were, in nice words, consigned to hell fire at worst and severe biblical ostracism at the very least for leaving the 'truth.'

At this point I am resisting a real tirade about Christian Cultism in its many forms.

This series is not about finding a way to force people to be your friend, but about you being the right kind of friend. In this light, I am putting a little glow on Cultish practices, sometimes by otherwise decent people, in order to cause you to ask, "Do I engage in 'cultish' retribution against people who do not wish to remain my friend?" Coercion can never be used to gain a friend and chains never used to retain a friend.

During the last month of writing I have stopped often to thank God for a few friends.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2006 Use with Credit.

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