What About Tolerance?
Mike Riley
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It is impossible to be consistent when one holds doctrinal error. A long time ago men started believing that the human soul was corrupt at birth. As a result of this false belief, these men had to develop a whole system of theology in order to attempt to be consistent. In order to make this system of beliefs easier to remember, they called it “TULIP”. Each letter of this word stands for one of their doctrines. It would be beneficial for us to know of these doctrines because they are highly prominent in the religious world around us. The following are the basic teachings of “TULIP”:
Total Hereditary Depravity
“T” stands for Total Hereditary Depravity. This is the core belief of the TULIP doctrine. As a result of this belief all of the other doctrines are created. Put simply, this is the belief that the human soul is born corrupt. As soon as a baby is born, according to this doctrine, it is in sin and in need of a redeemer. In an attempt to support this doctrine they go to Psalm 51:5 and Psalm 58:3 among others. However, notice that in Psalm 51:5, David is not saying that he was born a sinner but rather that he was born into a sinful world. What if the verse read this way, “Behold I was shaped in a potato patch and in a field of spuds did my mother conceive me?” Would this mean that David was born a potato? No, it simply means that he was born in the presence of potatoes. Also, notice that in Psalm 58:3 it says that one goes astray from the mother’s womb. One is not born astray but has to go astray. That verse proves that we are born sinless not sinful!
There are many arguments that show positively that the human soul is not sinful at birth but only when it commits sin. First of all, notice that God gives man his soul (Ecclesiastes 12:7; Zechariah 12:1). Can or would God give a man an evil soul? This would contradict James 1:17 which says that every good and perfect gift comes from God. God does not bring forth evil (Matthew 7:18). Furthermore, why would Jesus have said that the one had to become like a little child to enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:1-3). Was he saying that one has to become sinful and depraved in order to go to heaven? Of course not!
Unconditional Election
As a result of the belief that man is born in a sinful state, another false teaching called Unconditional Election arose. This is our “U” in the TULIP doctrine. They believe that since man is born in such a sinful state, there is nothing that an individual can do in order to be saved. They say that salvation is solely the work of God, not man. After all, we are saved by grace and not works (Romans 3:24). Furthermore, they say that God chooses those who will be saved and those who will be lost.
To answer this doctrine, we have to remember that God’s Word is never going to contradict itself. Having said that; there are to many places that show that man must play a part in his salvation. Peter preached on Pentecost that those present must “save themselves” (Acts 2:40). Further, the Lord said that only those who “do” the will of the Father will see the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21). The Bible teaches that we are going to be judged by our “works” on the last day (2 Corinthians 5:10; John 12:48; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). If this Unconditional Election were true, there would not need to be a judgment, for God has already decided. Finally, this doctrine makes God unjust because he would be condemning some having never given them a chance to serve him, even if they desired to do so.
To be continued next week.
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Elders
Leon Cort
Mark Craigwell
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Minister
Mark Craigwell
Assistant Minister
Denver Simmons
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Deacons
Raleigh Gallington
Anthony Johnson
Gregory Johnson
Carlfred Malcolm
Albert Martin, Jr.
Walter Maxwell
Richard Meuse
Barry Person
Jason Reid
In Memoriam
Gone, but never forgotten, our beloved brother,
James W. Wade
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Sermon for Sunday, June 11, 2023
A Prophet for Profit
2 Peter 2:13-15
Speaker: Mark Craigwell
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Final Arrangements for
Ramon Rodriguez Fernandez
father of Sis. Jenny Jackson
Visiting Hours:
Diaz-Healy Funeral Home
107 South Broadway
Lawrence, Massachusetts 01843
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
3-4 p.m. for the family
4-7 p.m. for the public
Funeral
Diaz-Healy Funeral Home
Thursday, June 15, 2023
10:00 a.m.
Please continue to lift up the family in prayer for comfort and strength in their bereavement.
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Masks are now optional for our in-person services and events, but all other COVID protocols remain in effect, including signing up for Sunday worship services in advance.
Malcolm/Veloz Wedding: Saturday, July 22nd. Details under Upcoming Events below.
America Cross's 6th Grade Graduation: Monday, June 12th, David Ellis School. Details under Upcoming Events below.
Youth & Family Ministry
- Boys 2 Men, originally scheduled for Saturday, June 17th has been postponed until further notice.
Upcoming Events:
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End of School Year Field Day Event: Friday, June 16th, 6-8 p.m. See Upcoming Events below for details.
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Welcoming the Embrace Film Screening: Thursday, June 22nd, at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Directed by Beyond Measure Productions. Details below.
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YE! Film Screening: Sunday, June 25th, at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Film by John ADEkoje. Details below.
Mature in Heart Luncehon: Tuesday, June 20th. Details under Mature in Heart section below.
Mature in Heart Pennsylvania Trip Payments: All payments are due by the end of June. Please see Bro. Gallington to find out how much you owe, and please submit any payments to Sis. Keitrice Johnson or Sis. Elizabeth Nagarajah. See details below.
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Don't Miss Out! Please scroll through the entire e-bulletin each week to be certain not to miss any important announcements or links. Many items are repeated each week, but there are also new announcements that you'll miss if you don't scroll through the entire bulletin.
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We will continue to offer two Sunday morning worship services to accommodate in-person attendees
The first service begins at 8:30 a.m. and runs until approximately 9:45 a.m.; the second service begins at 11:00 a.m. The weekly adult Bible class/devotional begins at 10:00 a.m. The usual sign-up rules and COVID protocols remain in effect, except that effective Sunday, May 14, 2023, masks will be optional at all in-person events (see detailed COVID response notice under NEWS & NOTES above). When you access the online sign-up form, you will be required to specify which service you would like to attend. Once capacity has been reached for a particular time slot, the form will no longer accept new registrations for that time slot. We will continue to livestream the 11:00 service on our YouTube channel, and we encourage members to utilize e-giving, even when attending in person.
PLEASE NOTE: THE LINK BELOW IS FOR NEXT WEEK'S SERVICE
In-Person Worship Sign-up
Please also note that there is a new registration link each week.
E-giving link
Livestream link
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Carl and Michelle invite you to join them for their open wedding ceremony on Saturday, July 22nd at 3:30 p.m. at the church building. Please arrive early.
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The Cross family invites you to join themon Monday, June 12th at 5:30 p.m. for their daughter America's 6th Grade Graduation from the David Ellis School. |
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- Thursday, June 22, 2023
- 5:00 PM 7:00 PM
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Museum of Fine Arts Boston (map)
Join us for a special premiere of:
Welcoming the Embrace, Directed by Beyond Measure Productions (USA 2023, 45 min.), preceded by The Boston
Photograph, Directed by Clennon King (USA, 2023, 8 min.).
A 91-year-old woman remembers dating MLK and studying with Coretta before the two ever met in Boston.
Followed by an all-star panel discussion! More details to come.
Click here for more information.
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Click here for more information
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Our June outreach will take place on Saturday, June 24th at 10 a.m. at the church building. All are welcome and encouraged to participate. Masks optional. |
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Remote & In-Person
Class/Meeting Schedule
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Wednesday Night In-Person & Dial-In Bible Study
Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in-person and via freeconferencecall.com.
Dial in number: 978-990-5000
Access Code: 261232#
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REMINDER: Please remember to mute your phone or computer when joining any of the above conference calls to avoid interrupting the class or service you are entering, particularly if you are joining the call after the event has started. |
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The Couples' Ministry meets via Zoom the second and third Fridays of the month at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
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Click here or anywhere in the announcement above to download brochure, which includes registration and speaker information and schedule.
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Our April Women's Class will be held on Sunday, June 25, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. at the church building, and via Free Conference Call for those who cannot attend in person.
Dial in: 978-990-5000
Access Code: 261232#
Or, join the class online at
Presenter: Sis. Gloria Gallington
Topic: This is Love!
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June 2023
Visitor Thank You Letters - Sis. Chardria Sands
Visitor Gift Bags - Sis. Sandra Wade
Baptistry -Sis. Caroline Myers
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Please note that the dial-in number for this conference call has changed. The new number is 945-218-0112. The access code remains the same, 3730930. |
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2023 Mature in Heart Pennsylvania Dutch Country Excursion: Our 2023 trip is scheduled for Thursday, September 14th through Friday, September 15th to see a production of “Moses” at the Sight & Sound Theater in Lancaster at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 14th. The cost for bus, hotel, dinner and show is as follows:
- $340/person for quad occupancy (families)
- $358/person for triple occupancy (families)
- $393/person for double occupancy
- $514 for single occupancy
- $830/couple for grand king room
Sign up is open now and a $75 deposit is required by to hold a spot. The number is limited by bus capacity and hotel availability. If you have not already done so, please get your deposit in ASAP to secure your spot so we can finalize the theater seating. Seats can only be assigned for purchased tickets.
Payments can be made via our e-giving link at:
https://www.churchofchristinroxbury.org/e-giving. Please follow up any payments with an email to cocroxbury@gmail.com with the subject line "Pennsylvania Trip Payment" and your name and payment amount in the body of the email so that your payments can be properly recorded.
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Our March Men's Class will be held on Sunday, June 25, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. at the church building.
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Young Adult Ministry (YAM) |
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Date of next meeting will be announced. |
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Monthly Ministry Meeting
1st Sunday of each month at 1:00 p.m.
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Look Good, Act Good, Feel Good - Saturday June 3, 2023 |
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Meetings & Events
6/2 -Xavier Craigwell's Graduation, Weston Town Green
6/3 - Look Good, Act Good, Feel Good, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. @church building
6/5 - Ministers/Elders/Deacon's Meeting
6/11 - Deacons' Meeting following 11:00 service @church building.
6/12 - America Cross's 6th Grade Graduation - details above
6/14 - Ramon Rodriguez Fernandes Wake in Lawrence. Details above.
6/15 - Ramon Rodriguez Fernandes Funeral in Lawrence. Details above.
6/17 - Jennifer Lewis Wake/Funeral, 10 a.m. @ church building
6/18 - Retention Ministry Meeting following 11:00 service @church building.
6/24- Community Outreach, 10 a.m.
6/25 - Men's and Women's Classes, 5 p.m. @church building
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Ministry Meetings - Please contact your ministry coordinator for remote meeting schedules.
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- Sunday New Converts' Class, 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Bible Class (children) Sundays at 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Adult Devotional/Bible Study, 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Worship Service 8:30 and 11:00 am in person and 11:00 a.m. via livestream on YouTube. See above for details.
- Men's/Women's Classes, 5pm (4th Sunday of the month) @church building
- Youth & Family Ministry (1st Sunday of the month at 2pm)
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Mature in Heart Women's Prayer (Tuesdays @ 10:30am) VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Prayer Meeting (Tuesdays @ 7pm) VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Mid-Week Bible Study (Wednesdays @ 6:30pm) in person and VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Mid-Week New Converts' Class (Wednesdays @ 7pm) @church building
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Healing Hearts (Thursdays @6:15pm) VIA ZOOM
- Couple's Ministry (2nd & 3rd Fridays @ 7 pm)
- Women's Prayer (Saturdays 9:30am) VIA TELECONFERENCE (Connection info above)
- Ministers/Elders/Deacons Wives Meeting, (3rd Saturday @10 am) @church building
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Bro. John Kurpiel, minister for the Lawrence congregation, hosts an international radio program, “Soul Food,” on Mondays and Tuesdays from 11AM until 3PM. The program airs on Ignite Radio Broadcast via Mixlr, an interactive internet radio platform. Use the link below to tune in to listen, or to participate in the conversation. Always free to listen. https://mixlr.com/ignite-radio-broadcast.
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Church of Christ in Roxbury
81 Walnut Avenue
Roxbury, MA 02119
617-442-5826
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