Letters to Wounded Pilgrims
In 2006 Mark wrote a number of very helpful and insightful responses to questions and issues raised by the "wounded pilgrims" of the Assemblies. His purpose in writing is to help wounded pilgrims recover their faith and to go on to healthy and prosperous lives in Christ. He uses the term "wounded pilgrim" to mean that as pilgrims having "sojourned" in the Assembly we should learn the valuable lesson that there is a True Friend who will take care of us after having been wounded and left half-dead. Mark includes us in his retelling of The Good Samaritan.
1. On Feelings
• After all that's happened, is there
any
encouragement?
• What's happened to my
joy?
2. On Being Human
• What is the "normal" Christian life? Is it okay to be "human"?
3. On Assembly Teaching
• I am so confused. I feel like I'm just barely
holding on to my faith in Christ.
• Was the Assembly teaching on
the inheritance true?
• It seems to me that George was "orthodox" in his view of salvation.
He does say after all that we are saved by faith, not works.
What's up with that?
4. On Reading the Bible
• How can I recapture the joy of
reading my Bible again?
• Is it alright to interpret the Bible
subjectively?
• We were always seeking inner purity, preparing our hearts for God
to speak to us. Isn't that
Eastern mysticism?
• Is there any one single
overriding
principle that I can use to understand the Bible?
5. On Prayer
• What does it mean to have a
quiet time (other than the assembly way)?
• I don't seem to
know anything anymore, including my understanding of the Bible
and how to pray.
6. On Deception
• Who is
deceived?
• Isn't it
better to have "heart knowledge" rather than "head knowledge"?
7. On Abuse
• Can you
recommend a book that will help me recognize when I'm being abused?
• "I'm
mad as heck, and I'm not going to take it anymore!"
• Can the Assembly be called a
"cult"?
8. On Being Honest
• As I think about my past attitudes and behavior in the Assembly, I can't believe how proud I was.
9. On Grace
• I am such a
weak person. I feel sometimes that I'm beyond God's grace.
• Can I change my life by availing myself of
God's grace?
• Why do you say that the
"Sinner Woman" in the Gospel accounts really understood grace?
10. On Spirituality
• How does the Holy Spirit lead us?
11. On Staying in the Assembly
• It's hard for me to give up the Assembly because I've already invested a lot of time and energy there.
