Marion & Me with Our First-born - in 1966
You may contact me by replying to any post in a comment.
Or, for more private communication, you can email me at eemjerry at gmail dot com. (I express my email address this way to avoid getting “spam” from spybots!) If you prefer “snail mail,” my mailing address is 450 Spreading Oak CIR, Apopka, FL 32712-3441. This will also guarantee confidentiality of our exchanges (unless one of us violates the confidence).
Now past my “three-score and ten” years, I have been a member of the churches of Christ from childhood. A graduate of five Christian schools – (Mt Dora [FL] Bible School, Alabama Christian College [Now Faulkner University], Harding University, Sunset School of Preaching [now Sunset International Bible Institute], and Cincinnati Christian Seminary [now University] – I have spent much of my life as a Missionary (New Zealand) and preaching in Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Ohio, and Michigan.
I am now “retired,” but working with Eastern European Mission as Regional Coordinator [aka fund-raiser] for Florida. My home congregation now is the one where I grew up, Plymouth Church of Christ in Apopka, FL. Many of the posts in this blog that appear as QUESTION: are also on the church webpage, www.Plymouth-church.com. My wife, Marion, and I met in New Zealand where she had immigrated with her family from England., so we each went half-way around the world to meet each other! We have a son and daughter, each with one daughter. We also have an adopted daughter who is deceased.
Theologically, I am conservative. That is, I believe the Bible is a genuine and reliable revelation from God. I believe Jesus is God’s Son, our Savior, and Lord. I believe the Holy Spirit guided men of God as they wrote the Bible and that He lives within God’s people today helping them to become more and more like Jesus.
Ecclesiastically, I believe in the oneness of the church as the body of Christ. The Scriptures reveal a church that focused on Jesus, not on itself. That is the way the church should be today as well. While I have no desire to recreate the cultural and incidental features of the church in the 1st century, I have every desire to see the church today possess the same qualities that made Christians unique in Bible times. (See my series on the Traits of the New Testament Church.)
While all groups (including families) develop traditions over time, I want to be able to discern the difference between tradition and God’s revelation. I have no serious problem in parting with tradition; I never want to leave God’s revelation behind. For more on my concept of truth (since my blog title says I am committed to it!) see About This Blog, What Is Truth? and Can the Average Person Discern Truth?
Reading my posts in this blog will reveal me more than any personal statement I may make. Will you find complete consistency in all of my writings? Probably not. I can be as mixed up in my head as anyone – though I try to be as consistent as I can be. My constant touch stone, though, is not what I have written but what I have read – in the Word of God. Will I be consistent with that? This is my constant goal and desire.
I have frequently said that I believe my opinions are the very best in the world – because as soon as someone convinces me he has a better one, I adopt it as my own! This does not mean that I adopt every hair-brained idea that someone floats. It does mean that I am willing to exchange my present ideas for better ones that are consistent with the revealed will of God as I understand it.
My aim in this blog is to explore truth, not only as doctrine but as a way of life. I state myy reasons for writing in my first post, Hello World. My concept of Truth is in What Is Truth? and at this post.
For more of my personal history, you can see the post, My Influencer: Parker Henderson.
I have had inquiries about using some of this material. I have no objection to anyone using anything on this blog. However, I do request that (1) you not use it to sell without specific permission and (2) you give attribution to “Jerry Starling, CommittedToTruth.wordpress.com/” with or without the specific page URL.
I was doing some reading on Jay Quin’s site and decided to click on the link to your site for a visit. I like the comments you make and decided I need to get to know you a little better. So, I notice that you are working with Eastern European Mission as regional coordinator . . . and want to say thank you. About 4 years ago a good friend of mine asked me to go with him to the annual dinner EEM hosts in Waco, Texas. I was impressed with the presentation and have been a strong supporter ever since.
Anyway . . . thank you for your work supporting EEM, and I’m looking forward to reading your meditations for communion.
Brent,
Thank you for your kind comments – and welcome as a reader!
Jerry
Your Blog is excellent. Thank you, Jerry. I appreciated your blog on the importance and centrality of baptism.
Mike Armour told me that the subject of non-instrumental worship seldom arose in Eastern Europe, because of the long history of the Eastern Orthodox church, which has consistently taught that instrumental music is not authorized in the New Testament.
God bless you,
Willis Page
Dear Jerry,
I picked your blog out of the other CC blogs because yours is titled, “Committed to Truth”. I support your scriptural statement of faith.
Perhaps you can help me understand why the CC, as a body, is embracing the Contemplative movement and desires to be known as an Emerging church?
Thank you for your time.
In His Love,
Susan
Dear Susan,
I appreciate your kind comments in your first paragraph.
I’m not sure how to respond to your question. The Church of Christ is a loose network of independent congregations with no central headquarters, so we do virtually nothing “as a body.”
The movements you ask about (the “Contemplative movement” and “Emerging church” are ideas that I know little to nothing about.
Now, I’m a pretty small potato in the Church as a whole, though I do speak in several dozen churches each year in my work with Eastern European Mission and talk with many more. I also read several blogs regularly.
I know those movements are not part of the thinking of the conservative, traditional, mainline Churches of Christ, and they are marginal (at most) among those congregations who consider themselves as “progressive.”
Of course, there are several denominations who use the name “Church of Christ” in one form or another. Perhaps you are thinking about one of those.
I am curious to know more about how you came to have this question.
With joy, peace and love in Christ,
Jerry
Jerry,
Great web site.
Looking forward to participating in the discussions.
Jack Jr.
Thanks for visiting! I look forward to your comments – when I’m able to get back to active blogging. I’ve been on vacation from the blog for a few weeks because of so much activity in connection with the Eastern European Mission Million Dollar Sunday.
Jerry,
I just wanted to mention the web site for dad which is up and running even though it is not finished…. http://www.jackexum.com.
Thanks,
Jack Jr.
Hello
While exploring your website, I meandered to Maxine’s page and the pictures do not show up. I thought you’d like to know and that perhaps you have some advice asa to how i can view the pictures on that page??
Kay
Jerry you have help me alot on all my bible questions,GOD BLESS YOUR MINISTRY
Jerry,
I just wanted to reply to your recent comment on Jay’s article, and say that what you had to say was quite good and thoughtful. Thank you for your continued work in the service of the Lord in reaching out to the lost in the former USSR… Keep in touch.
Jack Exum jr.
Jack,
You will soon be receiving notice (if you have not already) of our next Million Dollar Sunday for Bibles in the schools of two Ukrainian States scheduled for April 29. Things are happening in Ukraine that make us believe that there is a strong possibility that in the next few years we may have opportunity to place Bibles into the schools of virtually all of the 25 states in Ukraine. Please be praying to this end! I hope to be able to visit with the GCS church before then if at all possible.
Hi Jerry,
How refreshing to google a question and find someone from the Church of Christ giving the answer. I love it. I have been in the church for most of my life. Baptized at 10 and I am now 65. Thank you for giving me insight as to Abraham being a Jew. This just came up in a class and I was always under the impression that he was a Jew, I guess because his decendants were.(I like “Father of the Jews”) I believe you did a very good job of explaining it based on the scriptures, which is the only way to answer any Biblical question. I thought and hoped you might be a believer in the Church of Christ when I saw COMMITTED TO THE TRUTH. That is how we as a people should be known. Coincidentally, my wife and I were members of Bammel Road Church of Christ back in the 70′s when The Eastern European Movement and printing and distributing bibles was getting off the ground. Please keep up your good work in the faith.
In Him,
Larry Phillips