Dissolution of Bijbelvorsers (Bible scholars), Association for Bible study

In our life we may try to do a lot of things. We learn by trying, succeeding or failing,  falling and standing up again.

In my life I tried a few things and those things I tried to do were not always easy to achieve. First there was my will to become a servant of God, but not a priest, because I did not like celibacy, even when I was only six. Secondly I also wanted to become a musical star. But when I mentioned to my parents that I would love to study theatre I felt and heard it so much they could hear it thundering in Cologne.

Working hard and figuratively and literally ‘fighting’ for what I wanted to become, a performer, I gave my soul for about 45 years to the art of dance. Having enjoyed it and not wanting to miss it, at last I had to make a cross over my dance career and found me in a position where I could devote much more time to the work for God.

But having grown up in a the Old Roman Catholic Church and having done some church shopping before I became a non-trinitarian, religiously my life was also not without thorns. Choosing for the least loved side of Christianity it was not the place to have much friends. In the Roman Catholic country of the 1980s this was felt much more than in England.

I tried to associate with Vrije Christenen or Free Christians, but coming from non-trinitarian Baptists, the leaders of the group, an ex-Jehovah Witness and an ex-Pentecostal pastor, were at first very worried before taking my up in their group. Strangely the JW man became later a Muslim and the pastor became an atheist. When they got so much problems with their own faith, the group resolved.

I tried to bring interested non-trinitarians and real searchers for the truth together and get them searching in the Bible, but they all wandered about in the darkness.

I tried to reconcile people and those actually interested in the Bible, the Word of God to bring them together, but did not succeed. From 1993 I was trying to find people who were fascinated by the Holy Scriptures who would like to like to investigate that Word of God.

On April 10, 2004 I started an MSN Group which was later taken over by Multiply. In my first writing for Bijbelonderzoekers (Bible researchers) or Bible Students I wrote:

Believers, non-believers, seekers and convinced in one or the other,

This platform will hopefully be a meeting place for those who are serious about biblical texts, Bible translations, Bible distribution and the like to come to an exchange of ideas.

It would be the most beautiful when all the visitors could exceed their denominations and with each other, in imitation of Jesus Christ, to pursue the true Christian charity and go together on the way to discover the essence of the Word of God.

Het allereerste artikel voor de Bijbelonderzoekers voor de MSN Groepen en Multiply – Very first article of the Bijbelonderzoekers (Bible researchers) or Bible Students for MSN Groups and Multiply. – 2004 April 10

Though for the people it seemed very difficult to get over their denominational doctrines and to come closer to other Christians. Lots of turbulence was to be found in the many churches. People did not know where to go or where to look at, but at the same time they did seem to be afraid to come into contact with other denominations.

For the “Christian charity” it seemed very difficult to get our aid material to the countries (Chechnya and India) and we did not receive, not to say none, financial help to do our aid  and our day to day research and preaching work.

Not many wanted to step in the footsteps of the one man which gave the name (according to them) to their religion. Being a man of peace, a pacifist and communist avant la lettre, Jesus called everyone to come together under his wings, to be part of his body. Man does not want to see the variety and necessity of the different parts of such a body.

I wrote further:

Exciting and enriching it can be when one does not shy away from the theological issues, but dares to openly expose them in a modestly peaceable way, not for the debate or confrontation itself, but really to enrich themselves and the others continually for a better understanding.

By daring to go deeper on individual thinking we will be able to understand each other better, and shall be able to access each-other more easily.

My sincere hope was

That respect for each other’s vision will be strengthened and that several people here can find their way to the church of which Jesus Christ is the cornerstone. The “ecclesia” that transcends state beyond labelling and all forms of human populations.

You are kindly invited to partake in the great family that looks to the Kingdom of God.

In 2010 I tried to go ahead for setting up an association that would bring together the various scholars on Bible and religious matters. I did hope to get several interested Bible Students, scholars and archaeologists together with Bijbelvorsers, Vereniging voor Bijbelstudie, or Bible Scholars, Association for Bible study.  I created the Bijbelvorsers Webs website in the Summer of 2010.

Openingswoord voor Bijbelvorsers, Vereniging voor Bijbelstudie – zomer 2010 – Opening Remarks for Bijbelvorsers (Bible scholars), Association for Bible study – Summer 2010

Not many people joined. Like my call for writers on Stepping Toes and From Guestwriters I did not get many replies. I can tell them on one hand. At the peak we got 62 members but it were always the same persons doing all the work and trying to come to a consensus by debates. Last academic year I tried to bring the many different Bible Students groups and Christadelphians to co-operate with each other and to exchange ideas and information about their services. This turned out to be a disastrous move, creating even more division and leaving me in the cold, even more isolated than before.

As a result I consider the discontinuance of the association for Bible study. Before the adjournment of the website I shall give some time to have the few articles replaced on other sites.

The annulment of the association is a burden I do not want to take any more. The time is not ripe for bringing more people with different ideas, together in peace. From my efforts to create an open Christian lifestyle magazine I also have to come to the conclusion that in our capitalist system people have become such egoists and greedy persons who do not want to share with others for free, that my utopian ideas shall not come into fulfilment easy. Therefore I want to concentrate me more on the preaching of the Word of God and not loosing so much energy in getting consolidation between several groups.

I’ll brush off my clothes and continue my way, in the hope that in time, some, even be it a few would not mind to join me on my voyage to bring a message of peace, positiveness and hope.

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Find also:

A new voice calling for peace

From guestwriters a lifestyle magazine with a spark of positivism

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