Love-Not-Force, the Movement's Standard

The second most important "event" in the advance of the history and movement of Christian Polygamy is that which has come to be known as "love-not-force". The historical and doctrinal importance of the teachings of "love-not-force" is, in its significance, second only to the initial laying down of the original usable and duplicatable rhetoric of Christian Polygamy itself.

Namely, the initial laying down of the original usable and duplicatable rhetoric of Christian Polygamy was essential in order for the movement to be "born". But in order for that movement to grow and to not be mis-defined by cruel or wrong definitions, the "Standard of Christian Polygamy" had to be set. That standard is called, "love-not-force".

By July 4, 1999, the movement of Christian Polygamy had become five years old. But over the previous years before that, some tragic situations had all come together to otherwise put the movement into great potential peril. Indeed, the very future of Christian Polygamy had the appearance of potentially dying off, due to some great carnage-causing false doctrine which had attempted to enter in to destroy the movement.

A number of men were hastily latching onto the doctrines of Christian Polygamy, but they were filled with what would best be called, the "two false spirits of self-exaltation and self-justification". With those two false spirits, such men were wreaking great havoc, hurting and losing their wives, and advancing ideas about which had never been part of true Christian Polygamy anyway.

Such men began advancing a false version of Patriarchy. They disregarded the correct version of Patriarchy (which is the "father-leadership" model, men following the "footwashing, going-to-the-cross" example of Father God who gave in selfless love ---Christ going to the Cross in such self-sacrificing love and leadership). Instead, these men advanced the false notion that, as would-be "patriarchs", they could do whatever they wanted, regardless of what their wives felt or believed.

Their false doctrine operated by the following means.

1. Being filled with the "false spirit of self-exaltation", they would lay an unverifiable claim that "God spoke to them". (While this report here is not suggesting that God does not speak to people, Jesus Christ taught Christians how to discern the difference, as He forewarned, "By their fruits, ye shall know them".) With such a claim, these men would lift themselves up while simultaneously diminishing their wives.
   
   
2. Also being filled with the "false spirit of self-justification", they would lay another unverifiable claim that supposedly "God told them to take another wife", regardless of how their wife would react. With such a claim, they gave themselves all the self-justification they needed to self-justify doing anything to marrry another wife, no matter what.
   
   
3. With the "support" of those two previous unverifiable claims from the two false spirits, the men would then claim that they "had to obey God" in doing such a thing, and that their wives had either to obey or (supposedly) be "out of God's will". Such cruel claims were always portrayed in the visibly absurd context that such men were supposedly being "so righteous" in their would-be "obedience to God" for all this, and that anyone else who disagreed was merely "disobeying God".

With such profoundly cruel claims, many then went forward to try to force polygamy on their wives. And worse, they committed such tragic cruelty all in the supposed "name" of Christian Polygamy. (God forbid.)

Not only was such false doctrine simply NOT what Christian Polygamy had ever been "about", but it was destroying marriages. And not only was it destroying marriages, but it was even then supplying anti-polygamy political groups with new victims to self-justify their opposition to Christian Polygamy!

Such cruel men were cruelly forcing polygamy on their wives, only to lose their wives. Then those understandably bitter and hurt women who ended up terrified and leaving their husbands all became more "testimonies" for anti-polygamy forces. What a diabolical trap (of the devil, as Christians believe) to try to destroy the movement of Christian Polygamy "from within"!

No doubt, this new wave of what would eventually be defined as "force polygamy" threatened to completely destroy the entire movement of Christian Polygamy.

But, as Christians would say... God is good; and, He gave a way out.

On July 13, 1999, the same man who had initially laid down the original usable and duplicatable rhetoric of Christian Polygamy, and who had founded the TruthBearer organization, had laid down an important new teaching. Therewith, the movement of Christian Polygamy would not be destroyed, but would grow even more!

The important new teaching was titled,

      "The TruthBearer Vision of love-not-force -
         Our Place in History Requires Our Testimonies of Faith."

The Standard of Christian Polygamy had been set.

The important new teaching pointed out that in any situation in which God makes a promise to any man, God is able to bring it to pass. God does not need man to force a situation if it is truly called of God. The point was succinctly made, if God DOES promise or call a family to live polygynously, then HE is able to bring His promise and calling to pass. That includes helping a "first wife" also come to fully and joyfully embrace the calling too.

Truly, the husband who selflessly loves his wife to not force polygamy upon her, but to trust God and to love her as Christ loves His Churches (that He selflessly gave His life!), unto her becoming able to willingly and joyfully embrace Christian Polygamy by the power of the Spirit of God and not of the man, then that husband has shown his wife genuine Christ-like love indeed. And she will see it and know it!

But if a man instead forces polygamy, devastating his dear wife, then he is not walking according to any promise of God, but only according to his own flesh. Thereby can one determine that there was not any calling of God in the first place ---especially given the obviousness that God would not destroy marriages with His callings!

As such, the newly termed, "Force Polygamy", was shown to never be "of God". Hence, the new phrase was given which applies,
   "Don't force your Ishmael; let God bring your Isaac."

Christians are to be faithful, not forceful. It's about faith in God, not about taking matters into one's own hands.

Over the months and years which followed, all the issues and doctrinal matters which come together to fully comprise all that love-not-force entails were laid out. "Force polygamy" was fully defined and the two false spirits of self-exaltation and self-justification were identified. The absolute necessity of trust in Christian marriage was laid out. And the very important doctrinal matter of covenant breaking was revealed, showing that any husband who had covenanted to "forsake all others" would then be a hellfire-bound covenant breaker if he one-sidedly broke that covenant without his wife being willing to mutually agree to remove that "forsake all others" clause. (Ultimately, the web-site, LoveNotForce.com, was created.)

"Force polygamy" was proven to NOT EVER be Christian Polygamy.

"The TruthBearer Vision of love-not-force" had not only coined a new phrase, "love-not-force", but it had created a mindset for right Christian living in general, even beyond doctrinal matters of Christian Polygamy.

Insodoing, "The TruthBearer Vision of love-not-force" set the Standard of Christian Polygamy.

With that, then love, ministry, and healing were extended to hurting families to restore marriages harmed by the false doctrines. Women were then assured of the genuinely selflessly Christ-style love of husbands. And the movement of Christian Polygamy had been steered to stay on course without peril.

For these reasons, it is clear that the teachings of "love-not-force" had become the second most important "event" in the advance of the history and movement of Christian Polygamy.

Since that important new teaching was first given, love-not-force has been the reason why Christian Polygamy continues to grow even more and more. Glory to God.