WHO WE ARE &
WHAT WE'RE UP TO
Thanks for visiting! Would you tell us about yourself?
Go, stand and speak in the temple
to the people all the words
of this life.
Acts 5:20
WE ARE NOT PART OF A DENOMINATION OR ORGANIZATION. We who are involved in BrotherBird.com are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and desire to faithfully follow Him. We are not part of or promoting any particular denomination or organization. We are thankful for our Christian heritage, and consider ourselves part of the body of Christ- brothers and sisters "with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity" (Ephesians 6:24).
We are not desirous of promoting any individual except Christ, any book except the Bible, or any creed except Truth. Our hope is that the points made in the articles, charts, poems, and letters may be judged on their own merit, and not be prejudged based on the readers opinion of us.
WE DESIRE TO SHARE THE TRUTH OF LIFE IN CHRIST. Our focus on this website is to present and advance Conditional Immortality- a term that represents what we believe is the coherent teaching of Scripture concerning the character of God, nature of man, penalty of sin, extent of the atonement, and final judgment of unbelievers. With joy we share this truth of LIFE IN CHRIST with the hopes that our presentation of the consistent and persistent testimony of Scripture will lead you to embrace that eternal life is found only in Christ, not Adam; is gained through a second birth, not the first; and is received through bodies that shall rise, not souls that never die.
We are not dogmatic as to our understanding of "soul sleep," and purposely avoid arguing the subject, believing that many proponents of Conditional Immortality have differed on their understanding of the intermediate state without any weakening of their position of eternal life in Christ and the final destruction of those not in Christ- "that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
BASIC BELIEFS HELD IN COMMON WITH OTHER BELIEVERS.
Though we are not all united in a number of beliefs, we gladly share a common evangelical Christian background, and find strength of unity in the following foundational truths:
The inspiration of Scripture -
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God
The deity of Christ -
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily
The necessity of the new birth -
Ye must be born again
Salvation by grace, through faith, not of works -
For by grace are ye saved, through faith...
not of works, lest any man should boast
Christ, the one and only mediator between God and man -
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus
A CHALLENGE TO THOSE WHO DISAGREE. We are so persuaded of our position, and so confident in the Scriptural evidence presented on this site, that we are issuing a challenge. We would like for someone who is fully convinced of endless torment to carefully read every page of BrotherBird.com, and email us their response. We honestly do not believe that anyone who shares our faith in the perfection of the final authority of Scripture will be able to cling to endless torment after reading this entire site. We also will ask if you have any binding allegiances (such as a paid position or respected status among peers) that make it hard for you to embrace Conditional Immortality as the teaching of God's Word. If you are able to make a Berean search (Acts 17:11) we sincerely believe you'll come to accept our position, not because it is our position, or because of our ability to persuade you of it, but because of our firm conviction that it is the consistent teaching of Scripture. We hope you'll take the challenge and let us know the result.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES TO GET STARTED. If the subject of Conditional Immortality is new to you, then we recommend that you start by reading LIFE IN CHRIST- A Summary of Conditional Immortality, and A PERSONAL TESTIMONY - How the Author of Brother Bird Became Convinced of Conditional Immortality, both of which are on the left side bar of the Articles Page. Then we suggest you read the poem "Peculiar Brother Bird" located on the Home Page. Each verse has a corresponding note on the right side of the page. You could also just begin with the poem, and read the notes you're curious about. Eventually you'll want to peruse the Articles Page and begin reading what strikes your interest. WHOLLY SMOKE! - The Myth of Endless Torment is a handy quick list of dozens of texts that concur with Conditional Immortality. Dear Brother Joe is a compelling overview that covers most of the subjects involved. What has been particularly convincing to many is the PERISH LIST - PERISH in the Inspired Vocabulary of Scripture which is a complete list of all 154 times some form of the word perish is used in God's Word.
A PREMISE AND A PLEA
Unscriptural teachings are not always the imagination of a clever heretic, the invention of a crafty cult, or the interpretation of a cunning scholar. Sometimes they are simply the assumed errors of those who are sure they know what the Bible means but haven’t carefully examined what it actually says. Such may be able to cite a few proof-texts, refer to a historic confession or denominational creed, or take solace in the conclusions of esteemed exhorters or revered expositors of the past or present. They are woefully unacquainted, however, with the entire relevant texts concerning the subject.
Christ often answered doctrinal queries by asking, “Have ye not read?” He once countered an objection with “What is this then that is written?” He would then quote what the Scriptures actually say as the authoritative answer (Cf. Matt. 12:3, 5; 19:4; 22:29, 31; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17). Paul’s primary hermeneutic (method of interpretation) was simply “What saith it?” “What saith the scripture?” (Rom. 4:3; 10:8; 11:2, 4; Gal. 4:30). For the Christian, the first appeal and final authority is the very words of God in the very Word of God, the certain and sufficient answer of “What is written?” (Luke 10:26; 20:17).
On the subject of the final judgment and punishment of the wicked, I sincerely believe we have been mistaken in our understanding as to its nature and duration. We have not willfully erred, but have unknowingly absorbed unscriptural tenets, and read them into the applicable texts. We have unwittingly ignored the precise wording of many other scriptures, holding to our assumed traditional interpretations instead of arriving at a convinced conclusion after a fresh and personal search of the Word of God.
My assertion is not to say that an individualistic interpretation is to be preferred above the consensus view of the corporate historic church. We should not lightly discard the cumulative testimony of the past, but neither must we neglect to search the scriptures ourselves to see whether those things are so (Acts 17:11). For those of us who adhere firmly to the final authority of Scripture, salvation by grace through faith, and a free church under the headship of Christ, we assuredly acknowledge that the majority opinion of those professing the name of Christ at any one point in time is hardly to be considered authoritative. So if we are to ask, “What has the church always believed?” we do well to also inquire, “Which church?” and “Do we consider its interpretations authoritative on every doctrine?” The reality is that God’s people have never been fully agreed in their interpretations, and just as any individual must humbly consider the voice of the many, the many need also acknowledge that no one group has ever had a corner on all truth.
It is my hope and perhaps naïve expectation that each reader will give honest consideration to the following Scriptural reasons why I believe the final judgment and punishment of the wicked will not be conscious torment throughout an unending eternity, but rather complete and eradicable destruction that will be everlasting in its result, but not in its duration. I sincerely believe the whole of the Biblical record teaches that the wicked (I use “wicked” as Scripture does, i.e., a general term for the unrighteous, unbelievers, lost, etc.) will be raised to face a fearful judgment where they be punished. It will be an everlasting punishment that is everlasting destruction, in which they will be cast into the lake of fire, “burn up,” be “consumed,” “destroyed,” and “perish.”
Please do not attach some worn-out yet sticky label of an aberrant doctrine or peculiar cult to this view. What I will present is not the conclusion of a modern sect that has its own sacred book, special revelation, or exclusive Bible translation. The reasons I present are not the formulation of a liberal exegete who undermines the inerrancy and authority of Scripture, nor the rumination of a sentimental philosopher who questions the supernatural on the basis of humanistic rationale. Most of my Christian friends would classify my personal beliefs as conservative, orthodox, and evangelical (on the new birth and deity of Christ, for example).
I have an extremely high view of Scripture that some would view as highly extreme. I believe in the supernatural inspiration of the original text and in the providential preservation of the English translation. I emphasize, therefore, that the issue is not whether to accept the Bible’s teaching concerning endless torment, but whether or not the Bible actually teaches it. I appeal to the Scriptures, and ask,
Have ye not read?
What saith it?
What is this then that is written?
Just One Church?
I do not fancy there could be
One church throughout the land
United both in name and creed,
And joining hand in hand.
A church where everyone agrees,
A church without a schism;
Where no one’s called an ist or ite,
And no one starts an ism.
For in the kingdom of our Lord
Not all who love His name
Will always see things eye to eye,
Or do things just the same.
It seems our God must have a love
For great variety-
He made ten thousand kinds of birds,
A million different trees.
Diversity is by design-
That’s just how nature is,
And God Himself has made it so,
And all of it is His.
Now this is not to blame Him for
The splinter groups and sects,
But just to say conformity
Is not what God expects.
He knows the hearts of we who claim
To love Him and His Word,
And knows if we are doers of
The truths that we have heard.
He knows if we walk in the light
Of what we have received,
And if we’re truly genuine
In what we have believed.
Direction of the heart means more
Than how far we have gone-
Not where we are but what we are
Shows how much we have grown.
But I must say that I am sad
That men make their own laws,
And write unscriptural binding creeds,
And build up prideful walls.
As in the days when our dear Lord
On this old earth did trod,
Men keep traditions made by men
And not the word of God.
And most divisions are not based
On Scripture as it’s read,
But on how men interpret it,
And twists of terms instead.
Now it’s one thing to separate
From those who aren’t true brothers,
But feuding with the family-
Now that is quite another!
Some brothers aren’t as “orthodox,”
Some sisters aren’t as “right,”
But does that make them heretics,
Or foes that we must fight?
And even when we can’t agree
Can we not still be friends?
And can’t we unique brothers be,
Or must we all be twins?
And even though we may not dot
Our i’s and cross our t’s,
In just exactly the same way
Must we be enemies?
When brothers true put me outside
Small circles drawn by men,
Then I’ll just draw a bigger one
And take those brothers in.
But this is not to say that I
Am ecumenical,
Or harbor hopes of bridging gaps
Denominational.
And I have not the least desire
To form another group,
Or have one huge religious hash,
Or one stupendous soup.
But truly there is just one church,
One church with just one Head,
But this one church is not man-made,
But it is Spirit led.
And it has such a harmony
But not of creeds or laws,
And functions with a unity
Not made with gates or walls.
No, it is not invisible,
In sight it doth remain-
But it is in-divisible,
For Christ is not in twain.
It is a bond with brothers dear,
The witness of the Spirit;
A union through the Word of God
Of those with ears to hear it.
It is a knowing glance or smile
Upon a Christian’s face;
It is the blessed tie that binds,
It is a warm embrace.
It is the fellowship of truth,
The kinship of the heart;
It is the kingdom of our Lord
Of which we all are part.
It is the love of saints of God,
It is the hymns we sing;
It is the heritage we share,
For it’s a family thing,
The family of the born-again,
The army with one sword;
The building made of lively stones,
The body of our Lord.
It is the fold of the redeemed,
The house not made with hands,
The little flocks of two or three
And found in every land.
It is the New Jerusalem,
The city of our God,
It is the glorious march to Zion,
The saints of old have trod.
And I do not apologize
For this one church so true,
Though I am not a member of
The one that you go to.
And we are told that this old world
Will know us by our love,
And bye and bye we’ll all unite
In one great church above.
But ‘til we do I beg of you
Your family to embrace,
To fight the fight, to keep the faith,
And run a faithful race.
And do not waste your efforts on
The empires of small men,
But serve your Lord in just one church-
His kingdom without end.
