Cedar Creek

06/16/2025

05/13/2025

Conversing with Darryl Willi Elder at the Red Church.

03/21/2022

Today more than ever before the church in general is facing new frontiers that must be crossed.

05/14/2021

01/14/2016

THE THEOLOGICAL BUSINESSMAN.
The Theological Businessman wears a totally different hat that the Professional Theologian. While the Professional Theologian has an indispensable role in developing the local Theology, it is a very limited one. But, The Theological Businessman has the privilege of almost endless Horizons. With the training in fund-raising that most Bible Colleges offer, the business of the Church can easily be shifted into a more profitable endeavor. That is usually the real reason for “The Hedge.” Check the reference in Mark 12:1ff.
The romanticism of bringing about great change to the theology of a local community is often prompted by lack of proper cultural sensitivity. Rather than listening, and understanding the culture, often-times an outsider has difficulty finding a balance between respect for the culture, and the need for change in the culture. From a Christological point of view, for a mission effort to be successful, the development of a local Theology depends as much on finding Christ already active in the culture as it does in bringing Christ to the culture.
One of the ways to recognize the presence of Christ in a culture is to have a full understanding of the wisdom literature describing the tradition of the wisdom of God within that culture. It took over one Hundred years for most denominations to comprehend how one group of Christians in American History claimed that somehow, the message of Christ had preceded them to this continent and the natives had an understanding of the salvation offered thru Christ. If one cannot recognize the presence of The Holy Spirit in a given Culture, then most of the time, it’s “Business as usual.”
Maybe this is why under the new director at Christ’s 40 Acres. The main thrust in the first year was getting the BigFoot conference back. Even if it meant threatening lawsuits to other businessmen to get it done.
To be able to discern the saving activity of the Grace of God outside of the church, takes divine presence the same as the Grace itself. So, innocently enough, the theological businessman feels that the only way to access the throne of Grace is through the Church. And only the educated Theologians have the ability to make decisions. So, the Hedge grows.
I Cor. 2:14 “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. They are foolish to him. He cannot possibly understand them because they can only be spiritually understood.
With all the hype on the Big Foot/Sasquatch phenomenon and all the so-called experts coming to Christ’s 40 Acres now to prove the existence of such a thing, it can be confusing to sort out what is of creation, and what is of evolution. Whether one believes in the natural physical existence or not, maybe the desire to visit with Bigfoot and baptize him is a way of adding him to the Local Theology. And by making him part of the Local Theology, is to move away from the Spiritual question “How can I make my life count more effectively for Christ?” and enter into a program of Does Bigfoot think it’s okay for us to take donations and raise funds in his name?” It appears to be “Only Natural

01/10/2016

THE PHENOMENAL DUD

While Scriptural knowledge and Christian tradition are important for developing a Local Theology, The Professional Theologian from an outside area, must use caution to not end up looking like a “Phenomenal Dud.” Local Culture will always maintain a mystical presence. It is not that it is “magical,” or “magnificent,” it is just that some parts of a local culture will always remain mysterious. One can never know another culture as well as one does one’s own. Local Prophets and Poets whether acknowledged or ignored, have always, and will always have an effect on local culture.
When an outside Professional Theologian is allowed to ignore or even alienate the “Locals,” He begins to dominate, or maybe I should say “denominate.” This is a sure sign that a new Hegemony has been introduced, and new limitations are placed on an often already oppressed community.
The experience of a community is usually made known thru the voice of the local Prophets and Poets. Yet, there is no prophet or Poet without a community. Outsiders can bring important experience to a community, but by themselves can come to exercise hegemony over the community.
When an outsider uses His experience and knowledge for the purpose of raising funds or promoting business and tourism more than developing a Sound Local Theology, The Phenomenon of the Godly principle is diminished. Sometimes people will look to other things to fill that need in their lives.
Several years ago, something or someone Known as “BigFoot” was introduce as part of the Folklore of the Honobia area. While most Locals were familiar with the campfire stories in one form or another, it was pretty much just part of the culture, as it had been since before Statehood. However, a few Locals (of Reliable character) claimed to have experienced the Phenomenon. No one locally, seemed to pay it much attention, or got to excited about it. Then, the Social Media came into the Picture. Within a few years, word had gotten out, and the so called experts began to pour into the area like Gold miners in Deadwood in the 1870’s. They all had hopes of getting rich or famous by “Finding BigFoot.” Or, were they just Lookin’ Late for something missing in their lives?
For over Fifty years, Thousands of People had been coming to “The Kiamichi Mountains,” Looking for something to fulfill their lives. And with the Help of Professional Theologians working hand in hand with the Locals, They were finding it. But the perspective began to change and so did the Local Theology.
“The Big Foot Festival” that had been organized grew to the point that The Camp Ground at Christ’s 40 Acres was rented to have the event. But, it was a secular entertainment event that was paying rent to use the grounds, and there-by helping the Church. A few Locals, (My-Self included) saw it as an opportunity to help people find what they were looking for by sharing the Christ experience with them. But, as it has happened many times before, “The Creature began to get more attention than the Creator.” And, the Big Foot Phenomenon began to become associated with the Church. Respectfully, the Organization was told to find another place to have the festival. Which was successfully done, and all was well and good. But, there entered the Theological Business Man.

01/05/2016

THE PR0FESSIONAL THEOLOGIAN
In August of 1974, at the old fashion family camp meeting at Christ’s 40 acres, I took a leap of faith. I answered what I believed to be a call into Christian Ministry. It was my belief that God needed me in the field of evangelism to go out and help “save those sinners from their sins.” It was pretty much my understanding at that time that I needed “Five good sermons and a fast car.” Revival meetings in different places seemed to be what was needed to get people to “Repent of their sins and be Baptized” so that when they died, they would go to heaven and live forever. Within the first year of my “Fast five Ministry,” an Elder in one of the churches I was speeding thru , confronted me with the question, “ does your Bible have any scriptures in it besides Acts 2:38, John 3:5 and first Peter 3:21?” See, while this Gentleman only had an eighth grade education, He certainly was not limited to an eighth grade mentality; He was a thinker, A Theologian of self-made sorts. And, this question had its desired effect on me. Shortly after that, it was off to Bible College for this Indian.
It took almost two years for me to realize that I was only learning the theological views of the particular Denomination that was running the college. Furthermore, the understanding of God and the explanation of the actions of God was limited to the opinions of the Leadership 0f this local group that had developed in the last one hundred and fifty years. This revelation coupled with the fact that the main course of study was “ how to influence doctor and lawyer types so as to keep them coming to church and supporting the ministry, Inspired me to move on to higher levels of learning.
As freedom grows with learning, the next several years taught me the importance of “The professional Theologian” in the development of theology on a local level. To ignore the resources of a true Professional is to prefer ignorance over knowledge. One drawback to becoming a Pro is that the time and energy required to immerse one’s-self in the traditions of Faith, can lead to a separation of the Theologian from the experiences of the living community. And, more often than not, the result is that the efforts of the pro is rewarded by Him (0r Her) having to move into a different community in order for the knowledge to be received. While “The Locals” may be able to recognize knowledge gained, too often the community at large will hold on to something from the past. And to their own peril say “God may have forgiven your sins, but your witness has been damaged.”
To try and debate the issue is now a waste of everyone’s time. It is very difficult for the Local Community with Its limited knowledge to challenge the Professional Theologian, because of the extensive knowledge of Scripture and subsequent Christian tradition that He (or She) has taken years to develop. And, if He (or she) is true, the knowledge is constantly being up-graded.
The emphasis here is that there needs to be cooperation between the church community and the Professional Theologian While it is crucial to recognize the role of the Professional, it must be understood that the theologian cannot create a local theology in isolation from the community’s experience. It is important to remember that “you reap what you sow.” How can one reap a harvest of Christian love when all that has been sown is seeds of Hate?

12/31/2015

THE HONOBIA HEDGE
The study of God, of religious doctrines, and matters of divinity, has proven for some, this writer included, to be a dialectical one. Using a broad sense of the term, we could say that continuing attention is paid to first one factor then another all the while expanding our awareness of the role and interaction each factor has on the other as collectively they enhance the growth of our understanding of God. This Is what we mean by “Theology.”
All factors can be studied as the roots that feed the development and growth of a “Local Theology.” Three principal roots beneath the growth of a Local Theology are 1. The Gospel, 2. The Church, and 3. The Culture. The Gospel, the good news delivered by Jesus Christ of the saving grace of God did not fall from the Sky. It is not limited to stories written down over two thousand years ago. It is incarnate in the reality of those who bring it to us and help us nurture the beginnings of increased faith. Worshipping the presence of the Lord within the context of the local community is actually one means of announcing the good news. The Gospel without the church does not come to its full realization. And, a church with no “Good news” is a dead letter, cold as stone. Culture represents a way of life for a given time and place. It shares values, symbols and meanings, reaching out with hopes and dreams, often struggling for a better world. The dynamic interactions of these three---Gospel, Church, and Culture--- with all they entail about identity and change have the makings of a “Local Theology.”
On the following pages, we shall discuss many of the factors that have entered into play of bringing the “Local Theology” to the point that exists today. This specific system of study is not an attempt to prove or disprove the existence of a Big Foot/Sasquatch living in the Honobia, Oklahoma area. It is merely to acknowledge the presence of the phenomenon and consider it as one more factor to be acknowledged in the development of the Local Theology.
There is a strong possibility that what some have been concerned about as being an “Abomination of Desolation,” at the Religious institution known as Christ’s 40 acres, is in reality nothing more than an effort to maintain “The Hedge” that has been placed around Honobia to protect the church from becoming “Too Liberal” because of the outside influence of secular humanism. Or, with enough Bible study, the Church could possibly develop its own ‘Prophets and Poets.” These in turn become leaders on their own and no longer have a need for the Professional clergy. This creates a problem very few have even considered. A professional seminary trained Theologian, who has devoted much of his life preparing for a career in ministry does not want to “Preach himself out of a Job.”

12/29/2015

DEVELOPING A LOCAL THEOLOGY
For the last one-half century, since the time I was a young teen-ager, I have held Christ’s 40 Acres in Honobia, Oklahoma as some kind of special place. I am sure that there are many others that share in this sentiment. It has been very difficult to stand idly by and watch the downward spiral that seems to be happening in the past two decades. Due to the Theological pursuits I have successfully completed studies in, I find it very troubling to hear that some are predicating the demise of not only the facility, but the organization (Kiamichi Mountains Christian Mission,) that manages its affairs.
Having always been one of those who hold in high regard the value of education and acquiring knowledge as more crucial to survival than just feeling something in one’s Heart, There are some things that I find preposterous.
One of those is the possibility that someone with the seminary training, the skill set, the missionary history, and the financial backing that goes with position of director at Kiamichi Mountains Christian Mission, could (as some are saying,) allow personal ambition and desires, or possibly greed to cloud His judgement so as to bring about the abomination of desolation that seems to be happening.
It is my personal opinion that this is a ludicrous thought. If there is any truth at all in the belief that Christ’s 40 Acres is in fact some kind of “Special Place”, then there are things happening in this new millennium, that what we are seeing is only the tip of the Iceberg.
The past five decades have shown us an important shift in perspective in Theology. Now, The Dictionary defines Theology as: 1. The study of God, and of Religious Doctrines, and matters of Divinity. 2. A specific system of this study.
There was a time in my lifetime, that the main theme for all events happening at Christ’s 40 Acres was “HOW CAN I MAKE MY LIFE COUNT MORE EFFECTIVELY FOR CHRIST? The main focus in making our lives count more effectively for Christ was centered on only one part of Theology. That was the Religious Doctrines of a specific system within the world-wide religion of Christianity. We proudly called it “The Restoration Movement.”
One thing I did not realize at that time was that what we were being taught was pretty much a local Theology. It was very similar to the folks in the chapter on Honobia in Thom Powell’s Book on Big Foot called “The Locals.” We were in fact, part of a created Local Theology.

12/27/2015

A CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE
While most folks in a small geographical area may be mainly interested in material or economic happenings or events that affect the community, some are interested in a bigger picture. There may be those who look at the spiritual side of things, and focus on the “essence” of the situation. Is the community more united because of something happening, or does there seem to be more contention? This is a question often pondered.
Larger than the material, economic and spiritual thinkers are the numbers of those interested in science, politics, and religion. In small backwoods areas, there is usually a big emphasis on religion.
Some of the more fundamental believers can easily spot the “Sin” of greed or ambition, and be quick to recognize a pattern developing. With the shift in focus moving from worship and praise music to more secular entertainment that takes on the façade of a hillbilly culture, fundamental ritual gets more difficult to maintain. When the stage where great preachers from the past have stood to deliver those soul shaking sermons that changed the lives of thousands is accented by an out-house, it gets harder even still for the mind of a fundamental believer to stay focused. These are only a few of the things that have caused some “Locals “to conclude that this might be the Abomination of Desolation.
But, giving the benefit of the doubt, maybe it’s best to look at things from a different perspective. One should ask, How does the director of Kiamichi Mountains Christian Mission see the local society, and, how does that society fit into his Theological views.
Which brings up a greater question, “Does a Missionary or preacher who moves into an area have to adjust his Theology to fit the community, or is the community required by some Religious Law to change their theological views that have developed over several generations to agree with His?
One book I have read says that one crucial thing to church growth for a new preacher is to recognize local culture and allow that culture to be a part of church services. Is that Hillbilly genre, complete with the proud Out-House, the way The director of KMCM perceives the Locals?
Some researchers in the Big Foot phenomenon have concluded that The Honobia Big Foot may be just “so much folklore.” But a good friend of mine, who is a professor of social Science, says that folklore affects the culture of a society, and culture creates the folklore. So the cycle continues. Most Religions have developed out of local culture. And, most Theology has developed out of religion.

12/24/2015

Abomination of Desolation
After Jerusalem was destroyed around the fifth century B.C., a Jewish prophet named Daniel wrote about the hopes of it being rebuilt. His dreams or “vision” included the process of worship and concretion to the God of his understanding, or the God of the Jewish people. This vision concluded with the Temple being destroyed again as the result of what He called “ The abomination that maketh Desolate.”
By the first century of the current era, The temple had been rebuilt in Jerusalem and was in full operation to the Glory of God. A Jewish writer named Matthew wrote of the teaching of a man named Jesus. Toward the end of His ministry, Jesus spoke of the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by the Prophet Daniel, and said that when they saw it, they should “stand in the Holy Place.” The Romans destroyed the Temple completely around 70 A.D.
Around 90 A.D. someone known as “John” wrote what is called “The Revelation”. Again the reference is made to the Abomination of Desolation, Or the Abomination that makes desolate. The Jewish temple has not been rebuilt to this day. So, exactly what is The Abomination? And, what is the desolation spoken of in these scriptures?
A few teachers have said that the abomination of desolation was when a Roman leader offered a pig on the altar in the Temple in Jerusalem, as swine were considered abominable by the Jews.
However, Most scholars hold that the “Abomination” is when church or religious leaders allow their own ambitions or greed to overpower the purpose the religious institution was built for in the first place, which ends up first with very few true worshippers attending services and feeling desolate, then finally, the destruction of the facility.
In the last few months, I have read comments and heard discussions connected with the happenings at a local religious facility, and the organization that manages the property. Some have gone so far as to say that Big Foot is The Abomination of Desolation for this particular establishment. But to say that is like saying that the pig offered on the altar in the Temple in Jerusalem over two thousand years ago was the abomination that brought desolation to Jerusalem, and finally the destruction of the Temple.
Whether the big foot seen on the grounds at Christ’s 40 acres is a for real physical being, a manifestation of a spirit, or an imposter in a gulley suit with an ugly mask, trying to attract tourists, makes very little difference. It was not the “pulled pork” sandwiches or the “Applewood“bacon served in the Temple that brought destruction. It was the greed and ambition of those in authority that was the “Abomination.”