Posted by ExTF on April 23, 2006 at 12:56:27
This: Check, Check in the spirit used as in "I had a check in the spirit that I didn't heed" - explanation needed
I saw this as well as other terms in your glossary that needed explanation. Check in the spirit in particular pertains to whether a member is obedient or not obedient. Let's say you hear a member say, "I feel a check in the spirit about your doing this or that." that means that you had better not do it. If a member said the phrase you list it means that they are admitting to doing something outside of the rules of TF and are seeking forgiveness. If someone says it in a questioning manner they aren't sure if it is outside of the rules and want an elder to give them an answer whether it is acceptable to do or say something or not. A Check in the spirit, a way to say that nothing is by personal choice alone but that the holy spirit is the one who tells the members everything they do, if they go against that check in the spirit they have gone against the holy spirit. It's hard to explain in short terms really because like a lot of the stuff it is complicated and some phrases are by area only, meaning that there may be a variable between location and its members depending on where they are. I've given you the south eastern portion of the US version. In the Spirit or Out of the Spirit are kind of related. If a leader or trusted is "In the Spirit" and says something members are to heed their words as those coming from god. Out of the Spirit means that they are backsliding, out of order, not worth listing to, exmembers who tell like I am telling. Basically it means that anything you say or do is not god endorsed. Its a convenient way to either make it look like god is endorsing your deeds and words or not endorsing them. Members learn to use this as a means of separating the wolves and sheep, like, if I had heard someone say that so and so was Out of the spirit, I'd know that they were not aligning themselves to the family ways and rules.
One more thing you do not have in your Glossary is an older term likely used in the South eastern US groups. "In The Way" or "Not in The Way", meaning they are or are not part of The Family and observing its rules and laws. I've seen several terms in your glossary that have to do with obedience or lack of obedience.
Tithe's has to do with members giving 10 or more percentage of their earned income to TF. Most often there is a push for more than 10 percent. A TSer is someone who not only gives 10 but is a prominant figure who is recognized frequently as giving to the organization, they are the ones that TF would want because it's profitable. One dead giveaway is that they will always use the promotion technique by telling members, "You can't outgive God." It is a manipulative way to get money from people even if they are dirt poor.
BTW, Children's Church has become a source of indoctrination by separating the children from parents during services for the purpose of making the kids more vulnerable and dependant on leaders words and such. CC or YC or TC. Children, Youth, Teen Church is the quickest most effective way to indoctrinate and control not only offspring but parents, since the children learn to report their parents actions back to the leaders during sharing or prayer request times.