Answering Critics regarding the statement "I am Proud to be INC"

IS IT BAD AND AGAINST THE BIBLE  SAYING “I AM PROUD TO BE IGLESIA NI CRISTO”?

SOMETHING TO BE “proud of” is not a bad thing and not a sin against the Lord. However, for certain Mr. Conley, to be proud you are a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo is a negative thing. For him saying “I am proud to be INC” is not permissible. Let us examine what he says regarding the statement of the members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo saying “I am proud to be INC”:

Mr. Conley immediately concluded that the members of Iglesia Ni Cristo are boasting or being boastful in saying “I am proud to be INC.” This is what he said:

Many members of the organization known as the "Iglesia Ni Cristo" often boast about their church ("proud of the INC") or their membership in the church ("proud to be INC"). Is it permissible to make such boasts? Does the Bible teach us what we should boast about?

Mr. Conley also immediately judged the statement of the members of Church of Christ saying “proud to be Iglesia Ni Cristo” or “proud to be INC” as “boasting.” Thus, for him “to be proud of” is “boasting” or being boastful. He further accused the Iglesia Ni Cristo members as “boasting their work” in saying “I am proud to be INC”:

“When INC members boast about their church membership, they are boasting in what they think is their salvation. They are boasting in their work of joining the Iglesia Ni Cristo. This is entirely contrary to what Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches.”

His being judgmental and prejudicial did not end here. He also interpreted our saying of “I am proud to be INC” as “praising the Church and not God”:

“Why is it that when INC members praise their church, they rarely mention God, but the church alone?”

For Mr. Conley, saying “I am proud to be INC” is praising the Church and not God.” And because he interpreted the statement “I am proud to be INC” as “boasting” he finally concluded the following:

“This common practice in the INC of boasting in the church and boasting in church membership reveals a total lack of understanding that we must rely entirely on the grace of God and not on our own ability or works. Let us be humble and hear what Scripture teaches and boast only in Jesus Christ.”

Thus, for Mr. Conley, he interpreted, understood, judged the statement “I am proud to be INC” as “boasting” and being “boastful,” “praising the Church and not God, “boasting their work” thus going against the Bible, and lacking humility and humbleness.

However, who is he to judged members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo of being “boastful” when they say they are proud to be members of Iglesia Ni Cristo? What is his right to give interpretation and attack the Iglesia Ni Cristo using his own interpretation of our own statement? Should a civil person ask first what the person who made the statement what he meant before he makes any conclusion?

TINC ANSWERS

Mr. Conley immediately judged the statement of many members of Church of Christ “proud to be Iglesia Ni Cristo” or “proud to be INC” as “boasting” or being “boastful.”  Does Mr. Conley did not know that “proud” and “boastful” are two different words? Merriam Webster defines the word “proud” as:

“Proud  adjective \prau̇d\

“VERY HAPPY AND PLEASED because of something you have done, something you own, someone you know or are related to, etc.: feeling pride

“causing someone to feel very happy and pleased: causing a feeling of pride

Although there are other meanings of the word “proud” as given by the dictionary, but who is Mr. Conley to interpret which meaning the members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo referring to when they used the word “proud.” Who is he to judged members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo of being “boastful” when they say they are proud to be members of Iglesia Ni Cristo?

Following Mr. Conley’s interpretation, “being “proud” is being “boastful” thus it is a bad thing and against the Bible, then being “a proud parent” is going against the Bible, being “proud to be Filipino” is a bad thing. Well, what can you say about this Mr. Conley?

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“Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ's return, I WILL BE PROUD that I did not run the race in vain and THAT MY WORK WAS NOT USELESS. BUT I WILL REJOICE even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. AND I WANT ALL OF YOU TO SHARE THAT JOY. Yes, YOU SHOULD REJOICE, AND I WILL SHARE YOUR JOY.” (Phil. 2:16-18, NLT, emphasis mine)

When Apostle Paul said, “I WILL BE PROUD that I did not run out the race in vain and THAT MY WORK WAS NOT USLESS,” is he being “boastful”? Is he against the Bible? Is he against humility or not being humble at all? Is he giving praise of himself and not God?

It was Apostle Paul himself who explained what he meant when he used the word “proud” or saying “I WILL BE PROUD that I did not run out the race in vain and THAT MY WORK WAS NOT USLESS.” He also said in the verse we quoted that: “I WILL REJOICE even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. AND I WANT ALL OF YOU TO SHARE THAT JOY. Yes, YOU SHOULD REJOICE, AND I WILL SHARE YOUR JOY.”

When he said “I WILL BE PROUD that I did not run out the race in vain and THAT MY WORK WAS NOT USLESS,” it doesn’t mean that he is being boastful or he was boasting, nor he is contradicting his own statement saying “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (I Cor. 1:31, II Cor. 10:17, and Gal. 6:14), he is not being humble at all, or giving praise of himself only and not God. He is only “rejoicing” and “sharing his joy.”

Thus, Mr. Conley, don’t be judgmental. Ask first what members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo meant when they say “I am proud to be a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo” or “I am proud to be INC.”

Like Apostle Paul, when he used the word “proud” he meant he is “rejoicing” and “sharing his joy,” thus, when we say “I’m proud to be INC” it only means we are rejoicing, happy and pleased that the Lord God had mercy on us to call us inside His Church, and we are sharing this joy.

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Please take note of this:

When their son arrived after graduating in college, the proud parents welcome their son and shouted “We are proud of you son.” The neighbor remarked, “boastful and arrogant fools.” Who do you think is doing wrong? Who is being unchristian? You might say that the neighbor said such negative remarks because of ENVY.

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CONCLUSION

Thus, Mr. Conley is barking on the wrong tree. He misinterpreted and misunderstood the statements of the members of the Church of Christ in saying “I am proud to be INC” (and even possibly deliberately misinforming). He is only being judgmental and prejudicial. Remember Mr. Conley what the Bible said regarding this:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:1-3 NKJV)