To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (52207 ) 7/4/2011 5:57:36 PM From: Gersh Avery 1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 103300 In the Book of Acts, a mob is called a church. Just a mob functioning with a unified objective. Ekklesia is translated "assembly" three times and church 112 times. An example of ekklesia translated as assembly instead of church: Acts 19: 32 39 and 41. All three locations where the word is translated assembly instead of church. 32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it." 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly. So if the Bible uses 'church' and 'assembly' interchangeably, I don't feel bad using the same thoughts. There were two different kinds of churches listed in the passage above. One was for the angry mob. The other was for a gathering of people for a legal proceeding. It's basically those called out for a united purpose.