Posted on 08/24/2015 8:30:26 AM PDT by damonw
When someone ask the question WHY ARE THERE SO MANY CHURCHES they usually are not interested in seeking an honest answer to the question. But rather they ask the question to go on to say (1) Christianity is divided. (2) God wants unity in His church not division (3) and their group is the Only True Christian Church. This is the case with the video above and the website WhyAreThereSoManyChurches.com that is produced by the hardline Church of Christ (CoC) organization World Video Bible School. This site seeks to examine that video and it’s exclusive claims and inferences in detail. (Please note: Not all congregations in the CoC denomination believe they are the One True Church. The ones that do are called “hardliners” among the CoC’s who do not say the CoC is the One True Church)
SO WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DENOMINATIONS?
In case you have not viewed the 26 minute video above that we are about to examine, the video starts off with 5 interviews where people ask certain loaded questions about denominations and churches. The narrator, Don Blackwell, then starts off by asking a series of more loaded questions. Those questions follow and we will look at and answer a couple of them first before we look into some of the false claims made in the video.
(Excerpt) Read more at whyaretheresomanychurchesanswered.com ...
Malarky. Where are the seven Churches? They are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamus,Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. (Understand “Church”here as the local Church like a diocese.) Why just Asia Minor? Because that is where Saint John had evangelized prior to Saint Paul. At Smyrna, for example, the Beloved Apostle ordained his disciple Polycarp as the bishop.
Saint John begins his revelation with the words: “John, to the seven churches which are in Asia. Grace be unto you and peace from him that is, and that was, and that is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, who hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Apoc.1:4-5). All were Christian. There was ONLY ONE TYPE OF CHRISTIAN 2,000 years ago. CATHOLIC. All the apostles were Catholic, all the Church fathers were Catholic, all the doctors of the Church were Catholic. Different Christian denominations? Have you ever studied Christian history? From your insane remarks I don’t think so.
Feel free to expound on the cult status of the Church of Christ congregations.
Of curse if you mean by the OED definition you are correct
“A system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object: the cult of St Olaf”
where the person would be that of God though Christ.
I guess you didn’t quite get the point I was making.
There were individual churches, not mentioned as being under the auspices of one central authority.
That would be no different than seven non-denominational churches today.
I was going to wisecrack about the heresies, but seriously, I think we can label ourselves Christian, but that’s like our flattering ourselves.
Who loves so much and is so humble that he does not speak out, instead just loves his neighbor in person and his Lord and wishes only to love with more of himself, not to define himself to others.
Theological points are of true value, but to the Joe Christian that God calls us to be first, true love of neighbor, humble, personable love, is the outside sign...
The Stone-Campbell restorationist groups will not even accept the Irish version of restorationists because the Irish version came about on it’s own without Campbell or Stone.
I do not understand your statement on Stone-Campbell and Irish restorationists.
As a member of a Church of Christ congregations for a very long time. I and the congregations I have been in have always professed that if any one followed the biblical teaching of salvation they were a member of the body of Christ.
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(Excerpt) Read more at
Why are there so many blog pimps?
It is not a blog, it is a site with one static page.
And the video needs to be viewed before reading the critique.
The Irish version of the restorationist movement began many years after the American version, with the same goal in mind.
Their itinerant preachers came to America and began to make converts. Many of their doctrines were the same, but the Campbellites DEMANDED the Irish version convert to CofC and follow “their” teachings, and be rebaptized.
I’ve had CofC people tell me that Christ made the downpayment on our salvation, now it was up to us to EARN the rest.
They love to cart out their formula of “FAITH + WORKS= SALVATION.”
Pin one of them down and ask, “WHAT must I do to be saved?”
Out comes the charts with lots of things YOU MUST DO. None of this “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!” for the CofC.
Salvation must be EARNED, they say.
***if any one followed the biblical teaching of salvation***
Dot the i, cross the t OUR WAY or else. Been there seen that.
“is so humble that he does not speak out”
Acts 18:26 He(Apollos preaching the incomplete “Word”) began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
...they... man & wife took Apollos aside...privately...
BUT They Did Speak Out...to correct an incomplete knowledge of The Gospel...The Good News
https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=Aquila&qs_version=NIV
See also the full chapter:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2018&version=NIV
I do agree with you that we should teach the Gospel...
use the Bible if you have to.( ; )
“Sunday School is wrong. Kitchens in churches are wrong.”
Really? What rationale would they use?
James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.
I am not “earning” anything...my Salvation has already been bought and paid...
I am only obeying the plain text of the Scriptures.
Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?qs_version=NIV&quicksearch=my+mother&begin=47&end=47
Not “our” way, the way of the New Testament.
But you do not seem to wish to converse on the issue so I will do as the Bible instructs Matthew 10:14
I hope you will be more open minded on the idea that actually following the Bible closely.
... oops
To finish my sentence.
is not a error.
***Really? What rationale would they use?***
Not mentioned in scriptures. We had several on FR years ago that we tangled with over this.
We have several CofCs here that hold same doctrines but don’t associate too much with each other.
Church 1 has Sunday School, kitchen and a paid preacher.
Church 2 has voluntary preachers, no kitchen, no Sunday school.
Church 3 has (gasp) a Piano!
Church 4 has ONE CUP communion while the others have small individual cups.
Each believes their beliefs are the only true ones.
A few thoughts:
1) Jesus came to divide, to separate the sheep from the goats. So if we believe in Gods providence, the reason there are so many churches is because.................
2) Once he has the sheep sorted out, then begins the oneness. It is very clear that His sheep hear His voice. So the question to each of us is whose voice do we hear? Don’t be too quick in answering that. Work it out with fear and trembling...........................
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