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Yes, Church of Christ. We consider ourselves to be non-denominational in spite of the fact that much of what we do, we got right out of the denominations playbook. And those things we stole from the denominations, we have been doing them for so long, we think it's somehow doctrine.

No, I'm not "anti." Just a student of history.

For example, the invitation song is almost a sacred, mandatory part of our "collective" worship. But one looks in vain for such anywhere in God's word. We claim to "speak where the Bible speaks; silent where the Bible is silent", so it must be there somewhere. Nope.

In 1830 Charles Finney was a Presbyterian preacher who tired of his congregation sitting idly by while they pondered the altar call. He introduced the practice of the congregation singing a song while they pondered the altar call. It was such a success that subsequently, congregations began standing during that song to make it easier for folks to get down front.

We don't call it an altar call since that's too much like the sectarians. So we changed it to an "invitation." And we got it from the very denominations we denounced for so many years.

Ditto gospel meetings (the sectarians call them "revivals"; again, we don't call them that since it's too much like the sectarians), Sunday school, two worship services on Sunday, vacation Bible school, weekly contribution, contribution as a part of/during the Communion, placing membership, elders, associate ministers, youth ministers, etc.

Not that there's anything wrong with those things, but it irritates me when I hear the brethren refer to such as somehow our Christian "duty."

The Restoration leaders would be aghast.