Posted on 08/17/2007 11:11:00 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
Q:My grandson is marrying a lovely young lady of a different faith. She did not want a wedding in her church because instrumental music was not allowed. She also did not want to get married in our church. She wanted a backyard wedding.
Would you please enlighten us on the beliefs of the Church of Christ?
Elaine, Piedmont
A:Each Church of Christ traces its heritage to the Restoration Movement that swept the new American nation in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Baptists in New England, Methodists along the Middle Atlantic Coast and Presbyterians in the Appalachian Mountains, among others, grew distressed by what they saw as too much highlighting of denominational beliefs and not enough emphasis on what Christ taught and the earliest Christian church practiced.
Led predominantly by transplanted Scotsman Alexander Campbell and Presbyterian clergyman Barton Stone, some worshippers withdrew from their denominations and established individual, self-governing churches that sought to restore Christianity to ancient practices and biblical teachings. They threw out all creeds, such as the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Apostles' Creed, and announced they had only one creed, the Bible.
They saw no reason to name themselves in any way other than as believers in Jesus Christ. Individual congregations, therefore, were called churches of Christ, disciples of Christ or Christian churches. In the beginning, these groups found it important to use lower case rather than capital letters when referring to themselves, to avoid the appearance of denominationalism.
They opposed any organization that was not at the local church level alone. For example, the Restoration Movement believed the New Testament showed that ancient churches engaged in mission work individually and did not form umbrella organizations for that purpose. The movement, therefore, eschewed mission societies in which various churches pooled their efforts for evangelism, charity or any other work.
In 1906 and 1968, divisions occurred in the Restoration Movement, leading to three groups: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the most liberal, which has become a denomination in the traditional sense; Christian Church/Churches of Christ, the centrist group, which retains complete local church autonomy, and the Churches of Christ, the most conservative of the groups and the one about which you asked.
Using the Bible — and giving great weight to the New Testament — each Church of Christ decides for itself what it believes and teaches. Despite this autonomy, there is a surprising degree of similarity among churches in practice and doctrine.
As your future daughter-in-law mentioned, Churches of Christ typically prohibit the use of musical instruments in worship. Members tend to read the Bible literally and to allow in church only those things that the New Testament specifically authorizes. They find direction for singing in Ephesians 5:19, "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord ... .”
While the Old Testament mentions the use of musical instruments, the New Testament does not, so Churches of Christ practice only a cappella singing during services.
Adherents often point out that instrumental music was not used in Christian churches until the 600s, and the term "a cappella,” meaning to sing without instrumental accompaniment, is Italian for "as in the chapel.”
Churches of Christ tend to teach that each person has free will to accept or reject saving grace offered by God. In keeping with this teaching, they believe that predestination is limited to God ordaining that those who are righteous will be saved while those who are not righteous will be damned.
A person accepts God's offer of grace by being baptized, according to most Churches of Christ; therefore, only a person who has reached the age of accountability and can make such a decision may be baptized. Baptism is by immersion because it is believed that John the Baptist submerged Jesus when baptizing him and because the New Testament Greek root of "baptize” means to dip, plunge or immerse.
While some Christian denominations believe "once saved, always saved,” Churches of Christ typically teach that a person may lose or reject the salvation he or she once accepted.
Churches of Christ do not consider themselves as Protestants, nor do they count themselves as Orthodox or Roman Catholic. They do, however, celebrate Holy Communion every week, using grape juice instead of wine.
Churches of Christ interpret literally I Timothy 2:11, which says, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” Therefore, the congregations are led by male elders.
So many errors. So many mistkes.
Where to begin?
From the very first sentence, this article is just wrong, incomplete and biased.
ping.
bump for later read
Incomplete, yes, but doesn’t seem particularly biased to me.
*ping*
http://church-of-christ.org/who.html is what they say about themselves.
I understand the response came from a Methodist minister, but it is too bad he is not familiar with this site http://www.traces-of-the-kingdom.org/
clearing indicates that the church was active prior to “the restoration movement”
Alexander Campbell gathered followers in 1810 after he arrived in America preaching a new way of primitivism apart from any organized religion. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Thomas Campbell who had split from the Presbyterian church and advocated Christian unity based on the New Testament. Alexander reshaped some of his father’s ideas, and in 1832 his followers joined with Barton W. Stone’s and began the Stone-Campbell movement (Eliade, 1987: 34); however, this group stayed together less than a century before splitting. Those associated with Campbell denied Stone’s ideas of premillennialism. (Hughes, 1996: 115) Tension rose in 1849 with the formation of the American Christian Mission Society. (Tyler, 1894: 161) Many Campbellites felt that this was yet another unBiblically structured organization that they needed to flee from and that should not be accepted. Finally in 1906 each was declared its own sect: the churches of Christ under Alexander Campbell’s original ideas and the Christian Churches, or Disciples of Christ, under Stone. (Hughes, 1996: 115) The Churches of Christ were purposefully not capitalized in order to emphasize the fact that they are not a structured group with any kind of head organization. Divisions within the Restoration Movement over many different issues followed this initial split. (Melton, 1996: 477)
This group claims that it is the original and real church right from the Pentecost. I know a bunch of people from the various types of church and they all appear to detest each other - instrumental versus non instrumental etc. It gets really interesting watching the gyrations when you ask them who created the Bible and who kept it going until Gutenberg started up his print shop.
how is it biased? It seems like a quick run-down of the Church of Christ. Any article that brief is necessarily incomplete. Please point out the inaccuracies. The whole reason any of us read these things is to learn.
As a member of the non-institutional “wing” of the church of Christ, I found that to be a suprisingly even handed and fairly accurate article.
There were a few errors.
“Each Church of Christ traces its heritage to the Restoration Movement that swept the new American nation in the late 1700s and early 1800s.”
Actually, as the author pointed out, our heritage goes back to 33AD. The rejection of denominationalism began in the late 1700s.
And many don’t realize this, but there is a church of Christ in Alabama (Rocky Springs, near Bridgeport) that has been meeting since 1807. That was about 4 years before Alexander Campbell came to the US.
The author makes an indictment of denominationalism, although he didn’t realize it.....
“Despite this autonomy, there is a surprising degree of similarity among churches in practice and doctrine.”
Why is that?Read this earlier in his article....
“They threw out all creeds, such as the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Apostles’ Creed, and announced they had only one creed, the Bible.”
We maintain that suprising degree of similarity because we ONLY USE THE BIBLE, rejecting doctrines and creeds of men.
AMEN!
There is only one church that traces its heritage to 33AD. The Catholic Church. Scripture reveals that Church to be the one Jesus Christ built upon the rock of Saint Peter (Matt. 16:18). By giving Peter the keys of authority (Matt. 16:19), Jesus appointed Peter as the chief steward over His earthly kingdom (cf. Isaiah. 22:19-22). Jesus also charged Peter to be the source of strength for the rest of the apostles (Luke 22:32) and the earthly shepherd of Jesus' flock (John 21:15-17). Jesus further gave Peter, and the apostles and elders in union with him, the power to bind and loose in heaven what they bound and loosed on earth. (Matt. 16:19; 18:18). This teaching authority did not die with Peter and the apostles, but was transferred to future bishops through the laying on of hands (e.g., Acts 1:20; 6:6; 13:3; 8:18; 9:17; 1 Tim. 4:14; 5:22; 2 Tim. 1:6).
Thanks for the ping.
I will refrain from turning this thread into a RCC debate by agreeing that the Church established at Pentecost is the only true Church of Christ.
The Roman Catholic Church bears NO RESEMBLANCE to the church we read about in the New Testament.
Also:
many denominations believe that simply by confessing Jesus as the Son of God you are saved.
But the Bible also goes on to say that faith alone, without works is dead, and will not do any good. The following works of the believer in being baptized is not only necessary but a must to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Bible states:
“Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Oak trees don’t look much like acorns, either.
First of all, let's clarify Roman Catholic Church, okay?
Although it is not widely known in our Western world, the Catholic Church is actually a communion of Churches. According to the Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, the Catholic Church is understood to be "a corporate body of Churches," united with the Pope of Rome, who serves as the guardian of unity (LG, no. 23). At present there are 22 Churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The new Code of Canon Law, promulgated by Pope John Paul II, uses the phrase "autonomous ritual Churches" to describe these various Churches (canon 112). Each Church has its own hierarchy, spirituality, and theological perspective. Because of the particularities of history, there is only one Western (i.e. Roman Catholic) Church, while there are 21 Eastern Catholic Churches. The Western Church, known officially as the Latin Church, is the largest of the Catholic Churches. It is immediately subject to the Roman Pontiff as Patriarch of the West. The Eastern Catholic Churches are each led by a Patriarch, Major Archbishop, or Metropolitan, who governs their Church together with a synod of bishops. Through the Congregation for Oriental Churches, the Roman Pontiff works to assure the health and well-being of the Eastern Catholic Churches.While this diversity within the one Catholic Church can appear confusing at first, it in no way compromises the Church's unity. In a certain sense, it is a reflection of the mystery of the Trinity. Just as God is three Persons, yet one God, so the Church is 22 Churches, yet one Church.
So you see, the Roman Catholic Church is one of the 22 churches that make up the One, Holy, Apostolic, Catholic Church.
Now, you say that the Catholic Church bears no resemblance to the church we read about in the New Testament. Can you please qualify that statement? Can you provide a clear depiction of the early church? We can progress from there.
Get around much?
The only thing that’s consistent about the CoC individual churches is their variation. I’ve known four that shattered under their own inner fighting about what is biblical and what isn’t. What it really was about was power. The individual or group pursuit of power.
Basically, the people followed their pastor or else a power group within the church took it over and brought somebody else in. Chaos and turmoil. Or else stasis. I have not yet had the experience of a healthy CoC church.
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