[paladinan]

[paladinan]
Ah. So, when Jesus tells us to take unrepentant sinners "to the Church", He's saying to take them to an undetectable, invisible "collective"

[CynicalBear]
Evidently you didn't read on to see that those local assemblies which meet together are quite visible.

Ah. And each and every local Church has the authority to speak on behalf of all the others, then? So if the Church in Ephesus rebukes someone for lukewarmness, and if the Church in Laodicea rebukes the Church at Ephesus for their rebuke of that man, both of them would be "the voice of the Church" (despite a flat contradiction)? Anyone who thinks that the Church of Christ can teach contradictory things (with no way to find the real truth) is thinking of an imaginary "church". That's one main reason why Protestantism is so awry: thousands of contradictory voices teaching their contradictory "sola Scriptura teachings", all claiming to be "following the one Bible, members of the One Church", etc. Balderdash.

[paladinan]
Explain to me, in small words, how this is saying something different than FatherofFive was saying?

[CynicalBear]
No hierarchy starting with a pope. Small enough for you?

:) Yes, thanks. Now... could you please tell me why "hierarchy starting with a pope" is somehow "bad" or "unbiblical" or "not suited for the Church of Christ"... aside, perhaps from the fact that "CynicalBear objects to it"?

[CynicalBear]

>>Ah. And each and every local Church has the authority to speak on behalf of all the others, then?<<

Where did you get that?

>>could you please tell me why "hierarchy starting with a pope" is somehow "bad" or "unbiblical" or "not suited for the Church of Christ"<<

He is the leader of those who teach another gospel from what the apostles taught. Those that purport to lord over the people are called nicolaitans and God hates that. Besides, the closest anywhere that indicates shepherds over the flock are found in Acts 20 where Paul is talking to the elders of Ephesus, NOT Rome. And it's Paul NOT Peter.