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 ...
The “liberal” church had Sunday school and individual cups for the Lord's supper. The “one cuppers” believer that the multiple cups and Sunday school was enough to send the others to hell.
He said that they served a great example as to what the Pharisees must have been like.
All St Paul’s teachings on faith are thrown out by one little verse in James.
Who was JAMES writing to? “TO THE TWELVE TRIBES SCATTERED ABROAD.
James was an apostle to the Circumcision, not the Gentiles.
Gal 2:9
And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Tour Welcome, TY for reading. But of the article is just silly then why do you not want others to read it?
I see your most foundational and basic error of interpretation lies in thinking that James 2 is the go to place in scripture to clarify what salvation is. You and others that oppose salvation by faith alone seem to think James was teaching differently than Paul and the rest of scripture. But he is not. Paul is the apostle to the gentiles and James was a Jew speaking to Jews. They were speaking to two different audiences and emphasizing two different types of Justification. Paul said Abraham was justified by faith and had nothing to boast about before God. He was showing justification before God. Yet James said “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. (James 2:18). He is speaking about justification before men. And both Paul and James agree and said that Abraham believed God and it was counted or credited to him as righteousness. To see the two different kind of justifications see (Rom 4:2) “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God”. If Abraham was justified by works, as James at first glance appears to assert he is, he can glory before men but not before God. Romans 3: 19-20 says “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The law makes all men “guilty before God” and “in his sight”, but we can be seen as just to men by observing and keeping the law and doing good works. This has to be the true understanding of James2:24 because the scripture is clear in so many places that we are saved through faith and not by works. James cannot be speaking in contradiction to the rest of scripture.
Oh, you’re quite mistaken. On the contrary: Let it be read, by all means.
The discussion is well worthwhile. Let everyone compare both the video and the response against the Scriptures, so that those who want to know the truth can do so.
I have lovely relatives that are members of the “anti’s”
...against several things that the “majority CofC” are not against.
Rational:
The Apostle Paul says: 1 Corinthians 11:22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!
The majority of CofC have kitchens and “fellowship halls”
...but an example of “humiliating those who have nothing”..
I have know of some that might not attend a fellowship meal BECAUSE they did not have something to bring that might be “acceptable” in their thinking.
Since CofC is “congregational” the local elders as proscribed by the NT make decisions based on input of the local christians as to the acceptable “freedoms” according to Paul that we have in the New Covenant.
BTW...the New Covenant went into effect...
after the death of Christ...
16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
The New Testament says the OT is for an example to us...
but we need to be careful about pulling items forward...
into the New Testament age.And of course...the early Christians including Paul who wrote more than one half of the NT taught Christ and Him crucified from the OT ...
just as Stephen taught the Etheopian Eunuch ..
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
Phillip did have the knowledge of Jesus from the time he lived... plus he had the OT explaining the coming of Christ...His First...and Second coming ( ; )
“36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37] [c] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.”
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+8&version=NIV
Make sure YOU look up the word “baptize” to know what it meant then not what the King James “translators” were afraid
to write down in 1611.
Make sure YOU know what Jehovah God says...not what men...
say He says.
Same thing with KJV and the word “Easter” that is NOT in God’s Word.
Apollos did not know the complete Word of God...Make Sure... that You like Apollos are willing to Learn what Jehovah God expects of His Children.
2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?qs_version=NIV&quicksearch=not+ashamed&begin=62&end=62
I went to an Irish version of the CofC for 10 years, then 5 years with the Campbellites.
I know your doctrines and such very well, having seen all methods used to “capture” people, and I have disputed with CofC preachers constantly, in the real world and here on FR.
I have gone to a Baptist Church for the last thirty eight years but am not a baptist. They do have sound doctrine.
You want to see something funny? Go a no music CofC and watch what happens when the preacher has the children’s choir sing. First he blows a pitch pipe to get the proper key, and in the audience those old Campbellites swell up with RIGHTIOUS INDIGNATION at music in the church.
Once I heard a Campbellite radio call in program. Some old codger Campbellite called in to the preachers and for about twenty minutes he gave them a piece of his mind ranting and raving against the use of pitch pipes in the church.
***Make sure YOU look up the word “baptize” to know what it meant then not what the King James “translators” were afraid
to write down in 1611.***
***Same thing with KJV and the word “Easter” that is NOT in God’s Word.***
Explained here. FROM THE TRANSLATORS TO THE READER. KJV 1611.
http://www.avbtab.org/av/avPre.htm#s15
• 12 Lastly, we have on the one side avoided the scrupulosity of the Puritans, who leave the old Ecclesiastical words, and betake them to other, as when they put washing for Baptism, and Congregation instead of Church:
• 13 as also on the other side we have shunned the obscurity of the Papists, in their Azimes, Tunike, Rational, Holocausts, Præpuce, Pasche, and a number of such like, whereof their late translation is full, and that of purpose to darken the sense, that since they must needs translate the Bible, yet by the language thereof it may be kept from being understood.
• 14 But we desire that the Scripture may speak like itself, as in the language of Canaan, that it may be understood even of the very vulgar.
I've heard enough. You've not been a member of churches of Christ I've been affiliated with over the years, if you think this.
We'll have to agree to disagree. See you in heaven--maybe ;-)
How historically ignorant can you get.
Even the ancient/Catholic church did not use instruments for centuries. Martin Luther advocated a return to acapella.
But whatever. I realize we C of C are the minority here, and apparently, a despised one. It's not going to get either one of us to heaven, so I'll just drop it.
Look, I don't agree with it, even though I am C of C, but the kitchens issue comes from 1 Corinthians 11 ("Don't you have houses to eat in?"); yes, it's a misinterpretation, but so is transubstantiation (Catholics) and any other issue you can mention.
Absolute nonsense. Show me a mainstream Church of Christ congregation who will go on record for that.
You can't.
So much hate.
You call yourself a Christian?
“This is my definition of religion:”
Okay, but this is how religion is defined (at least according to the KJV):
James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
“I could not be saved being a Baptist or Catholic because it would not be ME worshipping in the best way I understand how to do so.”
So you define religion, and then you define worship according to what suits you. Perhaps you worship yourself?
If you think I’m trying to pick on you, I’m not. But if what you posted sincerely represents your views, then you are very confused about God, man, and salvation.
I was in the Irish version. The CofC would NOT accept me, so I lost my girl friend because I would not “reconvert”.
I was in the Irish version. The CofC would NOT accept me, so I lost my girl friend because I would not “reconvert”.
I saw this in the CofC when the preacher blew on the pitch pipe.
He’s such a troll. He has never debated anyone but his own caricatures.
He is every bit as much a creator of hate and division as those he accuses. The only people who believe his tripe are those who want to hate “them” as much as he does.
The ones I know do. In fact, a family member was nearly disowned when she left the COC and joined a Methodist church years ago. The others did not have anything to do with her for years. Really sad.
Hm. I must list TROLL to the list of things I’ve been called on the internet.
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