What about Presbyterians and Baptists and so forth? I know I can’t trust the Catholic Church anymore.
Your advice could help me narrow down what might be worth checking in our area, I will deal with non-denominational independents on my own based on what’s available.
I’m not promising anything as I have other issues and the family to agree, but I’d like to have an idea of where I could try.
E.g., I did look up a local Presbyterian church that seems to be rock solid ignoring the silly PC stuff. We have many churches around so I’d have a lot to research. Your advice could help that along!
The book ‘Megashift’ got a lot of traction a number of years ago, and it addressed some of what you’re searching for.
I had hoped that the new Methodist division would result in an Orthodox christianity. Alas. It is not to be. The organizing board is comprised entirely of seminary professors who rue the ordination of homosexuals as the single and only issue separating them from the UMC.
There is no sense in which this body of stalwarts recognize the influence of Marxist atheism on the UMC, such as has gained complete control of the UUA.
In point of fact the difference between Unitarians and the liberal UMC is lightly shaded.
Global Methodism as manifested in Africa and South America will not be satisfied with the direction this US breakaway is headed.
The most pure and true Christianity is Orthodox Christianity. Unfortunately, the Church is split also regarding vaccine, masks, etc. Even priests disobeying bishops, bishops disobeying patriarchs, etc.
My priest never wavered from the Truth. We never had masks, we never talked about vaccines, we never changed any practices to accommodate for a clearly fake disease. The Church itself is pro marriage and pro life, and generally anti political, but a lot of specifics comes down to the timber of the individual parish. I have always found better success in Slavic oriented churches, versus Greek or American.
The Faith itself is pure, and if you can find a parish that is solely focused on the Faith, and not politics, then you have found Heaven.
https://www.wesleyan.org/about/our-beliefs
I go to a Wesleyan church. It’s extremely conservative. We love it there. ProLife. Masks & vaccines are not encouraged or required.
If you go to NAPARC.org you will find a large list of Bible believing churches in the US. Find one near you and see how it goes.
Visit SLBC.org. But the One True Church is the one spiritual entity Jesus by the Holy Spirit started on the day of Pentecost. That church has continued since then because the hallmark of that church is that God is ABIDING in the born again spirit of every member (see 1 John 3:9). Jopin THAT CHURCH and you are in eternal life from then on by God’s Promise.
Jesus started the church and was a Jew. The first church was Jewish. The Apostles went to church on Saturday. They observed the Leviticus 23 Feasts days and observed the true Sabbath. All of the Scripture was given to the Jews, all covenants were made with the Jews.
Then came the Roman Catholic church in 325 AD and paganism was introduced to the church. The Babylonian religion that worshiped idols, several gods, and changed Scriptures, times and laws. They forbade worship on Sabbath, changed the Feast days of God to Christmas and Easter, and declared the pope could change what Jesus said. The Bible calls her the "Whore of Babylon". All these denominations that you named Broke Off of the "Mother Church". They are just daughters of the "Whore". The True church would follow the first church that follows the Bible.
IMO, you won't be happy until you get back to what God says to His people, not what some guy that follows what they teach in seminary.
The Bible was written by Jews, for Jews. If you don't understand Jewish laws,culture and customs, you can't read the Bible. Just as an example, If I said I will call you next "Turkey Day", you as an American would know I will call you next Thanksgiving. If a Jew hears Rapture will come on some day "no one knows the day or the hour", they know it will happen on some Feast of Trumpets. If they hear it will happen at the Last Trump, they know that only happens on Feast of Trumpets. Most Christians think Rapture could happen in February or June, or any random day of the year because they don't understand the Feast days of Scripture. Scripture says to "Watch" or He will come as a "thief in the night". Do you know what a thief in the night is to a Jew? He is the High priest checking his watchmen in the middle of the night and the ones he finds asleep, he sets their clothes on fire and they run away naked. We "watch", by repenting, fasting and praying in the month of Elul right before Tisheri.
Along with misunderstanding, there is also key phrases that have been mistranslated in English Bibles. If you aren't following the church started by Jesus in the Bible, you are following Babylon and that won't end well.
Presbyterian Church in America.
Hoss
Your other option is to become an elder or a leader in that church body and push it in the way that it should go.
There come times when you need to shake the dust off your feet, but there are also times when people desperately need leadership and God is the one calling you to do it.
It can’t just be the pastor after all; you are yoked together.
I am LCMS as well. Before you leave, I think you should look for a church that you that fits within the LCMS. There are some doctrinal distinctives that make other denominations a non-starter:
1) Communion - true body and blood
2) Baptism - God active and saving work; adopted as a child of God
3) Christ crucified for your sins - a real emphasis on the cross, we are lost without Christ work on the cross and there is literally nothing we do to save ourselves. Other churches say this, but the practice and actual theology does not add up.
Our LCMS church seems to go on too much about covid/vaxx etc. I have chosen to overlook it in these strange times as the fellowship is great and we are the closest to a faith family I have ever felt. So - look around at LCMS options if you can? I believe that is your best option.
I found that two different LCMS congregations in the same general vicinity were quite different. So now I drive the ten miles instead of the three miles and am much happier with the congregation and pastor of the farther one.
For Presbyterians, OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian) and ARP (Associate Reformed Presbyterian) are generally solid. (I’m not affilated with either). PCA churches must be evaluated on a congregation by congregation basis. Some are solid, some are woke jokes. (There are reasons metropolitan Atlanta is split between 3 PCA prebyteries with some creative line drawing). Baptists are the same mixed bag, although the SBC seems to be moving quickly to the left. (Note, in Texas there are two separate SBC state conventions. BGCT are more liberal, SBT are the more conservative. Complicating matters, some churches affiliate with both.)
Check out the Anglican Church of North America.
Our denomination broke off from the Episcopal Church over liberal garbage.
Anglicanism is known as “the middle way” because we welcome diverse theological perspectives while affirming basic essentials. https://anglicanchurch.net/
There is quite a difference, apparently, among the LCMS churches. People have told me that the denomination has 2 seminaries, and that one is conservative and the other is not. I’ll have to ask, because I can’t remember which one is which.
As for denominations that are true to the Bible, there are still some. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church is one, as is the United Reformed Church. The PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) is having its struggles. Like the LCMS, each individual church can be quite different from another.
There are also some conservative Baptist congregations, but they would require that you submit to a second baptism to be a member. As a Reformed Presbyterian, that is something that I personally am not willing to do.
God bless. Hope you find a good church.
The mainline Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Episcopalian churches are hopeless. You would be better off joining a country club. At least at a country club, nobody would be preaching heresy.
Also, any church that has a female pastor, is not a true church.
Didn’t see The Evangelical Congregational Church mentioned so: https://eccenter.com
You might try the Church of God (Anderson IN). It’s a nondenominational church that grew from the holiness movement at the turn of the 20th century. It has one doctrine, the Bible, and only three rites—baptism, communion, and foot-washing. Otherwise it’s free of the dogmatic rigmarole that plagues other denominations.
Quakers....Amish
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod (Not ELCA)
as per post 156 below.
” You must be born again as a new creature. Gen 48 tells the story. Joseph’s 2 sons were born Gentile to an Egyptian woman. Joseph’s Father was renamed by God to Israel. Jacob loved Joseph’s sons so much he adopted The pagan sons so they would have an equal portion of the promised land inheritance. A pagan has no part of the inheritance unless they are adopted into Spiritual Israel. When you are reborn in the Spirit, you are adopted into the Family of God. There is absolutely nothing in Scripture that promises anything to Gentiles. The Jews are God’s chosen people. We must be adopted into Jacob’s family through the cross. Jacob crossed his hands to bless Ephraim as the first born in Gen 48. You must circumcise your heart to be in God’s family.
Now for the Babylon shtick.......Nimrod built the Tower to get to Heaven without God. God stopped him. The Babylon religion was started then to worship many gods. It doesn’t matter if the god was named Jupiter for the Romans or Zeus for the Greeks, or any one of many gods for the other kingdoms. The RCC changed the Sabbath and added Christmas, which was Tammuz’s birthday and Easter was added for the fertility god Semiramis or Ishtar for Easter. The pope forbid anyone from observing the Feast Days under penalty of death. The RCC hated the Jews. That is called the “Spirit of Antichrist” in Scripture. Nothing Biblical happened on Christmas and Easter. Jesus was born on Tabernacles, died on Passover, was buried on Unleavened Bread, and rose on First Fruits. The church was born on Pentecost with the giving of the Holy Spirit. He will Rapture His church on the Feast of Trumpets and judge them on Atonement and return to rule and reign with His people on Tabernacles. Christmas and Easter are pagan days introduced by the RCC.
As for what Paul said, read Romans 8-9-10 for his teaching on Jews and Gentiles in God’s eyes. He explains life in the Spirit. We have become heirs with Christ with future glory promised.
Rom 9:6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel,
Rom 9:7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.”
Rom 9:8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.
“the children of the promise are counted as the seed” tells us we are adopted in by the Holy Spirit. The “promise” is always the Holy Spirit.
Salvation is from the Jews. Jesus came to us as a Jew. All covenants were to the Jews. The oracles of God were given to the Jews. If you aren’t adopted into Israel, you have no part in any inheritance. Anything else is called Babylon in the Bible. The RCC is the Whore of Babylon because she worships idols and other gods. She is dressed in red and purple. She lives on 7 hills and is responsible for killing more saints that all other religions combined. Tear down your statues and stop worshiping Mary and Peter, Paul, and others. Jesus is the only Mediator between God and man, so Mary cannot grant any prayers or hear any prayers. Forgiveness only comes from God. There are no popes in Scripture, no cardinals, no nuns. Scripture tells us forbidding to marry is “doctrines of demons”.
Stop looking for denominations to give you the truth. The Truth is a person. Read you Bible.
156 posted on 1/31/2022, 12:10:30 AM by chuckles “
* * * * * * * * * *
Possibly the blog here could help:
While it addresses the ELCA, your concerns re Missouri Synod are solid. Many formerly ELCA congregations have left and joined other Synods.
Know something of your dilemma.
Also consider this letter while searching:
http://lutherquest.org/walther/articles/jmc00042.htm
“Death of the ELCA:
Is Missouri Next?
by Rev. Jack Cascione
” . . .The correct preaching of the Gospel in the LCMS is seriously challenged in the Missouri Synod by the doctrinal collapse of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). “ . . .