Posts Tagged ‘denominationalism’
Can We All See the Bible Alike?
by Jefferson David Tant Religious division exists on every hand. In every city and village, buildings are erected as monuments to religion. Some say this is good, but the bottom line is that this represents confusion and division. There are multiplied thousands of sects or denominations within what is called “Christianity.” This division is confusing…
Read MoreDo the Churches of Christ Suffer from Amnesia?
by Hugh Fulford In the October 2022 issue of the Christian Chronicle (identified as a subsidiary of Oklahoma Christian University), a book review is set forth under the headline, “New book explores where Churches of Christ fit” (p. 37). The name of the book reviewed is In the Great Stream: Imagining Churches of Christ in…
Read MoreThree Reasons I Don’t Like Denominations
by Wes McAdams Radically Christian Mahatma Gandhi is quoted as saying, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” If you ask me, I’d say, “I love Christ (and I love you), but I do not like your denominations. Your denominations are so unlike Christ.” If…
Read MoreStages of Decline
by Steve Wolfgang The stages of development often seen in religious fellowships, related here by historian David Edwin Harrell, Jr., are well worth contemplating in these times. From truth-oriented to group-oriented. From open controversy to closed controversy. From self-conscious rejection of society to self-conscious acceptance of society. From builders to preservers. [Ed Harrell, “B.C. Goodpasture:…
Read MoreShould we let a denominational group borrow our baptistery?
Question: Hello, Mr. Hamilton, I hope this finds you well. Every morning on my way to work I listen to your sermons. I greatly appreciate the work you have put into your program, as I have learned so much listening to them over the last couple of years. I belong to the church of Christ.…
Read MoreIs it wrong to not consider myself a part of any specific religion?
Question: I wonder all the time if I am wrong to not consider myself to be of any specific religion. I know Jesus is our Lord and I believe in him, but when someone asks what my religion is I do not know what to say because I do not like the war that separates…
Read MoreThe Emergence of Denominational Leadership
Ed Harrell, “B.C. Goodpasture: Leader of Institutional Thought,” in Melvin D. Curry, ed., They Being Dead Yet Speak (FloridaCollege Lectures, 1981), pp. 249-250. (Excerpt from a section entitled “The Emergence of Denominational Leadership”). B. C. Goodpasture fits neatly into a sociological model of second-generation religious leaders. One can pretty well trace the evolution of a…
Read MoreCanceled!
by Jefferson David Tant During our recent Christmas holidays, several churches around the country canceled their Sunday services. Some of the statements made by church spokesmen probably revealed more than they realized, as they not only reflected an attitude towards the mistaken idea concerning the birth of Christ but an attitude towards the religion of…
Read MoreWhat do you do with people who accepted the truth but continue to attend their denominational churches?
Question: What is your advice to the teachers of a group of people who have been taught the word in a group Bible study, have accepted it, gotten baptized, but do not want to attend the Lord’s church? They have wholeheartedly for months have been happy to keep studying the Scriptures and are making positive…
Read MoreWe Are Not a Religious Non-Denomination
by Terry Campbell Sentry Magazine, September 2001 “Denominationalism” denotes a group of people devoted to a specific religious belief system who assemble under the name of a person, or concept, as their focus within a formal organizational environment governed by those of prominence that hold to that belief system. They have creeds and by-laws that…
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