Posts Tagged ‘institutionalism’
Why do churches seem to pick and choose what they practice?
Question: I am a married woman who has a general question regarding the Stone-Campbell Movement churches, of which I have been a part of (the ‘fiddling’ branch) since the day I was born. I understand that “where the Bible speaks, we speak,” and that is the reason why we celebrate the practice of communion each and…
Read MoreAre you saying that only individuals can do things?
Question: It appears that you are saying that only individuals do things and not the body (church), is this what you mean? Thank you. Answer: It depends on what “things” you are referring to. There are things commanded of the church and there are things commanded of the individual Christian. A few of them overlap, but…
Read MoreIf an institution was not involved, could the church take care of orphans?
Question: I am familiar that the issues over orphan homes as always been the church giving the money to an institutional board so they can provide for the needs of the children. But would it be an issue if the church avoided the giving of funds to a board and the local church buying a…
Read MoreIs it right for a church to raise money for a preacher school or to have leaders instead of elders?
Question: I have a concern over a recent request from a brethren who is a church leader of the congregation where I was baptized years before. He was asking me to help financially support the church planting mission being undertaken by the missionary training academy established by the congregation over the years. The academy has…
Read MoreYour article on the silence of the Scriptures helps me to understand the issues better
Question: Hello sir. I was born and raised in the church. Just read your article on the silence of the Scriptures and really enjoyed it. I have been faced with some of the “dogmatic” congregations for the first time in my life, and it really raised some questions in my mind as to if I was attending…
Read MoreIsn’t the use of “conservative,” “non-institutional,” or “mainstream” to describe churches wrong?
Question: Since the “Church of Christ” is the only authorized name for the church, why do some take pride in calling it the “conservative church” or the “non-institutional church”? I also hear of the “mainstream church.” Is this not liberalism and denominationalism? Answer: First off, “church of Christ” is not the only name found in…
Read MoreThe Organization of the Church
by Earl Kimbrough via Searching the Scriptures, August 1978, Volume 19, Number 8 The Lord designed the church according to his own will and circumscribed it with certain distinguishing marks that are clearly set forth in the Scriptures. No one of these essential features of the church is more important than any other. “All things”…
Read MoreThe Autonomy of the Local Church
by Keith Sharp Introduction Several years ago I spoke by phone to a preacher who works with a large congregation in South Texas. As we conversed he asked if I was “anti-cooperation.” I told him I knew what he was talking about, but that I advocated scriptural cooperation between churches of Christ. He changed the…
Read MoreWhat do you do about helping the downtrodden?
Question: Hi, I noticed something through your home page description and the social gospel question answered that makes me have a question for you: What do you do about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting sick and imprisoned? (Matthew 25:31-46) And what do you do about selling your possessions and giving to the poor (Luke 12:33) and the…
Read MoreIs our college Bible study group operating in a scriptural manner?
Question: I recently was baptized into the church of Christ. I have been attending services at a local church of Christ for over three years, but being raised in a Catholic environment I wanted to learn more before being baptized. Within the past year I joined the Christian Student Center at the college I attend,…
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