by Matthew W. Bassford<\/p>\n
The posts appear pretty regularly on my Facebook feed. Some poor soul, simmering with hurt and anger, explains why they left the churches of Christ. The explanations are generally long and filled with accusations of bad behavior by brethren. I get it. Like many preachers, I have suffered at the hands of other Christians too. Far be it from me to insist that disciples can’t be jerks!<\/p>\n
However, I have never considered leaving my religious tradition behind. I will allow others to explain why they left. I want to discuss why I didn’t.<\/p>\n
Mostly, I didn’t leave because I agree with the core convictions of the churches of Christ about the Bible. These are twofold. First, we believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. Second (and this one, though much less discussed, is equally important), we believe that ordinary people can read and understand the Bible for themselves.<\/p>\n
I find this idea compelling and beautiful. The Bible isn’t some mystical, incomprehensible tome. You don’t need a doctorate in divinity to comprehend it. Instead, anyone of ordinary intelligence can sit down with a Bible, figure out what a text means, and figure out what they ought to do about it. This is especially true of groups of ordinary Christians studying the Bible together. Collectively, a village of believers possesses great wisdom!<\/p>\n
Admittedly, Bible study is a skill, but all of the churches with which I have been associated have been good at teaching it. Furthermore, these congregations have been willing and able to put their skills to use in learning more about the text.<\/p>\n
As a preacher and writer, my blessing and my curse is my unique perspective. I don’t spend a lot of time keeping up with the full latest in brotherhood thinking. Rarely do I read books about the Bible. Instead, I read the Bible, meditate on and pray about what I have read, and speak and write accordingly. Frequently, I have found that my conclusions do not align with those of most brethren.<\/p>\n
I have also found, though, that Christians are almost always willing to give me a hearing. This is not necessarily true online, but it is true in person. If I say something they haven’t heard before, they’ll press me on it. They’ll want me to show them the Scriptures. They’ll ask me to explain my reasoning so they can test it. However, unless they are emotionally committed to an alternate explanation already, once I have done those things, they are willing to be persuaded.<\/p>\nThis is vital. Without such willingness, the work of the Holy Spirit in revitalizing disciples and churches is impossible. Under a religious veneer, people will do what is right in their own eyes.
\nWith it, the work of God can continue. People can become better disciples. Churches can adhere more closely to the example of the first-century church. All of us can grow up into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.\n
Thus, I’m still here. I’m not here because Christians and churches are perfect or ever will be. The devil certainly has not given up yet! Instead, I continue to labor among my brethren because I believe that they are uniquely open to the one thing that can help them become better.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Matthew W. Bassford The posts appear pretty regularly on my Facebook feed. Some poor soul, simmering with hurt and anger, explains why they left the churches of Christ. The explanations are generally long and filled with accusations of bad behavior by brethren. I get it. Like many preachers, I have suffered at the hands…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[913,448],"class_list":["post-61953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-bible-study","tag-church"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":69186,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-i-didnt-leave-the-church-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":61953,"position":0},"title":"Why I Didn\u2019t Leave the Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Matthew W. Bassford The posts appear pretty regularly on my Facebook feed. Some poor soul, simmering with hurt and anger, explains why they left the churches of Christ. The explanations are generally long and filled with accusations of bad behavior by brethren. I get it. Like many preachers, I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":92017,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-are-you-a-member-of-the-church-of-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":61953,"position":1},"title":"Why Are You a Member of the Church of Christ?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Vance E. Trefethen via\u00a0Sentry Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 3, September 1992 A full-page ad for the book \"Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ\" recently caught my eye, with its bold headline: \"Now Is the Time to Act.\" Much of the message carried in this conservative\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61080,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-i-left-the-baptist-church-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":61953,"position":2},"title":"Why I Left the Baptist Church (Stevens)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 29, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by Grover Stevens No Animosity For Baptists I would like to say in the beginning that I have no animosity whatsoever against Baptists. 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Walker Not too long ago when I was taking a walk in the large park which is across the street from our house and had sat down for a moment to rest on one of the benches, I was approached by two nice-looking, clean-cut young men in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":91335,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-do-some-churches-of-christ-not-believe-in-the-holy-spirit\/","url_meta":{"origin":61953,"position":4},"title":"Why do some churches of Christ not believe in the Holy Spirit?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Howdy! I am reaching out to inquire why some of the churches of Christ do not believe in the Holy Spirit. They think it's just the Bible and that He is not actually with Christians! Seems like a false teaching. 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