The misconception is widespread that the various Christian denominations and fellowships have little in common, or that they constitute different "faiths." From a biblical standpoint, there is but one Christian faith, which exists throughout the church universal, although its specific external expressions vary with time and place as well as with denomination. There is not a Presbyterian faith or a Baptist faith or a Church of Christ faith. There is one great house of God, though many rooms; one family whose members all know God as Father; one fellowship of the Spirit whose participants all … [Read more...]
EVANGELICALS
A Church of Christ sister in New Mexico writes: "The terms 'fundamentalist Christian' and 'evangelical Christian' confuse me. What is generally meant by these terms and what is the difference between them?" * * * By the mid-20th century, fundamentalism in the U.S. had largely lost its voice, and when it spoke, few people outside its own family listened. Meanwhile, American Protestant Christianity clearly needed an infusion of gospel clarity, conviction and commitment to communicate the faith to others. If these goals were to be reached, reasoned a number of prayerful academicians and … [Read more...]
FUNDAMENTALISTS
A Church of Christ sister in New Mexico writes: "The terms 'fundamentalist Christian' and 'evangelical Christian' confuse me. What is generally meant by these terms and what is the difference between them?" * * * The terms "fundamentalism" and "fundamentalist" became popular in 1909 with the publication of a 12-volume set of books called "The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth." These books were written by leading theologians and biblical scholars from across Protestantism, most having earned doctorates in their disciplines, who set forth orthodox Christian teaching concerning Christ's … [Read more...]
CHARISMATIC?
A friendly but curious subscriber asks, "In view of your book's title (The Sound of His Voice: Discovering the Secrets of God's Guidance) and some recent gracEmails, I wonder whether you have become one of those charismatics." * * * If one defines a "charismatic" Christian as a person who thinks we hold the controls to manipulate God according to our own will, or that every Christian must possess some particular spiritual gift, or that believers who exercise certain grace-gifts are spiritually superior to believers who receive different gifts, then I wholeheartedly reject the label, and … [Read more...]
BINDING AND LOOSING
A gracEmail subscriber in Maine writes, "We had considerable discussion in my Sunday School class on the text which says, 'whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.' What do we 'bind' or 'loose?' Isn't this passage used to establish the Roman Catholic priesthood and papal system?" * * * Jesus first gives power to "bind" and "loose" to Peter (Matt. 16:19) and later to the believing community (Matt. 18:18). In the first passage, he also gives Peter "the keys of the kingdom of heaven," a figure not mentioned in the second text. … [Read more...]
EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN CATHOLICS?
A concerned parent writes, "My child is about to marry a very sweet person who is Roman Catholic. I have always regarded Catholics as 'outside the pale,' so to speak. Is my child's future spouse possibly an evangelical Christian also?" * * * Catholics, like Protestants and Orthodox Christians, are individual people. In some parts of the world, many of them believe and practice a lot of nonbiblical superstitions -- some of which stand quite opposed to the gospel of justification by grace through trust in Jesus Christ. Many other Catholics, particularly in the USA and Western Europe, do not. … [Read more...]
BIBLE CHURCH STIRS THOUGHT
We went to Austin this weekend [Nov. 1999] to visit son Jeremy and daughter-in-law Kristy, and on Sunday morning we accompanied them to Hill Country Bible Church (HCBC) which they regularly attend. This congregation began in 1985 with 17 people, and now sees its $6 million worship center fill twice each Sunday morning with what appeared to be 700-1200 worshipers at the service we attended. A bulletin note indicated that offerings run $50,000 per week. I dug out these statistics after the fact -- nobody mentioned them during the service. The worship in song was both celebrative and … [Read more...]
BAPTIST IMPROVEMENTS (2)
A Baptist pastor and gracEmail subscriber asks: "What practices and doctrines do you see in Baptist life and teaching that are not matching up to the Word of God?" * * * Baptists (like many other Christians today) generally lack an appreciation of the ongoing, present-day power and will of God to perform miracles and to bestow so-called "miraculous" spiritual gifts, as well as the realities of spiritual warfare in which Christians are all involved (1 Cor. 1:4-7; 12:4-11; Eph. 6:12). The one-man pastor system, common among Baptists, is a poor substitute for the leadership of multiple pastors … [Read more...]
BAPTIST IMPROVEMENTS (1)
A Baptist pastor and gracEmail subscriber asks: "What practices and doctrines do you see in Baptist life and teaching that are not matching up to the Word of God?" * * * I comment only because invited, since the Baptist household is not my regular home. I also speak in terms of Southern Baptists, since they comprise most of the diverse Baptist population in the United States. In keeping with Baptist emphasis on Bible authority, individual conscience and (limited) congregational autonomy, I see room for biblically-based improvement in the following areas. Baptists need to make clearer the … [Read more...]
JOINING THE BAPTISTS
A troubled reader writes: "I was a member of a particular Church of Christ for 13 years, where I came to know the Lord. However, the hostility toward anyone who didn't agree with everything the preacher said was overwhelming. Through much prayer and hurt, I left and eventually began to attend a Baptist church. My former preacher told me that Baptists are not part of the Lord's church, and that I have no chance of going to heaven. I still partake of the Lord's Supper at home weekly. Am I sinning against the Lord by attending a Baptist church?" * * * Knowing that I will have to answer to God … [Read more...]