A good friend
of mine shared an e-mail from his mother with me concerning my article on “Jesus
and The Written Word.” I recommend that you read the article before
continuing with this section. I am personal friends with both this man and his
mother and hold them in high regard.
Here is the
e-mail:
"I am really puzzled by
Larry's reliance on one person's 'survey' to make such a blanket statement
as if the survey was, itself, the word of God! Who in the world is Jeffrey
Hadden? How did he survey '10,000 American clergy? Phone? Mail? I don't mean
to be 'sour grapes', but even the so-called 'no' answers seem preposterous.
Every Lutheran pastor I have known well (9 of them) relied on the Bible for
all of their teachings!"
Here is my response:
The survey by Jeffery Hadden is neither surprising nor
alone in terms of other carefully conducted, scientific polls. Many previous
polls have shown these same results with the trend towards the rejection of
scripture on the increase. No long standing religious group is immune from
these departures.
There is no more conservative, long standing group
that historically has affirmed the inerrancy of the Bible than the Southern
Baptist among the mainline denominations. I was raised in a Southern Baptist
church and later attended a conservative Southern Baptist college, Samford
University, in Birmingham, Alabama. My freshman Old Testament teacher did
his doctorial thesis on Second Isaiah. He did not believe that Isaiah
wrote the book of Isaiah nor did he believe that Daniel wrote the book of
Daniel. He told the class that the writer of Matthew in the New Testament
misquoted Isaiah on the virgin birth of Christ and he boldly proclaimed
there was no such prophecy. These views are very common among professors
in all well established seminaries among the mainline churches.
(click
here for the entire article...)
Question on Undenominational Christianity
Are you truly not a denomination or
are you affiliated with Church of Christ or Disciples of Christ? We are
looking for Biblical preaching and traditional worship. There are a lot of
us in Charlottesville.
Thanks for you e-mail and associated questions.
I truly wish to be nothing but the church of Jesus Christ by following
wherever His word leads. I want to follow the desire of my Lord when He
prayed in the very shadow of the cross:
John 17:20-21 (NKJV) – “I do not pray for
these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their
word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You;
that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent
Me.”
This quest for undenominational Christianity is
not commonly sought by men today and amongst many who once sought it this
quest has eluded them. You have rightly observed that the stand I am taking
has similarities to the Restoration Movement and the associated Disciples of
Christ/ Churches of Christ movements. As with every movement involving men,
as time passes so does the men in them (death and a new generation) and
along with this the doctrinal beliefs change as well. I do not and will not
be identified with these past efforts of men even though similarities exist.
Local churches are like men, if you wish to find out what they believe both
observe them and also ask them about their beliefs and practices.
There are other independent churches that take a
stand similar to mine. Most of them have used the biblical designation
“church of Christ’ however each of these are independent churches. They
would in no way be considered as “mainstream.”
The heart of seeking this undenominational stand
involves our hearts. We must be open to study and always give our loyalty to
whatever His word teaches. Along with this attitude we must be willing to
have our beliefs challenged and tested by others who would appeal to His
word. When loyalty to the Lord is replaced with a loyalty to a human
movement then those who have questions or objections from God’s word are
ignored and
isolated and in some cases cast out.
Jesus pointed out the different attitudes this
way:
John 3:19-21 – And this is the condemnation,
that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the
light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But
he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly
seen, that they have been done in God.”
On the question of “traditional worship,” I
believe that the Bible teaches that worship must be God centered and not man
centered. What I mean by that is that our focus must be on God and not the
carnal appeal to the flesh in the form of entertainment and performance.
Jesus said:
John 4:23-24 – “But the hour is coming, and
now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and
those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
I am attaching an
extensive outline that I have
presented on this subject Please let me know of any questions or
observations you may have.
Thank you for your questions. I would appreciate
hearing from you again.
Please read and listen to the sermon called:
"Undenominational
Christianity"
Outline
PowerPoint
Audio
Also consider the article
Catechismal
Christianity.
