Let us continue
- The sermon - being an explanation of the meaning of the text of scripture or a lesson on morals or doctrine for the instruction of the congregation - is the central act of worship in the gathering of the Lord's people on the Lord's day.
- The pulpit ought to be the focus of a church building's architecture and the table for use on communion ought to be to the side or located in a different part of the church because there is no altar in the church and no sacrifice is made in a church service.
- Sola Scriptura - In English "Scripture alone" is the theory (unsupported by sacred scripture) that "all things necessary for God's glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: to which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or apostolic tradition".
- Prima Scriptura - A doctrine teaching that besides canonical scripture, there are other guides for what a believer should believe, and how he or she should live; the ways of knowing or understanding God and his will, that do not originate from canonized scripture, are in a second place, perhaps helpful in interpreting that scripture, but testable by the canon and correctable by it, if they seem to contradict the scriptures.[Editorial note: in many ways Prima Scriptura is an improvement over sola scriptura, it does, however, suffer from the core disadvantage of sola scriptura in that it is neither a teaching of scripture itself nor does it adequately deal with Apostolic Tradition and Magisterial authority.]
- Personal & Private interpretation of scripture
- Faith alone - In Latin "sola fide" is the theory (unsupported by scripture fact) that salvation is obtained by faith alone.
[*]The One True Church is made up of all true believers scattered throughout all denominations.
[*]The One True Church is not a visible institution.- Denominationalism
- A bible with only 66 books.
- Saint Paul's letters are not inspired.
- Lone ranger Christianity - the belief that one need not be associated with any church or group. While this is not a denominational belief it is sufficiently widespread to make a kind of theology of its own.
- Man, by his fall into a state of sin, has wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation: so as, a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto. [This is rather similar to Total Depravity (see below) it may be double counting let me know if you think that it is.]
- Total depravity - one of the five points of Calvinism (All human beings are affected by sin in every area of thought and conduct so that nothing that comes out of anyone apart from the regenerating grace of God can please God. As far as our relationships to God are concerned, we are all so ruined by sin that no one can properly understand either God or God's ways. Nor do we seek God, unless He is first at work within us to lead us to do so).
- Unconditional election - second point of Calvinism (If sinners are as helpless in their depravity as the Bible says they are, unable to know and unwilling to seek God, then the only way they could possibly be saved is for God to take the initiative to change and save them. This is what election means. It is God choosing to save those who, apart from His sovereign choice and subsequent action, certainly would perish.).
- Limited atonement - third point of Calvinism (Reformed theology stresses that Jesus actually atoned for the sins of those the Father had chosen. He actually propitiated the wrath of God toward His people by taking their judgment upon Himself, actually redeemed them, and actually reconciled those specific persons to God. A better name for "limited" atonement would be "particular" or "specific" redemption.).
- Irresistible grace - fourth point of Calvinism (When God works in our hearts, regenerating us and creating a renewed will within, then what was undesirable before becomes highly desirable, and we run to Jesus just as previously we ran away from Him. Fallen sinners do resist God's grace, but His regenerating grace is effectual. It overcomes sin and accomplishes God's purpose).
- Perseverance of the saints - the fifth point of Calvinism (You cannot lose your salvation. Because the Father has elected, the Son has redeemed, and the Holy Spirit has applied salvation, those thus saved are eternally secure. They are eternally secure in Christ. Some of the verses for this position are John 10:27-28 where Jesus said His sheep will never perish; John 6:47 where salvation is described as everlasting life; Romans 8:1 where it is said we have passed out of judgment; 1 Corinthians 10:13 where God promises to never let us be tempted beyond what we can handle; and Phil. 1:6 where God is the one being faithful to perfect us until the day of Jesus’ return.) [This belief is similar to OSAS but not quite the same.]
- Double predestination.
- Lapsarian views:
- Supralapsaranism
- Infralapsarianism
- Sublapsarianism.
- Penal substitutionary atonement - A widespread Reformed conception of the Atonement is that in Christ’s Passion and death, God the Father poured out all of His wrath for the sins of the elect, on Christ the Son. In Christ’s Passion and death, Christ bore the punishment of the Father’s wrath that the elect deserved for their sins.
- Prosperity gospel
- Ordinances (instead of sacraments?)
- Baby dedication (not baptism) in a worship-service. [This is a common practise in many groups but rarely has a formal doctrine accompanying it as an explanation of why it is done.]
- Believer's baptism as a public testimony to one's faith but not as the washing away of one's sins nor as the means by which God brings about the birth from above.
- Covenant baptism as a sign and symbol of inclusion into the new covenant community but not as the means by which God gives sanctifying grace.
- The Lord's supper as sign and symbol but not as the body and blood of the Lord.
- Two greater and five lesser Sacraments
- Dispensing with baptism and the Lord's supper altogether. [A few groups have dropped all sacraments.]
- The rapture
- The Rapture divided into three different flavours:
- A pre tribulation rapture.
- A mid tribulation rapture.
- A post tribulation rapture.
- A seven year reign of anti-christ with three and a half years of Israelite temple worship.
- Dispensations through which scripture must be rightly divided.
- The sermon on the mount as "old testament teaching" that's not applicable under the new covenant.
- Once saved always saved.
- Once saved always saved even when one denies the faith some time after being saved.
- Rededications even though once saved always saved.
- Congregations electing their ministers.
- Seeker sensitive churches.
- Accountability partners.
- Altar calls.
- Church discipline effectively nullified because of the difficulty of enforcement in a multi-denominational community. [You can't excommunicate a protestant - seems to be an observation about the effective impossibility of excommunicating or otherwise disciplining a person in one denomination if they can hop over to some other denomination and fellowship there as if nothing had happened.]
- Alcohol is wicked, "a devil's brew".
- Christians shall have no shellfish, crustaceans, pork, or any 'unclean meat' because they are forbidden in the Law of Moses.
- It isn't baptism unless one is submerged.
- Only people old enough to say the sinner's prayer can be baptised.
- One is born again by saying & believing the sinner's prayer (or a near equivalent).
- The papacy is the antichrist.
- A specific pope will be the antichrist.
- Trail of blood - also known as Baptist successionism. It is the theory (unsupported by fact) that Jesus Christ is the founder of the Baptist denomination (Which in fact started around 1605 AD in England).
- The Jesuit oath - An absurd fake oath that among other things says "make and wage relentless war, secretly and openly, against all heretics, Protestants and Masons".
- Michael the Archangel and Jesus being the same person.
- Blessed assurance - possibly a variant on the perseverance of the saints, like once saved always saved.
- Oneness (denying the Trinity) - some might think this is a non-christian sect's doctrine while others are inclined to believe that Oneness Pentecostalism is within the confines of Christianity.
- Heaven being in the Orion nebula.
- Death is an unconscious, sleep-like state. When Jesus Christ comes again, He will resurrect the dead who believe in Him and will take them to heaven. The dead who are unbelievers will be resurrected 1000 years later.
- For a period of a thousand years the earth will be utterly desolate and only Satan and his angels will be on earth. At the end of the thousand years the the Holy City in heaven will descend to earth. The unrighteous dead will be resurrected and with Satan and his angels, they will surround the Holy City to attack God and His people. God will destroy Satan and his followers, hence removing sin forever.
- Equivocating "worship" and "worship service" - meaning that worship in a small group consisting of two or more is the same as the 'worship service' one would normally experience on a Sunday in a church [building]. [Not a formal doctrine but a widely held view of Christian worship among some of those in denominations and also some in non-denominational and other groups.]
Another day, another continuation thread
Originally Posted by Rev Randy
"You apparently also can't tell the difference between our country and the Western Hemisphere."
Err, North, Central and South American kinda is the Western Hemisphere. I'm not thinking America was an invention. Maybe a discovery for Europeans.
All of y'all are in the East from where I am at......Darn, drats, and fooey! Those asiatics beat us european types to it ... by ... about 20 or 30 thousand years!
Geee! we just can't win at anything
By the way, sometimes I am tempted to put "America as synonym for United States of America" as an error/invention of USAmerican Protestantism
Of course we don't "make" a sacrifice; Jesus did that and what we do is stand at the foot of that altar, the cross, and receive grace and forgiveness from God while he cleanses us in the blood of the lamb who takes away the sins of the world.
Let God be praised in all things.
The Lord is merciful and full of compassion.
Wrong.
The above quote is an affectation. Posts in GT are read and one is not startled when writing a response after having read the one to which one replies.
