Closest denomination - for non-denominationalists...

[hindsey]

Ok, My question to those of you that go to a non-denominational church. What "denomination" do you think you most closely align with AS FAR AS statements of faith? I understand you don't like putting a name on your church, but you all align with the beliefs of some denomination for the most part. So, I'm curious as to which ones you think you are most closely aligned with (even if you feel you are quite a bit different from them). Thanks!

 

[New_Wineskin]

This far , I have read no statement of faith that would come close to something with which I would agree .

 

[hindsey]

This far , I have read no statement of faith that would come close to something with which I would agree .

I, being a Baptist myself (not a Southern Baptist however), did a google for a baptist statement of faith. The Southern Baptist Convention was the first result. I would ask you, New_Wineskin, to check out their statement of faith at: http://www.sbc.net/bfm/bfm2000.asp and let me know what the first thing that you come across is with which you don't agree.

I really have no agenda in this. I just want to see what people in this paticular forum tend to believe.

 

[Abuna]

is this whole non-denominational church thing just the ICOC?

 

[Llauralin]

*I* want to convert to Eastern Orthodoxy. My church is part of a small denomination, Evangelical Free, which has a statement of faith at http://www.efca.org/about/doctrine/index.html

 

[EdmundBlackadderTheThird]

is this whole non-denominational church thing just the ICOC?

Nope, the ICOC cannot even debate in this forum. The CoC can however as they are not a denomination and do not hold to the same tenets as the ICOC.

 

[Sketcher]

I'd say Evangelical Free or moderate Baptist.

 

[daverain]

Roman Catholic:
---------------

They teach that one -CAN- come to Christ

-ANOTHER- way,

than

their specific 'teachings',

(Example: 'Protestantism'),

and -STILL- be considered a Christian.


Such people are said to be 'under a state of grace',

and are considered to be 'seperated -BRETHEREN-'


(if -ONLY- more 'protestants',

believed the same way...


there would be -GREATER- unity,

and -LESS- 'division'. )






P.i.C.



.

 

[gzt]

Wow, I totally know all about the E-Free church, the whole thing started 10 miles from where I grew up and they were the major Evangelical presence [rightly or wrongly, seen as rivals to our own small Evangelical church with international ambitions] in my hometown.

 

[gzt]

well, not really started, but the Swedish Evangelical Free Church had its formal beginnings there, though the churches already existed, they just made an association in the 19th century and that was that...

 

[Theophorus]

It seems to me that many have jumped onto the evangelical wagon; Baptist being one of them, or at least developing in a similar fashion. I would say that these two doctrines or traditions are the foundation of the non denominational movement, though the restoration movement ( Church of Christ/Christian Church, etc) was the originator of the concept and practice.

 

[Llauralin]

Roman Catholic:
---------------

They teach that one -CAN- come to Christ

-ANOTHER- way,

than

their specific 'teachings',

(Example: 'Protestantism'),

and -STILL- be considered a Christian.


Such people are said to be 'under a state of grace',

and are considered to be 'seperated -BRETHEREN-'


(if -ONLY- more 'protestants',

believed the same way...


there would be -GREATER- unity,

and -LESS- 'division'. )






P.i.C.



.

Cool

Somehow that suprises me, seeing as they also consider it a grave sin to not go to mass, which is generally held in a -church building-.

 

[New_Wineskin]

I, being a Baptist myself (not a Southern Baptist however), did a google for a baptist statement of faith. The Southern Baptist Convention was the first result. I would ask you, New_Wineskin, to check out their statement of faith at: http://www.sbc.net/bfm/bfm2000.asp and let me know what the first thing that you come across is with which you don't agree.

I really have no agenda in this. I just want to see what people in this paticular forum tend to believe.

The first thing ? Ok . Well , I was 90% sure that I would see a certain thing right away and I did . They placed the Scriptures higher than the Lord . The first statement was about the Scriptures and the second about "God" . This is no small thing . It sets up the whole structure for the group ... first - the Scriptures , next - the Lord . And , this is the number one reason why I disagree with many groups because , even *if* they have a statement of faith that has the Lord before the Scriptures , they generally don't go about their doctrines in that manner .

 

[hindsey]

The first thing ? Ok . Well , I was 90% sure that I would see a certain thing right away and I did . They placed the Scriptures higher than the Lord . The first statement was about the Scriptures and the second about "God" . This is no small thing . It sets up the whole structure for the group ... first - the Scriptures , next - the Lord . And , this is the number one reason why I disagree with many groups because , even *if* they have a statement of faith that has the Lord before the Scriptures , they generally don't go about their doctrines in that manner .

You make a great point.

But, New_Wineskin, Scripture is your final authority, right? I mean, because God inspired the Bible, it is God's Word, and to disobey or to disbelieve the Bible is to disobey or disbelieve God. You aren't going to know God without the word of God, right? Or do you disagree with this?

 

[hindsey]

That Evangelical Free sounds an awful lot like a Baptist statement of faith. I read through the one that Llauralin linked, and I agreed with it all (at first glance, no problems).

So, non-denominationalists other than one that claims to be closest to Catholic (that doesn't make sense to me), would you say would gererally align closest to Baptist beliefs?

I'm sure there are many that disagree with that, so I'd ask that you tell me why.

 

[Sketcher]

That really depends because there are a lot of non-denom churches that have roots with the Baptists (as did the Evangelical Frees) but there are also a lot of non-denoms that are closely aligned to Pentecostal and Assembly of God churches.

 

[Paleoconservatarian]

I think I'm most like the Reformed Baptists.

 

[New_Wineskin]

You make a great point.

But, New_Wineskin, Scripture is your final authority, right? I mean, because God inspired the Bible, it is God's Word, and to disobey or to disbelieve the Bible is to disobey or disbelieve God. You aren't going to know God without the word of God, right? Or do you disagree with this?

To answer all of those questions would get away from the OP ( perhaps for another thread ? ) . I will say that *Jesus* is my final authority . I will also say that the creed that this forum considers the essentials for Christians does not include that line of thinking .

I will not place the Scriptures above or equal to the Lord . Nor , would I put them above humans for whom the Lord died and rose . Huge numbers of people have murdered others because they placed their understandings of the Scriptures over human lives .

I suppose I am saying that the creed accepted by all posting in this forum is good enough for me . Those involved in creating and maintaining this forum seem to have tried hard to keep the essentials to a minimum so that we could recognize each other as Christians .

I suppose that , to answer the OP better , I guess that the creed is the closest to a "statement of faith" to which I would agree .

 

[FaithAlone]

The only problem I have with Evangelical Free is that it seems like they believe that Christ died for the Elect and not the whole world. Is that a correct assumption or am I way off? I don't know that much about it.

 

[daverain]

Cool

Somehow that suprises me, seeing as they also consider it a grave sin to not go to mass, which is generally held in a -church building-.

As I have said

(about the Roman Catholic Denomination)...


They teach that one -CAN- come to Christ

-ANOTHER- way,

than

their specific 'teachings',


which means that one doesn't

-NEED-

(according to them)

to go to mass,

in order for one

to be saved.





P.i.C.




.