Denominations

[rgpeach10]

Hi there. I recently left a very conservative Baptist Church which has actually told me I can not teach because I maintain a belief in theistic evolution. The thing is, I actually side with Baptists most of the time, the problem is I have become more liberal over the years and honestly I'm tired of being called unchristian or "adapting to my society." I'm looking for a church that actually allows for intellectual discussion, which I have a hard time finding. I'm not sure what denomination or what type of church to look for by that effect, but I have a great deal of bible knowledge and a willingness to teach, I just need a church whos willing to let me. I also believe in Conditional Immortality. Any advice on where to find a church would be helpful!

 

[Papias]

Many, many churches would welcome you. Most mainline Protestant (Episcopal, ELCA Lutheran, PCUSA Presbyterian and UMC Methodist are all the biggest of their type), plus the Catholic church are fine with Theistic Evolution, among others. In fact, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal church is a former biological scientist, who has published papers in scientific journals.

Papias

 

[lesliedellow]

The Anglican (Episcopal) Church encompasses a very broad range of views, from the very conservative to the very liberal, and from very evangelical to very anglo-catholic.

Somewhere among their number you might be able to find a congregation which was conservative enough for you, without being too conservative.

 

[KTskater]

I don't think there is any one denomination that will suit your needs. You may just need to pray to come a across a good body of believers. I attended an apostolic Pentecostal church for the first three years of college. The pastor was a forensic chemist, and was actually the person who convinced me to study forensic science. He and I would often sit around and discuss biology, evolution and science in general, as well as theology. A Pentecostal church is the last place you'd typically look for that sort of thing.
College towns usually have churches with congregations that are more mindful of the intellectual needs of believers. I would just start visiting churches, talking with pastors and figuring out where they stand on issues. It's been my experience that campus ministries often have ties with more intellectually based churches, as well. Just be sure not to sacrifice biblical teaching and an active body for intellectual discussion!

 

[InHisTime77]

I might look for a good non-denomiational church. In many regions, the majority of non-denomiational churches are essentially Baptist churches with a more "liberal" spin. They also tend to be more open to change after conviction from the scriptures.

 

[abysmul]

Hi there. I recently left a very conservative Baptist Church which has actually told me I can not teach because I maintain a belief in theistic evolution. The thing is, I actually side with Baptists most of the time, the problem is I have become more liberal over the years and honestly I'm tired of being called unchristian or "adapting to my society." I'm looking for a church that actually allows for intellectual discussion, which I have a hard time finding. I'm not sure what denomination or what type of church to look for by that effect, but I have a great deal of bible knowledge and a willingness to teach, I just need a church whos willing to let me. I also believe in Conditional Immortality. Any advice on where to find a church would be helpful!

I think you might find more congregations out there that would not resent your views (even embrace them) than you think.

I wish you luck! I'd say maybe start looking up web pages of churches in your area and see if they have anything on their web page that would indicate their positions on these issues, or even just a phone number of an elder/minister to call and talk to.

 

[Doctor Strangelove]

A lot depends on how liberal or conservative you are. You say you used to be conservative but you are now more liberal. If you are a moderate or liberal, you should be able to find many churches you could be comfortable in that accept or at least tolerate Theistic Evolution. If by "more liberal" you mean that you still are conservative but you are not a fundamentalist, you might have a few options but not many if you want to find a conservative church that accepts Theistic Evolution.

I have had a problem in that I am fairly conservative but for many churches YEC is part of the package and if you don't accept it, you are almost an atheist. I am comfortable with TE and very uncomfortable with YEC and very much a Nicene Christian, but there are a lot of conservative places where I would not be accepted. I left one branch of American Lutheranism because it got too liberal for me but I could not join a conservative Lutheran church over YEC and a few other issues. I did join an Anglican church that bills itself as conservative but not fundamentalist. They are quite open about accepting TE but it is not pushed. This church is part of the ACNA and leans Anglo-Catholic. There are other ACNA churches that are more Reformed or charismatic but I don't have any experience with them and I don't know how accepting they would be of TE. I am guessing that at least they would not push YEC as the only way. I do know there is a conservative Presbyterian denomination that seems to accept Old Earth Creationism although I am under the impression that the majority of people there accept YEC. I don't know how accepting they would be of someone who is okay with TE.

I do think that people who think of themselves as conservative but accept Theistic Evolution have problems finding a church home since YEC is generally accepted as part of the conservative "package" and there may be little acceptance for someone who holds a different view. I don't know where the OP falls in this divide but it is an issue for some.