If not Reformed...

[JM]

...what would you be? Where would you attend?

(forum is dead so I thought I'd spark some convo)

Let's say you had a second denomination, one that you thought was pretty darn close to what you believe, but it wasn't Reformed. Which one is it?

Or,

You move to a new city/town and every denomination is represented except for Reformed or Presby. Which one would you join?

Yours in the Lord,

jm

 

[Tree of Life]

...what would you be? Where would you attend?

(forum is dead so I thought I'd spark some convo)

Let's say you had a second denomination, one that you thought was pretty darn close to what you believe, but it wasn't Reformed. Which one is it?

Or,

You move to a new city/town and every denomination is represented except for Reformed or Presby. Which one would you join?

Yours in the Lord,

jm

"Reformed" is so broad. Do you mean specifically presbyterian? Do Anglicans and reformed baptists count?

 

[Tree of Life]

I would almost have to say "Roman Catholic" since "Reformed" is anyone who is neither RC nor EO.

 

[Eryk]

There are non-denominational evangelical churches (like the one I attend) that are monergistic in their soteriology. Our bookstore carries authors like John Piper and John Frame. A church like this is (merely) Calvinist but not Reformed. Our church's theology of communion agrees with Calvin, not memorialism.

Whether a church like this would be acceptable depends on how invested a person is in Reformed distinctives like paedobaptism, covenant theology, amillenialism, and the regulative principle. I went straight to evangelicalism from Roman Catholicism.

 

[JM]

Reformed, as in adhering to a Reformed Confession and not merely adhering to Reformed soteriology. One could be Anglican and not hold to the 39 Articles of Religion and therefore not Reformed. One could be a Baptist that professes a Reformed soteriology and not be Reformed. Three elements of theology that run through Reformed Confessions (the exception would be the 39 Articles) include; Reformed soteriology, regulative principle of worship and covenant theology.

I hope that helps.

jm
PS: Lutherans would not be considered Reformed and they would not seek to be viewed as Reformed.

 

[TaylorSexton]

I say this with a little bit of tongue in the cheek, but if I were not Reformed, all else being equal (i.e., if I still could know what I know now), I am not entirely convinced I would be a Christian at all.

That is not to say that anyone who is not Reformed is not Christian—not at all. Rather, I am simply saying that if I had to choose another denomination, still possessing the theological knowledge I have now, I am not sure I could "convert" to anything else, since it is only in the confessional Reformed "camp" that I find an expression of the gospel that is not in the end just another form of bondage.

 

[JimmyH]

It would break my heart if the OPC were to shut down in my area. There is a Reformed Baptist congregation close by, and my pastor told me that they practice the RPW. I suppose I'd go there rather than resorting to A.W. Pink's solution. Fortunately I don't see our congregation having to contend with that eventuality any time soon.

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

I would be Reformed regardless, changing religious belief isn't like changing hats. I could not handle any Church that decries or vilifies Reformed doctrine or it's prominent spokespersons/defenders. If that meant some form of home Church or a small gathering with a few Reformed believers, or even not gathering, so be it. It does my soul no good to listen to what I consider baloney, it only serves to stir up judgmental and or harsh thoughts that I do not want in my heart, mind, and soul. I think the best advice would be to work on planting a Reformed Church, not an easy task by any stretch, but could be so worth it.

 

[JM]

Maybe the question should be asked, what denomination do you considering to be a sister to the Reformed Church?

 

[AMR]

Try some (not all listed) of these:

Presbyterian and Reformed Churches

 

[JM]

Great list but so much sectarianism!

Can't we all just get along?

 

[JM]

I suppose I'd go there rather than resorting to A.W. Pink's solution.

Is that a valid solution?

 

[FireDragon76]

I would almost have to say "Roman Catholic" since "Reformed" is anyone who is neither RC nor EO.

Are you saying Lutherans are Reformed? That's now how we understand ourselves. We are Evangelicals just as the Reformed are, but we have a distinct theological tradition and many points of disagreement. Even doctrines such as sola fide have distinct nuances that are not the same.

Also, I think Anabaptist would not lump themselves in with us, they are neither Reformed nor Lutheran.

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

Maybe the question should be asked, what denomination do you considering to be a sister to the Reformed Church?

Calvinistic Anglicans, Calvinistic Baptists, Calvinistic Methodists, and that denomination that starts with an E that I cannot spell to save my life has a Calvinist branch. I consider Lutherans closer than most, not quite sibling close, but cousins.

 

[JimmyH]

Is that a valid solution?

If you're asking if A.W. Pink's 'solution' was valid, I'd say no. Do not forsake the gathering of yourselves together. He stopped going to church for a significant portion of his life.

 

[JM]

In Pink's situation, he had a lot of difficulty (if memory serves) with attending Reformed churches. He was a Baptist and lived in a very strict and traditional area so I can understand why he didn't attend. It's not like today where we have Baptists and Presby's all under one roof.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

Having never attended a Reformed church in my life....

I grew up in a church that regarded Calvinism as a heresy, but I came to believe in all five points on my own. Now, I attend a cessationist church, despite the fact that I'm continuationist. These are not small issues, but I do not shun fellow members of the body of Christ, and I am confident enough in myself to hold my own belief in spite of the particulars of my pastor's theology or the denomination's.

I am Reformed in my beliefs, but I have yet to seek out a Reformed church. I only ask that my church be genuinely Christian. Having already accepted the doctrine of election, I'm not exactly worried that they have the power to take my Calvinistic theology away from me (an ironic thought).

I'll wait until Heaven to join the perfect church.

 

[JM]

Lately I've been attending an Anglican church. I don't know where it is on the spectrum of high or low, smells and bells or evangelical. I've been minding my business and attending the Book of Common Prayer services and plan to keep this up until, at the very least, Easter. The old scriptural prayers found in the BCP are soothing to the soul. I may pull a Pink and just disappear from the church scene in my area...

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

The world needs more Pink and Spurgeon and Edwards and Whitefield and Warfield and Hodge and Kuyper and Bavinck among many others. Another Sproul would by lovely as well.

 

[Willie T]

I would probably be a Christian Reconstructionist.... IF they weren't Calvinists and so highly Liturgical.