Ex-Church of Christ Support Board

My church in the 1950s split over whether to give to an ORPHANAGE or not.

The "sister church" (I guess you'd call it that?) was in the next town. I was born and raised in the half that did NOT want to give to an orphanage.

It is so insane to me that they felt so strongly about NOT giving to an ORPHANAGE that they split and built a separate building in the next town. (Or rather, good that the half that wanted to give left). But I mean, what the hell? It's an orphanage!!

Growing up, there was never any sort of charities to any cause. I never understood why. Now as an adult, I'm an independent artist. I have a partner artist and we organize bi-annual charities in our city. It's become part of my job and a massive passion of mine because I'm an empathetic person and...it's a rebellion! They were so against charities that now I serve charities and it's my absolute biggest commitment.

I'm not saying that as "look at me I'm so good" I'm just saying it because I think it's kinda funny that it's turned out like that. It's my way of doing something that Jesus said to do that they're against for some reason. I mean, what?

MY QUESTION:

WHY WHY WHY are they so against giving to the downtrodden? I've never ever understood it, and I think it's gross. So, what, where is the scripture that says it's something you shouldn't do?
Or was it just my insane church that didn't do charity?

Oh, no....it wasn't just your church!! It's part of NICOC doctrine.....I think it does back to CENI. They say people can give individually, but not out of the church coffers to an institution because there is no example or necessary inference to do so. I grew up in the same type of church.

I am impressed with your commitment to charity work.....good for you!!

Ivy wrote:Oh, no....it wasn't just your church!! It's part of NICOC doctrine.....I think it does back to CENI. They say people can give individually, but not out of the church coffers to an institution because there is no example or necessary inference to do so. I grew up in the same type of church.

I am impressed with your commitment to charity work.....good for you!!

Thank you!

And now I have even more questions

What is NICOC and CENI? This is how ignorant I am: thought there was only one type of COC, just different "strict" degrees

HamBiscuit wrote:

Ivy wrote:Oh, no....it wasn't just your church!! It's part of NICOC doctrine.....I think it does back to CENI. They say people can give individually, but not out of the church coffers to an institution because there is no example or necessary inference to do so. I grew up in the same type of church.

I am impressed with your commitment to charity work.....good for you!!

Thank you!

And now I have even more questions

What is NICOC and CENI? This is how ignorant I am: thought there was only one type of COC, just different "strict" degrees

Well, we have been talking the jargon here for at least a decade now, so no worries!! I didn't know these terms until long after I moved on from my childhood church.

NICOC - Non-institutional church of christ (No church funds to orphanages, bible colleges, etc. Also along with this: no kitchens, no eating in the building, no church buses or "rumpus rooms" for parties. )

CENI - Command, Example, Necessary Inference (cofc way to decide what's scriptural and what isn't. Command by Jesus, example of someone doing something, and NI meaning logically it has to be ok...like a bathroom or water fountain in a church building.)

Someone more savvy than I am will have to go into more depth about these terms; I probably haven't explained it well.

Oh that makes total sense!

I just didn't know there was different stuff like this.

As far as colleges go, my church didn't financially support a college, but they really, really pushed Florida College. Or some christian college in Florida. Idk, I went to Eastern Kentucky University because I couldn't stand moving so far away and being somewhere with SO many rules.

Also, my old church has a preacher's program, and from what I understand it's pretty well known. But they like to pump up their egos so I'm not sure about it.

HamBiscuit wrote:As far as colleges go, my church didn't financially support a college, but they really, really pushed Florida College.

Ah. That would be an NICOC congregation, then. Amazing how they really do have creeds and doctrines, although they say they don't.

Kentucky!! You're in the hotbed!!

We used to talk here about having an underground network in the south to help young people get away from their controlling cofc families.
Sadly, some really did need that type of help.

I think the universe every day that I went to a secular university and not an FC or ACU.

Oh yes. "the hotbed" is a great way to put it. There's one in every town. And, I've moved around a lot, all within central kentucky, and they're all crazy

that support group for youth sounds fantastic!!! I could have definitely used it.

HamBiscuit wrote:My church in the 1950s split over whether to give to an ORPHANAGE or not.

The "sister church" (I guess you'd call it that?) was in the next town. I was born and raised in the half that did NOT want to give to an orphanage.

It is so insane to me that they felt so strongly about NOT giving to an ORPHANAGE that they split and built a separate building in the next town. (Or rather, good that the half that wanted to give left). But I mean, what the hell? It's an orphanage!!

Growing up, there was never any sort of charities to any cause. I never understood why. Now as an adult, I'm an independent artist. I have a partner artist and we organize bi-annual charities in our city. It's become part of my job and a massive passion of mine because I'm an empathetic person and...it's a rebellion! They were so against charities that now I serve charities and it's my absolute biggest commitment.

I'm not saying that as "look at me I'm so good" I'm just saying it because I think it's kinda funny that it's turned out like that. It's my way of doing something that Jesus said to do that they're against for some reason. I mean, what?

MY QUESTION:

WHY WHY WHY are they so against giving to the downtrodden? I've never ever understood it, and I think it's gross. So, what, where is the scripture that says it's something you shouldn't do?
Or was it just my insane church that didn't do charity?

Hi - I grew up in the congregation born from that same split. Our bunch DID donate to orphanages.

This was a big deal in the 1950's.

The controversy centers on the verse to 'support the widow and orphan in their affliction'.
Got it? 'the widow and orphan', NOT the INSTITUTION of an orphanage.

So it was pure doctrine that individuals could give to an orphanage if they wanted to, but THE CHURCH could not donate COLLECTION FUNDS to an orphanage, but could only support A WIDOW and (or) AN ORPHAN. Individuals, not an institution.

So the CoC as a denomination (forget that argument, its a denomination) split into 'Non-Institutional' congregations (NICOC) and 'Mainstream' (okay to give to institutions). There were a lot of splits in the period of the 1950's, and they topic kind of petered out a bit after that.

My father (who was one of the 'splitters') explained that to me roughly a hundred and twelve times. My uncle did NOT split, and when he visited, he would not go to church with us, but would drive several miles to attend a NICOC ('a sound congregation').

Also in the Bible is says the collection is for the saints and so should only be given to church of christ members. Orphan homes and elderly homes may have people in them not church of christ.

In fairness to the nicoc I have read in their literature they oppose any organization being supported by the church that is not the church itself like a missionary society. A congregation could buy a home and let needy widows who were coc and orphans who were coc live there but the home had to be run and owned by the congregation. An actual orphan or elderly home that existed as an organization separate from the church but taking money from the church not under control of a local church would be wrong and violate congregational autonomy.

The only thing I can add here is that my parents, when I was growing up, did not donate to any charities or do any volunteer work (except church work). I realize now it was part of the influence of their religion, C of C. They also said they didn't donate to charities because they paid taxes for the poor already.