http://findthechurch.com

[amazon2817]

Any ever seen this? It is a website that allows you to find "sound" COCs - restricted to NI only. Somewhat humorous but also highly arrogant IMO.

[KLP]

IMO, seems a very helpful and free service to those who want to find a particular type of cofc where they are most comfortable. Instead of arrogance, I see liberty, freedom, and diversity. And I see efficiency as it is much better than the old phone book process.

[amazon2817]

The arrogance to me comes in as the authors of the site have picked and chosen which COC's fit the mold to be listed. You won't find any COC's that are "institutional/mainline/liberal" listed at all. If you have a kitchen then you don't make the approved list. Also "findthechurch" implies that only groups listed on the site are what make up the universal Church. Obviously any domination other than the COC are not listed and therefore not part of The Church.

[agricola]

yes - but - it does in fact provide a service specific to people who think that particular way and want that particular sort of church.

Might avoid the situation I was in once as a kid, when we were traveling and stopped for Sunday morning services at a 'coc' (SOF) and discovered half an hour in that they had a PIANO!!!

And there we were, sitting mid-pew, near front, and mother tried to get us all to stand up and walk out.

Thank goodness my father was a reasonable person and had as much horror of looking stupid as I did, and he made her stay put and suffer.

[williamray123]

yes - but - it does in fact provide a service specific to people who think that particular way and want that particular sort of church.

Might avoid the situation I was in once as a kid, when we were traveling and stopped for Sunday morning services at a 'coc' (SOF) and discovered half an hour in that they had a PIANO!!!

And there we were, sitting mid-pew, near front, and mother tried to get us all to stand up and walk out.

Thank goodness my father was a reasonable person and had as much horror of looking stupid as I did, and he made her stay put and suffer.

Hehe .. In the NI world, we had a booklet that looked like a sunday school workbook that was the directory of churches - same as this before it went online. Published by and approved NI CoC publisher. When travelling we pulled out the book and choose the closest one. I remember only one time we weren't close to one, so we had 'house church' so we didn't go to hell on the spot for missing one service.

[MusicMan826]

I see my hometown COC is listed on there...I was surprised to see a second COC listened in my old home town, since we were always the only approved church in town. Turns out the second one in the list is literally just someone's house with a small sign out front saying, "Christians meet here".

[B.H.]

I see my hometown COC is listed on there...I was surprised to see a second COC listened in my old home town, since we were always the only approved church in town. Turns out the second one in the list is literally just someone's house with a small sign out front saying, "Christians meet here".

Smartarse that I am, if I was the neighbor of that house church and lived across the street could I put a sign in my yard saying "members of Campbell's denomination meet there" with an arrow pointing across the street?

[KLP]

I just see it as normal everyday data access. I am wanting to see a list of just this. We have filters and groupings for everything else like shopping on Amazon and selecting just prime items or movie genres...it is efficient to narrow down to what one is looking for. It just isn't that hard to distinguish if a place is NI or I. And if you are one or the other, and of a mind to look to a website to find a church while traveling, then you probably just want your own kind of place. It is a free service to others.

Is there arrogance in the religious world? of course, as in all human endeavors. So sure Cofcers and Catholics use the term "the church" to refer to themselves. Yes, within the CofC, each branch/type thinks of themselves as "sound". BTW, JW and LDS also think they have it right. And within CofC, both the Institutional/fellowship -cofcers and the Non-Institutional -cofcers basically exist in parallel universes and are not looking to reconcile or merge or interact in the slightest way. So a person who is happy to stay in their own group does not want to have to dig through a directory that is cluttered with listings for places they do not want to go.

[onward]

The arrogance to me comes in as the authors of the site have picked and chosen which COC's fit the mold to be listed. You won't find any COC's that are "institutional/mainline/liberal" listed at all. If you have a kitchen then you don't make the approved list. Also "findthechurch" implies that only groups listed on the site are what make up the universal Church. Obviously any domination other than the COC are not listed and therefore not part of The Church.

Those responsible for this site are obviously ultra conservative hardliners that think their personal preferences trump God's authority to decide whether a church meets His approval, or not; they judge a church as acceptable only if it fits neatly into their own personal belief system. Any church that doesn't walk lockstep with them is JUDGED unacceptable, and disqualified from being on this exclusive list.

Kitchens appear to be taboo on this list, but restrooms are acceptable, where's the scriptural authority to exclude the kitchen, yet approve the restrooms!

[KLP]

... where's the scriptural authority to exclude the kitchen, yet approve the restrooms!

Local building codes and ADA are going to specify a number of things. NT says to abide by the law and to submit to authorities. Also, Jesus told his disciples to "go", and so it is expedient to have a place to go.