Things you don't miss about the c of c

[gordie91]

And sometimes the pulpits displayed a plain cross.

You must have been "liberal". We never had a the symbol of Roman execution on anything! Our pulpits had a carving of the Holy Bible.

[Shane R]

And sometimes the pulpits displayed a plain cross.

You must have been "liberal". We never had a the symbol of Roman execution on anything! Our pulpits had a carving of the Holy Bible.

Well, you know, North of the Mason-Dixon most anything goes.

[Ivy]

And sometimes the pulpits displayed a plain cross.

You must have been "liberal". We never had a the symbol of Roman execution on anything! Our pulpits had a carving of the Holy Bible.

Well, you know, North of the Mason-Dixon most anything goes.

I know, right? I wonder if those yankee cofc-ers will go to heaven. They don't do everything quite right.

[FinallyFree]

There is nothing I miss and have not regretted leaving or questioned that decision for one second.

[Cootie Brown]

There is nothing I miss and have not regretted leaving or questioned that decision for one second.

We found something we both agree on. Well said.

[FinallyFree]

I have thought of one CofC advantage—women are not allowed to do any public speaking or even help with communion. When you are shy like me, that is a good thing. I am so glad when I was growing up I never had to speak publicly or do songleading or a prayer or any of that kind of thing. I would have been a nervous wreck. But now, I have helped serve communion & there may be a time when I will have to read a verse or something. Maybe that will be good for me. I have come a long way.

[Cootie Brown]

My wife brought to my attention recently that no one in the Methodist Church is ever asked to pray or speak publicly on the spot. They are asked privately before the occasion arises. That prevents embarrassment on everyone's part. That's a pretty good idea I think.

[gordie91]

My wife brought to my attention recently that no one in the Methodist Church is ever asked to pray or speak publicly on the spot. They are asked privately before the occasion arises. That prevents embarrassment on everyone's part. That's a pretty good idea I think.

You know that practice always bothered me. So finally during the last couple of years of my CoC existence I started to just say "no" anytime an on the spot moment came up and I would always step out when I thought the potential for being asked at the close of the service to say the closing prayer. They got the message. And when I left they gave the message back by telling us and the church my parents attend that we were not committed. Yep, not committed to their brand of piety.

[Lerk]

Interesting list. Not all of it have I experienced!

4. As someone said, I've never heard of keeping Lord's Supper "elements" at home. But then, until the last few years, I never experienced weather issues preventing us from being there. But generally if that happens they consider it being "providencially hindered". (I'm surprised that people don't think it's un-scriptural to do it at home!) Some churches don't even offer it on Sunday night because there's no Biblical precedent for it. If you are sick in the morning, or required to be at work, then you were providencially hindered and not required to take it that day. There's no scriptural way to do a make-up! I've never been to one of those churches, but my younger son (the preacher) and his wife have decided that because there's no scripture about it, then if they're sick in the morning or have to stay home with a sick child, they do not take it when it's offered in the evening.

7. The "Guardian of Truth" directory at the back of every issue of the magazine! Don't go on vacation without it! You don't subscribe to it? Well then ask your preacher! That's even better, actually, because a) he'll be up-to-date on which churches are really practicing the truth and b) he'll know that you're going to church when you go out of town. Don't forget to double up on your contribution when you get home!

10. Even in non-institutional churches, the dress-up has gone away to some extent. A lot of men simply don't own a suit or tie these days. Preacher wears a suit (or sportcoat) and tie. Songleader usually has the coat but not always a tie. The elders wear suits and ties. Some men wear them when they have to "wait on the table." At the church I still go to, almost no one dresses up on Sunday night. Even women wear jeans! I'm sure some of the older people are horrified. My mother, who is 90, wears pants to church now! (She's lost a lot of weight and her dresses just hang on her now, so she doesn't have much choice.)

11. Most NI churches that I've been to allow women to speak in "Bible class." That's not considered part of the "assembly." In fact, the announcements at the beginning aren't considered part of the assembly! Assembly starts after that, beginning with a song or prayer or maybe a scripture reading. When I figured out that this was their excuse for Bible class being allowed, it occurred to me that they're actually agreeing with the "no Bible class" churches in a sense.

I did once visit a NI church on a Wednesday night where the women were not called on in class. That was in 1984, and it felt really, really awkward!

15. That started happening after baptisms sometime in the 2000s. I was still a believer then, and the first time it happened I actually felt the urge to clap even before anyone else started! Someone it must have been a cultural thing that I wasn't really aware of. (People clap for joy, not just because the approve of a "performance.") The elders did their best to put a stop to it. They had a meeting of the song leaders and told us that whomever was leading at that service should announce a song before the baptism then jump up as soon as the person came out of the water and start singing. Another church had a men's meeting and asked the men to all say "amen" so that clapping would be less likely. And of course, both places publicly informed the congregation that clapping was not acceptable.

18. KJV? Now that's something I've never experienced. My father-in-law always used the ASV, and so did most other CoC preachers that I knew of in the 60s. It was supposed to be the most accurate translation. There was some use of something called the "King James II" in the 70s. Eventually most preachers went to the NASB, and many now are using the ESV, always because they believe those to be the most accurate translations. KJV was (IIRC) translated into English from the Latin Vulgate! The HORRORS!

20. When I was younger it was verses 1, 2, and 4, but sometime around 1990 we started singing all of the verses. I was particularly guilty of doing that.

[B.H.]

When I figured out that this was their excuse for Bible class being allowed, it occurred to me that they're actually agreeing with the "no Bible class" churches in a sense.

I was raised no class. If I were still CoC I'd go to a non-sunday school one.