Average Joe becomes an Elder

[B.H.]

Everybody, this site needs a look, if for no other reason than to reinforce the best decision you ever made in your life: to leave the Church of Christ denomination. Check out the q&a tab on it. Earlier this year, someone called him down about his arrogant and judgmental responses to people seeking real help with real problems -- and his reply was one of the most arrogant and judgmental diatribes you can imagine. This site is a one-stop shopping center for everything that is wrong about the Church of Christ.

Even so, this site is a real hoot. I just had a belly laugh about his response to the question about whether masturbation is a sin: "While we cannot speak as to whether the act of masturbating is a sin or not, we can examine the motivations. Any act of masturbation that is accompanied by thoughts of a sinful act becomes sinful." Well, what the hell else kind of thoughts do you have when masturbating? I recall all sorts of just-wishing situations involving Ann-Margret, Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island, and an early-blooming girl in my class named Connie when I was in the heyday of my early teens.

Just imagine the girl your are whacking off to as your lawfully wedded wife and all is well.

But then, what if I fantasize about a different woman as my wife the next time? Have I committed masturbatorial adultery in my heart? WILL I EVER BE ABLE TO MARRY??? Oh the humanity...

We can debate this if you want but....

I'll have you be warned I am an expert debater fully capable of every form of mental masturbation needed to win the debate.

[NeverAgain]

“The La Vista Church of Christ, located on the south side of Omaha, Nebraska, has no bowling league, no softball team, nor does it sponsor a Boy Scout troop. We have an air-conditioned building with several rooms for Bible classes, but there is no kitchen, no banquet hall, no gymnasium, or party room.”

That right there is the reason I cannot fellowship with them. There is no biblical authority for a building with air-conditioning. Air-conditioning is not an expedient. My great-grandfather who was an elder & preacher in West Virginia never had a building that was air-conditioned. Clearly they are not following the pattern of a New Testament church.

Pitts points out something that is very revealing about this CofC. Its home page STARTS OFF with this comment. It defines itself, not in any positive manner, but right off the bat, in its opening line, at the start of its home page, it tells us that it "has no bowling league." WTF!!!! Is this how this sour bunch of legalistic jerks draws people in to what they supposedly claim to be the "Good News" (Gospel) of Jesus Christ?

Now, I am an atheist, and long ago left the CofC denomination, but I think I could do a far better job of making a positive case for this church than this. Very revealing. They define themselves by what they are "not" rather than what they might stand for.

Legalistic, irrelevant to society, unimportant even in their own city, judgmental, sour, mean spirited. A Church of Christ. They would be a pathetic joke if it weren't for the lives they continue to control and to ruin.

[KLP]

I frickin hate bowling leagues, so I think being upfront about that is pretty positive and would appeal to people who hate the petty shenanigans that go on in bowling leagues. Because I hate it when the league commish turns a blind eye to some buddy having a ringer fill in on some make up game. I can't respect any church that allows that to go on.

[margin overa]

A bowling league, huh? Nothing like being all up-to-date. They probably met up at Shoney's Big Boy or Luby's and had the senior special before coming up with their manifesto. "We do not listen to no boogie-woogie either!" Having parties and coffee and cake on the Lord's dime just ain't gonna play with savvy little group of charmers, though. Let all things be done decently and in order. "We arrived at our theology in the Year of Our Lord 1953, and have turned neither to the left nor to the right since then."

Yes, just another shining example of what you walked away from, and why you're glad you did.

[MusicMan826]

You can go to almost any CoC web site and go to the "Who We Are" section and find them telling you more about what they don't do than what they actually do. Why? Because they love to talk down and bash denominations. We all heard it in almost every CoC sermon and these people can't even tell people about themselves without taking digs at denominations. They're obsessed with other churches and more worried about what they're doing so they can go on their web sites and stand up at the pulpits and pat themselves on the back for NOT doing those things. And these are "God's people" and the "one true church"? Give me a break.

[agricola]

This always confounded me -

I was taught continually that 'the denominations are wrong' but I was not taught what it was they were actually wrong ABOUT, specifically.

I was also told that I was taught 'the Truth'.

But I could not for the life of me, tell anybody outside the coc what it was that we taught that was so outstandingly unique.

How could I? I had no idea what the differences between coc and 'the denominations' WERE!

I was taught that 'we are right' but not HOW. I was taught 'they are wrong' but not WHY.

[zeek]

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[zeek]

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[KLP]

This always confounded me -

I was taught continually that 'the denominations are wrong' but I was not taught what it was they were actually wrong ABOUT, specifically.

I was also told that I was taught 'the Truth'.

But I could not for the life of me, tell anybody outside the coc what it was that we taught that was so outstandingly unique.

How could I? I had no idea what the differences between coc and 'the denominations' WERE!

I was taught that 'we are right' but not HOW. I was taught 'they are wrong' but not WHY.

I know information resources were a bit more limited back then but I wonder if it had crossed your mind to find out "why" if you could have learned it. I don't know, maybe not, you were pretty young and were not in the Anti-wing CofC. Surely your congregation (or places you visited) had the normal tract rack with what was wrong with Calvinism, Baptists, and Catholics. Surely there was a tract on the need for baptism and false teachings of faith only, original sin, and once saved always saved. Or a tract on Easter and how Lord Supper was every first day of the week. Surely there was a tract on Instrumental Music and strange fire. So on display were baptism, LS, and music as being doctrines that separated cofc from others. How about not having a synod, convention, or other mothership organization? Were you really unaware of any of these stark differences and the presence of the tract rack or teenager class work book?

[B.H.]

I know information resources were a bit more limited back then but I wonder if it had crossed your mind to find out "why" if you could have learned it. I don't know, maybe not, you were pretty young and were not in the Anti-wing CofC. Surely your congregation (or places you visited) had the normal tract rack with what was wrong with Calvinism, Baptists, and Catholics. Surely there was a tract on the need for baptism and false teachings of faith only, original sin, and once saved always saved. Or a tract on Easter and how Lord Supper was every first day of the week. Surely there was a tract on Instrumental Music and strange fire. So on display were baptism, LS, and music as being doctrines that separated cofc from others. How about not having a synod, convention, or other mothership organization? Were you really unaware of any of these stark differences and the presence of the tract rack or teenager class work book?

My church had a library with lots of debates between the CoC and other churches. W. Curtis Porter had a book called Modern Churches and the Church, where he wrote a chapter on each major denomination and why it was wrong.


Bapists were wrong on the need and reason for baptism.

Pentecostals were wrong in not believing in the trinity and even the ones that did were wrong about miracles.

Episcopalians were flaming liberals who were founded by an adulterer to excuse his adultery.

The Catholics were wrong, and Porter would throw everything including the old toilet and broke kitchen sink at them.

The Christian Church was wrong because they put in an instrument and split from the real church.