Average Joe becomes an Elder

[agricola]

We had tracts, but no teen classes to speak of. The one attempt at a youth group fizzled out early when the director WANTED to teach us what 'the denominations' taught.

I read the tracts - I even 'got' the point of them (hard to miss, right?) - but what I never really REALLY understood is WHY IT MATTERED (I got why it mattered to the point of being 'different' but I didn't get why those things mattered FOR SALVATION. I didn't get why I couldn't be friends with kids who were Baptists, or Methodists. I didn't get why they were so evil they would burn in hell forever, just for believing what seemed to me to be relative DETAILS.

Maybe I read the gospels too much, and Paul too little.

Yep, that's probably it.

[ena]

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...

I dreamed about sex with a beautiful blond. It was very much like the real thing. There was no way I could have known. The problem is I woke up before anything happened. Maybe a good thing at least no mess but rather frustrating. How do I control my dreams?

[ena]

what I never really REALLY understood is WHY IT MATTERED (I got why it mattered to the point of being 'different' but I didn't get why those things mattered FOR SALVATION. I didn't get why I couldn't be friends with kids who were Baptists, or Methodists.

They don't believe in immersion for salvation. It is so emphasized in the CoC that many in other Churches will tell that the CoC is works oriented. This happened to me many times. The problem is physical baptism does not save you at all. What saves you is that physical baptism is an appeal to God for salvation. The CoC forgets the spiritual component that everybody else focuses on. Then they proceed to condemn everybody else. You have to be very careful with judgement. We are warned against that and that is why. They also condemn Jews. Jesus died a Jew. He could not die a Christian. He said, "I come not to destroy the law but to fulfill. " Wow! I thought the law was nailed to the cross. They simply go too far. Yes, Paul did say that but what did he mean? Did he mean the law is destroyed? Not at all! What he meant was the Gentile is not under the law. They clip out verses they want and throw the rest away. I hope it helps. I love your comments.

[KLP]

We had tracts, but no teen classes to speak of. The one attempt at a youth group fizzled out early when the director WANTED to teach us what 'the denominations' taught.

I read the tracts - I even 'got' the point of them (hard to miss, right?) - but what I never really REALLY understood is WHY IT MATTERED (I got why it mattered to the point of being 'different' but I didn't get why those things mattered FOR SALVATION. I didn't get why I couldn't be friends with kids who were Baptists, or Methodists. I didn't get why they were so evil they would burn in hell forever, just for believing what seemed to me to be relative DETAILS.

Maybe I read the gospels too much, and Paul too little.

Yep, that's probably it.

You needed to read more OT
1. It mattered because doing things wrong in service can have you struck dead or sent off to punishment of captivity
2. It mattered because in Matthew 7 Jesus describes people at judgment who did all sorts of things but because there were not done right they were cast into Hell
3. It mattered because everything rocks along fine for those in Noah's day and for the Rich Man and for the tares among the wheat, but eventually and with total suprose they are cast into the fire.
4. It matters because even if you think you are doing the right things for the right reasons and in the right manner, you still may be wrong and headed for the Lake-O-Fire
5. It matters because you only get one shot, no purgatory, and you can never be sure you are all saved up or not

[agricola]

We had tracts, but no teen classes to speak of. The one attempt at a youth group fizzled out early when the director WANTED to teach us what 'the denominations' taught.

I read the tracts - I even 'got' the point of them (hard to miss, right?) - but what I never really REALLY understood is WHY IT MATTERED (I got why it mattered to the point of being 'different' but I didn't get why those things mattered FOR SALVATION. I didn't get why I couldn't be friends with kids who were Baptists, or Methodists. I didn't get why they were so evil they would burn in hell forever, just for believing what seemed to me to be relative DETAILS.

Maybe I read the gospels too much, and Paul too little.

Yep, that's probably it.

You needed to read more OT
1. It mattered because doing things wrong in service can have you struck dead or sent off to punishment of captivity
2. It mattered because in Matthew 7 Jesus describes people at judgment who did all sorts of things but because there were not done right they were cast into Hell
3. It mattered because everything rocks along fine for those in Noah's day and for the Rich Man and for the tares among the wheat, but eventually and with total suprose they are cast into the fire.
4. It matters because even if you think you are doing the right things for the right reasons and in the right manner, you still may be wrong and headed for the Lake-O-Fire
5. It matters because you only get one shot, no purgatory, and you can never be sure you are all saved up or not

Oh yeah. THAT'S why I left!

Seriously, you can't tell me that isn't messed up thinking.

[Lev]

Maybe I read the gospels too much, and Paul too little.

Yep, that's probably it.

If only more Christians had that same problem...

Lev

[FinallyFree]

I remember going to a Sunday School class in the early 80's where we studied a different denomination each week so we knew what each church was wrong about. I also remember doing this when I was in the 8th grade. I always had a big understanding of how everyone else was "wrong".

[candace]

Blech! I may be average, but I sure don't want to live my life like this "average Joe."

[margin overa]

When I was a young teenager, I read a few tracts written by Baptist or Presbyterian ministers on "errors of the Church of Christ" or "Doctrines of the Campbellites". With the exception of a couple, they had clear misunderstandings of some CofC doctrinal stances - one stated, for example, that the CofCs believed that no one could be saved unless he was water immersed by a "Campbellite elder". In reflecting on those things, I asked our preacher if it was possible that the CofC pamphleteers were guilty of the same sorts of things in our tracts - getting facts wrong about other churches. I got a very clenched jaw response indicating that wasn't something to concern myself with.

[B.H.]

When I was a young teenager, I read a few tracts written by Baptist or Presbyterian ministers on "errors of the Church of Christ" or "Doctrines of the Campbellites". With the exception of a couple, they had clear misunderstandings of some CofC doctrinal stances - one stated, for example, that the CofCs believed that no one could be saved unless he was water immersed by a "Campbellite elder". In reflecting on those things, I asked our preacher if it was possible that the CofC pamphleteers were guilty of the same sorts of things in our tracts - getting facts wrong about other churches. I got a very clenched jaw response indicating that wasn't something to concern myself with.

Another problem. It's possible that the Baptist or Presbyterian may have actually ran across a "Campbellite" that held those views and just did not realize the great majority didn't. I've heard of some weird stuff in the CoC about other CoC. They are very rare, for example, but there are a handful of Church of Christs that think you should worship on Saturday. Back in the old days when travel was harder and you didn't go out of town a lot if you ran into one of those churches you may erroneously be led to believe all CoC thought you should worship on Saturday. Another example 99% of one cup CoC's are also against sunday school but I know of a very few that use it. There are also a few CoC that do not believe in divorce and remarriage, period. At one time some believed in the real presence I do not know if they are still around.