'The Why Series' Tagged Posts
THE WHY SERIES -WHY IS THE CHURCH OF CHRIST NON-DENOMINATIONAL?
The congregations associated with the Church of Christ have always identified themselves as non-denominational. For centuries this was a peculiar identification, but in recent years it has become very popular for congregations to claim that they are non-denominational, especially among the community church movement. According to a June 12, 2015 Christianity Today article, “over the last four decades, there has been more than a 400 percent growth in Protestants[1] who identify as non-denominational.”[2] With the growing popularity of non-denominational congregations it is important for…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST TEACH DEFINITIVE PARAMETERS ON MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE?
Why Does the Church of Christ Teach Definitive Parameters on Marriage and Divorce? Earlier this year, we presented a series of articles about the beliefs and practices of the churches of Christ that were thematically arranged around “why” questions, such as “Why Does the Church of Christ Believe That Baptism is Essential to Salvation,” “Why Does the Church of Christ Lack Musical Instruments in Their Worship Services,” and “Why Do Churches of Christ Observe the Lord’s Supper Every Sunday.” Since…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DO CHURCHES OF CHRIST POSSESS AN AMILLENNIAL ESCHATOLOGY?
Eschatology is the study of end times, particularly the second coming of Jesus, the Day of Judgment, the destruction of the earth, and the after life. Christianity in its broadest sense is divided in regards to eschatological beliefs, and this division is largely dependent on how one interprets the reference to the “one thousand year” period (i.e. millennium) during which Satan is bound (Revelation 20:2-3) and Christ reigns (Revelation 20:4-6). Some believe that this millennium is a reference to an…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DO CHURCHES OF CHRIST PLACE LIMITATIONS ON THE ROLE OF WOMEN?
Another distinctive characteristic of the Churches of Christ is the absence of women in leadership roles in relation to the worship assembly or church governance. Is such a practice an act of discrimination or is there a biblical precedence for it? The absence of women in speaking or leadership roles in congregations associated with the Churches of Christ is not the result of gender discrimination but the result of adherence to God’s Word. Scripture places limitations on the roles of…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST LACK MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS IN THEIR WORSHIP SERVICES?
One of the most distinctive characteristics of the Churches of Christ is the absence of musical instruments in their worship service. Since the New Testament nowhere explicitly condemns the use of musical instruments in the worship assembly then why do these congregations refrain from using them? The issue of whether or not musical instruments should be used in the worship assembly of the church ultimately is an authority issue. In other words, we must ask, “Did God authorize the use…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST POSSESS ELDERS?
Every religious body associated with Christianity agrees that Christ is “the head of the church” (Ephesians 5:23; cf. Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18); however, not every religious body associated with Christianity agrees on the form of governance that He authorized for the local church. Some employ a hierarchical structure of individual church leaders while others employ a hierarchical structure of church councils. The congregations associated with the Churches of Christ are considered unique because they appoint elders in the local congregation…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST BELIEVE THAT MIRACULOUS GIFTS NO LONGER EXIST?
It is undeniable that miraculous gifts—gifts such as the ability to heal the sick, work miracles, prophesy, discern spirits, speak in tongues, and interpret tongues (1 Corinthians 12:7-10)—were present in the early church (Acts 2:1-12; 3:6-7; 5:12-16; 8:5-24; 9:32-42; 10:44-48; 11:27-28; 13:1-12; 14:8-10; 16:16-18; 19:1-7; 20:9-11; 21:10-11). But does their existence in the first century necessitate their existence today? Must a church that seeks to emulate the first century church advocate the presence of miraculous gifts today? To answer this question…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST BELIEVE THAT SALVATION CAN BE LOST?
The Bible indicates that salvation is received when one confesses his or her belief in Jesus as the risen Son of God (Mark 16:16; Romans 10:9-10), repents of the sins that he or she has committed (Acts 2:38; 2 Corinthians 7:10), and submits to baptism so that he or she reenacts Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection and, thereby, comes in contact with God’s grace through Christ’s blood which removes all sin (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-4; 1 Peter 3:18-22).…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST BELIEVE THAT BAPTISM IS ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION?
Nearly every religious body associated with Christianity administers baptism in some fashion. Some believe it is an act of obedience that symbolizes a believer’s faith in Christ and death to sin. Others believe that baptism is simply the means by which a believer becomes a member of the church body. But the congregations associated with the Church of Christ are known for their insistence that baptism is an essential part of salvation. On what is this belief based? This belief…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST BELIEVE THAT IT IS THE CHURCH JESUS INSTITUTED?
As a member and minister of a congregation associated with the churches of Christ, I often encounter “why”questions—questions like “why do Churches of Christ lack instruments in worship,” “why do Churches of Christ forbid women from leading in the worship service,” “why do Churches of Christ observe the Lord’s Supper every Sunday,” and “why do Churches of Christ place so much emphasis on baptism.” Sometimes the questions are posed from those outside our fellowship, and sometimes the questions are posed from those…