If you wish to not respond, I understand, but I hope you do read it. The topic of working out our faith ... our worldview ... is a topic that I consider very important, and it's one that is very dear to my heart.
OSH;1292388 wrote:I definitely couldn't read through all of this and try to sift through things to respond to everything. The first time was tough enough, I wasn't about to do it again.
I don't blame you. Rest assured, I even get tired when I see someone do that to me.
OSH;1292388 wrote:If you don't have a problem with denominations, go ahead and continue supporting an institution that has no validity throughout the whole OT and NT.
Careful. Denominationalism isn't exactly the only element of Christianity in modernity that fits your description. At the very least, it arose out of the exploration of truth in light of the Scriptures. Other things that Christians tend to do (such as continue the syncretistic practice of celebrating Jesus' birthday during the birthday of Mithras) are not rooted in the working out of our faith, but instead are rooted in syncretism -- the act of adjusting one's worldview such that it aligns moreso with another. We use different instruments now than we used to. We sing different words (MANY of which are extra-biblical, as they are found nowhere in Scripture). Christianity isn't required to be sterile of any cultural construct, so long as the construct does not directly violate the direction for our daily lives.
Denominations are not distinguished in Scripture. Neither is communal musical worship (at least in post-New Covenant churches).
OSH;1292388 wrote:Continue tithing.
This is not a mandatory practice at my church, as the majority of those who attend my church cannot afford to do so. We are in the middle of planting a church (a non-denominational one, no less) in an area where virtually everyone lives below the poverty line, so if we can muster up a couple hundred bucks per month just to allow us enough space to meet together in a room big enough to hold us, we're set.
OSH;1292388 wrote:Continue sitting in a pew (or comfy seat) listening to a rock band and a person tell you how to be spiritual.
While we do have comfy chairs, it's because they are recliners in the youth center's multi-purpose room. We certainly didn't buy them.
We have no music. Currently, there is no need, and there are only about 25-30 of us anyway.
As for a person telling us how to be spiritual, we have various discussion leaders, one of whom just became a pastor, but all of whom are capable of teaching. The rotating teachers does seem to fit more into the "rotations" of the traveling teachers in the New Testament church, I suppose. Ultimately, we do it because we've been blessed with several people who are adept at teaching truths from the Word, and it allows adequate preparation, so that we ensure that we handle the text carefully.
No "person" tells anyone how to be spiritual. The Word tells us what God intends for his people, and we do our best to demonstrate that.
OSH;1292388 wrote:Continue paying for electric bills and parking lots.
Just rent for a single room in the place.
OSH;1292388 wrote:There'll be another building fundraising drive in the near future.
LOL! From the 30 of us who all live in North Hill?
OSH;1292388 wrote:The body of believers that Paul explains in I Corinthians 3 really falls on deaf ears regarding denominationalism.
Not at all. Paul wasn't preaching against labeling the nuances of one's belief system. He was preaching against the dissension among believers that resulted from placing one such system above the rest.
I could explain my belief system on the end times to you, or I could just say I'm a pre-Millenialist, and it essentially sums up most of it. Similarly, I could explain all the different terms used to encapsulate my views (pre-Millenialist, predeterminist, dispensationalist, etc.) OR I could just tell you that I align much with the Grace Brethren tradition, and if you know what that means, it saves us all time.
It seems as though you cannot fathom the idea that we're different people with different beliefs on ancillary things, but that we continue to have the same goal and recognize that we worship the same God (being of one mind, as Paul put it).
The early church gathered in homes, so they were not all in one building. Given some of the writings of Paul, it would seem that the working out of our theology began to happen as well, and it revealed places where Peter and Paul might have disagreed (eating of meat sacrificed to idols, anyone?), let alone the rest of the body. That's the thing. It's okay to disagree. It's okay to worship with people who agree with you. And It's okay to give such a group a name instead of calling it "the Galatian gathering of predeterminists."
There is zero in the Bible that condemns this. Now, if this Galatian predeterminist group was to begin looking down on those who leaned in a more pre-Arminius Arminianistic direction, we have a sin issue. But if the two demonstrate love to one another (which Jesus said was the defining characteristic of the church to the rest of the world), then there is harmony, and the like-minded body remains intact.
OSH;1292388 wrote:Forget this "it's a football team and everyone has a different role" or the "schools of thought." That's not what Christianity was about.
Paul's teachings on gifts, and his description of "a body comprised of many members" would suggest otherwise.
OSH;1292388 wrote:That's not how one is supposed to identify themselves.
Unless you're saying this from some new revelation, you don't have the authority to make such a claim. Paul didn't. He even acknowledge that it's okay to acknowledge that I am a "foot," or an "eye." Would you suggest that he is wrong?
OSH;1292388 wrote:The institutionalized church -- caused by the denominations -- has ruined the organic faith that Christianity began as and was supposed to remain.
Denominations were caused by the working out of our faith by many men and women who dedicated their lives to a healthy Christian walk. The working out of our faith is a wonderful thing. As Chesterton put it, "Unthinking faith is a curious offering to be made to the Creator of the human mind." We're supposed to learn more about what a walk with God means -- not to refuse to discuss or work out difficult issues that may arise.
The institutionalized church isn't even a fully set term, so I suppose I'd like to hear clarification as to what you mean by "institutionalized," but denomination are merely terms to define the particular nuances in belief of people who hold the core of God's plan and truth as the center of their lives. If they have varied from that, it isn't because of denominationalism, because a harmony is largely witnessed across denominational lines.
catholicism is nothing more than a cover for old dudes who like to fuck children.
#1...the question is asked by the believer "why don't people believe in god?"..... the answer to that is pretty obvious without having to go thru the entire exchange.