SeekGod.ca Discussion Forum

(10-06-2009 12:46 PM)sage Wrote: [ -> ]Does anybody know of any heresies within the church of christ?
Thanks.

Quote:The Scottish Restitution provided the foundation for the Churches of Christ Restoration beliefs. Thomas and Alexander Campbell, father and son Irish Presbyterian ministers, began the Restoration movement in eastern America in the early nineteenth century. They emphasized returning to biblical and primitive church worship and organization.

The New Testament was to be the only authority for church government and worship. No human creed could supersede it. This kind of church government featured the autonomy of the congregation, especially as it was separated from political control by any form of civil government. Elders were to rule and teach, while deacons were to serve the needs of the congregation and assist the elders in what was basically a lay ministry.

In 1832 several churches joined the "Campbellites," including Barton Stone’s Christian Church, to become known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Over the years divisions occurred, and by 1906 two distinct groups had emerged: The Disciples of Christ and the Churches of Christ. Further disagreements and splits came about because of differences in how the sacraments should be observed, liberalism, and denominational structures.

In 1955, a second kind of Church of Christ emerged with its emphasis on its own Restoration-based beliefs exclusive of other churches, including Disciples of Christ. It disassociated with denominations who were not considered true believers. People could become Church of Christ members by adhering to "a particular set of doctrines and practices…to submit and conform without discussion."

Leroy Garrett, in The Stone-Campbell Movement (Joplin: The College Press, 1981), identifies six divisions within the Churches of Christ.


Church of Christ Beliefs

Frank S. Mead, in Handbook of Denominations in the United States, says the Church of Christ believes "the concept of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost as members of one Godhead: the incarnation, virgin birth, and bodily resurrection of Christ; the universality of sin after the age of accountability and its only remedy is the vicarious atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God, repentance, confession of faith, and baptism by immersion into Christ for the remission of sins."6

The Churches of Christ are generally anti-charismatic, anti-denominational, and amillennial (except for the pre-millennial division). Instrumental music is not used in the church because there is no New Testament mention of it in the Gospels and the Epistles, and supposedly it was not used in the first century or primitive church.

The autonomy of the local church is taken to extremes by some Churches of Christ, especially the Boston Church of Christ, where absolute leadership authority and control of members seems to be oppressive, causing some members to leave the church.

Some Churches of Christ do not have Sunday School because they feel there is no biblical basis for this method of teaching the Word. If the New Testament does not mention a specific doctrine, then the Church of Christ does not practice it. Again, the emphasis is on New Testament first century methods of worship and belief, such as observing the Lord’s Supper each Sunday and making contributions on the first day of the week.

Many Churches of Christ regard baptism by immersion as essential for salvation. Some of the Churches of Christ imply that only those who are baptized by immersion are considered "saved" in the Church of Christ manner. Salvation appears to include faith, confession of sins, repentance, baptism by immersion, a life dedicated to good works, which as one member said, "goes on into eternity." Salvation is viewed as a process rather than as a single experience of regeneration with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The Churches of Christ do not believe that a saved person has eternal security because they feel Christians would have a license to sin. Backsliding and unconfessed sin can cause a believer to lose his salvation according to their thinking.

It should be emphasized that, because of the local autonomy of each church, there are variations in some of the doctrinal beliefs and practices. Each church has to be evaluated, on its own system of theological truths, its form of church government, and specific sacramental traditions and practices.

http://www.dtl.org/cults/treatise/c-o-c-1.htm