a good word about Advent Christians
"I understand that you are an elder and preacher in the Churches of Christ, but you have mentioned the Advent Christian Churches several times. I have never heard of that group. Would you please tell us something about them?"
a good word about Anglican Christianity (two gracEmails)
"How can you feel kindly toward the Episcopalians?" one asks. "Don't you know that the Anglican Church started when King Henry VIII wanted another wife and the Pope wouldn't agree, so KH-8 started his own Church of England?"
Baptists and Churches of Christ (three gracEmails)
I beg the indulgence of readers who are not associated with Baptist churches or Churches of Christ, as we look in three gracEmails at those two groups of Christians, both particularly populous and highly competitive throughout the southern United States.
"Baptists do not baptize converts scripturally 'for the remission of sins,'" complains a preacher who is not of that denomination. "The Baptists I know baptize only to join their local church."
A troubled reader writes: "I was a member of a particular Church of Christ . . . where I came to know the Lord. . . . Through much prayer and hurt, I left and eventually began to attend a Baptist church. My former preacher told me that . . . I have no chance of going to heaven. . . . Am I sinning against the Lord by attending a Baptist church?"
Baptist 'improvements' (2 parts)
A Baptist pastor and gracEmail subscriber asks: "What practices and doctrines do you see in Baptist life and teaching that are not matching up to the Word of God?"
We went to Austin this weekend [Nov. 1999] to visit son Jeremy and daughter-in-law Kristy, and on Sunday morning we accompanied them to Hill Country Bible Church (HCBC) which they regularly attend. This congregation began . . .
evangelical Christian Catholics?
A concerned parent writes, "My child is about to marry a very sweet person who is Roman Catholic. I have always regarded Catholics as 'outside the pale,' so to speak. Is my child's future spouse possibly an evangelical Christian also?"
A gracEmail subscriber in Maine writes, "We had considerable discussion in my Sunday School class on the text which says, 'whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven' . . . . Isn't this passage used to establish the Roman Catholic priesthood and papal system?"
A friendly but curious subscriber asks, "In view of your book's title (The Sound of His Voice: Discovering the Secrets of God's Guidance) and some recent gracEmails, I wonder whether you have become one of those charismatics."
It is easy to become nearsighted in our vision of the Church . . . . God has been at work in his worldwide Church throughout Christian history . . . .The Church in its fullness will incorporate contributions from believers in all times and places, and we can begin even now to appreciate and to share in the diversity of that rich heritage.
church history jigsaw puzzle (two gracEmails)
If we review the history of the Christian church, we are reminded that God continually raises up movements for specific tasks, and that we all can learn from one another.
one holy catholic and apostolic church
A few Sundays ago . . . I missed Bible class at our Church of Christ to attend a service at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Houston. This is an evangelical congregation whose long-time rector (pastor) . . . has occasionally invited me to serve as a guest teacher. I reflected afterward about what part of the service I found most to be a blessing . . . .
"What should we think of the different Christian denominations and movements or families? Is one of them 'right' and the others 'wrong?'"
denominations and 'erring Christians'
A gracEmail reader writes, "In several recent articles you've put Churches of Christ in the same category with 'other denominations.' . . . If one has been added to the Lord's body but embraces nonscriptural teachings, does that person not become an 'erring Christian' to say the least?"
fundamentalists & evangelicals (two gracEmails)
A Church of Christ sister in New Mexico writes: "The terms 'fundamentalist Christian' and 'evangelical Christian' confuse me. What is generally meant by these terms and what is the difference between them?"
The misconception is widespread that the various Christian denominations and fellowships have little in common, or that they constitute different "faiths." From a biblical standpoint, there is but one Christian faith, which exists throughout the church universal, although its specific external expressions vary with time and place as well as with denomination.
holiness, pentecostal, charismatic
A gracEmail subscriber writes, following a gracEmail fun quiz on "Holiness, Pentecostals, Charismatics," asking what the similarities and differences are in those three groups.
A gracEmail subscriber ... is part of a group of believers ... who wish to form a home-based community for Bible study, prayer, worship and outreach of various types. "Any suggestions or warnings?"
international churches of Christ
Several gracEmail readers have inquired about the group known as International Churches of Christ (ICOC or ICC) and its connection, if any, to the Churches of Christ. In response to those questions, this gracEmail is longer than usual.
A gracEmail subscriber asks, "What are your thoughts about the Promise Keepers movement? Is it an organization with a political agenda, a Spirit-driven phenomenon or perhaps a great awakening?"
A gracEmail subscriber asks, "What exactly does 'Protestant' mean? I've always been taught that I am neither Protestant nor Catholic but only a 'Christian.' Can you help clear this up?"
Several gracEmail subscribers have asked for some explanation of the difference between "Reformed" and "non-Reformed" theologians as mentioned in a recent piece.
Someone asks: "You sometimes mention "Reformed" teaching or "Reformational" theology. What does that refer to?"
what is the United Church of Christ?
A sister from the Disciples of Christ asks, "I've heard about the United Church of Christ, but I'm not very familiar with it. Is it from the Stone-Campbell movement . . . Why did the Stone-Campbell movement split three ways? Can you recommend a good book on the subject?"