JoeyWarren:
In my mind, a non-denominational is like a child that has run away to escape authority of it’s mother and father so it may attempt to be it’s own authority so that it may do as it wishes without apparent consequence.
Some family-owned-and-operated churches are like that, but the real test of your theory is to see what actually goes on in actual nondenominational churches.
Although one might think that a church has no accountability because it is nondenom, the same
might be said for any Baptist church, since they are, by definition, autonomous. And yet, look at how all of them still seem to be “Baptist” after all these centuries–with nobody outside the wall of the church to keep them Baptistic in their doctrines and practices.
Most Bible churches are not formed to escape authority, as there is very little authority exercised in most denominations. They are formed to escape baggage, bureaucracy, politics, and empty traditions. Wanting to breathe free is the American tradition.
But they never fully succeed in their quest. A nondenom “Bible church” has a charter and an authority structure which is spelled out. Every member has a Bible in his hand. They know their tradition and they hold one another accountable. The church cannot continue without the unity that comes from a shared purpose and a common viewpoint. The most they can boast of in this area is that they’re free from men to become slaves to Christ.
Aberrant bodies are easy enough to find: dysfunctional people dysfunctioning one another, a leader who is an abusive father figure, weird paganistic experiences–but they’re exceptions and the people who don’t like it can leave and find a healthy church.
For those who do like it, well, it’s a free country…
