Cease in your understanding to be Reformation Protestants or is that official condemnation coming from a variety of other significant Protestant denominations? Using your example of how some of the aforementioned groups are not in communion with Rome, what equivalent is there to render such judgement of the United Church of Canada?“When things like this happen,”
Like a pastor denying the existence of God
Then they cease to be Reformation Christians
in the same way:
This is a list of organizations which consider themselves part of the Roman Catholic Church or as reformed versions of the Roman Catholic Church, but which the Vatican does not consider to be in full communion with itself.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Catholic_organizations_not_in_communion_with_the_Roman_Catholic_Church
Code:Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, the national church of the People's Republic of China Philippine Independent Church, also called the Aglipayan Church, a national church in the Philippines Polish National Catholic Church, a Polish national church in the United States and Canada American Catholic Church in the United States Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church Eucharistic Catholic Church Free Catholic Church in Germany Reformed Catholic Church True Catholic Church Society of Saint Pius X Catholics for Choice Community of the Lady of All Nations (Army of Mary) Married Priests Now! Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God Reformed Society of Jesus, an organization within the Reformed Catholic Church Roman Catholic Womenpriests Catholic Action Network
straight to the point:Cease in your understanding to be Reformation Protestants or is that official condemnation coming from a variety of other significant Protestant denominations? Using your example of how some of the aforementioned groups are not in communion with Rome, what equivalent is there to render such judgement of the United Church of Canada?
There is a huge range of beliefs and church structures within Protestantism. I would agree with you about a portion of post-Reformation churches and its lack of authority structure, but certainly not in all; in fact not in most. And I would highly disagree with you that democratically run denominations have no accountability. Just the opposite. Most are run similar to the US government where there are checks and balances in every office. There is both hierarchy and democracy in how things are run.I don’t mean to but in to your argument, but one thing that increases confusion is the lack of a central authority in Protestantism. When things like this happen, the more democratic church structure of Reformation Christianity means that there is little to hold error in check. The primacy of the individual and their personal relationship to God sans hierarchy plus the downplaying of Tradition means that one who is charismatic enough can gather followers and go off to found their own congregation with little accountability to a larger church structure. I don’t agree with the broad brush insults of the other poster but this is a weak spot of Protestantism.
Aye, but democracy can often lead into mob rule; the fifty-one percent taking away the rights of the forty-nine percent. If I had to choose whether to entrust the development, updating or implementation of new doctrine or dogmas to either a centralized-authority of men who have studies these issues there entire lives or the public, there is no doubt in my mind who I would listen. If people were in charge of altering Church doctrine such as those on marriage, abortion and women priests, all those teaching contrary to Sacred Tradition and Scripture would be implemented without delay.There is a huge range of beliefs and church structures within Protestantism. I would agree with you about a portion of post-Reformation churches and its lack of authority structure, but certainly not in all; in fact not in most. And I would highly disagree with you that democratically run denominations have no accountability. Just the opposite. Most are run similar to the US government where there are checks and balances in every office. There is both hierarchy and democracy in how things are run.
If you were to compare a democratically run institution to a centralized autocratic institution, most people would, I believe, have more trust in an institution that is more democratic. The era of total monarchy is pretty much over. Those of us in the west tend not to like governments such as North Korea, or Saudia Arabia, or the Sudan.
“If I had to choose whether to entrust the development, updating or implementation of new doctrine or dogmas to either a centralized-authority of men who have studies these issues there entire lives or the public,…”Aye, but democracy can often lead into mob rule; the fifty-one percent taking away the rights of the forty-nine percent. If I had to choose whether to entrust the development, updating or implementation of new doctrine or dogmas to either a centralized-authority of men who have studies these issues there entire lives or the public, there is no doubt in my mind who I would listen. If people were in charge of altering Church doctrine such as those on marriage, abortion and women priests, all those teaching contrary to Sacred Tradition and Scripture would be implemented without delay.
Sadly, yes.This is what happens when you hold dogma to the standard of human subjectivity. The church and truth are considered to be possessions of man, rather than God.
patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2016/04/the-case-of-the-atheist-pastor/?ref_widget=related&ref_blog=geneveith&ref_post=the-lutheran-doctrine-of-culture
Well, this is a situation that the UCC is trying to sort out now. Is there room for this minister and her parish (or perhaps just part of her parish)? Or does she need to leave the church and find another way to express her faith? I would imagine that many would follow her.Sadly, yes.
I admire some things about the UCC. They run wonderful social programs, and there can be very strong Christians in their midst.
However…they have become so obsessed with being inclusive and progressive, that they pretty much are “anything goes” . You can believe in God, or not, and be part of the UCC. It’s become more of a social club than a church. That is NOT to diminish their services or those ministers and people in their midst that really believe in Christ-they are there-but each church is given full autonomy and they differ greatly. They allow for abortion, euthanasia, same sex marriage and clergy,among many other things…they move with the times.
It’s very sad indeed. The woman in your original comment is indeed a UCC minister, and also an unapologetic atheist. She got praised from the previous UCC moderator, They don’t pray in her church and she does not believe Christ is the Son of God. That makes no sense to me, as the UCC creed is similar to others.