Can someone please give me the basics on the Church of Christ?

[Holly3278]

Hey everyone. I have a friend on my Facebook list who is a member of the Church of Christ. I don’t know anything about this group but I thought some of you might. I am not sure but I heard that it is a group that holds to the restoration movement. In other words, they (might) believe that the Church fell into an apostasy and then was restored in these latter days. The Mormons believe the same thing. Can someone please tell me more about this Church of Christ group?

 

[Marie5890]

Hard to say Holly.

The Church of Christ actually refers to a whole host of different denominations. Perhaps you should ask her what she believes in.

 

[stevekehl]

Hi Holly,
First let me say, the Churches of Christ and Christian Churches are in no way like Mormons.
I have not made an in-depth study but here are the bare bones history. The Restoration Movement does not believe that Christendom fell into apostasy, in such a case there would have been none saved since the early church. The Restoration began on the American frontier in the 1820s (the frontier being the Midwest at the time). It was begun by a group of circuit preachers who felt the Protestant denominations had become more tied to creeds and rituals than to Scripture. They decided to strictly preach from Scripture and try to restore their churches to the state of the early congregations. If something was not in Scripture they did not teach it, therefore the COC/Christian Churches do not teach infant baptism, confession, pennance, saints, purgatory, transubstantiation, celibacy of priests (preachers), most churches don’t give out titles (churches have ministers, deacons and elders but no one is called Pastor, Father, Reverend, Bishop), and we have no heirarchy beyond the local church.
COC emphasise Scriptural study, Sunday schools are held for all ages to focus on Scriptural Study, often churches will have smaller groups gather for Bible study and discussion through the week.
We believe baptism is a necessary part of salvation, but that a person must come to that decision based on their fath through hearing the Word of God. There is no age limit for baptism, parents and church leadership are responsible for ensuring children fully understand Jesus atoning sacrifice, the consequences of sin, and what it means to have Jesus as your Savior.
Leadership is chosen from the congregation and serves at the congregations pleasure, deacons and elders are not paid for their service. They are responsible for the spiritual direction of the congregation and are generally required to be men who have served the church and proven they are committed to obeying God’s Word. Church leadership must meet the guidelines Paul set down in I Timothy 3.
Some churches are legalistic, only those who have been immersed in baptism are really Christians, things like that, kind of a Baptist influence I think. For the most part COC believes we are not the only Christians. In our church we have had people from several different denominations join our congregation, including Catholics.
As far as our beliefs in God and Jesus, the Apostles Creed pretty much sums it up, as long as the catholic church is lower case, we believe that all Christians belong to God’s universal church. I know this sounds like a contradiction since I said we hold to no creeds, but for brevity sake I am refering to something you probably know.
This is a brief sketch of the Churches of Christ/Christian Churches. If you would like Scriptures to back up the tenets of our faith I will be glad to give them to you. Feel free to ask any questions. God Bless and see you around the forum.

 

[Holly3278]

Hi Holly,
First let me say, the Churches of Christ and Christian Churches are in no way like Mormons.
I have not made an in-depth study but here are the bare bones history. The Restoration Movement does not believe that Christendom fell into apostasy, in such a case there would have been none saved since the early church. The Restoration began on the American frontier in the 1820s (the frontier being the Midwest at the time). It was begun by a group of circuit preachers who felt the Protestant denominations had become more tied to creeds and rituals than to Scripture. They decided to strictly preach from Scripture and try to restore their churches to the state of the early congregations. If something was not in Scripture they did not teach it, therefore the COC/Christian Churches do not teach infant baptism, confession, pennance, saints, purgatory, transubstantiation, celibacy of priests (preachers), most churches don’t give out titles (churches have ministers, deacons and elders but no one is called Pastor, Father, Reverend, Bishop), and we have no heirarchy beyond the local church.
COC emphasise Scriptural study, Sunday schools are held for all ages to focus on Scriptural Study, often churches will have smaller groups gather for Bible study and discussion through the week.
We believe baptism is a necessary part of salvation, but that a person must come to that decision based on their fath through hearing the Word of God. There is no age limit for baptism, parents and church leadership are responsible for ensuring children fully understand Jesus atoning sacrifice, the consequences of sin, and what it means to have Jesus as your Savior.
Leadership is chosen from the congregation and serves at the congregations pleasure, deacons and elders are not paid for their service. They are responsible for the spiritual direction of the congregation and are generally required to be men who have served the church and proven they are committed to obeying God’s Word. Church leadership must meet the guidelines Paul set down in I Timothy 3.
Some churches are legalistic, only those who have been immersed in baptism are really Christians, things like that, kind of a Baptist influence I think. For the most part COC believes we are not the only Christians. In our church we have had people from several different denominations join our congregation, including Catholics.
As far as our beliefs in God and Jesus, the Apostles Creed pretty much sums it up, as long as the catholic church is lower case, we believe that all Christians belong to God’s universal church. I know this sounds like a contradiction since I said we hold to no creeds, but for brevity sake I am refering to something you probably know.
This is a brief sketch of the Churches of Christ/Christian Churches. If you would like Scriptures to back up the tenets of our faith I will be glad to give them to you. Feel free to ask any questions. God Bless and see you around the forum.

I hope you realize that all of the things you mentioned as not being in Scripture actually are in Scripture.

That said, thanks for explaining things to me.

 

[jjervis]

A very concise response! I have a friend who is COC, so I pretty much knew this already, but it was good to get a refresher.

I hope you realize that all of the things you mentioned as not being in Scripture actually are in Scripture.

This is true, and this website (catholic.com) has some great Scriptural evidence to back it all up!

 

[Zenas]

Hi Holly,
First let me say, the Churches of Christ and Christian Churches are in no way like Mormons.

---

This is a brief sketch of the Churches of Christ/Christian Churches. If you would like Scriptures to back up the tenets of our faith I will be glad to give them to you. Feel free to ask any questions. God Bless and see you around the forum.

This is a good summary of CoC beliefs. I would add that the founders of the Restoration Movement were Barton Stone, former Presbyterian minister, and Alexander Campbell, former Baptist minister. Both became disenchanted with the Calvinistic underpinnings of their denominations and each started his own independent movement. In 1832, the two groups merged at a meeting held in central Kentucky and they called themselves the churches of Christ. Since that time there have been two major offshoots: (1) the Disciples of Christ, and (2) the independent Christian churches.

Churches of Christ do not use musical instruments in their worship services.

They observe the Lord’s Supper every Sunday, using grape juice and unleavened bread.

They do not have any women as deacons, elders or ministers (which is what they call their pastor), and they do not permit women to teach men.

 

[Holly3278]

A very concise response! I have a friend who is COC, so I pretty much knew this already, but it was good to get a refresher.

This is true, and this website (catholic.com) has some great Scriptural evidence to back it all up!

Scripture Catholic is another good site that shows the Scriptural basis for those doctrines.

 

[boncrayon]

The “Church of Christ)” is of many interpretations. Peter was given the “Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.” Whomever sins you loose on earth, they are forgiven, and whomever sins you bind on earth, they are bound." In the reformation movement, the Pope’s (Peter’s authority) was quickly banished. Calvin, Martin Luther, Henry XIII were self-serving in disgust of the Pope’s (Primacy of Peter) authority on Earth. The seven Sacraments became minimalized and reduced to as many as four. The Holy Altar was also minimized to a pulpit of interpretations. The Eucharist was minimalized to a “symbol” of Christ among us.

That we are all one in Christ is true in our Faith that Christ is our Savior and our Salvation. But “Unless you eat my Body and drink my Blood, you will not have live within you.” “My Body is real Flesh, and my Blood is real drink.” This is only possible through the Sacred Consecration of a Priest through his ministry and through the Primacy of Peter, his Cardinals, Arch Bishops, his Priests (but not his Deacons, the Ordinaries of the Ministry).

As sincire as those who broke away from the Primacy of Peter, they are picking up the faithful throught the Word of God, but mimick a celebration of the breaking of bread to symbolize the last supper. The “Body and Blood of Christ” is not present in Christ’s Transubstantiation.

 

[boncrayon]

]The “Church of Christ)” is of many interpretations. Peter was given the “Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.” Whomever sins you loose on earth, they are forgiven, and whomever sins you bind on earth, they are bound." In the reformation movement, the Pope’s (Peter’s authority) was quickly banished. Calvin, Martin Luther, Henry XIII were self-serving in disgust of the Pope’s (Primacy of Peter) authority on Earth. The seven Sacraments became minimalized and reduced to as many as four. The Holy Altar was also minimized to a pulpit of interpretations. The Eucharist was minimalized to a “symbol” of Christ among us.

That we are all one in Christ is true in our Faith that Christ is our Savior and our Salvation. But “Unless you eat my Body and drink my Blood, you will not have life within you.” “My Body is real Flesh, and my Blood is real drink.” This is only possible through the Sacred Consecration of a Priest through his ministry and through the Primacy of Peter, his Cardinals, Arch Bishops, his Priests (but not his Deacons, the Ordinaries of the Ministry).

As sincere as those who broke away from the Primacy of Peter, they are picking up the faithful throught the Word of God, but mimick a celebration of the breaking of bread to symbolize the last supper. The “Body and Blood of Christ” is only present in Christ’s Transubstantiation.

 

[stevekehl]

I hope you realize that all of the things you mentioned as not being in Scripture actually are in Scripture.

That said, thanks for explaining things to me.

Really they aren’t. The things I’ve mentioned are based on things like alternate translations, pennance instead of repentance; non-inclusion in Scritpure , the Bible doesn’t say we can’t baptize infants; vague terms, batized the household; taking symbolic passages as literal, John Ch.6 where Jesus talks about eating His flesh and blood even though numerous Scriptures in OT and NT forbid eating blood,or incomplete doctrine based on a verse, Purgatory based on a verse from I Corinthians where Paul talks about or works being purified by fire (I forget the exact verse offhand). The COC doctrines are based on several verses in different places in the Bible.

 

[stevekehl]

]The “Church of Christ)” is of many interpretations. Peter was given the “Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.” Whomever sins you loose on earth, they are forgiven, and whomever sins you bind on earth, they are bound." In the reformation movement, the Pope’s (Peter’s authority) was quickly banished. Calvin, Martin Luther, Henry XIII were self-serving in disgust of the Pope’s (Primacy of Peter) authority on Earth. The seven Sacraments became minimalized and reduced to as many as four. The Holy Altar was also minimized to a pulpit of interpretations. The Eucharist was minimalized to a “symbol” of Christ among us.

That we are all one in Christ is true in our Faith that Christ is our Savior and our Salvation. But “Unless you eat my Body and drink my Blood, you will not have life within you.” “My Body is real Flesh, and my Blood is real drink.” This is only possible through the Sacred Consecration of a Priest through his ministry and through the Primacy of Peter, his Cardinals, Arch Bishops, his Priests (but not his Deacons, the Ordinaries of the Ministry).

As sincere as those who broke away from the Primacy of Peter, they are picking up the faithful throught the Word of God, but mimick a celebration of the breaking of bread to symbolize the last supper. The “Body and Blood of Christ” is only present in Christ’s Transubstantiation.

If this is true why do people with gluten allergies have to abstain from communion of have special wafers? If the wafer is transformed into Christ’s Flesh then there would be no gluten in it.

 

[bauerice]

This is a good summary of CoC beliefs. I would add that the founders of the Restoration Movement were Barton Stone, former Presbyterian minister, and Alexander Campbell, former Baptist minister. Both became disenchanted with the Calvinistic underpinnings of their denominations and each started his own independent movement. In 1832, the two groups merged at a meeting held in central Kentucky and they called themselves the churches of Christ. Since that time there have been two major offshoots: (1) the Disciples of Christ, and (2) the independent Christian churches.

Churches of Christ do not use musical instruments in their worship services.

They observe the Lord’s Supper every Sunday, using grape juice and unleavened bread.
They do not have any women as deacons, elders or ministers (which is what they call their pastor), and they do not permit women to teach men.

There is both instrumentalists and non-instrumentalists.

 

[Zenas]

There is both instrumentalists and non-instrumentalists.

Yes, I have heard that a few churches of Christ are now using instruments but it has not always been so. In fact that was the main point of contention that caused the Disciples to split away. For what it’s worth, I don’t think there are any in my part of the state who use them.

 

[Zenas]

If this is true why do people with gluten allergies have to abstain from communion of have special wafers? If the wafer is transformed into Christ’s Flesh then there would be no gluten in it.

Ah, but this is where you misunderstand the concept of transubstantiation, a concept explained by Aquinas as showing that tangible objects are bifurcated into substance and accidents. For example, a piece of fabric can be cotton, wool, polyester or whatever. The substance is a piece of fabric. What it is made of—wool, cotton, etc.-- is accidental to what it is, *i.e.,*fabric.

In the case of the Euchaist you have the substance of bread with its accidents being wheat flour. You have the substance of wine with the accidents of ethanol, water and other chemicals. When the hosts are blessed and consecrated, the substance changes to the body and blood of Christ. However, the accidents remain the same—wheat flour and ethanol, etc. Hence the term transubstantiation, a changing of the substance. But there is no corresponding transaccidentation, which would be a changing of the accidents.

 

[stevekehl]

Ah, but this is where you misunderstand the concept of transubstantiation, a concept explained by Aquinas as showing that tangible objects are bifurcated into substance and accidents. For example, a piece of fabric can be cotton, wool, polyester or whatever. The substance is a piece of fabric. What it is made of—wool, cotton, etc.-- is accidental to what it is, *i.e.,*fabric.

In the case of the Euchaist you have the substance of bread with its accidents being wheat flour. You have the substance of wine with the accidents of ethanol, water and other chemicals. When the hosts are blessed and consecrated, the substance changes to the body and blood of Christ. However, the accidents remain the same—wheat flour and ethanol, etc. Hence the term transubstantiation, a changing of the substance. But there is no corresponding transaccidentation, which would be a changing of the accidents.

So the bread and wine stay the same and change at the same time? Sounds like lawyer talk.

 

[Zenas]

So the bread and wine stay the same and change at the same time? Sounds like lawyer talk.

Not really, it’s philosopher talk and the concept originated with Aristotle and was applied to the Eucharist by Thomas Aquinas. But rather than reading their obtuse tomes, maybe you can check this out. It does a great job of explaining transubstantiation in understandable language.

rosary-center.org/ll49n3.htm

 

[boncrayon]

If this is true why do people with gluten allergies have to abstain from communion of have special wafers? If the wafer is transformed into Christ’s Flesh then there would be no gluten in it.

That’s so that non-believers can find a reason to question the authenticity of Transubstatiathion and cannot grasp the sacred Body of Christ. Non-believers can only envision “symbolism” in the bread & wine (grape juice) and not the "My Body REAL food and my Blood is REAL drink… Wether the Catholic communicant drinks the Precious Blood from the cup or receives the consecrated Precious Body of Christ, it is still the whole and complete Eucharist.

 

[jessicaj]

Really they aren’t. The things I’ve mentioned are based on things like alternate translations, pennance instead of repentance; non-inclusion in Scritpure , the Bible doesn’t say we can’t baptize infants; vague terms, batized the household; taking symbolic passages as literal, John Ch.6 where Jesus talks about eating His flesh and blood even though numerous Scriptures in OT and NT forbid eating blood,or incomplete doctrine based on a verse, Purgatory based on a verse from I Corinthians where Paul talks about or works being purified by fire (I forget the exact verse offhand). The COC doctrines are based on several verses in different places in the Bible.

What exactly is your objection to going back to the Greek and seeing that “baptizing the household” meant baptizing every man, woman, child, and slave?
We also baptize our infants because of Romans 5:12-21 (original sin, one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all (verse 18)).

What is your proof that John 6 is symbolic? Yes, the OT forbids eating flesh and blood, but if you read John 6 again, you will see that the Jews do in fact have a hard time with Jesus’ teaching about his body and blood (verse 52). Jesus then repeats himself. He does not correct them and say “Oh you misunderstand me, it’s just symbolic.”

Purgatory is also based on Revelation 21:27, which says that nothing unclean will enter Heaven, and the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18, in which the servant is tortured UNTIL he pays his entire debt (verse 34). This can’t be Hell, because once you’re in Hell, you’re not getting out, and this cannot be Heaven because who would compare Heaven to a prison or a place of torture?

Finally, it’s great that the COC doctrines are based on a variety of verses (if that is in fact true), but that doesn’t make them any more right. One can easily pick and choose verses and make them mean what they want them to. This is why we have the Church as the teaching authority (based on 1 Timothy 3:15).