Just a "Relationship" is needed!

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auhsoj88

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This new Church is called “Celebration Church”. The giant billboards posted all over town have a variation of people/couples hugging, smiling, having fun, etc…

The catch phrase posted is “This is not a religion but a relationship”. The church claims to be non-denominational!

I believe a church that claims to be non-denominational is a denomination onto itself.

Second what raises my eyebrows even more is the catch pharse I stated above! Inversely suggesting that religions are bad because they don’t have relations (w/Christ).

My questions is, considering I believe that having a relationship with Christ is paramount, it is not the only thing asked of us! Last I checked our Lords tells us if we love him, then we should follow his commandments! So a relationship to me is a two way street!

It is apparent to me that a new movement “of just having a relationship is good enough” is all that is needed in some christian circles??

Thoughts!

Peace be with you!
 
It’s one of my pet peeves when various non-Catholic Christians say they have no religion:

religion

• noun 1 the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. 2 a particular system of faith and worship. 3 a pursuit or interest followed with devotion.
 
It sounds like this would appeal to people who are afraid of a commitment. The word relationship is shallow. Why is “relationship” supposed to be superior to “religion”? People who live together unmarried have a “committed relationship” (committed is added to emphasize the fact that even they recognize the word relationship to be weak on its own), people who work together have a “work relationship” or “just a business relationship” (meaning it is not very deep). Relationships come and go as we see from people who say, “We had a relationship.” I’m just giving these as examples of how having just a relationship is the antithesis of profound.

So, at least Celebration Church is being honest - I’m working on their next billboard 😃 "This is not about being profound, it’s about being shallow! Release yourself from the burden of thought and come celebrate with us!"
 
Was the Golden Calf physically portrayed on the billboard, or is it considered too obvious?
 
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adnauseum:
Was the Golden Calf physically portrayed on the billboard, or is it considered too obvious?
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You mean like this:

Come on everyone! Let’s celebrate!
 
**😃 lol! ROFL! That’s very silly. The Non-denomination denominations don’t make any sense. Instead of calling it a multi-protestant prayer service, they call it a Non-denomination church. **

**The only true Non-Denomination is the Catholic Church! It is not a denomination, those who choose to leave it become denominations. **
 
Like Scott Hahn said:

“I have a personal relationship with my mechanic…”
 
Hello auhsoj88,

I think you will find that what you are describing is the foundational thought of most of Protestantism. I have heard that Martin Luther once stated that once he was a Christian he could rape, murder and do all kinds of unrepented sin and he would still go to heaven. The “Born Agains” detest the thought of having to do works and obedience to go to heaven and insist that they only have to “accept Jesus as your personal Savior”. I once saw a web site that stated that you do not have to love God to go to heaven.
Could Satan have done a better job of decieving people away from Jesus teachings to obey God?

In Luke 13:23 Jesus tells us that there are evildoers who claim to have had a personal relationship with Him ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’. Seeing that they did not obey Him as He taught them to do, He damns them to hell.

It is amaizing how many so called “Christians” throw out Jesus direct teachings to love and obey God if they wish to go to heaven.

NAB LUK 13:23

Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ And you will say, 'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, 'I do not know where (you) are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. NAB MAT 19:16"Teacher, what good must I do to possess everlasting life?” He answered, “Why do you question me about what is good? There is One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." “Which ones?” he asked. Jesus replied “You shall not kill”; ‘You shall not commit adultery’; ‘You shall not steal’; ‘You shall not bear false witness’; ‘Honor your father and mother’; and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

NAB JOH 14:21

“He who obeys the commandments he has from me is the man who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father. I too will love him and reveal myself to him.”

NAB JOH 15:10

"You will live in my love if you keep my commandments, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and **live **in his love."

NAB JOH 12:47

"If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I am not the one to condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save it. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words already has his judge, namely, the word I have spoken - it is that which will condemn him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own; no, the Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to speak. Since I know that his commandment means eternal life, whatever I say is spoken just as he instructed me."
 
Okay, so my Latin is nearly non-existent. Which “sola” will a “relationship only” church be?

“Sola iunctura” is the best I can come up with. 😃
 
How soon will we start seeing new interpretations of the Bible, with new quotes, such as, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, then a rich man to enter the gates of heaven, … unless, of course, he has a personal relationship with me”.

NotWorthy
 
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auhsoj88:
This new Church is called “Celebration Church”. The giant billboards posted all over town have a variation of people/couples hugging, smiling, having fun, etc…

The catch phrase posted is “This is not a religion but a relationship”. The church claims to be non-denominational!

I believe a church that claims to be non-denominational is a denomination onto itself.

Second what raises my eyebrows even more is the catch pharse I stated above! Inversely suggesting that religions are bad because they don’t have relations (w/Christ).

My questions is, considering I believe that having a relationship with Christ is paramount, it is not the only thing asked of us! Last I checked our Lords tells us if we love him, then we should follow his commandments! So a relationship to me is a two way street!

It is apparent to me that a new movement “of just having a relationship is good enough” is all that is needed in some christian circles??

Thoughts!

Peace be with you!
Click to expand...
The “relationship” business seems to be just a variation of the old evangelical cliche-ic question, “Do you have a personal relationship with God?,” which to a significant extent means, “And have you, you Catholic, fundamentally cast aside your fallacious belief that you need a ‘priest’ between you and God?”

Vis-a-vis good behavior and good works, a “relationship” with God is fine, so long as the goal is grounded in right thinking: God is not going to “relate” to anyone without demanding a revolutionary orientation of behavior and of works in His direction, toward His ends.

Second, there is no ultimate distinction between “relationship” and “works” and “behavior.” Someone who says, “I have Faith!,” or, “I have a Personal Relationship with God!,” who thereafter engages in moral non-feasance, mis-feasance of mal-feasance, is spitting in Christ’s face. And in Christ’s eyes, actions speak way, way, WAY louder than words.
 
Thank you all for your (name removed by moderator)ut. Much appreciated!

By the way, a coworker of mine is repulsed by anytype of Christianity, Catholic, Protestant, doesn’t matter. He believes they are all corrupt and just in it for the money! He is very stuck on this form of thinking. Mind you, he doesn’t go to church or anything like that. Though he says he is “just a Christian”. When concerning salvation, he says his bible reading and “personal relationship” with Christ is all that is needed! This is scary because he echoes what a great number of Christians think now days! I pray for him!

I see a new form of protestantism on the horizon - a protestantism filled with millions of one-man-denominations!

In Christ, Peace be with you!
 
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