Non-Denominationalism

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SAINThoodSEEKER

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Hey guys (and dolls),
Do you find that more and more N.D. teachings or “ideas” are seeping into the various protestant faiths? I am devoutly Catholic, but attend the free lunches given to students on certain days of the week by the various church groups at my college. The BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministries) had their free lunch yesterday and their is usually prayer accompanied with a “program” of some sort while we eat. They showed a video with a guy at a diner. He was calling “empty religious practice” into question…same old song and dance. I started questioning the program’s arguements to the person seated beside me. She fired back, but then had to leave for class. My real question is: Do you all find their seems to be an endemic school of thought within Christianity that says that all you need for a relationship with Christ is your bible? I know this has been the backbone of Protestantism for the last 4 centuries or so, but this newer idea doesn’t even recognize collective worship in a “church” or other building. I was just surprised to hear this message inside a denominational (Baptist) meeting place. God bless you all.

Clement of Alexandria

“’Eat my flesh,’ [Jesus] says, ‘and drink my blood.’ The Lord supplies us with these intimate nutrients, he delivers over his flesh and pours out his blood, and nothing is lacking for the growth of his children” (The Instructor of Children 1:6:43:3 [A.D. 191]).
 
Yes! I have even believed that myself at one time. This is not a new idea within Protestantism. It is Protestantism, and Protestantism certainly is new.
 
I guess Protestantism, as a whole, is just gradually shedding the layers that began 2000 years ago. 400 years ago the papacy, sacraments, etc. went…they are even now not recognizing the practice of collecting as a group. Soon Sundays will be even less important to them than they are now! I hear of the many conversions that are happening within evangelical “clergy” (ministers, preachers, etc.). These people will probably be our strongest Catholics in the years to come (unlike the ones of the cradle).

Clement of Alexandria

“’Eat my flesh,’ [Jesus] says, ‘and drink my blood.’ The Lord supplies us with these intimate nutrients, he delivers over his flesh and pours out his blood, and nothing is lacking for the growth of his children” (The Instructor of Children 1:6:43:3 [A.D. 191]).
 
I think I read in the New York Times a few Sundays ago about a popular new movement called “home church” where people fed up with the same old song and dance of churches make their own “service.” Who needs an official church anyway, they say.
 
When I was younger, my family attended a “house church”. We went there on Sunday nights (we also went to a traditional church on Sunday mornings). The house church grew out of a bible study with only a few families. It really was impresive how big this house church became with over a hundred familes. I remember baptism being done in the pastor’s swimming pool.

It got so large they eventually split into two groups. My family stopped going shortly after that. It was a formative experience though and I’m grateful for learning about Christ there. It was through that church that I met another boy when I was in fourth grade. We became lifelong friends. Twenty years later he was my best man.

Eventually the house church died out. I think that was because it got so big it couldn’t fit in houses any more. Building an actual church building really contradicted why the gathering started in the first place.

The pastor of that house church now teaches at Phoenix Seminary. Now don’t get me wrong. I believe he is a good man who honestly seeks after Christ. I still respect him greatly. Now I just differ on the idea of a house church. I go back to the fact that when it started it was not meant to be a house church. It just kind of happened.
 
I think many Protestants simply believe that Catholics do more than they need to in order to have a relationship with Christ. It’s a shame as they miss out on Eucharist and all of the other sacraments. We simply need to pray that one day they will answer the call to come home to the only church Christ gave to humanity…while we love them as we love ourselves.
 
SAINThoodSEEKER,

I see this(Faith Community Churches) creeping in where we live too. In talking to some of the non-denom’s, it’s as though they have taken all the happy-happy/joy-joy stuff from every other denomination to make their own. No traditions, rituals or devotions though. Pretty sad, many are ex-catholics and ex-lutherns. It’s a sham! False teachers.

A gal told me once she went to this non-denom and she found Jesus. I asked her in what church she grew up. She told me she was raised in a Luthern church. To that I said ‘You couldn’t find Jesus in a Luthern church?’ She said, ‘oh it was all over her head’?! Others, can’t tell me why they left other churches.
 
My fiance was a non-denom… Her family didnt/doesnt consider Catholics Christian, I would say that that is protestantism at its worst, self-defeating and ill-conceived self.
 
My friend shared a hospital room with an evangelical pastor’s son. When he found that Bob was a Catholic he said, “I prefer a more personal relationship with Jesus.” When I heard this I said, “How more personal a relationship can you have with Jesus than the intimate one we have when we receive the Eucharist?”

Maybe that is where we should be talking to them, the Bible is the Word of God, but so is Jesus and He is present in the Eucharist and so in our bodies - personally - for a time.
 
A gal told me once she went to this non-denom and she found Jesus. I asked her in what church she grew up. She told me she was raised in a Luthern church. To that I said ‘You couldn’t find Jesus in a Luthern church?’ She said, ‘oh it was all over her head’?! Others, can’t tell me why they left other churches.
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I think this gets to the point of it all.

I am not trying to be condescending or arrogant, but I see many people who “find Jesus” in the non-denom or fundamentalist do-it-yourself camp just aren’t very “smart”. They don’t “get it” in the traditional protestant sects (like the Lutherans or the Anglicans) or with our own Holy Catholic Faith so they go for something more attractive. Like a moth to a flame.

I tend to think that in reality, people haven’t changed that much in this “modern age”. Many people are still not much better off than their peasant forefathers in the realm of intelligence. They gain superficial knowledge like how to run a computer but totally lack in matters of faith or matters of traditional thinking. However, with this gain in superficial knowledge, they gain a certain arrogance-they don’t accept the Truth of the Faith with humble obedience.

Add to that the concept we get from the “Enlightenment” that “all men are created equal” we don’t take into account our position in life. God obviously did not give equal gifts to all of us. Some of us are poor, others rich. Some are intelligent, some are not. Some are gifted with a knack for reason and logic, some are not.

Some folks think “I don’t get it, so how does anyone else know any better?” If they don’t get it, they don’t just humbly accept the teaching of the Church like in days past, now it is easy to just reject the Church and go on one of many different (and erronous) paths. You can also add to that the concept of this society that encourages a certain radical individualism and you can see why folks think " you don’t need a church to be saved".

While I could probably write a book on the subject, I think this is what it boils down to-our society encourages radical individualism, protestantism (at least traditionally), and egalitarianism (among other things) and thus it is not suprising to see these sorts of trends in the protestant camp. When blown about by every wind of doctrine, it is also easy to be blown around by every wind of secularism, philosophy, etc. ad naseaum.

Remember also the Devil’s famous rebellious statement-“I will NOT serve”. It is the same for those who will not bow down in humble obedience to God and His Church.
 
Post by Roman_Catholic.
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HOLY COW! How did you manage to get this nick?? And you just joined in Jan 2006!!!

Man! You’re lucky!!! It completely missed all of us!
 
I find non-denominationalism and Protestantism fascinating. There seem to be so many contradictory trends that work against each other. For example, how can Protestantism have both “house churches” and “megachurches”, yet mainline denominations are struggling? I also don’t understand how these megachurches survive financially given that Americans seem to be skeptical of organized religion, go to church rarely, and don’t support organizations financially. Who is paying for the megachurches?
 
Isn’t the term “non-denomination” a misnomer? They are, de facto, a denomination, no matter what they don’t call themselves.

A denomination is, technically, a group of Christians who separate themselves by theology and give themselves a name.

A non-denomination is a group of Christians who separate themselves by theology and refuse to give themselves a name.

A rose by any other name is still a rose; even if it has no name.

They just pay lip service to the verse: “have no divisions among you.”
 
scriabin, 👍

That’s exactly what i was going to say. It seems we have to remind them that there was no need to have different names of different denominations because their is only one church…and Jesus established it. Like you said, being non-denominational is a type of denomination. Further, the Faith Community churches around here are affiliated with the Baptist church.

Scott
 
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scriabin:
Isn’t the term “non-denomination” a misnomer? They are, de facto, a denomination, no matter what they don’t call themselves.

A denomination is, technically, a group of Christians who separate themselves by theology and give themselves a name.

A non-denomination is a group of Christians who separate themselves by theology and refuse to give themselves a name.

A rose by any other name is still a rose; even if it has no name.

They just pay lip service to the verse: “have no divisions among you.”
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Exactly! Denonmination means division and they are certainly a division so yes, it is a misnomer.
 
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