Congregationalists: The Story
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- Congregationalists and Congregationalism have touched many other denominations in their trek through American Christian Denominational History. This video draws it all together.
We discuss:
Congregational Churches
Halfway Covenant
First Great Awakening (Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield)
Separate Baptists (Shubal Stearns, Isaac Backus)
Presbyterian Church in the United States of America
Plan of Union
American Unitarian Association
Universalist Church of America
Unitarian Universalists
Evangelical Protestant Church of North America
Christian Connexion (Barton Stone, James O'Kelly) (Also known as the Christian Connection)
Stone Campbell Restoration Movement (Alexander Campbell)
Church of Christ
Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ)
Evangelical and Reformed Church
Conservative Congregational Christian Church
National Association of Congregational Christian Churches
United Church of Christ
in the mid 1980's, I watched a wave crash over the local Congregational Churches, as the UCC took control, they removed the traditional Pilgrim Hymnal and even the NIV and KJV Bibles and replaced both with increasingly weird books with non traditional language. Most amazingly, the greeting at the United Congregational Church of Norwich CT was turn from a 'Passing of the Peace' to the use of the term 'Namaste.'
The UCC creed defeating the congregational roots left so many of our families and friends religiously homeless. Some found homes in the Presbyterian movement, but moreso in 'non denominational' or Baptist churches in the area.
We have a sad community of beautiful historic churches sitting empty while 1990's architecture houses some very much spiritually alive churches. The last time I went to a Christmas service at the Norwich United Congregational, there were 12 people in attendance, and was a joint service with the UUs. Not a single verse of scripture was read.
I recently visited one of those old beautiful buildings. My parents and I quoted scripture in our discussion, but she didn’t recite a single verse. Just sad.
I am from a small church called the RLDS church. We were decimated as well by the same kind of goofiness.
Excellent video while touring New England in 2021 I noted the number of very old churches that were originally Puritan and wonder how they evolved into Unitarian Universalist churches. Seemingly evolving from witch burning conservative churches to the most theologically liberal congregations! Thank you the insight!
The witch hunt episode is something even conservative Congregationalists were not proud of, BTW. By the 18th century, Congregationalists had mostly abandoned that type of thinking as superstition.
I went to visit John Adams's grave with my uncle. He's buried in the crypt of his family church, which is now Unitarian Universalist. My uncle (an Episcopalian) asked the tour guide why there were no crosses and it got slightly awkward from there. 😂
@@CountArtha I'm not sure Unitarians ever had crosses. However, after Transcendentalism's rise in the mid 19th century, Unitarianism took on an increasingly non-Christian character, certainly.
@@Magnulus76 It was still a Congregationalist church at the time John, Abigail, and John Quincy were buried there. The Unitarians took over just like the liberal Mainliners are taking over downtown churches today.
I’m a Lutheran and I certainly have problems with the UCC of today, but I’ve always found the tradition of the Congregationalists cool. Regardless of how they’ve changed today, it’s objectively impressive the society they formed in New England and how much they influenced American culture to this day, founding elite schools like Harvard and Yale (both of which have unfortunately turned their backs on their heritage, but it still doesn’t take away from the original history).
I must compliment your reporting. Who, what, where, when and why. True journalism so.seldom practiced today and you do an excellent job. 👍
I found a book at the town landfill shopping area about the 1st Baptist Church in North Stonington CT, formed in the 1740's. The town was run by the Congregationalists and to participate in government you had to be in good standing ... therefor the Baptist were ostracized. The contrast in tax supported denominations compared to today was quite interesting. The book did refer to the great awakening during this time and I believe it prepared the population for the fight for independence.
.... As a side note: The book was published by The Utter Company, Westerly RI, 1938, and the family was 7th Day Adventist ... being closed on Sat and opened on Sunday their newspaper was purported to be the first in the nation to publish the events of Sunday Dec 7th 1941
Wow, your town dump has a shopping area?
"town landfill shopping area"?
wait hol up a book at the what?
Seventh Day Baptists are not the same as more modern Adventists. My ancestor William Witter was convinced of the need for Adult Baptism (rather than infant) by Baptist visitors (from Roger Williams group I think) and was charged by Puritans with heresy. His family was part of the founding of Stonington. The sect- many of my ancestors at least- moved to northern New York (Nile/Brookfield) and continued their Seventh Day worship.
Have you done a video on them? We're they later included as Baptists or Congregational?
My spiritual genealogy is fascinating- Quaker on the other side!
Being in Westerly, Rhode Island, it's most likely Seventh Day Baptists, not Adventists. Big difference.
Know them by their fruit. Just amazing how it shows up.
This stuff is just fascinating to me. Thanks for sharing all the information in an engaging way.
Could you do a video on Unitarian Universalism? I briefly went to a UU church a couple years after leaving the Christian faith, and I think it would be of interest to your other viewers as a case study about a church so theologically liberal it left the faith.
"The last time the name of Jesus Christ was spoken in a Unitarian Church was when the janitor fell off a ladder." (Old joke.)
@NikoR96 You sound like you touch yourself while asking God for forgiveness at the same time.
@@thelasthandbook6704 , it's so tragic!
What are you doing, brother? Jesus loves you!
UCC Congregationalist here!
The UCC sends pastors to mostly Congregational churches, but has also begun aending them to Disciples of Christ churches- and there is talk with the recent Methodist split, that the UCC are considering sending pastors to the more liberal Methodist churches.
(Some UCC pastors are traditional in worship style- so this would be a good thing for those pastors, who may click well in a Methodist setup. Also, some Congregationalists are still quite conservative in their theology)
Note: UCC is our denomination, but Congregationalist is our tradition (very New England worshipesque). Some Congregationalist churches are not part of the UCC.
Thank you for those notes, though I must advise you to abscond from the spiritually skint UCC as soon as possible. While I am not aware as to the specific congregation you yourself are attached to etc, it is known that these Congregationalists have drifted some distance from the Bible: no more gendered language in the Bible, gay ‘weddings’, callous casualness toward abortion and so on. The UCC has no interest in saving souls, only in politicising and polluting them. One must be Born Again in order to make Heaven, and your current denomination is no place for that to happen. You really ought to try a good Baptist or Pentecostal assembly
@@seansweeney8911 Friend, as soon as I read "distanced from the Bible" I sense that you are part of a denomination that believes they have the one Truth of the Bible. This is not a part of my belief system (and I probably read the Bible less literally than you may read it). I wish you well.
@@Inhumantics Amities. Well, enjoy the whites only country club advocating black nationalism
I am a Unitarian Universalist, as the video above correctly points out we are at least I'll get a cherry and side of our heritage is from your denomination the current gation list as Christian denominations go I am actually offended United Church of Christ as I am your Canadian brother in the United Church of Canada, personally I do not describe myself as Christian because that has a specific meaning that I don't think I feel feel I love Jesus and believe his teachings word divine other than that I am skeptical as to Miracles Etc
@@bobbystclaire It is contradictory to say you believe Jesus' teachings and then deny his miracles.
Talk about a confusing story. Thanks for explaining the situation.
Interesting to hear of those affected by 1700s revival becoming Baptist - in England a similar thing happened. Some converts of Methodist preachers in Leicestershire formed an independent Church in 1745; by 1745 they had adopted believer's baptism. The New Connexion of General Baptists was later formed. My church was founded as part of this movement
They moved away from the Gospel and surrending to the secular culture. Has name of living but is dead. Tragic but coming back to the "old ways".
Just found your channel I’m really enjoying your informative videos.
For some reason I never realized that Jonathan Edwards was a Congregationalist. Very interesting video. Churches filled to the brim with the unregenerate and weakened for it. I feel like this is what has happened in many of our Baptist churches too.
Given how membership has declined they're hardly "filled to the brim," though.
@@thelasthandbook6704 True. But still, of the people that fill the average church, large or small, how many are actually born again? Far fewer than we'd like to think, I'm sure. Even for churches that don't cater to the world, there are often many unsaved in the mix.
The Massachusetts constitution written by John Adams, also mentions that the state should support local churches in article III.
This was because:
"the happiness of a people, and the good order and preservation of civil government, essentially depend upon piety, religion and morality; and as these cannot be generally diffused through a community, but by the institution of the public worship of God"
When you realize that the UCC (United Church of Christ) the UMC (United Methodist Church) and the TEC (The Episcopal Church) are all just Anglicans of various degrees.
They have origins from the Church if England but they certainly aren't Anglican
The UMC bears some similarities to Anglicanism, but the UCC is about as different as it gets.
@@Cjinglaterra , just heretical. Lol
@@wesmorgan7729I mean, the last one mentioned by definition is Anglican as it's the only church in the Anglican communion
I grew up in UCC and when I was young there were still church services in German once a month and on Christmas and the music was Bach organ music.
It was not Anglican, because it was German Evangelical before it was UCC. And the theology was certainly much more in the German traditions as well.
Please do a video on a Calvinistic Methodist church which are now called Presbyterian Church of Wales and the Presbyterian Church of India.
What is the history of African Methodist Episcopal Church? I will like to know more about them. Are they Episcopalian or Methodist.?
They are Methodist, Episcopal is their form of church polity (Governed by Bishops) The founder of Methodism was part of the Church of England until he died though, so there is a connection there. Many Methodists have episcopal polity. I will make a video about AME eventually.
John Wesley started the Methodist church. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley
There are "conservative" Christian universalists and there are "liberal" universalists. The conservative universalists believe in hell, the Trinity, infallibility or inerrancy of the Bible, and are exclusivists or inclusivists but certainly not pluralists. I am not very familiar with the history of the denomination, but many would likely be considered fire and brimstone preachers by today's standards. George MacDonald's Unspoken Sermons series has some pretty stern things to say about hell. Some said that hell could last hundreds or thousands of years of terrible suffering. The only thing that all Christian universalists agree on would be that every unsaved person will eventually believe, repent, and be saved. Christian universalists reject the idea that God does not love every person, reject that God is unable to save all those He loves on His terms, and reject that a person's damnation is eternally sealed at death. Many dislike the term "universalist" because many people see it as synonymous with pluralism and the Unitarian Universalist religion, which even unitarians do not want to be associated with. :)
And there are those that are more liberal and base their theology more on their own understanding rather than scripture, they may deny Jesus(by denying that He is the incarnation of God the Son), may deny the existence of hell, may reject inerrancy, etc.
Hey what do you mean by pluralism? I mean I'm both a Unitarian and a Universalist but want nothing to do with the UU because they are a progressive country club.
I,don't believe everyone necessarily WILL be saved per re only that if they aren't it will sorely be there choice, not God's. God will never give up on anyone. But free will is a thing.
@@56pjr what about Cyrus God's servant who was a Zoroastrianist where does he fit in.
@@paulpalmer6364 GOD is Sovereign and can do as he chooses. Cyrus was chosen by God three hundred years before his birth. This was for him to straighten out Gods people who has drifted away from him and become disobedient. Our GOD is amazing. Able to decree & ordain things for HIS HONOR & GLORY. Amen.
@Johnny Rep Who would not. One can believe or not believe anything. You can join and be Agnostic, Atheist,
Hindi, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian? or any other group. Jesus said this will not work, as HE is the only way back to God. I would steer clear of this group.
A Universalist whether conservative or not does not believe there is a hell. Otherwise they would not be a universalist. Universalism means nobody goes to hell. If no one goes to hell, it doesn’t exist.
Very informative. Gives answers to confusion about different denominations.
The original sins that set this chain of events into motion appear to be twofold: 1) The worldview that "Man is the judge of all things;" out of which follows 2) a spirit of rebellion and schism. The Reformation was necessary, but it should have been understood as a short-term project, with peace, unity, and humility as higher values than doctrinal correctness. There is only one Church and that body is Universal. If one does not see this and live accordingly, can one be truly in Christ? (1 John 4:20)
The United Church of Christ, NOT to be confused with the " Churches of Christ" , something I see many, including my own relatives doing... They are two VASTLY different sects...
Once a denomination rejects the Holy Trinity they remove themselves as being a Christian denomination. The Nicene Creed is the Christian faith.
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through Him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, Who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Filioque was in the Western Church since the Third Council of Toledo in 589 A.D. as part of being Anti-Arian movement marking the Spanish Visigoths conversion into the Catholic Church John 14:15-17 as well metioned by from Church Fathers like St. Cyril of Alexandria, Tertullian, St. Jerome, St. Ambrose, and St. Augustine of Hippo. The Eastern Church was unaware of this prior before the Great Schism in 1054 A.D. and therefore rejected the Filioque deemed it a heresy. This is why the Eastern Churches in schism called themselves the "Orthodox Catholic Church" believing that they were the only true faith.
The error is the belief that the Filioque was first used in 1014 A.D. Rather the Nicene Creed was first inserted into the Western Church's Mass. This is when the Eastern Church discovered the Western Church use of the Filioque.
That would exclude the majority of the first 300 years of Christians so your measure makes little sense. I grew up Trinitarian though.
I belong to the Congregational Christian Church in Samoa the largest denomination in both Samoas. It has branches in New Zealand Australia USA.
Notes for myself
1:54 Congregationalism was becoming its own denomination of protestantism. They made some unifying rules for all Congregational congregations in 1648, called the Cambridge Platform.
In 1634, revival conversions started at first church of Boston.
But new arrivals to new England weren't going through conversions, nor baptizing their infants, so the Church created the Halfway Covenant, to allow for
I'm a UCC member and what I enjoy most about the church is the intentional acceptance of the diversity of views. The church recognizes that we are at least 4D beings and thus our views evolve as we age, experience more, and learn. But Christ is still at the center.
The UCC clergy is decidedly progressive though. And some can be absolutely insufferable because of it. We had a temp pastor who just refused to even say the word 'sin'....
But most lay people are quite normal. And we members get to pick our pastor. Our current pastor is amazing, incredibly educated, not a flaming liberal, and so there is hope for us.
I mean they tolerate my Calvinism afterall...
In this excellent, helpful, yet dizzying presentation, I missed reference to the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, also known as North American Christian Convention. Can you help me situate that movement? They insist they are not a denomination, consider themselves product of the Restoration movement of Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone,. They teach baptismal regeneration and possible loss of salvation, yet are otherwise evangelical. One of the largest churches in my area (Orange County, California) is in this movement, but I’d guess that 90% of attendees do not know that, as it operates so independently. When did this movement get its start? (I heard you say that a group split into instrumental and non-instrumental, and that may be your reference to them.) Can you or anyone here tell me more of their origin story and status? Thanks!
The origins of the movement date back to the Second Great Awakening; the idea being that there should be NO denominations (yeah, that went over well...), but that by a literal reading of the New Testament the pattern of worship and church government for the Christian age could be discerned.
The whole thing started with Thomas Campbell, Alexander's father. Thomas had been ordained in Scotland by a Presbyterian synod. That said, the Scottish Presbyterians had suffered a number of schisms, with each group shunning the others. Thomas came to Pennsylvania to minister and tried to do his part to heal the schisms by encouraging families to join together to take the Lord's Supper. For this "heretical act", he was brought to trial by his presbytery and synod and rebuked soundly. Thomas decided to go independent.
Meanwhile, his son Alexander back in a Scottish seminary was having his own reservations about functionally having to pass a theology exam before being allowed to take Communion. The whole thing upset him so much that he dropped out of seminary and joined his father in the colonies. The two began preaching their new understanding of the Bible and the Church and by 1811 had formed a congregation at Brush Run in Pennsylvania.
They were later joined by Barton Stone, who had begun a parallel movement without awareness of what the Campbells were doing.
Fast forward to postbellum America, and one of the problems with strict literalism reared its head. One congregation installed an organ in their church, finding nothing in the New Testament forbidding it. This question of an argument from silence divided the movement in two: one side felt silence was permission, the other that silence on a point of New Testament worship was to forbid anything not explicitly stated. The latter made a capella singing the hill that the unity movement would die on, and formally split off in 1906 forming the Churches of Christ.
Now for the "we're not a denomination..." part. Their claim is that since they are a fellowship of self-governing congregations, they have no centralized authority that would mark them as a denomination.
I thought US Anglicanism acquired the name "Episcopal" because they wanted for apostolic bishops which were provided via the Scottish Episcopal Church.
i was raised in a congregational church and, wow, i had no idea about our history, lately my church has been doing a sermon series called "be the church" which is about being better people and trying to make amends for the tradgedies christianity has done.
Wow, yes I found it interesting but complicated.👀
Thank you, Professor Joshua. As always, well researched and presented content. I chose to become active in our local Congregational Church (La Mesa, CA) because the Bible is YHWH's (the LORD's) Written Word, Christ Jesus is our Risen Savior and returning King & Lord, and the Holy Spirit is our Helper, Comforter, advisor and Teacher-Coach. Finally, I like that each of us are Ministers of the Gospel and responsible by Covenant to each other and our neighbors (horizontal) and directly to God (vertical) without human creeds, denominational domination and interference. Last reasons are the super friendly, helpful people, blended worship & musical styles, and Congregational Polity. We believe we are "an expression" but not "the expression" of the Way - Church established by Christ Jesus.
The sad fate of heretics. Divided for ever and ever. Guided by the hand of the devil straight to hell.
Indeed!
This is excellent. Thanks for explaining this.
Great video!
WOW!!! This is so interesting and helpful!!!!!
Read Roger Williams the Puritan founder of Rhode Island(1636).
I’ve actually heard Baptists online claiming to be descended from Puritans … wild claim, as you point out the Puritans never wavered from the tradition of infant baptism.
The Congregational Christian Church is the largest Christian denomination in both Western Samoa and American Samoa. They used to be called the London Missionary Society.
As a descendant of Purtians, as they fanned out across America, it can be best described as a dumpster fire. Changing denominations with the wind. Thank God my mother was Catholic!
Great video...
Thank you!!!!
By the way the group that United with the American Universalist Association and became the Unitarian Universalist was called the Christian Universalist Church
The names of the two denominations that merged are the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America.
Does anyone know what the major differences are between the NACCC and the CCCC? I’ve been trying to research and determine which is closer to historical puritan christianity.
You neglected to cite Roger Williams, ordained Anglican, served as Congregationalist minister in Puritan Massachusetts and ultimately was banished to Rhode Island setting up the first Baptist church in America. Whoops!
As a UCC member, I find it so satisfying to see the group (Puritans) so notorious for intolerance slowly evolve into the loving church communities that I attend today.
You north American woke types aren't loving.i come from England. You usa woke ppl are anti white and crazy.
The UCC arent Christians tho
The Putitans were extremely progressive for their time.
UCC will never be real Christians. You’re just larpers that no one takes seriously, which is why you’re the fastest declining church in America.
@@curlyemperor9288 Sorry, just saw your reply. I'm sorry you feel that I'm not a real Christian! I guess in your view I just don't despise gay people as much as Jesus would have wanted.
The puritans realized they weren't as "pure" as they thought?
Didn't really go in-depth on what Congregational Polity itself is. Too often it's defined in the Localism aspect, but it's also essential Democracy and many of them applied that too their civil Politics as well.
4:03 His grandson was Aaron Burr (he fatally shot Alexander Hamilton).
I'm a Whitfield and a Congregational
Such a tragedy to see the decay of the theological rigor if the Puritans become the apostate denominations we see today.
I guess in the desire to be brief there is a lot of historical and theological oversight in this video.
There are a lot more differences than infant baptism.
What a mess!! Revelation settles it all. Didn’t they read their Bibles?
Jesus stood among the churches, among the 7 golden lamp stands and said... (I’m paraphrasing) you do many good things. But this I have against you...
Any time Christians tried to mix anything else in to with simple Spirit led Body of Christ, wether it be leaving out a part of the Godhead or mixing in deeds of the flesh, Jesus warned.
In this overview of so-called “church” history, it’s amazing to see how many years and so many people focusing on one doctrinal issue after another, and missing the whole purpose of the church!! The missed the whole revelation of who Jesus is, and were empty shells trying to feel better by being more right than the other guys. How sad. I’m sure there was many great believers in the mix, but as a whole not many really walked with Jesus.
PS The only way I could listen to this mess was to slow the playback speed down about 2 speeds!
I am so glad I’m a non denominational Christian. Which means, I’m a Christian. Period. I’m saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ and what He did.
It’s not good to totem pole the God head. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are One. They are equal. We can’t have a full and productive relationship with Christ and thereby live what we were truly created for, or be in The Body of Christ, His Church, if we are afraid of the Holy Spirit! The biggest issue I see today is.... where’s the Holy Spirit? Why are most churches not even talking about Him anymore? They might as well pack it all up, and go home. Because we can’t separate God!
Anyway, great info, but what a mess! Just believe in Jesus, read your Bible, and pray pray pray.
Goes bless you.
They are theologically liberal, if you don't know what that means it means that they do know take everything in the Bible literally, after all it was on the end of the day man made, and man make mistakes. He made a great video on the difference between liberal and conservative denomination.
This is interesting
If the Christian Connexion ostensibly had no creed but the Bible, this question may be difficult to answer but was there a strong Calvinist influence in the Christian Connexion? If so, how strong?
Nope, quite the opposite. The Christian Connexion was far more influenced by John Wesley's Arminianism than Calvinism.
Apostasy in the body of Christ.
I have a question: did these emerging congregations happened without an ordered pastor blessed with the imposition of hands of other pastors and bishops???
"Congregational polity" means that each church's congregation chooses it's pastor. There are no bishops to lay hands on other pastors. And splitting over doctrinal disagreements means that the existing clergy surely won't lay hands on the new church's pastor.
@@RonJohn63 Or, as in our CCC church, the minister I grew up with was originally ordained in the Methodist Church before converting. Although he usually stuck to preaching within the bounds of the CCC faith, he did sneak in some lessons about the creeds to the teens who were about to join the church so we would have some idea of the wider world Christian of thought.
Congregationalism created for many values of the present United States. Democratic values were birthed from these rational individualist Christians. Who sought to understand Christianity in a new land little did they know they would birth a new nation which held many of their values as political ideals to aspire too .
But, this is not new. Justin Martyr said Socrates demonstrated the Logos through his reason and that was in the 2nd century.
And as far as individualism in the US churches it was always coupled with the social gospel ideas and “good works” James theology. Only the individual in relationship with Jesus, can develop real moral discernment an institution never can. And yes here too I see it broadly, Justin Martyr claimed Socrates, Heraclitus and the writer of the Psalms “Christians before Christ” because they had accessed the Logos which is the eternal Christ.
If Christ is the Logos abject ignorance and irrationality is never the WAY. We should revere reason as part of the Logos, but not the only aspects of the Logos.
Yes you are baptist.
Their theology may be different, but feeling better than everyone else? Exactly the same lol
Hmm covering up King Henry Vlll divorce which was the reason the Anglican started???
When I read in history that one Christian whips, punishes, or murders another in the name of Christian authority, I hope that the Catholics are right about Purgatory. Then again, I would have plenty of reason to spend a while there myself!
My head is spinning! My journey has been backwards. I started out in the UCC and ended up in the OPC. :) BTW, although the "e" is missing, Whitfield is pronounced "Whitefield."
It is actually the opposite of what you say. Whitefield's name is spelled with the e and pronounced as I do in the video, whit-field. www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/evangelical-history/history-misspelling-george-whitefields-name/
Obadiah Holmes was my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather.
How great?
@@ronlanter6906 My ninth-great-grandfather. He's mentioned at 1:42 in this video. The incident of Obadiah Holmes being whipped is familiar to those knowledgeable about early New England church history. There's a Wikipedia article about him. He was also Abraham Lincoln's fifth-great-grandfather. That makes Abe four generations removed from me, being my sixth cousin four times removed.
@Johnny Rep Be that as it may, I can't escape the fact that I'm related to him. I'm related to William Tecumseh Sherman, too.
@Johnny Rep yeah but the people who he was fighting were enslaving black men just cause they were different than them (plus the Geneva convention didn't exist back then and if you are just going to say ohh but that doesn't matter well then do we consider Washington a war criminal too)
Bruh, covenant baptism is not the only reason to avoid anabaptists, anabaptists are neither Reformed specifically, nor Protestant broadly.
May I ask exactly how?
based Anabaptists
How sad people get misled by denominationalism. Seek the church of Christ, people who believe and act as the Word of God teaches. Jesus built it as He said He would, and it can be found today.
Pray for me in this regard.
I find myself at war, internal.
I was raised Baptist, and I continue to attend a Baptist assembly, by personal election. However, there is dogma and tradition within the Baptist Church that I don't necessarily agree with.
This causes a rift, within myself, as I think to a few scriptures; "do not rely on private interpretations", "do not forsake the assembly of yourselves", and "they heap to themselves teachers, because they have itching ears."
On one hand, I truly love my church family and our services. On another, I feel a certain weight, because I know that I disagree with some of their doctrines.
It is, very, difficult to voice opposition to these particular doctrines and dogma, as the rhetoric is hard to cut through -- and some of these are staples of Baptist worship, and the ministers have spent centuries preparing the dogma to resist opposing views.
Overall, I give thanks to God for a church body that seeks to serve the LORD above all things, I also pray He reveal to us the proper understanding of the scriptures (free from dogma) to worship Him to the fullest extent.
@@WilliamMcAdamsI pray daily that everyone will leave their denominations and find their way into a group of people earnestly trying to restore the church of Christ by studying the scriptures alone. They should have the final authority as to how people become Christians and how they are to live in the church that Jesus Himself built. I urge everyone to visit a church of Christ near you, and see what they are doing. As a matter of fact, visit a few of them and you may find some are doing a better job than others. You won't find a perfect congregation, but you will find people earnestly seeking God's Will.
There is a great deal of confusion in 'the religious world,' as these denominations are man made and each one is a testimony that they know better than God. Let God be in charge of salvation and His church. If God was just make believe there would be nothing wrong with all these denominations, and going to 'the church of your own choice,' but God has put His beloved Son Jesus Christ as head of His church, and God is real. He is not the author of confusion.
There remains great resentment on behalf of the various baptist denominations and the churches of Christ, because in the end of the 1800's there were many debates on New Testament teachings, and many people left the baptist churches to work in churches of Christ to restore New Testament ways.
About a year ago, a baptrist lady came forward at the close of our Sunday worship service and requested to be baptized. The sermon had mentioned baptism and the spiritual explanation of it given by Paul in Romans 6. She said she had been trying to get discussion going on New Testament baptism in her bible study classes but that no one wanted to discuss it. She knew that the 'new creature' came out of the water and it didn't make any sense to her that the new man would go INTO the water, as they were telling her. They told her you were already saved when you went in the water, in other words, you were already 'the new man.' As soon as she understood that the old man went in the water and his sins were washed away by the blood of Christ so that he would rise up as a 'new creature,' she wanted to be baptized.
That was more than a year ago, and she has been filled with joy and faithful ever since. She is a widow and lives with two baptists, one of whom, she told me is not sure he is saved.
How sad that so many people, particularly in the baptist church but also in many other denominations, suspect this is so as they sit in their bible studies week after week, not daring to mention their concerns!
I pray for such folks, that they will put their faith in Christ Himself, who said when He was tempted that we don't live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. You have that Word to read, now all you need is to find a group of people who are earnest in obeying it.
@@sdthyng Trying to restore the church of Christ, sounds like what Joseph Smith was trying to do back in the 1820's.
@@tonyu5985 Joseph Smith knew Alexander Campbell, a fellow who was very instrumental in the effort to restore the original church of Christ in the USA in the 1800's. Joseph Smith was also a Freemason. The church he eventually developed is quite different than the one you read about in the New Testament.
There have been various attempts to restore the New Testament church in various countries throughout the ages, most of which have been lost from the pages of history. You can be sure that as long as people have common sense and access to the New Testament writings such efforts will continue, and some will be worthwhile and some will not be.
Personally, I would rather devote my life to the most ignorant attempt to restore the church that Jesus built than to propping up some man made denomination that has no authority whatsoever from God to even exist.
@@tonyu5985 As an additional note, consider that Joseph Smith was a total nut case.
I wish you could do one about Sidney Rigdon. He's responsible for the various churches of christ, hes responsible for Mormonism taking off and some of its theology and even responsible for some small sects.
Had Rigdon not joined Mormonism we would be calling his former movement the Stone/Rigdon movement likely.
I'm a Unitarian Universalist I would call myself at best on a good day I am what you might call a small sea Christian or maybe even an agnostic small sea Christian most Unitarian universes however wouldn't even identify themselves a small small letter C Christians as I do, Blessed Be amen! Christians
lmao
For goodness sakes man, take a breather, take a break. If your audience has to stop the video because you’re non stop lecturing that’s not a good thing. Just saying.
What do you expect him to do, take a lunch break halfway through?
@@cthrugrl lol. I said take a breather. He needed to slow down, put pauses, add segments something. I've heard of fast course but this non stop fast talking is ridiculous.