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The "coreness" of your stated doctrines should really be divided into two groups:
Group 1 (Requires Explanation - See Below)
Doctrine of the Trinity
Deity of Jesus
Group 2 (A Lot! see Methodists in particular)
Predestination
Millenialism
Dispensationalism
The doctrines in Group 2 are actually rather narrow in scope and are rarely considered requirements ...
13
This answer relates to the Church of Scotland.
Dancing has often been regarded with deep suspicion in the Presbyterian tradition. Originally, it was strongly associated with all kinds of bad behaviour, and would certainly not be permitted in church. Even after dancing became more socially acceptable, church was still meant to be a solemn and sober place. ...
13
No.
Actually yes it is of course quite possible, but if someone is asking this question at all, it is likely that there is some other issue. Fellowship and the community of saints is such a basic part of the Christian faith that someone who wants to avoid that part on purpose has probably not understood the purpose of church at all and may not have the kind ...
13
The Church is presented as the Body of Christ (an organism, not an organization [e.g., 1 Cor. 12:12+]) and as the household of faith (a family, not a club [e.g., Gal. 6:10]--also sons of God, brothers and sisters). As the Body of Christ there is an implication of a different kind of life (this may address a spiritual nature), an implication of diversity (...
13
The appropriate Canon law says:
Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays [...] (emphasis mine).
In other words, the rules say that the Archbishop has the authority to decide what can be eaten on Fridays in his diocese (he doesn't have to declare alligator to be 'seafood' - ...
12
The way the question is phrased means we must look at two historical developments:
How preaching evolved in the early church, from Jesus through the pioneer stage of Acts to the early church fathers.
How preaching evolved in the protestant church, from Luther into what we have today.
Also, one must note the context of the preaching: Small group, large ...
11
The purpose of congregational gathering is not exclusively to provide the laity access to someone who can be a mediator between them and God, so the assumption that the priesthood of all believers is mutually exclusive is invalid.
Gathering as a congregation has many purposes, including mutual edification, encouragement toward love and good deeds, ...
11
At least part of this answer I believe comes through obedience to the many ‘one another’ commands of the New Testament.
We are exhorted in various ways to be involved with and caring for one another:
To admonish one another (Rom. 15:14)
To comfort and encourage one another (1 Thess. 4:18; 5:11; Heb. 3:13)
To worship with one another (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; ...
11
There seem to be two tacks to take here. You could be looking for…
a church that specifically does not believe in these doctrines at all, or…
a church that is welcoming enough to include you in their community without prerequisite of doctrinal unity.
Let's take the easy one first.
Of the doctrinal points you list as believing they are flawed, several ...
11
Mary is the Queen of Universe because Christ is the King of Universe.
To understand her Queenship, one must understand how who the Queen of the Davidic Kingdom in the Old Testament Jewish monarchy was. It was the Queen Mother. The Kings had many wives, none of whom could be called Queen. That honor was reserved for the mother of the King. We see this in the ...
answered Jul 15 '14 at 19:16
Jayarathina Madharasan
8,4971 gold badge27 silver badges55 bronze badges
10
Yes and No
It is fair to say that Baptist services are liturgical, but I don't think I'd say that they have "a" liturgy (meaning that they generally adhere to a common liturgy).
Many Baptist churches I've been to don't quite follow the formula you described. Most follow it somewhat, but I think that to call it a common liturgy, it needs to be followed ...
10
Dr. Donald McGavran's definition of a homogeneous unit is "a section of society in which all members have some characteristic in common."
In plainer terms, a homogeneous unit is a group of people that have ethnic, linguistic, social, educational, or vocational similarities.
In terms of a church congregation, ethnic, social, and educational commonalities ...
10
A non-denominational church is exactly what it sounds like. It is a Church that doesn't adhere to any earthly authority other than maybe the local Pastor at that Church. It doesn't recognize any denominational authority, just that of God and His Word.
I'd like to also address this portion of your question as well:
I was under the impression that since ...
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It is a fairly natural idea to have somebody fulfilling this role, and various Christian traditions have done just that. The following are from Worship music: a concise dictionary (ed. Edward Foley, 2000):
Cantor [Latin]. "Singer" (1) In Christianity, a 5th-century term for the psalmist; later, the medieval singer (often cleric) who intoned and led the ...
9
According to terminology promolgated by Mark Driscoll and Ed Stetzer, Rob Bell has been identified as part of the Revisionist stream of the Emerging Church movement:
Revisionists are theologically liberal, and openly question whether evangelical doctrine is appropriate for the postmodern world. They look to leaders such as Brian McLaren, Rob Bell and Doug ...
8
You are correct in viewing the priesthood of all believers as obviating the need for a mediator between oneself and God - but there is also incumbent upon the participant a duty, as a priest, to minister to one's fellow congregants.
Put simply, without a congregation, there is no one to minister.
As a member in the priesthood of all believers, I am to ...
8
None. Every time the Bible presents the belivers it presents them in a context of a group. The biblical christian (believer in the Bible) always get together in houses, underground. Here are a few passages tackling this subject:
Romans 12.3-8
1 Corianthians 12.12-31
1 Peter 2.4-5
Heb 10.25
The argument advanced by the non-church goer is all over the place, ...
8
According to this source, women were not even allowed to be taught the Torah publicly in the Jewish faith, so they were not able to even sit in the same area as the men who were taught from the scriptures.
Restrictions applied to any public reading of Scripture in the
Synagogue (Megillot 73a) and they were unable to pronounce the
benediction after a ...
8
TL;DR Yes. Everyone is welcome. (Matthew 28:16-20)
The apostles were instructed to teach all nations in the Great Commission. There are many other verses that reiterate that everyone is welcome and I could be here all day going through all of them. One of my favorites on the subject is Paul's statement that he became all things to all men so that he might ...
8
Baptismal certificates are still used by Churches for whom Trinitarian baptism is important. This is so that they can be certain that someone has been validly baptised. The Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox Churches recognise each other’s baptisms and those of many other denominations as a valid, once-for-all and transferable sacrament. But it can only be ...
8
By way of answer, I refer you to this article on the history of Christian meetings. I'll summarize some sections.
In the first century, Christians generally met in homes, especially the homes of more prominent members.
The Acts of the Apostles portrays the first Christian community in Jerusalem as gathering in the temple colonnades and “breaking bread in ...
7
It's cultural.
This is a Catholic answer, but not based on Catholic Dogma or even the Bible. It's just common sense. In the Western Hemisphere, and western Europe (commonly and ruefully [here at least] referred to as the West) we don't need dance to communicate. Furthermore, we can't even interpret dance as language.
In African (and other) cultures ...
7
Authentic faith should never demand a sacrifice of the intellect!
From Fr. Robert Barron, Catholic priest.
One of the signs that you're not dealing with authentic faith is that
you've had to sacrifice your mind.
However, it's important to acknowledge the bounds of one's own intellect, giving due respect to religious traditions that have been fed with ...
7
Do any Christian denominations have any policies to prevent nepotism?
Short answer: Yes
The modern Catholic Church does, as of June 22, 1692.
Pope Innocent XII. Innocent XII gave nepotism a death blow by his
celebrated Bull "Romanum decet Pontificem," 22 June 1692.
However, it does not appear to have actually ended the practice.
Romanum decet ...
7
Many years ago, before governments were in the habit of providing live birth documentation and proof of identity, a baptismal certificate was valid proof of citizenship. Because people didn't move around, churches took upon themselves the responsibility to know the souls in their area, and kept register of the same. For the previous generation, where not ...
7
What is the Biblical basis for the formal 'membership' requirements that some Baptist churches have?
In 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 Paul says
12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
Church membership is how we know who is and isn't a believer. The church, as a whole, is charged with the task of declaring who is and isn't a ...
7
I attended meetings of the Vineyard for a period of a year and the members there exercised the gifts of the Spirit, with multiple people, one at a time, giving revelation and prophesying, tongues and interpretations. Then they bunched together and prayed for healings for the afflicted.
I attended a Brethren-inspired gathering for about 8 years. There, they ...
7
The Wikipedia page about the church explains:
The use of the title "Mary, Queen of the Universe" is drawn from section 59 of Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church issued in 1964 by the Second Vatican Council, which stated: "Finally, the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all guilt of original sin, on the completion of her earthly ...
6
A church is a comunity. Where people with the same beliefs come together. God gave the church to unite Christians. Being Christian is not something you do in a Church. You are Christian everywhere. At school, at work, at home, and you come together with other Christians in church.
A social organisation, sports club or whatever, is something where you come, ...
6
Quakers and Mormons have no paid staff in their local assemblies. In the national bodies, however, there is usually some renumeration or support, in order to retain staff. The truth is that very few would consider it wise to have a national organization without any accountability, which is what an all-volunteer lobby would be.
Additionally, many more ...
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