dwight92070
Well-known member
I read this online. Doesn't that make them a cult?
Does the Church of Christ teach that only they go to heaven?
- Thread starter dwight92070
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mailmandan
Active member
When I was a teenager, I had temporarily attended the church of Christ and they taught me that ONLY "their" church is the "true church" and they quoted Romans 16:16 to try and support their claim. They also taught salvation by works, with a heavy emphasis on water baptism. In fact, it seemed like water baptism was just about the only thing they talked about and they continuously quoted Acts 2:38.
It was a friend who invited me to attend that church. His Aunt was a very devout member of the church of Christ. I'll never forget several years later running into my friend's Aunt at my friend's daughter's birthday party. Since then, I had received Christ through faith and was now a born again Christian.
I shared this good news with his Aunt and the only question that she had for me was, "where do you attend church?" When my answer was not "the church of Christ," she bowed her head in sadness as if to imply that I was still lost because I didn't say the church of Christ.
A little bit later, her husband approached me and I shared the good news with him that I received Christ through faith and am now a born again Christian as well and he had the same question, "where do you attend church," and when I told him and the answer was not the church of Christ, his eyes glazed over followed by a cheesy legalistic grin on his face and he simply walked away from me and neither of them would speak with me for the rest of the night. I knew that something was terribly wrong!
I could hear both of them over in the corner going on and on about water baptism and that only their church is the true church. Sounds like a cult to me.
It was a friend who invited me to attend that church. His Aunt was a very devout member of the church of Christ. I'll never forget several years later running into my friend's Aunt at my friend's daughter's birthday party. Since then, I had received Christ through faith and was now a born again Christian.
I shared this good news with his Aunt and the only question that she had for me was, "where do you attend church?" When my answer was not "the church of Christ," she bowed her head in sadness as if to imply that I was still lost because I didn't say the church of Christ.
A little bit later, her husband approached me and I shared the good news with him that I received Christ through faith and am now a born again Christian as well and he had the same question, "where do you attend church," and when I told him and the answer was not the church of Christ, his eyes glazed over followed by a cheesy legalistic grin on his face and he simply walked away from me and neither of them would speak with me for the rest of the night. I knew that something was terribly wrong!
I could hear both of them over in the corner going on and on about water baptism and that only their church is the true church. Sounds like a cult to me.
mailmandan
Active member
I've had discussions with numerous folks over the years who left the church of Christ after receiving Christ through faith and when I asked them why they left, they typically said because the church of Christ teaches a false gospel. Some of them referred to the church of Christ as a cult while others referred to it as a false religion that is cult-like. To be fair, I would not refer to the church of Christ as a full-blown cult, like Mormonism or Jehovah Witnesses, but would fully agree that it is cult-like.
My friend that I mentioned in post #2 received Christ through faith and became a born-again Christian not long after I did and he told me that when he called his Aunt on the phone to tell her the good news, she basically went ballistic on him and told him that she had taught him better than that, then slammed the phone down and would not speak with him for quite a while. He too knew that something was terribly wrong.
What are your thoughts on the church of Christ being a cult dwight92070?
My friend that I mentioned in post #2 received Christ through faith and became a born-again Christian not long after I did and he told me that when he called his Aunt on the phone to tell her the good news, she basically went ballistic on him and told him that she had taught him better than that, then slammed the phone down and would not speak with him for quite a while. He too knew that something was terribly wrong.
What are your thoughts on the church of Christ being a cult dwight92070?
dwight92070
Well-known member
I have not encountered Church of Christ people before doing so on this forum, so I haven't seen the need to investigate it until now. However, I always heard that they believed that baptism is necessary for salvation. Just that in itself is attacking an essential doctrine of the Bible - that Jesus ALONE SAVES. He is the Alpha and the Omega and everything in between. He Himself IS SALVATION. Simeon, in the temple, took the baby Jesus in his arms, and prophesied, "Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to Your word. FOR MY EYES HAVE SEEN YOUR SALVATION, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A Light of Revelation to the Gentiles, and the Glory of Your people Israel." Luke 2:29-32 Jesus IS SALVATION both to the Gentiles and the Jews. It's Jesus plus NOTHING, not baptism, not good works, not being Jewish, not having wealth or power - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. The C of C (Church of Christ) presents a different way, a distorted way, to be saved, which according to Paul, is a different gospel. Galatians 1:6-9 Paul said "he is to be accursed" (whoever preaches this distorted gospel). I don't know how the C of C can be categorized as anything but a cult.
As if that wasn't enough, some C of C assemblies believe that you can't even be saved, unless you're in their church, which is what you encountered as a teenager. That too is, at least, cult-like. I understand that each C of C assembly or congregation is autonomous, i.e. they have no higher governing authority over them. The plurality of elders in each church is their governing authority. So it's likely that some C of C churches will not totally agree with everything in another C of C.
Then you throw in - no musical instruments or candles or incense during church. Also you must have communion every Sunday and it must be accompanied with a meal. The Sunday near or on Christmas or Easter must not be different than any other Sunday - i.e. no excessive mention of those holidays. A successful outreach is measured by how many were baptized, NOT by how many were saved.
So now we have a lot of legalism, which is NOT a good fruit of the Spirit.
By the way, I retired from delivering mail on June 30, 2022, from the Denver Post Office - 38 1/2 years.
As if that wasn't enough, some C of C assemblies believe that you can't even be saved, unless you're in their church, which is what you encountered as a teenager. That too is, at least, cult-like. I understand that each C of C assembly or congregation is autonomous, i.e. they have no higher governing authority over them. The plurality of elders in each church is their governing authority. So it's likely that some C of C churches will not totally agree with everything in another C of C.
Then you throw in - no musical instruments or candles or incense during church. Also you must have communion every Sunday and it must be accompanied with a meal. The Sunday near or on Christmas or Easter must not be different than any other Sunday - i.e. no excessive mention of those holidays. A successful outreach is measured by how many were baptized, NOT by how many were saved.
So now we have a lot of legalism, which is NOT a good fruit of the Spirit.
By the way, I retired from delivering mail on June 30, 2022, from the Denver Post Office - 38 1/2 years.
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dwight92070
Well-known member
A true church has Christ at its center.
The Church of Christ has water baptism salvation at its center. They are obsessed with that. Pretty much everything they talk about relates to that in one way or another.
The Church of Christ has water baptism salvation at its center. They are obsessed with that. Pretty much everything they talk about relates to that in one way or another.
David Koberstein
Active member
They are known as Campbellites. Alexander Campbell a disgruntled Baptist started the Church of Christ cult.
MTMattie
Active member
True story.
When I first encountered c of C it was through a forum some 10 or 11 years ago.
That forum had a high percentage of membership from the c of C and I was a total greenhorn when it came to knowledge of other then the RCC and the Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans and Presbyterians.
So somewhere along the way I got convinced , by them, that Mark 16:16 was the way... the truth... and the life.And I was not saved.
So I went about looking for an acceptable church to baptise me.... ( my church baptism did not count... and I was likely hell bound)
So I went and called a local c oC and was told that because my mother... (also wrongly baptised) .. had problems with steps that I should contact another c o C... and did so. Before that I talked with a Baptist minister and during our meeting he assured me that we did not need to be baptised to be saved... but it had to be a public baptism in his church.... and there were a lot of steps in their baptistry. (The Eunuch would not have made it there either)
So we had our meeting with the c o C and we talked on Mark 16:16 and he gave examples of how people had even insisted to get baptised in icy cold water on route to the church... and then he went to talk with others... But alas... came back that we were not acceptable..... (likely my mistake cause I had said we would not be changing churches)
So here was someone who just did not want to do the work to draw us into the membership..... they were assuming we automatically would. jump for the chance.
Yes, I am born again. And the Holy Spirit is living in me. And He does most of the postings I do on any forum..... And I was baptised in my church.... and have come th o the conclusion Well.... a cult by any other name would still be a c o C.
When I first encountered c of C it was through a forum some 10 or 11 years ago.
That forum had a high percentage of membership from the c of C and I was a total greenhorn when it came to knowledge of other then the RCC and the Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans and Presbyterians.
So somewhere along the way I got convinced , by them, that Mark 16:16 was the way... the truth... and the life.And I was not saved.
So I went about looking for an acceptable church to baptise me.... ( my church baptism did not count... and I was likely hell bound)
So I went and called a local c oC and was told that because my mother... (also wrongly baptised) .. had problems with steps that I should contact another c o C... and did so. Before that I talked with a Baptist minister and during our meeting he assured me that we did not need to be baptised to be saved... but it had to be a public baptism in his church.... and there were a lot of steps in their baptistry. (The Eunuch would not have made it there either)
So we had our meeting with the c o C and we talked on Mark 16:16 and he gave examples of how people had even insisted to get baptised in icy cold water on route to the church... and then he went to talk with others... But alas... came back that we were not acceptable..... (likely my mistake cause I had said we would not be changing churches)
So here was someone who just did not want to do the work to draw us into the membership..... they were assuming we automatically would. jump for the chance.
Yes, I am born again. And the Holy Spirit is living in me. And He does most of the postings I do on any forum..... And I was baptised in my church.... and have come th o the conclusion Well.... a cult by any other name would still be a c o C.
David Koberstein
Active member
The also have no musical instruments in their churches.
mailmandan
Active member
When I was a teenager, I had temporarily attended the church of Christ, and they taught that musical instruments are nowhere found in the New Testament during worship and are forbidden to be used during worship in church and result in worshipping God in vain. The church of Christ that I temporarily attended sang acapella ONLY during worship. Now musical instruments can enhance the singing of praise to the Lord. That was seen by the Christian church that split from the church of Christ. Musical instruments were obviously considered a help to praise in the Old Testament. It seems strange to say that something God thought was a blessing in the Old Testament and is now an forbidden in the New Testament church. Since instrumental music has the Old Testament precedent of being approved of God (1 Chronicles 16:42), and there is no evidence that there was a time when this approval ceased, we have biblical authority for its validity.
We are authorized to use “psalms” in the NT (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). Ephesians 5:19 says "..speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.." and correspondingly Colossians 3:16 says to, "..admonish one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs." The word "psalm" in the Greek dictionary, definition (#5568): "A set piece of music, i.e. a sacred ode (accompanied with the voice, harp, or other instrument)." The root word of psalm means "to twitch, twang or pluck," such as pluck a string of a musical instrument."
Strong's Concordance
psalmos: a striking (of musical strings), a psalm
Original Word: ψαλμός, οῦ, ὁ
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: psalmos
Phonetic Spelling: (psal-mos')
Short Definition: a psalm
Definition: a psalm, song of praise, the Hebrew book of Psalms.
HELPS Word-studies
5568 psalmós – a psalm ("Scripture set to music"). Originally, a psalm (5568 /psalmós) was sung and accompanied by a plucked musical instrument (typically a harp), especially the OT Psalms.
[The Psalms of the OT were often sung and were accompanied by sophisticated musical arrangements].
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from psalló
Definition
a striking (of musical strings), a psalm
NASB Translation
Psalm (1), psalm (1), Psalms (3), psalms (2).
The words "making melody" are used in Ephesians 5:19, but "how" this is done is found in Isaiah 23:16, and it is with a musical instrument:" Take a harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered." Also, Amos 5:23 speaks of "the melody of thy viols," which is also reference to a musical instrument. So, if "the Bible interprets itself," these passages show "how" to make melody – with musical instruments.
