Telford Work on denominationalism

[KingsGambit]

I liked this article; reading it gave me an "aha" moment and an understanding that my continual search for the "ideal" denomination or division within Christianity was really a waste of time.

http://www.westmont.edu/~work/articl...ruechurch.html

[thewriteranon]

That was excellent, and total captured my struggle as well.

[Pentecost]

Well, this seemed really obvious. What's the point of making an orthodox/heterodox distinction if you further reject some orthodox because of imperfect beliefs and reject their denomination because of it? (Does that make sense? Because to me the whole point of orthodoxy is being able to agree with each other on the basics if not the secondaries and therefore denominations are mostly just which club you get along with best.)

Question from the article though:

"It resists the smug exclusivism of any one position -- Roman Catholic (and Eastern Orthodox), Magisterial Protestant, and "Pentecostal" (Free Church)"

What does "Magisterial Protestant" and "'Pentecostal' (Free Church}" mean?

[Catholicity]

I believe that well sums up why I felt as if I was an inbetweener, once I left the RCC.

[One Bad Pig]

I liked this article; reading it gave me an "aha" moment and an understanding that my continual search for the "ideal" denomination or division within Christianity was really a waste of time.

http://www.westmont.edu/~work/articl...ruechurch.html

Eh, the article smacks of fatalistic relativism IMO. Nobody's entirely right, so muddle along where you are as best you can? On the other hand, we should "fruits-test" - not that we should test the fruits of the church, but how we can use our fruits there! He says that he belongs to the One True Church in the title, but in the body of the article claims he doesn't, because there is no One True Church. I'm getting a "wants to have cake and eat it" vibe, overall.

I am perhaps an unusual convert to Orthodoxy in that I was not looking for another church due to dissatisfaction with my current one. I sought to be a part of the church closest to that of the NT, whether it was in my current church or not. And given my aversion to visiting strangers by my lonesome, it took a metaphorical clue-by-four to get me to switch. The Orthodox Church does not claim to be the true church by pointing at others by way of negation, but by pointing at its past.

[One Bad Pig]

Question from the article though:

What does "Magisterial Protestant" and "'Pentecostal' (Free Church}" mean?

"Magisterial Protestant" refers to those denominations that got their start during the Reformation. As far as I can tell, "'Pentecostal' (Free Church)" is a conflation of two distinct groups. The Evangelical Free Church is not generally Pentecostal (though individual congregations might be; there is quite a bit of freedom left to the individual congregation - I went to college with some EFC folks).

[One Bad Pig]

I believe that well sums up why I felt as if I was an inbetweener, once I left the RCC.

If you don't mind sharing, what caused you to leave?

[Paprika]

Eh, the article smacks of fatalistic relativism IMO. Nobody's entirely right, so muddle along where you are as best you can? On the other hand, we should "fruits-test" - not that we should test the fruits of the church, but how we can use our fruits there!

No one's entirely right, so we must work towards unity while taking seriously the various types of differences. "fruits-test" could have been better expressed but in context it substitutes screening using doctrinal minutiae as a determinant for which local gathering to be part of.

[One Bad Pig]

No one's entirely right, so we must work towards unity while taking seriously the various types of differences. "fruits-test" could have been better expressed but in context it substitutes screening using doctrinal minutiae as a determinant for which local gathering to be part of.

Better expressed? He's testing himself, not the church! And doctrine is not unimportant; the problem with Protestants using doctrine as a determinant is that there's no yard-stick.

[Paprika]

Better expressed? He's testing himself, not the church! And doctrine is not unimportant; the problem with Protestants using doctrine as a determinant is that there's no yard-stick.

Rather than looking for one true denomination or local church, I have started simply discerning where God wants my family and me. Frustration turned to relief as my criterion went from doctrinal blackballing to fruits-testing: Where among God's divided people can we bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit and best exercise our spiritual gifts? As a worshiper and teaching pastor, where can I take joy in the holiness of my own tradition, and lead others to appreciate the holiness of Christ's traditions around us?

He's testing, so as to speak, the fruit he would bear in that soil, which is also a test of the soil. It's not an either/or, nor as simplistic as you would perceive it to be.