Famous Members Of The United Church Of Christ
These are notable people known to have been past or present members or raised in the United Church of Christ or its forerunner denominations.
- Amy Klobuchar – U.S. Senator from Minnesota
- Barack Obama – 44th president of the United States of America
- William H. Rehnquist Chief Justice of the United States
- Jackie Robinson Major League Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers
- Meredith Willson popular composer of “The Music Man”
- Andrew Young Civil rights leader, ordained UCC pastor, and former member of Congress
Disciples Of Christ Practices
Sacraments – Baptism is practiced by immersion however, people who join from other Christian denominations are accepted without the need to be baptized again. Baptism is performed at the age of accountability.
The Lord’s Table is the central focus of worship in the Christian Church, explaining the use of a chalice as the church’s official logo. Since one of the goals of the Disciples of Christ is to foster Christian unity, communion is open to all Christians. The Christian Church practices communion weekly.
Worship Service – Christian Church services are similar to those of other mainline Protestant churches. There is singing of hymns, responsive readings, recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, Scripture readings, a sermon, an offering, communion service, and a recessional hymn.
To learn more about the Disciples of Christ beliefs, visit the official Christian Church Website.
How Does The Church Of Christ Differ From Baptist Christianity
Although the Church of Christ shares several common practices with the Baptist Church and other Christian denominations, several things make them different:
Don’t Miss: How Does The Bible Describe Hell
What Does The United Church Of Christ Believe
The United Church of Christ adheres to the doctrine that there is one God who exists in three persons: the Creator, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Revelation from God The United Church of Christ differentiates itself from other Christian groups by placing a strong focus on the doctrine that God continues to reveal himself to those who follow him in the present day.
Early Restoration Movement History
The Restoration Movement originated with the convergence of several independent efforts to go back to apostolic Christianity.:101:27 Two were of particular importance to the development of the movement.:101â106:27 The first, led by Barton W. Stone, began at Cane Ridge, Kentucky and called themselves simply “Christians“. The second began in western Pennsylvania and was led by Thomas Campbell and his son, Alexander Campbell they used the name “Disciples of Christ“. Both groups sought to restore the whole Christian church on the pattern set forth in the New Testament, and both believed that creeds kept Christianity divided.:101â106:27â32
The Restoration Movement began during, and was greatly influenced by, the Second Great Awakening.:368 While the Campbells resisted what they saw as the spiritual manipulation of the camp meetings, the Southern phase of the Awakening “was an important matrix of Barton Stone‘s reform movement” and shaped the evangelistic techniques used by both Stone and the Campbells.:368
Also Check: What Book Of The Bible Is The Lord’s Prayer
Top Of Pagegods Holiness Vs Mans Sin
“Certain new theologians dispute original sin, which is the only part of Christian theology which can really be proved.” —-G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, p. 15.
1. The CC flatly and emphatically denies the historic biblical doctrine of Original Sin . Doesn’t the Bible teach that man is born with a fleshly nature that is in some way inherited from Adam ? Historic Christian theology has been insistent on this doctrine and it makes Christianity unique among world religions. It is this understanding that makes the work of Christso important and makes Christianity so different from every other religion. What do you think?
2. Ferguson, in attempting to explain the CC view makes a distinction between the “human condition” of sin and the “human nature” of sin . This seems to be a distinction without a difference, unless the CC is merely using this topic to try to separate from other Christians. Yet, Ferguson acknowledges the universality of sin as a consequence of the Fall. Agree?
3. By denying original sin, does the CC make Christianity similar to all other religions who teach that man is born good? Doesnt this view minimize the work of Christhis perfect life, his death and resurrection to atone for our sins? Wasnt the intensity of Christs suffering on the cross necessary as payment for the intensity of mans sin?
We Believe That God Restored The Gospel In Its Fullness
Many pure and precious tenets established by Christ were changed or lost during the early centuries of the Church. Take note of references to this apostasy.
The apostasy was not to be resolved by reformation but only by restoration.
- The Restoration took place in the 19th century with the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon.
- This is represented by the angel in Rev. 14:6-7.
- John saw other related prophetic events.
- The coming forth of The Book of Mormon marked the initiation of the Restoration. Refer to Belief 3 and its references to review the events that follow.
Ref.: Articles 17, 18 & 22, Faith and Doctrine
Also Check: Who Is Lilith In The Christian Bible
United Church Of Christ Practices
The UCC celebrates two sacraments: Baptism and Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper. The website states, “Sacraments are our ritual acts in worship life when the Holy Spirit uses water, bread, and wine to make visible the grace, forgiveness, and presence of God in Christ.”
Sacraments: Congregations conduct baptism during worship services when the community is present. Sprinkling is the usual practice, although some congregations use immersion. Communion elements are usually brought to members in their pews.
Worship Service: United Church of Christ beliefs account for wide diversity in services. Local needs and traditions usually dictate worship styles and music. While no single liturgy is imposed, a typical Sunday service includes a sermon, adoration of God, general confession of sins, an assurance of forgiveness, prayers or songs of thanksgiving, and members dedicating themselves to God’s will.
All members of the UCC are equals as the priesthood of believers, and though ordained ministers have special training, they are considered servants. Individuals are free to live and believe based on their interpretation of God’s will for their lives.
UCC stresses unity within the church and a unifying spirit to heal divisions. It seeks unity in essentials but allows for diversity in nonessentials, with a charitable attitude toward disagreement. The unity of the church is a gift from God, UCC teaches, yet diversity is to be accepted with love.
Church Of Christ Beliefs: 11 Things You Must Know Before Going
December 9, 2020 | Tanya Media
The Church of Christ is an independent Christian congregation consisting of various churches joined together by their distinct beliefs and practices, based on their interpretation of the Bible.
These churches reject all doctrinal writings that do not go along with their interpretations and all religious creeds. They use the New Testament to set their doctrines and practices, citing examples from the early Christian church in the book of Acts.
Founded in the United States, Churches of Christ today consist of 2,000 000 members in over 40,000 congregations worldwide.
Also Check: What Is The Best Bible Verse For Strength
The Why Series Why Does The Church Of Christ Believe That Baptism Is Essential To Salvation
Nearly every religious body associated with Christianity administers baptism in some fashion. Some believe it is an act of obedience that symbolizes a believers faith in Christ and death to sin. Others believe that baptism is simply the means by which a believer becomes a member of the church body. But the congregations associated with the Church of Christ are known for their insistence that baptism is an essential part of salvation. On what is this belief based?
This belief is based on the fact that baptism and salvation are clearly linked throughout Scripture. Peter compared baptism to the water that saved Noah and said, Baptismnow saves you . Paul compared baptism to circumcision under Mosaic Law and indicated that being buried with in baptism results in being forgiven of all your sins . But no one made the relationship between baptism and salvation more clear than Jesus who said, Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved .
This belief is also based on the fact that from the very institution of the church baptism was associated with receiving salvation. When Peter finished delivering the first evangelistic sermon, the audience that heard his message asked, What shall we do? He responded, Repent and be baptized . From that point forward baptism is associated with every conversion mentioned in the book of Acts.
Dan Chambers, Churches in the Shape of Scripture , 45.
Churches Of Christ Outside The United States
Most members of the Churches of Christ live outside the United States. Although there is no reliable counting system, it is anecdotally believed there may be more than 1,000,000 members of the Churches of Christ in Africa, approximately 1,000,000 in India, and 50,000 in Central and South America. Total worldwide membership is over 3,000,000, with approximately 1,000,000 in the U.S.:212
Don’t Miss: What Is The Most Accurate Version Of The Bible
What Is Unique About The Church Of Christ
Some members of the church of Christ say it is unique among the 33,000 churches in the world.
Since unique means the only one of its kind, could this really be true? Making the claim proves nothing, so lets test the hypothesis by looking at things some think are unique about the church of Christ.
Works Righteousness And Legalism Versus Imputed Righteousness
“I’ve tried my entire life to keep all the rules and was so deadened staring at a mean, vindictive God who handed out more rules for ‘comfort’.” —-a Church of Christ sister in Phoenix
“What started me questioning my church of Christ theology was when my uncle preached a sermon on ‘the point of no return.’ He told the entire youth group that you can sin so badly you can go to hell, and Jesus’ blood doesn’t cover you. Imagine hearing that at fifteen years old. For two years I would cry myself to sleep I was so scared. But Jesus has opened my eyes!” —–Andrea, a visitor to our website
First, some comments about this topic, then the questions.
The CC seems to think that other professing Christians are lax in obedience. That may be so. A true saving faith must be a living faith . There is little room in the Christian faith for “easy-believism” which could be defined as turning one’s back on clearly understood biblical instruction. Certainly, the believer should seek to conform his life to the will of God as best as he understands it. Faith implies faithfulness. The New Testament speaks often of such concepts as the obedience of faith. The protestant reformers put it this way: Salvation is through faith alone, but not through a faith that is alone. So, we stand with you in attempting to overcome the shallow view of easy-believism in Christianity.
7. After reading this, what do you now think about the concept of imputed righteousness?
Also Check: What The Bible Says About Investing
Unity Based Upon The Bible
Since God has vested “all authority” in Christ , and since he serves as God’s spokesman today , it is our conviction that only Christ has the authority to say what the church is and what we should teach.
And since only the New Testament sets forth Christ’s instructions to his disciples, it alone must serve as the basis for all religious teaching and practice. This is fundamental with members of churches of Christ. We believe that teaching the New Testament without modification is the only way to lead men and women to become Christians.
We believe religious division is bad. Jesus prayed for unity . And later, the apostle Paul begged those who were divided to unite in Christ .
We believe the only way to achieve unity is by a return to the Bible. Compromise cannot bring unity. And surely no person, nor group of persons, has the right to draw up a set of rules by which everyone must abide. But it is altogether proper to say, “Let’s unite by just following the Bible.” This is fair. This is safe. This is right.
So churches of Christ plead for religious unity based upon the Bible. We believe that to subscribe to any creed other than the New Testament, to refuse to obey any New Testament command, or to follow any practice not sustained by the New Testament is to add to or take away from the teachings of God. And both additions and subtractions are condemned in the Bible .
This is the reason the New Testament is the only rule of faith and practice we have in churches of Christ.
What Is The Book Of Mormon
In addition to the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, named after one of its ancient prophets, is another testament of Jesus Christ. It contains the writings of prophets, giving an account of Gods dealings with the peoples who lived anciently on the American continent. For Latter-day Saints it stands alongside the Old and New Testaments of the Bible as holy scripture.
Also Check: Where To Watch The Bible
Top Of Page What Is The Gospel
“I was raised in the Church of Christ and always assumed that the way the Christian faith was presented there was biblically sound. But a girlfriend in high school shared the gospel with me. I had never heard that the gospel was actually something that God did for me. I had been taught, or at least I inferred, that the gospel was something that I did for God.” —-Susan
Please see our article What is the Gospel.
1. Doesnt 1 Cor 15:1-11 give the clearest and principle definition of the gospel as being something to be believed about Christ dying for our sins? Doesnt gospel mean good news in Greek ? We fear that a non-believer visiting a Church of Christ and hearing that the “good news” is a list of things that they have to do, would not see it as good news. Is it not ultimately found in the grace of God ?
2. According to Rom 1:16 and 1 Cor 1:18, by whose power is the gospelGod’s or man’s? Don’t these passages teach that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, not the power of man?
3. Doesn’t the Bible specifically separate baptism from the Gospel in 1 Cor 1:17?
4. Our understanding is that a “gospel sermon” given by a Church of Christ preacher would be about the formula of what one must do to be saved: Hear/Believe/Repent/Confess/Be Baptized. If you reject the claim made by Church of Christ preacher K. C. Moser that the CC is guilty of preaching “The Plan” rather than “The Man”why is he incorrect?
Who Are Churches Of Christ
Why are there so many churches?
Contemporary religious scholars and historians estimate that there are approximately 38,000 denominations in the world today. Have you ever wondered if the true church still exists? Does it really matter to which church I belong? If the true church does exist, how can I find it?In the video linked below, learn about the fascinating history of the first century church of the Bible and how it still exists today! Learn about God’s true church, the origins of denominationalism and God’s scheme of redemption for mankind.
You have probably heard of churches of Christ. And perhaps you’ve asked, “Who are these people? What – if anything – distinguishes them from the hundreds of other churches in the world?”
You may have wondered:
- “What is their historical background?”
- “How many members do they have?”
- “What is their message?”
- “What do they believe about the Bible?”
Don’t Miss: Grace To You Bible Study
Top Of Pagetraditions Of Men Vs The Word Of God
“I, like most in the churches of Christ, was raised up on the notion that we must “restore” the first century church to present day America. It was something I never questioned, and just assumed that it was a biblical concept and goal. However, some years back I began a personal quest to confirm my beliefs, and I soon learned that many of my cherished convictions came more from my forefathers in the faith than from my Faithful Father! This notion of restoration of the first century church is one of them, in my view.” —-Al Maxey
We have been told by a CC preacher that what unites the Church of Christ is hermeneutics more than anything else. The formula used is “specific commandments, approved apostolic examples, and necessary inferences.” This is further clarified by the rule of “inclusions and exclusions.” This means, as we understand, that anything that is included in the New Testament mustbe obeyed and anything that is not in the New Testament must be avoided, except those things which are deemed to be required or avoided When they see other groups who fail these tests as they define them, they accuse them of practicing things that are “traditions of men rather than the word of God.” But are these formulas themselves traditions of men rather than the word of God?
1. Is there such a thing as Church of Christ doctrine? Here’s a testimony of a Church of Christ preacher who, after for 40 years changed his mind on this: Church of Christ Doctrine.