I invited Billie Brewer as a guest blogger and I hope you enjoy what he has written. Any and all comments will be appreciated.
‘Are You A Christian?’ By Guest Blogger Billie Brewer
I am a Christian. I was born into a Christian family. My family is also Southern Baptist. I have served on staff in several Southern Baptist churches. Does that mean I’m a Southern Baptist?
Not in the least. If Christians have messed up one thing in the history of the Church, it is the mess they have made with denominations. One might argue that denominations are vital and important to church life. I submit just the opposite. No where in the Bible are denominations mentioned, hinted at or recommended. For the Christian, the Bible is the most important tool we have.
In Ephesians 6 we are told to put on the defensive armor of God. The only offensive weapon the Believer has is the Bible! Too many Christians and churches have laid the Bible down and picked up the man-made by-laws and constitutions of their denominations and sects, and associations and have made them the rules to follow. The result is division by denomination, dissention among themselves and complete dishonor of God and His Word.
Believers are instructed in Matthew 28:19-20 to go and make disciples of the world—Not Baptists, not Methodists, not Pentecostals, not Presbyterians—DISCIPLES! Do I attend a Southern Baptist church? Most of the time, yes. Am I a Southern Baptist? No, I am a Christian, and my responsibility to my Savior is to make disciples, not denominations.
Any and all feedback is appreciated for this topic!
Could not agree more!
Likewise.
No, I am not a Christian.
But thanks for asking
Heh leftystrat,
You are welcome.
Have a great weekend.
I appreciate this discourse.
I am a Catholic. We don’t have denominations. Rather there is a type of Orthodoxy that is very close to the Catholic Faith.
From the Protestant perspective; Episcopalians are closely anchored to the Catholic Church because they believe in the Saints.
From the denominational viewpoint, it is possible for anyone to declare oneself Protestant. Anyway can do that. That is not so in the Catholic Church. One cannot automatically declare oneself Catholic.
The point is that when one preaches the Scripture ,autonomously, than essentially speaking, anyone can interpret the Bible. And when that happens, people disagree, and churches fail in large numbers, as a result.
That is a fact and is not intended to spur someones spiritual emotions.
There is today, fortunately, healthy discourse between Protestant Churches and the Catholic Church.
This type of dialogue is more unique in the United States than say in other places in the world.
Europe is not very Christian these days. Islam is predicted to be the dominant religion in the next 50 years.
I do encourage anyone to look into the Catholic Church. It is, after all, the Church FILL IN THE BLANK.
-JFK
Hello JFK,
Thanks for stopping by and for sharing your thoughts with us.
Blessings to you.
Amen. Being Christ’s disciple is not about denominations. It is simply to be born again. John 3
Hello Tom F,
I tend to agree.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
Regards, Ron
I once heard that 94% of all Christians believe the same, it is the 6% of differences that make up the denominations and hence the disagreements.