Which OTHER church would you choose?

[Albion]

Assuming that you had any and all to choose from, which denomination's congregation would you choose to join if your own home church suddenly vanished?

What would make the difference for you when considering the possible choices--worship style, doctrine, or something else?

It's a hypothetical question, not about the actual alternatives available in your town.

 

[Imalive]

Another denomination? None. Also I wouldnt go to what they call the same denom. Some yes, but I've visited a bunch, no thanks. Oh Spirit filled baptists is good I heard. But thats just another name and in fact the same.

 

[Albion]

You'd choose to go from church membership, corporate worship, and participation to...no association with any other church, period, under all circumstances?

 

[Imalive]

You'd choose to go from church membership, corporate worship, and participation to...no association with any other church, period, under all circumstances?

I had no church for a long while. Tried some, but I wouldn't go there anymore. So boring. Reformed churches in Holland are absolutely horrible and a lot of evangelical churches are so blah I'd rather stay home.

 

[Albion]

Remember that the question was a hypothetical one. You could answer Mormon or Romanian Orthodox if you so chose, even if there isn't a single congregation of either one anywhere in the Netherlands.

 

[NewCreation435]

I would want a friendly church where I felt welcome and a modern type of worship service, not rigid in its structure of worship . Praise and worship music and a good message. I would be and have been open to a number of different denominations. Methodist, Baptist and nondenominational. I am going to a nondenominational church right now, but it says it is a christian church.

 

[Josiah]

Assuming that you had any and all to choose from, which denomination's congregation would you choose to join if your own home church suddenly vanished?

What would make the difference for you when considering the possible choices--worship style, doctrine, or something else?

It's a hypothetical question, not about the actual alternatives available in your town.

It would be 100% doctrine but I'd sure be interested in the worship style/customs/traditions....


If I lived on an island on which there were no Lutheran parishes, I'd look for a CONSERVATIVE, traditional,"39 Articles" Anglican parish.... I'd have a FEW differences, but my "take" would be welcomed and I'd not be required to agree with them on the FEW things were we'd differ. And Anglicans do worship REALLY well and the conservative ones are very pro-life.

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

Most likely Catholic
Consistent Doctrine and liturgy, and ties to historical Christianity. Admittedly, there are issues I'd have to wrestle with coming from a Protestant world-view.

 

[Albion]

It would be 100% doctrine but I'd sure be interested in the worship style/customs/traditions....


If I lived on an island on which there were no Lutheran parishes, I'd look for a CONSERVATIVE, traditional,"39 Articles" Anglican parish.... I'd have a FEW differences, but my "take" would be welcomed and I'd not be required to agree with them on the FEW things were we'd differ. And Anglicans do worship REALLY well and the conservative ones are very pro-life.

I've been thinking that I need to reply to my own thread and, after a little consideration, I think I would go for one of the confessional Lutheran churches. Which one is a bit hard to say, but there wouldn't seem to be a better choice.

I mean...Polish National Catholic Church? A Methodist Church? No, even though there are a few problem areas for me with Lutheranism, I can't think of any denomination that would work better.

 

[Confessional Lutheran]

It would be 100% doctrine but I'd sure be interested in the worship style/customs/traditions....


If I lived on an island on which there were no Lutheran parishes, I'd look for a CONSERVATIVE, traditional,"39 Articles" Anglican parish.... I'd have a FEW differences, but my "take" would be welcomed and I'd not be required to agree with them on the FEW things were we'd differ. And Anglicans do worship REALLY well and the conservative ones are very pro-life.

Same. If I couldn't be a Confessional LCMS Lutheran, I'd be a conservative High Church Anglican. If I couldn't do www.lcms.org, I'd do www.anglicancatholic.org.

 

[Albion]

Not quite the "same" answer as Josiah gave, is it, though?

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

Same. If I couldn't be a Confessional LCMS Lutheran, I'd be a conservative High Church Anglican. If I couldn't do www.lcms.org, I'd do www.anglicancatholic.org.

No offense meant, but I wasn't aware of conservative/High Church Anglican Communions. Interesting

 

[Albion]

See 'Continuing Anglican movement' on Wikipedia.

 

[Imalive]

I would want a friendly church where I felt welcome and a modern type of worship service, not rigid in its structure of worship . Praise and worship music and a good message. I would be and have been open to a number of different denominations. Methodist, Baptist and nondenominational. I am going to a nondenominational church right now, but it says it is a christian church.

same or pentecostal, oneness pentecostals too, although I don't agree w that, but their music is good.

 

[NewCreation435]

same or pentecostal, oneness pentecostals too, although I don't agree w that, but their music is good.

No, I wouldn't go to a Pentecostal church. I have before and with all the running around and people falling on the floor I just thought it was wierd.

 

[Confessional Lutheran]

Not quite the "same" answer as Josiah gave, is it, though?

No, not precisely on point, but that particular answer isn't utterly dissimilar. Imaginary Day, here's an article dealing with the Affirmation of St. Louis, which dealt with the orthodox Anglican response to an encroaching liberal heterodoxy that was beginning to infiltrate the Episcopal Church in the United States: http://www.anglicancatholic.org/the-affirmation-of-st-louis?class=greenlink

 

[Albion]

No, not precisely on point, but that particular answer isn't utterly dissimilar. Imaginary Day, here's an article dealing with the Affirmation of St. Louis, which dealt with the orthodox Anglican response to an encroaching liberal heterodoxy that was beginning to infiltrate the Episcopal Church in the United States: http://www.anglicancatholic.org/the-affirmation-of-st-louis?class=greenlink

Hi. I had been thinking that I wasn't as clear as I should have been. I'll explain a bit more for whoever cares.

While your reply about conservative Anglicanism and Josiah's reply about conservative Anglicanism seem very similar, he said that he favored what I'd call Evangelical Anglicanism while you opted for the kind of Anglicanism that the Anglican Catholic Church identifies with.

The "Continuing Anglican" churches are very similar to each other in most ways, but some are basically Classical Anglicans and identify with the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, while the Anglo-Catholic ones (including the Anglican Catholic Church, not surprisingly) don't, but prefer to think of themselves as "Catholic in the Anglican tradition."

 

[Josiah]

Hi. I had been thinking that I wasn't as clear as I should have been. I'll explain a bit more for whoever cares.

While your reply about conservative Anglicanism and Josiah's reply about conservative Anglicanism seem very similar, he said that he favored what I'd call Evangelical Anglicanism while you opted for the kind of Anglicanism that the Anglican Catholic Church identifies with.

The "Continuing Anglican" churches are very similar to each other in most ways, but some are basically Classical Anglicans and identify with the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, while the Anglo-Catholic ones (including the Anglican Catholic Church, not surprisingly) don't, but prefer to think of themselves as "Catholic in the Anglican tradition."

Yup. While it's VERY hard to find them, there are parishes and national Anglican churches that are very traditional, orthodox, "39 Articles" Anglican Churches (there are two such tiny parishes near where I live, however). Such tend to be very Protestant (and very close to Lutheran) in theology, and also tend to be fairly high church (although perhaps not to the extent of Anglo-Catholic parishes). THAT'S what I'd choose if the island I was on had no Lutheran churches.... Yes, there are also Anglo-Catholic parishes (I think these are more common in England than in the USA) which really see themselves as primarily (pre-Henry VIII) Catholic in theology (indeed, there's always a steady drip of these clergy and parishes switching to Rome). Nope, I have no interest in these; I'd be more likely to just go Roman Catholic since these Anglo-Catholic parishes can be kind of liberal... if I'm going to submit to RC Dogma, I'd rather go where it thrives and where things are morally conservative. But that's just me.

But I think the question here is WHAT exactly would we consider IMPORTANT when being forced to change denominations..... To me, the answer if 100% theology. It's the ONLY reason I left the RCC (because I loved everything else) and the only determining factor why I ended up Lutheran. I would GLADLY worship in a sloppy style singing contemporary things with the same 6 words repeated 800 times.... have communion monthly..... and ignore all 2000 years of Christian history BUT have solid, biblical, orthodox theology than to have awesome worship but sloppy and bad theology. Theology would be the whole enchilada for me.



- Josiah

 

[Albion]

Yup. While it's VERY hard to find them, there are parishes and national Anglican churches that are very traditional, orthodox, "39 Articles" Anglican Churches (there are two such tiny parishes near where I live, however). Such tend to be very Protestant (and very close to Lutheran) in theology, and also tend to be fairly high church (although perhaps not to the extent of Anglo-Catholic parishes). THAT'S what I'd choose if the island I was on had no Lutheran churches....

Right. I quite agree.

But I think the question here is WHAT exactly would we consider IMPORTANT when being forced to change denominations..... To me, the answer if 100% theology. It's the ONLY reason I left the RCC (because I loved everything else) and the only determining factor why I ended up Lutheran. I would GLADLY worship in a sloppy style singing contemporary things with the same 6 words repeated 800 times.... have communion monthly..... and ignore all 2000 years of Christian history BUT have solid, biblical, orthodox theology than to have awesome worship but sloppy and bad theology. Theology would be the whole enchilada for me.

Obviously, there are people who would compromise on doctrine if they could have the other things they value, but the raising of new church bodies in Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Presbyterianism, and other denominations in the past several decades was fueled by just what you are explaining, not something else.

 

[Josiah]

Albion,

IMO, the liberalism that ravaged Christianity in the 18th-19th Century was born of the Enligthenment and Rationalism - and fundamentally was driven by doubt, skepticism and a "prove it" mentality. Some of these WANTED to hang on to something (perhaps in their hearts being Christian) but it was a case of pealing an onion... there often was little left (and no reason to stop with that).

I think in the 20th (and now continuing into the 21st) the issue is not liberalism but relativism.... an attitude that truth is unknowable and irrelevant (and besides, it divides and makes people nasty)... It's all what you FEEL and EXPERIENCE and a bit of pragmatism as to whether it "helps" you. Denominationalism has been enormously weakened - not because progress was made toward truth because the whole issue of truth is increasingly abandoned. Lutherans often had no idea of what makes Lutheranism distinctive or any real commitment to that (in spite of what they said at their Confirmation). Increasingly, I fear, many denominations are distancing themselves from their own theology..... not in a spirit of truth or even humility but because their hero is Mr. Rodgers, they like holding hands and singing "Kumbyah" and because in their hearts, Truth doesn't exist.... and doesn't matter..... FEELINGS matter.

My brother attends a HUGE mega non-denom (I'm sure you've heard of it). VERY popular! But it believes pretty much nothing. My own brother admits there is no theology.... beyond Jesus is good for you and can make your life better. LOTS of sermons on how to improve your marriage.... how to have obedient teenagers..... how to be economically successful..... lots of stuff about getting through tough times.... all conveyed primarily through LOUD music that would put any rock concert to shame and presented by a rock star pastor in jeans and an Aloha shirt. Communion is never shared because "it's impossible to do in our ventues" and Baptism is never done because "people have different ideas about it" - although one can make an appointment and someone will baptize you anyway you want for any reason you want. THIS is the face of post-modern Christianity. And it's the greatest threat to Christianity since Gnosticism.



- Josiah