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The modern cry, "Less creed and more liberty

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Revmitchell, Dec 5, 2012.

  1. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    The modern cry, "Less creed and more liberty," is a degeneration from the vertebrate to the jelly fish, and means less unity and less morality, and it means more heresy. …It is a positive and very hurtful sin to magnify liberty at the expense of doctrine.
    --An Interpretation of the English Bible

    B.H. Carroll
    First President, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (1908-14)
     
  2. Earth Wind and Fire

    Earth Wind and Fire Well-Known Member
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    That was a great analogy :thumbsup:
     
  3. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

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    "Less creed and more liberty" is similar to the battle cry of those who opposed the SBC conservative resurgence.
     
  4. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
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    I would prefer more Bible and less creed.

    Creeds and statements of faith define the edges - where there has been conflict. Many people fight over the edges of acceptable doctrine and believe they are righteous, but ignore the center of Christian life and union - Jesus.

    How can one claim to be a Christian and ignore the call of Jesus to be His disciple - that is, one who is transformed through steady reliance upon His grace and who takes seriously His call to love one's enemies, do good to those who persecute you, take care of the poor, call and teach others in discipleship, and do the works of God in the power of the Spirit?
     
  5. quantumfaith

    quantumfaith Active Member

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    :thumbsup::thumbsup:

    Can't argue with that.
     
  6. humblethinker

    humblethinker Active Member

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    A degeneration from the vertebrate to the jelly fish? I didn't know he was an evolutionist!

    "In the future we should have increasingly more amounts of creed so that when 'the others' cry for liberty we will be able to identify their invertibrativity even quicker!"

    Ahhh, the making of a fundamentalist, it would be funny if it didn't hurt so many people.
     
  7. OldRegular

    OldRegular Well-Known Member

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    Many Baptist have hollered "No creed but the Bible" over the years. The problem is: Most Baptists don't study the Bible and I suspect that most Baptist preachers don't teach from the Bible. Most Baptists are Biblically illiterate. They know "Once saved always saved" and many are "Rapture Ready" and familiar with "The pre-trib rapture" but that seems to be it. Oh yes, you must trot down the aisle to get saved!
     
  8. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
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    Unfortunately, I believe you are exactly right.
     
  9. quantumfaith

    quantumfaith Active Member

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    Any data, or is this entirely anecdotal?
     
  10. OldRegular

    OldRegular Well-Known Member

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    It is anecdotal, based on my experience, but I suspect I could find data to support those remarks if I wanted to spend the time.
     
  11. mont974x4

    mont974x4 New Member

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    It seems to me that creeds are not the issue in this thread. The issue is expected behaviors and expected support of favored doctrines. Some churches have covenant agreements that members sign when they join and some have a verbal agreement based on their specific churches by-laws and constitutions. These have a great deal of support by people of a more conservative mindset. Some go overboard and enter the realm of legalism and behave like Pharisees. Theses are in the extreme on one end. On the other end the extreme is a push for an anything goes approach to both behavior and doctrine.

    Some of the agreements are solid and take a good biblical stance on issues. Some have added so much to the expectations in added stances that the Pharisee accusation is a right fit. If we were committed to preaching, and truly following, the Bible we would be churches, and individuals, that were more pleasing to God. We would expect legalists to have more grace in areas that are truly areas of freedom. We would expect liberals to accept, and take firm stands, on doctrine and behaviors where God Himself informs the lines to be drawn.





    Hey, I never claimed to not be an idealist. LOL
     
  12. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    I doubt it. ..........
     
  13. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    Our church only uses the Bible for study. I am adamently oppossed to creeds. One can say it is a statement of common ground, but it is a man made document subject to error. In addition to error, opinion has a way of becoming substituted for Scripture.

    The Apostles Creed:
    I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

    And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

    I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN.

    I said this for twenty five years every Sunday. It becomes so familiar it renders itself meaningless. Besides that, the first chapter of Genesis and verses from Matthew would accomplish the same thing. I do not believe in the holy catholic Church, I believe in a local autonomous church carries out the work of the Lord on earth. How does one believe in the communion of saints? Brothers and sisters in Christ want to be in each other's company. How does one believe in that? It is not something to believe in, it is a fact.

    There is nothing profound in the creed. Any third grader knows a Christian believes in the Holy Ghost the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. If one has to repeat every Sunday that they believe in the forgiveness of sins, then there is a problem. A creed encourages Christians to not grow in the faith, and to remain lazy, because there is no need to search Scripture when one can repeat a man made chant.
     
  14. OldRegular

    OldRegular Well-Known Member

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    There is at least one error in this Creed. Jesus Christ did not descend into hell, if "hell" s used here is the abode of the unsaved. His body went into the grave!

    I do believe that Baptists would do well to adopt something similar to the 1644 Baptist Confession of Faith.
     
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