If You Were Not Baptist, What Would You Be?

Is Free Will Baptist an option?

 

Excellent point. The beauty of liturgy is a real void in Baptist circles.

 

For me, I'm not a big fan of a liturgical-style worship. That said, I do think that a lot of Baptist churches have have gone too far in the other direction. The quest for informality has cost us a sense of solemnity, and also a sense of awe at the presence of God among us.

i guess I'm somewhere in the middle. I'm not happy-clappy or liturgical.

Regarding the OP, the first thing I want to know about a church is what it believes. If I can agree with it, then I'll plug in other considerations, including worship style.

 

Tim, are you a Calvinist now?

 

I may be way off base here if, by liturgy, you mean only a specific Lutheran tradition, but I relate with the gist of your post.

During the interim of about three years between SB and PB membership, the wife and I and daughters were active in a local Bible Church that observed a certain order of public worship each time they met, which I suppose could be considered as their liturgy. Incidentally, the patriarch and organizer of the group was the son of German Mennonite immigrants, 'Uncle Eli', who was keen on scripture memorization (he had the books of Romans & Hebrews memorized) and traditional hymns, and played the violin during song services. Each meeting began with prayer, a set of traditional hymns, and a congregational reading aloud of scripture. This 'liturgy' alone satisfied something within me each time we met, and I miss it at times. It instilled within me an appreciation of a set order or form or ritual of worship.

 

In your case, you might want to try a reformed free will Baptist church.

 

I grew up with Calvinistic leanings... So I figured, 'What the Heck".. If I ever have to throw truth away and not be a Baptist, I might as well do it right!!! ROFL!!! :wavey:

Seriously, I see truth both in Calvinism and the other side... In my mind, both are true depending on whose perspective I look from, God's or mans.. That's why I don't get into C vs. A debates... and since this isn't a C/A thread.. I'll leave it at that...

Besides, don't you know that all good Barnhouses are Presbyterian!!! (Donald G. Barnhouse... lol)

 

I can't think of any other denomination I would like. I'm kind of like a pastor I once had who said, "You don't have to be a Baptist to go to heaven, but as long as you're going you might as well go first class."

 

I would choose Evangelical Friends. For me the importance is on the focus of the believer...is it a window or a mirror? Our local friends church would be the mirror.

 

anabaptist

 

Actually there are a few Brethern churches that I've enjoyed participating with around here.

 

Are there still anabaptist churches around? None around here.. unless you are also considering Mennonites or Amish.

 

Evidently there are, somewhere:

http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?p=1551581#post1551581

 

cool.. I didn't know that.

 

Born-Again Church

Such as Calvary Chapel....

 

:thumbsup:

 

Like Tiny Tim, I will probably be a Reformed Presbyterian.
In fact, I know that is what I will be if I leave the Primitives.

 

If I couldn't be a Baptist, I would be lost since everyone knows us Baptists are the only truly saved folk. LOL/// just had to throw that in.

I would go to church with TinyTim and the reformed Presby's.

 

If I understand the OP correctly this is if we had no baptist church to go to.

I will always be a baptist (as far as I can tell) but if that was not an option I would probably be a baptist in an Orthodox Presby church. I used to live really close to one and I would visit whenever the weather was too bad to go to my baptist church which was 40 miles away.

For what it is worth, I currently worship each week with a family that are Presbyterians.

I would also attend a solid presbyterian church over a not so solid baptist one.

I would also consider a non-denom such as Grace (MacArthur) or maybe a E-Free church.

Ultimately, it would be their belief on the Gospel first and things like baptism second.