Featured Baptist distinctives and other denominations

I beleive historically "soul liberty" refers to freedom of conscience in contrast to a state church enforcement.

 

That is only on your statement of faith and/or constitution.
No two men agree on everything. So it is possible to disagree on other things. I am sure you will find other things in the Bible that you disagree on that are really of minor differences of opinion.

Soul liberty extends much further than that however. It refers to religious tolerance for others. It says: "Although I don't agree with what the J.W.'s preach, I will fight for their freedom to preach it." The Baptists fought this fight more than any other group. They were persecuted, even killed for this principle. John Bunyan was jailed for it. They fled from religious persecution to America, where they thought they could exercise their soul liberty here. To some extent it was true, but not always.

 

Would you allow say the local SBC or some other baptist Church pastor teach in your church, or at least have fellowship with them?

 

No, not an SBC pastor. The only pastors that preach in our pulpit are those who are of like faith and order, and they would be those that come from other IFB churches. Even then they would be known to us or highly recommended to us.

OTOH, I will have personal fellowship with any believer.

 

understood!

 

Even as you define it soul liberty does not exist - in my opinion.

Would you fight for the freedom of Catholics, or Jehovah's Witness or Mormons to preach their beliefs?

 

Yes. It is freedom of religion or tolerance for others. If we didn't fight for soul liberty or the freedom to "tolerate each others beliefs," then ours too would be slowly taken away. That is what happens in a church-state religion. You must adhere to the beliefs of the state. There is no soul liberty, the liberty of the soul (person) to believe as he/she believes to be true.

 

Well that is refreshing to hear.

Here in the States the government is attempting to force hospitals, adoption centers, social agencies, etc. that are operated by churches to pay for insurance for employees that covers contraception and abortifacient drugs.

It seems that the Catholic church alone is fighting against this government intrusion into religious freedom because I really don't see any other churches joining to stand against it seemingly because for most churches contraception is not a faith issue.

If the government can force one church to violate a moral position eventually they will be able to do the same again with some other issue and churches who are not in this fight will wish that they had been.

 

Here is a good example, although it is not being pushed by the RCC necessarily; it is something that many different religions should be fighting for:

http://www.worthynews.com/top/wnd-c...raph-lesbians-get-fined-7000--cat_orig-faith/

 

Orthodoxy:

a curious term to be sure. Most folks claim to have the latest orthodoxy, albeit somewhat revised and reformed each century. "Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and DOCTRINE(orthodoxy)".

The departure from true orthodoxy is documented in the Pauline epistles and Rev. 2,3--The Seven Churches of Asia. False doctrine has been evident in every generation.

Jesus is building only one church, not universal. She is without spot or blemish or any such thing--she knows what is orthodox. If one can trace one's church affiliation to a man or woman in the past or present, one is implying that Jesus is not in control of His Church.

The book of Jude explains this situation.

Some churches still have their lampstand, many have no lampstand, many never had a lampstand.

Peace,

Bro. James

 

Premise: true Baptists are not a denomination is the sense of protestantism and the holy see. They have never bowed to Rome. Churches started by men/women are not autonomous. Autonomy is a rare commodity since the universal church, a false doctrine arose-- early second century; an insidious doctrine which permeates rank and file Christendom through today.

The concept of autonomy does not have a superlative sense--you are either autonomous or not--no degrees.

Peace,

Bro. James

 

From the wikipedia article on Soul competency:

So it is necessary to point out that while I cannot compel my neighbor to give up hinduism or atheism, or mormonism...I do not have to consider them Christian based solely on the idea of soul competency.
It means one can beleive whatever they want...but it does NOT mean one can believe whatever they want and still be a christian.

 

Regarding autonomy...I believe that Grace Brethren Churches are autonomous in governing their own affairs...although there are certain beleif requriements for remaining in fellowship with the "Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches" as there are for remaining in fellowship with the CAC.

 

Wouldn't ordaining female pastors make them non baptist, but would NOT automatically mean not orthodox?

For IF a Church upholds the Gospel of Christ, saved by Grace/faith alone, aren't they still to be seen as orthodox, but with bad doctrines regarding ordaining woman?

 

Ordaining females would not make a church non-Baptist, but it would be a Baptist church in error. The church at Thyatira seemed to move in direction of that error.

 

So that would be same for say the "free will/full Gospel baptist churches?"

in error/misunderstand doctrines, but still Baptists?

And to cease being orthodox, doesn't a group.church have to pervert the Gospel, distorting nature of God and man?

a Church can have bad understandings/errors on dictrines apart from the gospel, be miss the gospel, rest really doesn't matter?

 

New Testament chuches all have certain essentials in common with each other just as all true Christians must have certain essentials in common with each other.

The common essential among true Christians is the common salvation.

However, the church is something IN ADDITION to the common salvation but common organization origin, ordinances and church government.

Churches do not originate out of thin air nor does any Christian or group of Christians that meet together have the Bibical right call themselves a New Testament church. If that were the case then every Masonic Lodge could call themselves churches too!

Churches must originate with a previous church of like faith and order. This is the Biblical plural "ye" in Matthew 28:19-20. Those authorized to carry out the Great Commission were not "all nations" or "them" (the baptized and being taught ones) but rather those who have already gone through this process of discipleship, already baptized, taught and assembling together in order to observe all things Christ commanded. People come from people and pigs from pigs and New Testament churches come from New Testament churches through the reproductive cycle of the Great Commission.

Like faith and order in the same gospel of grace
Like faith and order in the same water baptism
Like faith and order in everything the New Testament demands to be essential and denies any other alternative.