beliefs of the church of christ

The Church of Christ is not a cult, any more than the Baptist Church is a cult.

The word cult is way, way overused - just as other words such as racist and anti-Semite are.

 

On what basis do you say that? Why do you think that it should not be classified as a cult?

 

Since we Christians are divided up into hundreds of denominations, I don't see the point in calling any group a cult except for extreme groups that follow a single man, such as Jim Jones' followers, the Branch Dividians, etc.

 

There are several Protestant denominations which, for the most part, follow orthodox Biblical teaching. We don't call those cults, but denominations within Christendom. There are of course Other Religions besides Christianity. There is the Occult which deals with the paranormal. And there are the cults--several of them. These claim to be Christian but have followed an aberrant theology, usually taking one or more doctrines to an extreme. Many of them deny the deity of Christ. Others are very confused on the doctrine of salvation, such as the Church of Christ. Almost all have a definite founder (Alexander Cambell).

The Church of Christ believes that in order to be saved you must be baptized. This heresy is known as baptismal regeneration. It means that works are required for salvation, and thus a man is saved by works, and not by the grace of God. This is what makes it a cult.
DHK

 

Yes, very true.

 

The word cult can also be used responsibly as a way to categorize a group that is following teachings that deny the essentials of Christianity, as DHK pointed out. It can be used irresponsibly, but that does not make it wrong to use it responsibly.

 

Say what you will, DHK, but I do not find that the Church of Christ is a cult. Stressing the importance of water baptism does not make it a cult. It is merely the overemphasis of a particular sacrament.

 

Baptism is very important to us. Our spiritual forefathers, the anabaptists were martyred for their faith, primarily because they baptized believers after they got saved. Ana-baptist means to baptize again. The Catholic Church persecuted them because they figured that the infant baptism that most of them had received at birth was sacred enough. Thus they were branded as heretics and called anabaptists when they were re-baptized after accepting Christ as Saviour. Baptism is important.

However when one makes baptism so important as to take the place of, or take away from the atoning work of Christ on the cross, then it is heresy. It is blasphemous. Christ's shed blood was all sufficient. He made the sacrifice that paid the penalty for our sins. To say that baptism paid part of that price (as the COC teaches) is absolute heresy. That is what makes it a cult.

BTW, baptism is not a sacrament. That is a Catholic word, and means something which imparts grace. Baptism does not impart grace. It does not save; it does not make you more holy. It does nothing to you but get you wet. It is done in obedience to the command of Christ. It is therefore an ordinance not a sacrament.
DHK

 

Nope. You're statement is excessive hyperbole.

 

Nope. You're statement is excessive hyperbole. </font>[/QUOTE]How is it excessive hyberbole, and how do you define a cult?

 

A cult basically follows a living man, such as the followers of Jim Jones, or the Branch Dividians, or some very extreme system of beliefs. The Church of Christ certainly does not meet this definition. But you may have a broader definition of the term, cult.

Plus, the word cult is way overused as a pejorative just as the words racist, anti-Semite, and homophobe are.

 

The Church of Christ started with a man and they were called Campbellites. A number of the former First Baptist Churches in some towns are now Church of Christ. So the Campbellites caused a lot of division and destruction.

 

No, it didn't. The Church of Christ is one of three churches that came out of the Restoration Movement(Disciples of Christ, Christian Church, Church of Christ) that had a variety of leaders, of whom Thomas and Alexander Campbell were but two. Two other just as prominent leaders were Barton Stone and Walter Scott, and there were others.

Also, when everything shook out, Alexander Campbell ended up going along with the Disciples of Christ branch of the Restoration Movement.

 

That is somewhat different than what I have been told by them. I have been told that the Christian Church and Disciples of Christ are different from one another but they split off from the Church of Christ later. So I am curious where you got your information.

 

From AFF's Cult Bookstore:

Christian Research Institute

The above give enough evidence (though I could give more) that the COC is a cult.
DHK

 

I see now why we are not on the same page, DHK. I didn't know you were referring to the International Church of Christ.

The International Church of Christ is not the same denomination as the usual Church of Christ on the street corners of the South. The Church of Christ on the street corner has the same problem with the International Church of Christ as you do.

 

The instrumental music and missionary society controversies were the main catalysts for the split in the Restoration Movement. The split was made official in the Religious Census of 1906(if I remember the year correctly), which was the first time that the Church of Christ was listed separately.

Who split from whom would depend on one's perspective I would guess.

As far as my source, I have read quite a lot about church history in general and about the Church of Christ and about the Southern Baptist Church in particular.