People feel they only need to follow Jesus. They focus on the resurrection. But don't want to travel the same road He did to get there. Being Catholic is not easy. Being non denomination means you don't have to really do anything other than clutch the Bible.
Well said. I do think that some people are sincere in their attendance though. But I think many pastors like it because it allows them to be their own authority.
A neighbor is non denomination. I told her about adoration and she reacted like I was nuts. Telling me Jesus is everywhere. I've also seen a lot of stuff first hand. Use to help out at the local Christian tv station. You would get five pastors together and have five very different answers to basic questions.
Yes. It's sad because many are led astray. I did the whole non-denomination thing and it was a very painful experience for those of us who cared about doctrine.
The one thing that Ryan did not cover is why people choose the authority that governs their life. As a social scientist, he could often be dealing with peoples underling motivations. Why would a person follow the authority of Buddhist or Muslim or Baptist or Catholic or whatever religious group. The fun would be the follow up survey that delved into the why of the choice.
I think that is a great question. But the answer will be different for everyone.
But we are asking the question how does one decide what is binding on all Christians. Bible study will not be sufficient on that topic, even if it is sufficient for some.
Even if a man in the mountains armed only with his Bible discovers some doctrine through study that no one else had believed yet, without authority, it would not be capable of binding the faithful.
This is why Jesus’ and St Paul’s authority were vindicated by miracles; they were preaching a “New Covenant” and people were right to be suspicious.
But even without miracles, it remains the case that doctrine is proposed by individuals and ratified by authorities outside those individuals (ie, boards of elders, the Councils, Popes, local church leaders, etc).
The problem seems to be how to join a church that seems to be teaching true, truth. Does Ryan believe that the older the church the more accurate the doctrine?? If that is the case, then Ryan must be a Coptic Christian. How does Ryan determine what church has the most accurate doctrine?? Just wondering.
Ryan is just the social scientist presenting the data. He’s not making an argument one way or another.
No, it’s not that something is true because it is older. The question is who has authority to define doctrines like, “God is three persons, one essence” and make it binding on all Christians.
I have found that most who go to church and call themselves Christians have little knowledge of Scripture or Biblical truth. How many who say they are Christian are willing to study the scriptures enough to actually know what it says? And it is interesting how different cultures and different generations believe differently about truth and how life is to be lived.
As the article shows, there is a difference between a doctrine — a teaching that all Christians must adhere to — and the narrative descriptions in the Bible.
A Biblical truth would be “God repented” or that God “regretted” creating man Gen 6:6-7.
But doctrine comes in and corrects those who would say “God is not all knowing because if he was he wouldn’t have done something he would have regretted.”
Doctrine truths and Biblical truth do not contradict, but they are not the same thing.
Thanks for reading everyone!
What do you think is the reason non-Denominational Christianity is on the rise?
People feel they only need to follow Jesus. They focus on the resurrection. But don't want to travel the same road He did to get there. Being Catholic is not easy. Being non denomination means you don't have to really do anything other than clutch the Bible.
Well said. I do think that some people are sincere in their attendance though. But I think many pastors like it because it allows them to be their own authority.
A neighbor is non denomination. I told her about adoration and she reacted like I was nuts. Telling me Jesus is everywhere. I've also seen a lot of stuff first hand. Use to help out at the local Christian tv station. You would get five pastors together and have five very different answers to basic questions.
Yes. It's sad because many are led astray. I did the whole non-denomination thing and it was a very painful experience for those of us who cared about doctrine.
The one thing that Ryan did not cover is why people choose the authority that governs their life. As a social scientist, he could often be dealing with peoples underling motivations. Why would a person follow the authority of Buddhist or Muslim or Baptist or Catholic or whatever religious group. The fun would be the follow up survey that delved into the why of the choice.
I think that is a great question. But the answer will be different for everyone.
But we are asking the question how does one decide what is binding on all Christians. Bible study will not be sufficient on that topic, even if it is sufficient for some.
Even if a man in the mountains armed only with his Bible discovers some doctrine through study that no one else had believed yet, without authority, it would not be capable of binding the faithful.
This is why Jesus’ and St Paul’s authority were vindicated by miracles; they were preaching a “New Covenant” and people were right to be suspicious.
But even without miracles, it remains the case that doctrine is proposed by individuals and ratified by authorities outside those individuals (ie, boards of elders, the Councils, Popes, local church leaders, etc).
The problem seems to be how to join a church that seems to be teaching true, truth. Does Ryan believe that the older the church the more accurate the doctrine?? If that is the case, then Ryan must be a Coptic Christian. How does Ryan determine what church has the most accurate doctrine?? Just wondering.
Ryan is just the social scientist presenting the data. He’s not making an argument one way or another.
No, it’s not that something is true because it is older. The question is who has authority to define doctrines like, “God is three persons, one essence” and make it binding on all Christians.
I have found that most who go to church and call themselves Christians have little knowledge of Scripture or Biblical truth. How many who say they are Christian are willing to study the scriptures enough to actually know what it says? And it is interesting how different cultures and different generations believe differently about truth and how life is to be lived.
As the article shows, there is a difference between a doctrine — a teaching that all Christians must adhere to — and the narrative descriptions in the Bible.
A Biblical truth would be “God repented” or that God “regretted” creating man Gen 6:6-7.
But doctrine comes in and corrects those who would say “God is not all knowing because if he was he wouldn’t have done something he would have regretted.”
Doctrine truths and Biblical truth do not contradict, but they are not the same thing.