I never went to church when I was a kid. In college at BYU I became LDS. Then I converted to Catholicism. The rest of my family is still LDS. If you are a Christian universalist does it really make any difference which church you belong to as long as you affirm Christâs atonement and resurrection? Is theology regarding matters like the Trinity really important? Understanding that acceptance of Christâs atonement and resurrection is essential, is how you live more important than what you believe? I know none of us lives perfectly, but is what you do more important than questions of theology?
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Living righteously is certainly more important than holding correct doctrine.
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That said, correct doctrine is extremely important. What is true is true, regardless of innumerable falsehoods.
Our unity in Christ is not based upon philosophical or theological agreement.
Our unity in Christ is based upon discipleship, mutual submission to the authority and teachings of Jesus:
After having given instructions in how to live (Matt 5, 6, and 7), Jesus said:
Depends on what your idea of the church is.
I donât âgo to churchâ.
I believe that whatever church Jesus said he would build⌠it had very little to do with a Sunday Religious Social Club.
Living Stones.
âThe Lord Most High does NOT dwell in temples made with handsâ - Acts.
For me, fellowship with genuine believers can be had in the home, at the beach or down at the cafe.
Jesus is the centre of the fellowship.
No need to salaried-to serve âPastorsâ⌠or âEldersâ to facilitate religious meetings.
I just donât see this anywhere in the NT.
All from Rome.
Donât need it.
It depends. Sometimes, we like to identify with a church that emphasizes something:
A bible church that emphasizes the bible
A Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican or Lutheran church - that emphasizes the Eucharist
A Pentecostal church that emphasizes the âfull gospelâ or gifts of the spirit
A Quaker church that emphasizes sitting in silence, waiting for the spirit - to guide us to speak.
A church that emphasizes the sermon and an expert giving it.
Etc.
Hi qaz and randy.
Itâs true, and I certainly âdid the roundsâ and checked out a bunch of different types along the spectrum.
In regards to why I left the Pentecostal Church I was a part ofâŚ
I came to a point where I didnât believe that the âslaying in the Spiritâ was actually from God.
There was a bunch of stuff going on which made me question the integrity of the âmovementâ in regards to the way Churches (in general) are established, managed etc.
Itâs all big business.
Butts on seats required to pay salaries for those who like to give themselves Titles and distinguish themselves from the rest of the passive mob who are only really needed to sit down and open up the wallet.
To me, being a member of the Body of Christ means Iâm a member of something universal. The âmeetingsâ or âgatheringsâ with other believers need not be in a formally established institution with a big fat cross on the top of the building.
I understand that some people feel the need to go to a place to âworshipâ God, but I donât believe this to be the concept of worship we see in John 4.
I worship God within my person, not in a building.
When Jesus said he would build his church I get the impression he wasnât referring to the crazy bunch of religious social clubs men have built for themselves, and making a tidy little income off of.
If you get my gist.
If you identify with Jesus, youâre a sibling to me. Weâre family. Youâre welcome in my home. Whatever I have, itâs yours. Thatâs how I view the âchurchâ. Weâre one big family in Christ. His temple⌠His Body. His people, and place.
Hope this helps clarify where Iâm at right now.