Examining the Doctrine of the Church of Christ Denomination
What do the Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Catholics, and the Church of Christ denomination all have in common? They each claim to have THE Way; THE Truth; and THE Life, and that no one gets to heaven without being a part of their organization! Certainly they can't all be right since their individual doctrinal beliefs are diametrically opposed to one another. On this web site we will endeavor to examine the claim of the Church of Christ to be God's sole representative on the earth today, and answer the question, "Is the Church of Christ Denomination A Cult?
We will break this study into three main concerns:
1. Who Is The Church of Christ? A) Are They a Denomination? 2. What Do They Believe?
A) Baptismal Regeneration B) No Musical Instruments In Worship C) Rejection of the Holy Spirit 3. Conclusions A) Their Tactics B) Are They a Cult? C) Closing Comments The meat of this study will be contained in segment two where we will examine their beliefs in the Light of Scripture. Our goal is not to proclaim them to be outside of the Body of Christ, but to simply show the errors in their claim to be the only "True Body of Christ." And though most branches of this denomination are not considered to be an actual cult, much of the organization is "cultic," and this web site will attempt to show you why.
TO MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST:
Please remember, this is not an attack, it's a defense. Your denomination has said all other denominations are either carnal or demonic and all their members have a one way ticket to hell. In that egocentric theology your leaders have replaced Jesus with their denomination. In their eyes, they are the Way, the Truth and the Life and that's why they are not a denomination (part of the church) because they ARE the church.
Bottom line? If you can serve the Lord with all your heart in the Church of Christ denomination and stay strong in Him until the day you die, then stay in the Church of Christ denomination. The web site is not for you, then. It is for people who are in the Church of Christ denomination that are looking for more of Jesus. They are tired of a religion, and want a true, deep, sincere relationship with God. So if you have been wondering, “Is this all there is?” The answer is, no. Jesus has a lot more for you than just a "religion." He wants to have a real, vital, genuine relationship with you, and it is just a prayer away!!
Hi! My name is Brian Cooper. I am the director of Freedom Quest Ministries and the author of this site. We normally don't go out of our way to identify the authors of our sites because we don't want to take credit for the Lord's work and/or point anything to us. All evangelical outreaches should point the reader to Jesus, not any person or organization. But we have been chastized so often by members of the Church of Christ denomination for being too "anonymous" that we thought we would make an exception in their case. Our three biggest concerns about the church of Christ denomination is their claim to be the only true Christians, their rejection of the present day ministry of the Holy Spirit and their hyper-legalism. I can relate to and attest to the burden of that legalism, for it was while I was a preacher in the Church of Christ that I committed suicide. The Lord miraculously saved me and set my feet on the path of true salvation by Grace through Faith. I had been a member of the CoC for several years before I started preaching. One of the Elders had been tutoring me and asked for me to fill in for him one day and things just took off from there. The problem was that I studied the Scriptures with an opened mind rather than through CoC stained lenses. So I began to ask questions: "How did the thief on the cross get to heaven without being baptized?" "How did Cornelius get saved before he was water baptized?" "Why did Paul say that the Lord did not send him to baptise but to preach the Gospel?" "Why do we forbid to speak in tongues?" "Why do we reject musical instruments if God never said to?" "Why do we teach that we are the only true Christians?"
"Why do we never talk about the Holy Spirit when he is mentioned on virtually every page of the New Testament?"
"Why do we stress autonomy when Jesus prayed for unity?"
The list goes on and on. The problem was that I wasn't getting any answers. Sure, they gave me the typical CoC answers, but they were not Biblical or even logical. And then the storms came. I suppose the enemy knew I was getting close to the Truth so he brought a severe trial my way and I found out the hard way that I had built my house on sand (legalism) instead of the Rock (Jesus). A near-death experience has a way of getting your attention. The Lord opened my eyes to many things and has deepened my relationship to Him on so many levels. I never really understood Grace while in the CoC because I never experienced it. When the Lord "graciously" intervenes in your life and shows you Mercy and Compassion, you have no choice but to surrender and serve Him with your whole heart. We love our brothers and sisters in the Church of Christ, and our hearts break for them, knowing that so many are shackled by the chains of legalism. But the winds of change are blowing. There are those in the Church of Christ denomination that have heard the voice of the Spirit and are laying down their traditions and simply seeking God with their whole heart. And in the process, they have found their Heavenly Father. Not just a list of do's and don'ts, but a living, vital relationship with their Creator, through His only begotten Son, Jesus.
Our prayer is that the members of the Church of Christ denomination will open their hearts and eyes and see that their condemnation of their brothers in sisters in Christ is unbiblical, unfair and unwarranted in most cases. We are supposed to be known by our love, not our legalism. Paul pleaded with the Ephesians to, "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
I hope someday soon this site will no longer be needed because we all found a way to walk in His Spirit of unity on the essentials and show grace in the nonessentials. As Paul said in Romans 14:1, "Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters."
God bless you as you continue to seek Him and serve Him with every fiber of your being!
