Theo1689
Well-known member
In the Mormonism forum there is a combination of Mormon and non-Mormon posters. Understandably, the topics of discussion there are to revolve around the Mormon religion, but sometimes non-Mormons go on tangents and disagreements. I decided to bring a couple of them here.
The first question that came up is how to choose the "right" church.
My quick answer is to join a 1689 Reformed Baptist church.
But clearly, that answer is not going to sit well with everyone. So the longer answer is this...
First, have a good understanding of the Bible for yourself. Read books like "Mere Christianity" by Lewis or "Basic Christianity" by Stott, and similar books, to get an understanding of what Christian doctrines are pretty much universally agreed upon. You should come up with a list similar to:
- Sola Scriptura;
- Trinity;
- deity of Christ;
- monotheism;
- salvation by faith alone;
If your list is different, then that's fine for now. If you haven't already, familiarize with Christian radio pastors. I listen to John MacArthur ("Grace to You") and Alistair Begg ("Truth for Life"). Listen carefully to see if they offer citations for their teachings, and read the citations to make sure that they accurately mean what the pastor says.
I have other "no go" teachings, such as:
- women pastors;
- denial that homosexual acts are sinful;
- too much negative teaching of individuals or groups from the pulpit (eg. Steven Anderson/KJVO)
From that criteria, find a church and start attending.
In the meantime, study other issues which different denominations disagree upon, such as:
- infant baptism vs. believer baptism;
- sprinkling vs. immersion;
- 1 pastor vs. plurality of elders;
- Calvinism vs. Arminianism (vs. Pelagianism)
- etc.
As has been attributed to Augustine:
"In essentials, unity;
In non-essentials, liberty;
In all things, charity."
The first question that came up is how to choose the "right" church.
My quick answer is to join a 1689 Reformed Baptist church.
But clearly, that answer is not going to sit well with everyone. So the longer answer is this...
First, have a good understanding of the Bible for yourself. Read books like "Mere Christianity" by Lewis or "Basic Christianity" by Stott, and similar books, to get an understanding of what Christian doctrines are pretty much universally agreed upon. You should come up with a list similar to:
- Sola Scriptura;
- Trinity;
- deity of Christ;
- monotheism;
- salvation by faith alone;
If your list is different, then that's fine for now. If you haven't already, familiarize with Christian radio pastors. I listen to John MacArthur ("Grace to You") and Alistair Begg ("Truth for Life"). Listen carefully to see if they offer citations for their teachings, and read the citations to make sure that they accurately mean what the pastor says.
I have other "no go" teachings, such as:
- women pastors;
- denial that homosexual acts are sinful;
- too much negative teaching of individuals or groups from the pulpit (eg. Steven Anderson/KJVO)
From that criteria, find a church and start attending.
In the meantime, study other issues which different denominations disagree upon, such as:
- infant baptism vs. believer baptism;
- sprinkling vs. immersion;
- 1 pastor vs. plurality of elders;
- Calvinism vs. Arminianism (vs. Pelagianism)
- etc.
As has been attributed to Augustine:
"In essentials, unity;
In non-essentials, liberty;
In all things, charity."