Is The Baptist Church a Church of Christ?
The following article is transcribed from an article by Church of Christ minister, Erman Hagar. It appeared in the Metter Advertiser this past week and is just one of many of Hagar's diatribes against all who are not part of his little cult:
The phrase "of Christ" means that it by or from Christ. If anyone can show me that Christ built a "Baptist Church," then I would agree that it is a church of Christ. Friend, if you are a member of the "Baptist Church," don't get mad. However, you should make sure that you are ready to go to the judgment as a member of a church you cannot read about in the Bible. I used to be a member of the "Baptist Church," but when I could not find the name in the Bible I immediately became suspicious. And when the "pastor" could neither show me the name or the doctrine, I got scared. Then when I found out later that he had been lying to me, I was angry with him.
By the way, I was a young man, not knowing much Bible and this "pastor" could not even defend that which he taught to a novice. Now that I know a little more than I knew then, none of the Baptist preachers will engage me in a public debate. We all love our parents and family, but neither I nor you will be ready on the day of judgment to go to hell for them.
A few facts about the church Jesus built: (1) The Holy Spirit would guide the apostles into all truth (John 16:13). (2) We are to believe on Jesus through the word of his apostles (John 17:20). (3) Jesus gave them the power to [bind] and loose (Matthew 18:18). Pardon my bluntness, but don't say you believe the words of Jesus if you don;t believer Matthew 18:18. (4) If anyone teaches anything other than what the apostles taught, then they have a curse on them (Galatians 1: 8,9) The "Baptist Churches" teach many things contrary to what the apostles taught. I repeat, many things! Here's another thought you may apply directly to your forehead: If you are afraid to meet with me to discuss your religion, then you better be afraid of the judgment.
Minister Hagar publishes his email address with his articles: essapark@iglide.net.
5 comments:
Oddly enough, I just took a quiz in my Co-op class at Southern on "Why Baptist Churches?" haha.
His article seems really absurd. He kept talking about how wrong we are, but never mentioning what it was that was wrong. Obviously baptismal regeneration blah blah blah but he never once explains it. Now for his points:
1)Yeah. We agree.
2)We also agree.
3)Yes. What does this have to do with anything? And how do we not believe that He gave them the power to bind and loose? And where's your definition/exegesis of what binding and loosing are so we know where you are coming from?
4)Yep. We agree there too.
Then he says "The 'Baptist Churches' teach many things contrary to what the apostles taught. I repeat, many things!"
Ok, what things? I can say someone is wrong all I want, but it doesn't matter if I don't show proof. See, watch: Rhett is wrong. In many many things!
See?
Does that mean I can get an article published? ;)
Wow! I wish I was back in Metter...I would set up a public debate with him.
Whew! For some reason I skipped the italicized intro at the top of the post and thought the words were yours for a minute! I was personally kind of hoping you had converted to the Presbyterian denomination. But that's just me!
I have an uncle who was Church of Christ for a quarter of a century, planted a church for them, even used his management skills to get a CoC private school back on its financial legs. But after his divorce, when he experienced the extremity of their rejection of him, he realized what a cult-like mentality they operate under. Of course, he still holds their denominational form of "non-denominationalism" and seems to wring his hands long and hard about it even to this day, but he's now remarried to a liberal Episcopalian and enjoys the privilege of leading a Bible study with some of them who find it a very novel endeavor and quite enlightening to study the Bible.
His wife and he still wrestle with common ground on church/denominational issues, but they've learned to get along and work together and support each other, as have my wife and I: she's still IFB and I'm Presbyterian (in my theology); our compromise is non-seeker sensitive Southern Baptist. In fact, they're about to ordain me as a deacon!
The centuries-old slogan still stands as a good motto for Christian unity:
In essentials, unity;
In non-essentials, diversity;
In all things, charity.
John,
Congrats on the ordination! I bet that did shock you when you thought I had converted to CoC!!! LOL!!
Btw,
I changed the font and dropped the italics so maybe it won't be as confusing...
:)
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