FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS...

1. What denomination is the church of Christ? What do you call yourselves?
We call ourselves Christians. We believe it is the only name we need and the only name with Scriptural authority. Therefore we see no need for denominational division and consider ourselves undenominational. In the time of the apostles there were no "Baptists," "Methodists," "Presbyterians," "Catholics," "Lutherans," or any other man-made name. There was only the church, and the apostles (Paul in particular) stressed in their epistles that the various congregations should believe and teach the same things. We insist that the same model can be applied today, and that is what we strive to do.

2. Who started the church of Christ?
As you might expect, we believe the church was founded by Jesus Christ Himself, as part of His (and the Father's) plan of salvation for the world. The apostle Peter, on the first Pentecost holiday after Christ's ascension back to the Father, preached the first gospel sermon and officially ushered in the church era. We strive as best we can to emulate the practices and worship of those inaugural Christians, and therefore we insist that the church has existed for some 2000 years. Having said that, however, we cannot claim that the church has continued in an unbroken line from that time to this. It definitely has not. Even before the apostles had gone to their graves, false doctrines and apostasy began creeping into the church - and it wasn't long before the church was nearly unrecognizable. It stayed this way, straying ever further from the truth, for well over a thousand years. In the eighteenth century, after the Protestant Reformation and other historical developments had made it possible, people began examining afresh the simple teachings of scripture and decided to go back to the Bible for their faith and practice. Men such as Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone began bringing people around to the New Testament pattern. Over the last two centuries people have established congregations based on this pattern.

3. I've heard that you believe you're the only ones going to Heaven. Is this true?
We affirm that only those who are in Christ will be acceptable to God. The Bible indisputably teaches this (Jesus said, for example, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me" [John 14:8]). We further insist that the only way to get into Christ is to follow the teaching found in the New Testament: to hear the Word of God, believe it, repent of past sins, confess the name of Christ by affirming belief in Him as the Son of God, and being baptized for the remission of sins. All examples of conversion found in the early church (seen especially in the book of Acts) follow this pattern. However, we also insist that, even when this pattern of obedience is followed, it is ultimately God's grace that saves us. The Bible indisputably teaches this also. God will extend His grace to whomsoever He wills, but the Bible is plain that God is neither unjust nor capricious. Only those who obey His will can receive grace.

4. I often hear from other religious groups that all I need to do to be saved is to pray a "sinner's prayer" and ask Jesus to come into my heart. Yet you insist that I must be baptized. Why?
For some reason, baptism (a transliteration of a Greek word meaning "to immerse" or "to dip") is a doctrine over which many stumble. The Bible is clear, however, that it is a necessary step in the plan of salvation. In Romans 6, for example, Paul compares the conversion process to the crucifixion of Christ; this is why we call conversion "obeying the gospel." The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. We "obey" this by copying it in symbolic form. We "crucify" ourselves in the sense that we reject all sins we have committed and vow to commit them no more; we "bury" ourselves in the act of baptism, being immersed in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and we are "resurrected" to walk in what Paul calls "newness of life" - i.e., the Christian life. Those who omit or trivialize the imperative step of baptism are missing its importance - namely as a "burial" of our non-Christian selves. Those who claim a person can be "saved" and then baptized to join a church have the order wrong; one cannot be resurrected before one is buried. Further, there is no Biblical precedent for anyone being saved by praying a "sinner's prayer." On the day of Pentecost when the church was established (Acts 2), Peter was asked explicitly what was needed to be saved. His response was not to pray a prayer but to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. (Acts 2:38)

5. Why don't you use musical instruments in your worship?
A better question would be, frankly, why those who do use them do so. All historians agree that instruments were not introduced into "Christian" worship until about the sixth century AD. The term for unaccompanied singing, a capella, in fact means "like the church." We have to infer that when early Christians like Paul, Peter, John, and others assembled to worship, they did so without musical accompaniment. Why should we do any different than these inspired men? We also have the example of Scripture in such passages as Ephesians 5:19 (singing from the heart) and Colossians 3:16 (singing as a means of teaching) that suggest singing but not the playing of an instrument. Again, all historians agree that the early church used no instrumental music. It is sometimes objected that David used a harp when he worshipped God; and this, certainly, we cannot deny. However, he was worshipping under the Law of Moses, which does not apply to Christians. Finally, the addition of musical instruments into worship comes from a desire to please people, not God - in other words, to be "entertaining." While we certainly will enjoy worship if our hearts are right, our aim in worship should never be to please ourselves. The worship of the Almighty is not a "performance" like a theater play.

6. Why doesn't your minister have a title like 'Reverend' or 'Father' like so many preachers do?
According to Webster's dictionary, the word reverend means "Worthy of reverence; entitled to respect mingled with fear and affection; venerable." The only being called "reverend" in the Bible is God. Calling a man "father" in a religious sense is outright blasphemy - see Matthew 23:9. As with so many of our practices that may appear "peculiar" to some observers, there simply is no scriptural authority to place such titles on a man (or a woman). In fact, in Matthew 23:1-12, Jesus plainly condemns the practice of bestowing religious titles on people. The only title bestowed on Christians for which we can find Biblical precedent is "brother" (and, we feel safe to presume, "sister"). This title, as it is used in scripture, is used when addressing preachers as well as non-preachers. Even the great apostle Paul himself, despite his great faith and accomplishments, is never called by any title other than "brother" in the scriptures. The New Testament writers make it clear that, in the church, there is no separate "priesthood" any longer, as there was in Old Testament times: Christians can go directly to God because we are all priests. (See I Peter 2:9, for example.) Religious titles such as "Reverend" and "Father" are used to set apart a group of people, something that is no longer needed or expected in the church - and, unfortunately, are also used to glorify the egos of men rather than please God. (Again, see Matthew 23 for Jesus' words to this effect.) While the church of Christ does use names such as "elder" and "deacon" to refer to certain men of a congregation who serve in those capacities, they are not titles and are not used as such - we do not address them as "Elder Jones" or "Deacon Smith."

7. Where is the 'headquarters' of the church of Christ? Who decides what will be taught?
The church of Christ has no "headquarters" or "annual convention" where doctrines are discussed or voted on. Each congregation is autonomous (that is, independent) and its elders decide the direction of the congregation. We believe this is the Biblical pattern. It is true that while the apostles were alive, they were occasionally called upon to provide direction for certain congregations. But (1) the apostles are now all dead, and cannot provide direction for anyone except through their writings; (2) there is no one living today who has authority equivalent to that held by the apostles, who were directly inspired by the Holy Spirit; (3) the apostles directed that elders should be appointed where possible, so that decisions could be made at the congregational level; and (4) we now have the New Testament written for us, as Christians living in apostolic times did not, and it provides all the doctrine we need. Therefore, there is no need and no scriptural basis for assembling annually or at any other frequency to "decide" what will be taught. Has the Bible changed? If not, why should we?

8. Do you believe in miracles?
It depends on what you mean! A miracle, first of all, is an event that is contrary to the laws of nature and should be impossible. (People often speak of the "miracle" of birth when a baby is born, but in fact this is the precise opposite of a miracle: birth is quite natural. A baby born to a virgin, however, is miraculous!) Did miracles occur in Biblical times? Without a doubt! But if the real intent of this question, as probably it is, is to ask whether miracles occur today, the answer still depends. Can a human being, aided by the Holy Spirit, effect a miracle today? Based on what the scriptures say about the purpose and duration of miraculous gifts, the answer must be an unqualified no. The purpose of miracles during Jesus' ministry, and during the early church, was to confirm the Word that was being taught. (See Hebrews 2:2-4.) In the famous "love" chapter of I Corinthians, chapter 13, the apostle Paul says, "Charity [i.e., love] never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues [foreign languages spoken by those who had never learned them], they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away" (I Corinthians 13:8-10). We believe that "that which is perfect" has come: it is the "perfect law of liberty" mentioned in James 1:25 - that is, the Bible as we have it today. Armed with this, with God's Word, we teach people about the good news of Christ. In addition, a close reading of the history of the early church (as seen in the book of Acts) indicates that the only people who could pass on miraculous gifts to others were the apostles. In Acts 8, for example, the evangelist Philip (one of the original seven church deacons - see Acts 6) travels to Samaria to preach - and, having done so to great effect, wins converts. Notice, however, that the apostles send two of their own, Peter and John, down to Samaria to impart the Spirit to these new Christians. Evidently Philip could not do this even though he had received it himself (see Acts 6:1-7). We must assume that when the last apostle died, the ability to pass on miracles died with him. To those who object that there are believers who perform miracles today (such as healings or "speaking in tongues"), we observe that, first, tongue-speaking in the scriptural sense refers to speaking a foreign language one has never known - not the nonsense jabbering that occurs in some "charismatic" churches today. Second, we observe that those who purportedly effect miracles today always perform a kind of "miracle" that cannot be objectively proven: you never see anyone raise the dead, for example. And if these "miracle-workers" are truly doing what they claim, why do they not simply visit hospitals, traveling from room to room healing the ill? Many of these so-called "faith healers" are truly nothing more than religious confidence men, preying on the weak and credulous and employing dishonest tactics to deceive people for money.

Having said all this, we must add a word about prayer. As mentioned above, human beings cannot effect miracles today. However, God can, if He so desires; He is in control of His creation. There really is no point in praying, particularly for the sick, if this is not the case. Even here, though, God tends to use natural and invisible means (such as, for instance, blessing the minds and hands of physicians) to effect His purposes. One will pray in vain for an amputated limb to be suddenly restored.

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