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Christian Seminary along with several other colleges and "ministries" have cheapened our movement and made it into an interdenominational effort. They have not recognized:
1. The differences between the denominations and the churches of Christ.
2. The great struggle our for-fathers of a century and a half ago had in re-establishing the biblical doctrines we now hold so dear.
3. What the fore-fathers went through in the denominations they tried to reform before coming out (or getting thrown out) of them.
4. The denominations wouldn't be denominations if they would come to the truth of the doctrine of Christ without adding their own doctrine.
5. The denominations are unbelievers because they have to add or subtract from the Word of God.
6. The biblical message that is so plain "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers."
7. We have the precious word of truth; if we would just stick to it we would save many.
8. To restore to our churches only the Word of God produces the only fruit the Lord is looking for.
9. God works through the remnant not the majority because the majority is going to hell.
10. If they would stay away from the unbelieving denominations and stick to the truth they would be part of the remnant.
There are many struggles and problems facing a small, potentially growing, congregation. I know some of the problems preaching to a small congregation myself. The temptation is sometimes strong to give in to the interdenominational movement in the brotherhood to try to grow a congregation. I have seen first hand the spiritual and physical destruction interdenominationalism brings to a congregation. Not only does it cause a conflict between brothers over doctrine and thus division, it also causes weakness in the teaching thus weak Christians because of the great divergence of the doctrines of the denominations that it tries to encompass. It is unwise at best to give in to the temptation to grow a congregation using the tools of these interdenominational teachers. Our brotherhood came out of the denominations. Why should we seek fellowship or partnership with them or even information from them? We see their salvation message is not biblical. Why think the information they freely hand out about evangelism is biblical either? I have read the statements made by some of those in our brotherhood that espouse interdenominationalism. They still acknowledge (for the most part) that baptism saves you (the ones that don't I count as already lost). Try as they must they still don't fit in with almost the entire denominational world. There are some very nice people in both the denominations and the interdenominational movement in the brotherhood. Unfortunately God didn't say nice people go to heaven. He said, "believe and obey."
Written June 15 2005.
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