Comments on: The Church Membership Question: Church Basics (An iMonk 101 Post) http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post ...dispatches from the post-evangelical wilderness Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:19:56 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: treebeard http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post/comment-page-1#comment-269436 treebeard Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:17:47 +0000 http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post#comment-269436 Wow, Mike! Your posts have just been so helpful to me lately. This one is a classic. You addressed some things that I have been struggling with as I consider "joining" a new group of Christians. Thank you. I'm curious if you've ever read Watchman Nee's "The Normal Christian Church Life." It's a classic that often comes up when these types of issues are discussed (especially the "local church" as an expression of the universal church). If you have read it, I'd be interested in your thoughts. Wow, Mike! Your posts have just been so helpful to me lately. This one is a classic. You addressed some things that I have been struggling with as I consider “joining” a new group of Christians. Thank you.

I’m curious if you’ve ever read Watchman Nee’s “The Normal Christian Church Life.” It’s a classic that often comes up when these types of issues are discussed (especially the “local church” as an expression of the universal church). If you have read it, I’d be interested in your thoughts.

]]> By: iMonk http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post/comment-page-1#comment-269390 iMonk Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:50:44 +0000 http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post#comment-269390 January 2006 on that piece. Calm down :-) January 2006 on that piece. Calm down :-)

]]> By: Frank Turk http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post/comment-page-1#comment-269383 Frank Turk Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:26:05 +0000 http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post#comment-269383 Apparently your sabbatical caused you to go primative, dude. I like it. Apparently your sabbatical caused you to go primative, dude. I like it.

]]> By: Barry http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post/comment-page-1#comment-269379 Barry Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:10:26 +0000 http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post#comment-269379 Hi, Michael. I'm enjoying your thoughts on church membership. I was wondering if you were going to create a "Church Membership" category for easy access to all of the posts in this series? Thanks. Hi, Michael. I’m enjoying your thoughts on church membership. I was wondering if you were going to create a “Church Membership” category for easy access to all of the posts in this series? Thanks.

]]> By: thomas dunbar http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post/comment-page-1#comment-269352 thomas dunbar Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:14:42 +0000 http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post#comment-269352 Every time I see "the" definite article preceding "church" I ask myself 'what, specifically, is being referred to' and when "the church" occurs multiple times in some writing I also wonder if the references are to the same. A good number of years ago, while in a group study using the book "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby, I decided that it was very easy to use "the church" to refer to very different things and leave unexamined the difference, and its significance, and instead assume an identity that does not exist. Every time I see “the” definite article preceding “church” I ask myself ‘what, specifically, is being referred to’ and when “the church” occurs multiple times in some writing I also wonder if the references are to the same.

A good number of years ago, while in a group study using the book “Experiencing God” by Henry Blackaby, I decided that it was very easy to use “the church” to refer to very different things and leave unexamined the difference, and its significance, and instead assume an identity that does not exist.

]]> By: thomas dunbar http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post/comment-page-1#comment-269347 thomas dunbar Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:03:25 +0000 http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post#comment-269347 re Luther's marks of the Church, one of them (he noted 7) is "the Keys" ie discipline, which few ecclesial groups are able to exercise nowadays. re the Nicene Creed, I think what a creed omits is also important in that to "believe" a creed is to say that agreement on everything IN the creed is of more significance than disagreement about anything OUTSIDE the creed. In light of that, it's interesting to compare "He has spoken through the prophets" with "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church" re Luther’s marks of the Church, one of them (he noted 7) is “the Keys” ie discipline, which few ecclesial groups are able to exercise nowadays.

re the Nicene Creed, I think what a creed omits is also important in that to “believe” a creed is to say that agreement on everything IN the creed is of more significance than disagreement about anything OUTSIDE the creed. In light of that, it’s interesting to compare “He has spoken through the prophets” with “one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church”

]]> By: iMonk http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post/comment-page-1#comment-269345 iMonk Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:55:36 +0000 http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post#comment-269345 I'm using my Baptist vocabulary. What matters is the functions of these things as they allow us to do what the New Testament says. I don't consider the WCF or the 2nd London to be hyper-Confessional UNLESS they are used that way. Which they frequently and increasingly are. I’m using my Baptist vocabulary. What matters is the functions of these things as they allow us to do what the New Testament says.

I don’t consider the WCF or the 2nd London to be hyper-Confessional UNLESS they are used that way. Which they frequently and increasingly are.

]]> By: postmodern puritan http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post/comment-page-1#comment-269342 postmodern puritan Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:41:47 +0000 http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post#comment-269342 Isn't a covenent and constitution in some way fulfilled by having a Book of Church Order? Thats how we do it in the Presbyterian Church in America: Creeds (the early ecenumical ones), Confessions (the Westminster), and in leiu of a covenent, which I've only seen in baptist churches- we have the Book of Church Order. "At the same time, we ought to deplore a “hyper-confessionalism” that separates from all who differ in minute matters of doctrine. To stand aside from Christian communion is a serious matter." Would "confessing" in line with the Westminster Confession (a very calvinistic statement) be considered hyper-confessionalism? It doesn't to me, because disagreeing with the confession doesn't barr you from the communion table, or even membership; only from being an elder. Isn’t a covenent and constitution in some way fulfilled by having a Book of Church Order? Thats how we do it in the Presbyterian Church in America: Creeds (the early ecenumical ones), Confessions (the Westminster), and in leiu of a covenent, which I’ve only seen in baptist churches- we have the Book of Church Order.

“At the same time, we ought to deplore a “hyper-confessionalism” that separates from all who differ in minute matters of doctrine. To stand aside from Christian communion is a serious matter.”

Would “confessing” in line with the Westminster Confession (a very calvinistic statement) be considered hyper-confessionalism? It doesn’t to me, because disagreeing with the confession doesn’t barr you from the communion table, or even membership; only from being an elder.

]]> By: Matt Maestas http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post/comment-page-1#comment-269333 Matt Maestas Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:12:31 +0000 http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-church-membership-question-church-basics-an-imonk-101-post#comment-269333 Michael, Thank you for this great post. As a young church planter early in the stages of hashing these issues out, a well rounded primer on the necessities of the four "C's" is very very helpful. Michael,

Thank you for this great post. As a young church planter early in the stages of hashing these issues out, a well rounded primer on the necessities of the four “C’s” is very very helpful.

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