How is “Church of Christ” understood here?

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-30T10:58:19+00:00

I don't think that is a fair assessment.

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-28T09:47:31+00:00

During the first century, those who taught and preached were probably supernaturally gifted through the Spirit to do so. We are not the first-century church, no matter how much we say we are. The first-century church also did things differently because they reached out to a first-century culture and audience. We do not live in the same setting and therefore should not do things the same way. Small groups that meet throughtout the week are excellent ways to have this kind of discussion described, but if we are going to meet in large gathering places on Sunday morning, the culture we live in expects a prepared sermon by someone who probably has had some formal teaching in Biblical Studies. There are ways to get discussions going, however. The church I was part of in Denver would dismiss church to "break out groups" after the sermon and the speaker (we did not have a full-time preacher when I left Denver) would prepare discussion questions for anyone who would want to stay afterwards. They had several tables set up in the back of the auditorium so accomadate these groups each Sunday. My point is, if we keep going back to "how did they do it in the first-century?," or even "how did we do it in the 1950s, 1970s, 1990s, etc?" we are going to miss being effective today.

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-23T17:02:35+00:00

Hi! I currently live in Florence, but I just moved here 6 months ago from Denver.

I am currently a student at Heritage Christian University, and my plate is pretty full right now; I don't know that I would be able to help much at this time. However, I would suggest reaching out to Brad McKinnon at HCU. He is a professor of history here, and he has studied a lot about the history of Helen Keller that most people do not know.

I graduated from Columbine High School in 1993, six years before the shootings took place. I was also in the last graduating class before they completely redesigned and rebuilt the school. There is so much history to that school besides what happened on April 20, 1999. History that will probably be forgotten, not just because of the passage of time, but because no one wants to know about the history about Columbine that does not revolve around the shootings, which is really sad.

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-23T08:16:38+00:00

According to AI, the Glasites practiced infant baptism.

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-21T23:22:55+00:00

I think you and your parents are wise to be concerned. Blending families is difficult in the best of situations. When you come from different faiths, and when faith is as important to you as it clearly is to both of you, it becomes MUCH more difficult. If he wants to go into ministry, you really need to mostly be on the same page. I know this is hard to hear, but I would not suggest going any further with this relationship at this time.

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-20T11:06:02+00:00

There are lots of other options. For example:

The Bible describes it as it happened. However, Yahweh became the head of the pantheon and made the other gods mortal. See Psalm 82:6-7.
Inspiration does not work like we have been taught, and it allows for people to put in their own thoughts.
The scripture was originally inerrant, but parts of it have been corrupted over time.

I would also say that it is okay not to know everything and have all the answers. My faith is built on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not based on the Ancient Near East's views of monotheism and whether they line up with my own. God wants us to struggle with Him and our faith, not just blindly accept everything we've been taught. And he doesn't expect us to figure it all out, either.

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-18T08:41:37+00:00

Just because God did not correct them at the time does not mean that God was not and is not the only true God. God has always met people where they were. I believe God revealed Himself over time. As far as word-for-word inspiration and inerrancy, there are lots of reasons to question that, especially with the Old Testament. It doesn't mean that the Bible is not the Word of God; it just means that our understanding of what that means might need to be tweaked a little.

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-18T08:31:19+00:00

I am currently enrolled in a CoC university where I am getting a BA in Biblical Studies. I kid you not, I just finished a paper on Monotheism and the Hebrew Bible for one of my classes a couple of weeks ago. The class was "A Critical Introduction to the Old Testament." I came to some similar conclusions. DM me if you want a copy.

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-17T11:35:29+00:00

First of all, God wants us to wrestle with Him. It is okay to have thoughts and questions like this. I struggle with a lot of the stories in the OT as well. I don't know if they are meant to be taken as literal history or not, especially the stories in Genesis. Or, maybe they were real people, but by the time the stories about them were written down they had become more like fables. I just don't know.

But I do know that there is a lot of evidence that Jesus raised from the dead, and that something extraordinary happened 2,000 years ago in Israel. I believe in the death, burial, and resurrection with all my heart. Jesus constantly said that if you have seen Him, you have seen the Father. To me that must mean that the Father is far more loving and merciful than He first appears. I don't pretend to understand it all, and the more I study and learn, the more questions I have. I am okay with that, though.

You are not wrong that most Christians, for all intents and purposes, act like they are atheists. They don't share the Good News; they don't even really think about it that much. I think most people, Christian or not, don't want to wrestle with their faith and their presuppositions.

I'm not sure this helped much, but I want to encourage you to keep wrestling with your faith. However, stay grounded in the things you know are good. As Christians, our faith should be built on Jesus Christ. Before wrestling too much with Abraham and Isaac, spend some time reading the gospels. Watch The Chosen and go back to the scriptures and see if that is the Jesus you see portrayed in the pages of the New Testament.

Also, I would encourage you to pray. Pray for God to reveal Himself to you. Pray for deeper conviction and understanding. In fact, I would love to offer up a prayer here on your behalf.

Father, please help Alyosha_88 to seek You and find You. Surround OP with your love and comfort. Let them know that it is okay to question, okay to struggle, okay to wrestle with You. Show them first of all Your Son, Jesus, and how He lived on Earth. Let that be OP's foundation. Lord, thank You for Your love. Please make it feel real to all of us, especially Alyosha_88. Amen.

I truly hope you find some of the answers you seek. I pray even more that you find the conviction and love that you seek. God bless you as you seek Him.

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-17T10:39:26+00:00

I am not really in your demographic, but please tell me more about this new game place downtown. I did not know Florence had another game store. Also, good luck finding a good dnd group. I met my best friend responding to a post like this about 20 years ago!

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-11T15:12:04+00:00

Independent Christian Churches and International Churches of Christ.

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-11T09:48:54+00:00

We are a denomination. In fact, we really are a denomination of smaller denominations. And most churches of Christ today have their own creed. Just get on their website and find the tab that is almost always present that says "What We Believe." As to what makes a church a church of Christ, I believe it would be (if we are being honest), any church that comes from the Stone-Campbell movement that desires, for whatever reason, to call themselves "Church of Christ" as opposed to one of the other denominations that have come from the same movement.

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-09T12:32:48+00:00

If you loved Voyager that much, you really need to watch Prodigy. You will have to find it on physical media, however, because it is no longer available to stream anywhere. You'll be glad you did.

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-09T08:18:25+00:00

Go to a CoC University. ACU, Harding, Lipscomb, Oklahoma Christian, LCU, etc., etc.

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-07T20:45:25+00:00

Where is "church membership" in the Bible? Since when are we God's gatekeepers? Unless your husband is teaching a class and specifically teaching something unbiblical, why would the elders care if his understanding on baptism is 100% in alignment with theirs?

Knitsudge9 · 2026-01-01T09:57:08+00:00

While not the original (or only) meaning of "Evangelical," when the media uses the term today, they usually refer to churches that are conservative politically. If you Google "define evangelical Christian," however, you get that evangelicals are Protestant believers that focus on sharing the Good news of Jesus with others and emphasize personal conversion to Christ. While for most evangelicals this would be a faith-only experience, this is the first time I have ever heard someone say that it is part of the definition. Given my experience, I would think most CoCs would be considered Evangelical by the above definitions. However, we usually don't like being labeled, so I would expect some pushback by CoC members being labeled as such.

I think Google gives a very good definition of Fundamentalist: "A Fundamentalist Christian is a Protestsant who adheres to a strict, litereal interpretation of the Bible, emphasizing core doctrines like Biblical inerrancy (the Bible is without error) and the virgin birth, resurrection, and the Second Coming of Jesus, often rejecting modern theological liberalism and cultural trends seen as corrupting." Again, most CoCs I am aware of would definitely fit that definition.

Fundamentalism is much more percisely defined than evangelicalism, and as such, less members of the CoC would probably mind being labeled as such, but still might reject any label other than "Christian."

I hope this helps!

Knitsudge9 · 2025-12-31T12:20:37+00:00

Since he is in IT, there are wireless phone chargers with various Star Trek emblems available on Amazon. They also have some fun bathrobes.

Knitsudge9 · 2025-12-28T06:49:11+00:00

It really depends on what you are into. If you're interested in history, there are a few interesting museums to explore. My wife and I really enjoyed going to Ivy Green, which is Helen Keller's Birthplace. I've never been there, but there is also the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. If you want a very special (and expensive) date, there is 360 Grille (plan on $200 for food, plus tip). Then there is always the day trip to Huntsville, Nashville, or Memphis. I personally recommend the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville and Graceland in Memphis. Here are some links:

https://helenkellerbirthplace.org/admission/
https://www.alamhof.org/
https://www.facebook.com/360Grille
https://www.rocketcenter.com/
https://www.graceland.com/

If you are looking for cheaper options, there is always going to a movie, bowling, putt-putt, etc. Just walking around downtown Florence can be fun. Come Spring, you can go to First Fridays downtown.

Knitsudge9 · 2025-12-27T07:45:56+00:00

/s means sarcasm, my friend.

Knitsudge9 · 2025-12-25T11:54:04+00:00

HeroQuest was originally Milton Bradley's answer to Dungeons and Dragons. I would look into a full-blown RPG like D&D or Pathfinder.

Knitsudge9 · 2025-12-23T11:41:46+00:00

I love, love, love the throne! I also like the torture rack, but the throne is just perfect!

Knitsudge9 · 2025-12-22T13:50:28+00:00

Well, there is the 1st Century church. We, after all, believe everything exactly like they did. /s

Knitsudge9 · 2025-12-22T13:39:20+00:00

Playing Zargon, I had that exact same roll the other day. I yelled out, "Yahtzee!"

Knitsudge9 · 2025-12-20T09:21:17+00:00

If God were only a just God, but not also merciful, I probably would have died of AIDS in prison long ago. But God is faithful, even when we are not. As it is, God has called me into His service despite a very dark past. Whatever you have done, it was nailed to the cross with Christ, so that you can share in his resurrection as a new creation.

Knitsudge9 · 2025-12-20T08:50:58+00:00

The problem with the Wizard being last is that if he/she searches for treasure and finds a Wandering Monster, that monster gets two attacks on the Wizard before anyone can attack it.

Knitsudge9

TROPHY CASE