Can anyone give me information on the Church of Christ?

Question

What type of Church are they? What denomination? Are they considered a cult?
Any information or links would be helpful. Thanks.

Answer 1

I can give you info. No, it's not a cult. I will email you because I don't like it when people take up a whole page with answers.

Answer 2

I am a member of the Church of Christ,and no we are not a cult we are of the very first church ,,,, the church CHRIST his self started,we are no denomination,we do not get voted into some church started by some man who did not like the way the Lord told us to worship, God plants us into the kingdom of his dear son,when we are baptized for the remission of our sins. The only church that God the Father WILL even SEE OR HEAR is THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.

Answer 3

The Church of Christ was born out of the Reformation movements of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They are "non-denominational" in the definitive sense that there is no Church hierarchy. Like a franchise McDonald's, each Church of Christ is independently owned and operated.

Because of this, there are differences between the different congregations. For example, in my home city, I know of one Church of Christ who thinks another Church of Christ is "going to hell" because they regularly use the term "celebration" to describe their worship service, something they first Church claims is not "biblical."

As far as "cult" status goes, the Church of Christ believes that they will be the only ones in Heaven. They also believe that sinners must repent before the congregation and ask forgiveness. Rather than "forgiveness" being a personal experience between God and the sinner, they prefer making it a side-show. That way, everyone can keep track of who slept with who without committing the sin of "gossip."

Infant baptism, instrumental music, dancing, boys and girls in the same swimming pool, and celebrating Christmas and Easter are also big no-no's.

Dinosaurs bones were created by Satan in order to decieve us, and UFO's fall into the same category.

Answer 4

I started attending a Church of Christ with a friend about a month ago because their mission statement said that they renounce all doctrines of men and only go by the Bible. I have like the services so far, but other Christian friends, whom I trust, have mentioned that some of them believe that women should keep silent in the church and in baptism for the remission of sins. I definitely have a problem with the first, if that turns out to be true. And, as far as the second, I believe in baptism as an outward symbol of our faith but it is clear to me from Scripture that the water itself is not what cleanses us nor justifies us before God--only Christ's atonement does that. So I will have an issue if I find that they are teaching otherwise on that point as well.

Answer 5

Here's some links:

http://church-of-christ.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churches_of_Christ

They are a Christian "non-denominational" church. They are not a "cult" but there is a cult that stemmed from them... the "International" church of Christ.

They tend to be slightly conservative, very charitable, and Bible based. I happen to really think they are very close to being like the original churches though there are others that are close too.

Go visit one with confidence and you will learn much more. Remember that each congregation is locally governed and may be different from one right down the road!

Be blessed!

Answer 6

The Church Of Christ church is a denomination, they aren't considered a cult. they believe in no music, no speaking in the tongues of angels and no veil wearing or anything like that...you just sit there, hear the word of God and go home, my mommie is a member of a Church of Christ church and I used to go to church with her for awhile but then I stopped cuz it was kinda flad so now im a different faith (Apostolic) here's their website www.southcentralchurchofchrist.org

Answer 7

This is a very good question.

The church of Christ is the church that belongs to Christ. (Matthew 16:18)

The church of Christ is the church that was purchased by Christ. (Acts 20:28)

The church of Christ is the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23), and there is only "one body" (Eph. 4:4)

The church of Christ is the bride of Christ. The bride honers the groom by wearing his name. The church of Christ honers Christ by wearing his name and a name found in scripture (Rom 16:16).

(Suppose, for example, Mr. Smith asks his girlfriend to marry him. She agrees, but says, “Our friend Mr. Jones is a good man, so when we get married, instead of being called Mrs. Smith, I want to be called Mrs. Jones.” Would Mr. Smith have a reason to question her loyalty to him? Would he feel honored? Why would a bride wear another man’s name? Why would a church want to wear a man-made name? Whose name does your church wear?)

The church of Christ identifies themselves by name as a group that tries to follow the "doctrine of Christ" (2 John 9).

In contrast, a member of a denomination is identified by name as one who follows the leadership and teaching (doctrine) of that denomination.

The church of Christ wants to follow only the Word of God without adding any man-made doctrine.

Jesus has "all authority" and the apostles were to teach the things He had commanded them. (Matthew 28:18-20) If we follow the authority of men, then Christ no longer has all authority. If the doctrine we teach is the commandments of men, then our worship is "vain", or useless in God's eyes. (Matthew 15:9)

In everything we do and teach as a church, we should do all in the name, or according to the authority or instructions, of the Lord! (Colossians 3:17)

The Church of Christ wishes to speak where the Bible speaks, be silent where the Bible is silent, do Bible things in Bible ways, and call Bible things by Bible names! In this way, we only want to be the church you can read about in the Bible!

Answer 8

#10 – WHERE DID THE CHURCH OF CHRIST COME FROM?
The Church of Christ in America appeared as a renewal movement during the Second Great Awakening, a sweeping religious revival centered at Cane Ridge, Kentucky in 1801. A Presbyterian clergyman, Barton W. Stone, had organized these revival meetings in response to the immorality and spiritual deadness that characterized the western frontier of the new nation. These meetings drew nearly twenty thousand people to the Kentucky woods where a massive revival swept through the area for days.
This kicked-off the Second Great Awakening in America, which produced huge growth in Baptist and Methodist churches and also gave birth to new groups such as the Cumberland Presbyterians, the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ and the Church of Christ.
As revival swept across America, clergymen like Barton Stone, Thomas and Alexander Campbell (Scottish Presbyterians), James O. Kelly (Methodist) and John Raccoon Smith (Baptist), among others, began to search for a new model for the church in America.
This new model became known as the “Restoration Movement,” which emphasized several basics, such as (1) de-emphasizing denominational differences and being “Christians only,” (2) looking to the Bible only, instead of denominational manuals, to establish policy for worship and Christian living, and (3) attempting to restore the spirit and simple practices of Christianity depicted in the New Testament.
Most modern Churches of Christ still believe in these ideals and attempt to live up to this high calling.


# 9 - “WHY DON’T YOU USE MUSIC IN YOUR WORSHIP?”
We do use music, but we don’t use musical instruments to accompany our singing. While many of our friends in other churches (even some Churches of Christ) use instruments, most of our congregations don’t for several simple reasons.
Early Christianity included two groups of people: Jews with a background of instrumental music (see Psalm 150) and pagan Gentiles who also worshipped with musical instruments. Yet when the church was established in about 33 A.D., those early Christians worshipped without such instruments.
According to Dr. F.W Mattox, a scholar of early church history, musical instruments weren’t used until the fifth century, and organ music didn’t become part of Christian worship until the eighth century. Even today the majority of Christian groups worldwide still sing without instruments, or acappella (literally meaning of the chapel or in the way of the church.)
So it seems logical, considering our goal of restoring a New Testament type Christian worship, that acappella singing would fit that model. Besides, the only musical instrument God ever created is the human voice; man created all the rest. Perhaps the purest form of musical worship on earth is found in human voices.

# 8- “AREN’T YOU THE ONES WHO DON’T BELIEVE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT?”
No, we definitely believe that God inspired every word of the Old Testament. Even the New Testament says, “For everything written in the past was written to teach us...” (Romans 15:4). Without the Old Testament revelation, we couldn’t understand the New Testament.
But the Old Testament isn’t our covenant with God. As Christians, we’re under the new covenant (Hebrews 8:6-13). That’s why Christians don’t offer animal sacrifices in worship, stone adulterers to death, abstain from pork, or keep other regulations demanded by the old covenant.


#4- “WHY DO YOU EMPHASIZE BAPTISM SO MUCH?”
Because the Bible does; the New Testament mentions baptism 51 times. Every conversion to Christ recorded in the book of Acts ended in a water baptism. And every New Testament writer considered baptism an essential part of a believer’s response to Jesus.
The Apostle Paul wrote that the gospel, which saves us, is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ on our behalf - to atone for our sins (1 Cor. 15:1-4). He also wrote that water baptism is a faith-inspired re-enactment of that gospel. It’s a symbolic death, reflected by burial in water (instead of dirt) and a symbolic resurrection acted out by rising from the water (Romans 6:1-7).
Christ considered it so important that not only was he baptized but he included this teaching in his marching orders as he sent his apostles out to make more disciples (Mark 16:15-16).

#2- “WHY DO YOU HAVE COMMUNION EVERY SUNDAY?”
Because of the nature of the Communion. Jesus said that when we celebrate this feast, he eats it with us! (Mark 14:25.) Each time we have Communion, we participate symbolically in the blood and body of Christ (1 Cor. 10:16). We also show our unity as a body, remember his sacrifice, and preach his death and resurrection (1 Cor. 11:17-34).
The Communion service is one of the most important reasons we meet on Sunday. Paul and his companions thought it so important that they waited seven days in one town so they could assemble with the church and celebrate the Communion meal (Acts 20:6-7).