Seeking Grace and Truth

As I attempt to sort out the issues that I have have been writing about relating to group uniformity of practice, it seems to me that we must consider several principles and truths. No single proposition of truth will guide us to a sound position on group standards or group uniformity. We have probably all had “experiences” that have influenced our viewpoint on the matter of group standards. Feelings alone, based on our experiences, whether they were or good or…

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I am still thinking about the issue of church denominations. The question was raised earlier about the relationship of the church that Jesus said He would build and modern day denominations and the authority Jesus gives the church. It would seem likely that there was not even a concept of denominations in the New Testament church. When Paul talks about some saying, “I am of Paul” and others saying, “I am of Apollos”, it seems doubtful to me that he…

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I acknowledge that my exploration of the issue of group uniformity has been quite unorganized in presentation. My goal is, at the least, to find some direction on the issues by stirring our thinking. I do not have definitive answers to all the questions that could be asked. And I do value your input to the conversation. In this discussion on uniformity I am not addressing the core doctrinal issues of Scripture. The concept of uniformity within a church group,…

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What does the ideal church look like? How would it function in a sinful and broken world? Did you ever think within yourself, “If only Jesus could be here in person and give us some plain instructions.” I think I remember reading somewhere of someone commenting like this, “Doing church is hard.” We have all seen our share of church struggles. Obviously, there are many different visions in the hearts of church members and church leaders as to what the…

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Part XI Today I will return to examining John Coblentz’s thoughts in his pamphlet “Are Written Standards for the Church”? I will share a little of John’s thoughts on the “no written regulations” position that some would take. Coblentz says this, “But the assumptions that those who have written standards do not trust the Word and the Spirit, worse that they make additions to the Word, and that standards stifle spiritual life—these assumptions are unbiblical. As we noted in the…

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Part X One of the current struggles in many of the fellowships of the Anabaptist community is about coming to terms with the practice of church regulations for the individual members. I will not suggest that it is easy to find the Scriptural balance on this matter. My own observation would be that in fellowships where there has been extensive regulations on the lifestyle of members, at some point uncertainties will begin to develop in the fellowship. Questions will be…

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In this post we continue our examination of John Coblentz’s writing, “Are Written Standards for the Church?” After Coblentz establishes that the spiritual life of a healthy church must be centered on a Person, Jesus Christ, and not on written regulations, he moves on to look at the dangers associated with over regulation. As we stated before, he believes that the New Testament record of life in the early church clearly establishes the legitimacy of the church addressing cultural issues…

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We have been examining the pamphlet authored by John Coblentz, “Are Written Standards for the Church?” The next section of the pamphlet is titled, “The Centrality of Christ”. In my estimation it is a key part of Coblentz’s examination of written standards in the church. Previously, he has established his belief that written regulations are a valid part of church life. Next he makes a strong case for a right perspective on written standards. What follows is a summary of…

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This post is a continuation of an examination of John Coblentz’s writing, “Are Written Standards for the Church.?” Next John Coblentz takes a deeper look at Acts 15. In this chapter we find the early church facing the challenge of teachers who insist that the Gentile Christians needed to be circumcised to be saved. Paul and Barnabas had some strong disputations with these teachers, but apparently couldn’t get the issue resolved. An agreement was made to go to Jerusalem and…

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In the next several posts I want to look at a pamphlet published in 1990 by Christian Light Publications. The author is John Coblentz. I have always highly respected John’s contributions to the Anabaptist community. The pamphlet is titled, “Are Written Standards for the Church?” Coblentz begins by noting that some new groups have formed (presumably speaking of the Anabaptist community) who have done away with written standards. He then asks these questions: “Is their position right? Do written standards…

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