All About Church
CHURCH, “THE CHURCH,” AND GOING TO CHURCH
“Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to the garage makes you a car” (Laurence J. Peter).
“The Church is the one institution that exists for those outside it” (William Tyndale).
Early Christians called themselves “The Way” because that’s what Jesus claimed to be.
SO MANY CHURCHES?
There are indeed. And it’s not intended for us to fret about the differences:
I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I'll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common. I bring this up because… a most disturbing report [was brought] to my attention -- that you're fighting among yourselves! I'll tell you exactly what I was told: You're all picking sides, going around saying, "I'm on Paul's side," or "I'm for Apollos," or "Peter is my man," or "I'm in the Messiah group." I ask you, "Has the Messiah been chopped up in little pieces so we can each have a relic all our own? Was Paul crucified for you? Was a single one of you baptized in Paul's name?" I was not involved with any of your baptisms… God didn't send me out to collect a following for myself, but to preach the Message of what He has done, collecting a following for Him. And He didn't send me to do it with a lot of fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the powerful action at the center -- Christ on the Cross -- be trivialized into mere words. (1 Corinthians 1:10-17, The Message)
So even though there are doctrinal issues about which many Christian denominations disagree, what makes them inherently Christian is that “powerful action at the center” involving…
When choosing a church…
If Christianity is a ‘personal’ relationship with Jesus, and I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian, why go?
CATHOLICISM & PROTESTANTISM – A BRIEF COMPARISON/CONTRAST
For more on the differences, please click here to connect to (_) ministries.
History: The Law of Moses, Fulfilled Through Jesus
Who Is a Christian?
Church, “The Church,” & Going to Church
Why Do Christians Evangelize?
Daily Christian Living
Quotes About Christianity
Becoming a Christian
Christian Ministries, and How They Define Christianity
More Links to Important Related Topics
Originally published April 25, 2005.
