True Church of God

[capt_buzzard]

Is the Roman Catholic Church the one true church, following in the steps of St Peter. And all other churches Anglican ect - wrong? Will there ever be again a One United Christian?

[telaquapacky]

Originally Posted by capt_buzzard

Is the Roman Catholic Church the one true church, following in the steps of St Peter. And all other churches Anglican ect - wrong? Will there ever be again a One United Christian?

Why does the true church have to be a denomination? I think the true church is people. I think Christ has saved, true heart followers in every denomination.

If you're looking for unity in a humanly organized religion- that will never happen. But unity in Christ among His people is an accomplished fact. We might not agree on all the details, but the details don't save us- Christ does!

That's why it's called "Christianity" instead of "Churchianity."

[Clint]

In the first century after the ascension of Christ there was a sense of unity that hasn’t existed since. The new believers in Yeshua the Messiah and the Orthodox Jews worshiped together in the same synagogues. The new believers had meetings in homes to celebrate and openly discuss their beliefs but they didn’t quit worshiping with the unbelieving brethren. They disagreed on a huge issue but that didn’t stop them from practicing Judaism as they had for thousands of years.

Their unity, combined with the excitement and enthusiasm of the new believers, caused a quite a problem for the Roman Government. They were a growing force to be reckoned with. In order to maintain political power, Constantine required a new religion that mixed his belief in the sun god with Judaism and belief in Yeshua. We see what resulted in the Christian religions of today.

[Ted]

According to Crossan a world renound expert on Jesus and the Christian history. Divisions in the early church began very shortly after Jesus left the scene.. "The Birth of Christianity" John Dominic Crossan.

Shalom
Ted

[Clint]

Abba Eban, former Ambassador to the United States from Israel hosted a series called “Civilization and the Jews” that won the Peabody Award. In that series the relative peace between the new believers and Judaism was documented. It has also been documented by other experts. It isn’t a popular position to take because it creates a huge problem for replacement theology.

[Ted]

Can there be one unified church in the world? I doubt that will happen but we can all learn to live with each other in peace if we would dump this exclusivism nonsense. That is the source of strife. We can learn to respect and get along with each other. In affirming ones own faith it is not necessary to denigrate that of others.

Shalom
Ted

[Clint]

I don’t know how there can be one unified church if there is going to be belief in more than one god. I share your hope for our being able to believe without making part of that belief, a list of those who are wrong so we can be right. It doesn’t even make sense. The way to learn how to recognize counterfeit money is to study the real thing, not by studying counterfeit money. I believe in the One I call the One True God. For me, it is profitable to study the God I believe in. Then, if I come across someone who wants to know my God, I will be equipped to make the introduction. Even though this is what I believe, from time to time, I find myself in the fault finding game.

[Ted]

Clint

I believe as do many theologians today that all of the major great religions of the world are in fact worshiping the one true God. They may call him/her by different names but all are metaphors for the one true Divine origins of all life.

I will not call them wrong, ever. They have responded to the Divine in the only way that their culture and history teaches.

Think of God as a great underground river that cannot be damed or stopped or changed as far as direction goes. Along that river there are many wells; Christian, Muslim, Judaism etc. All of these wells are tapping into the same source the one true Divinity. Matthew Fox "Natural Grace".

This is not something new for me. I have believed this for years but Matthew Fox has given me the language and the metaphors to express my thoughts.

Shalom
Ted

[Clint]

If I am to be true to the God of my salvation, then I must reject the idea that the gods he calls false are anything more. I don’t know how He will mercifully deal with those who are victims of their culture. I have confidence that because of His unfailing mercy He has made provision for them.

I think we quickly come to a point where we see that we don’t have much common ground. I see much more literal meaning in the Bible than you do and I refer to it as the final authority. Your position that the Bible is midrashic gives you license to cite any source that satisfies you, ultimately making you or a theologian you choose the authority.

You state your Belief in the Risen Lord. That makes us part of the same family. I’m thankful for that.

Shalom

[Ted]

Clint

Of course the Bible is midrashic. That is exactly how the ancient Hebrew wrote and interpreted the sacred writings. It can be nothing else. If one wants to get back to the meanings and messages intended then one has to understand the nature of Midrash and its use of metaphor.

If we do not do that then are we not in fact reading into it what we wish and not what the authors wished or intended?

Shalom
Ted