Does Stanton really believe the church must be unified on all teachings in order to remain “The One True Church?” You could be forgiven for coming away from their classes thinking that. I mean, after all, that’s their chief criticism of other churches.
- “The Catholic church changes their teachings to whatever the Pope says.”
- “The Baptists change their teachings at their annual Baptist Convention.”
- “The Mormons change their teachings at the whim of their current ‘Prophet.'”
- “The Jehovah’s Witnesses change their teachings at the behest of the Watchtower publication.”
- “The Lutherans change their teachings to whatever the Missouri Synod decides.”
Given the above, how is it not fair to say that the Stanton Churches of Christ change their teachings according to the results of the May Week Meetings?
If absolute unity on doctrine (and let’s face it, “doctrine” is just another word for “teaching”) is the key to being considered “The One True Church,” Stanton doesn’t meet that criteria. In this world we call reality, no organization can really make the claim of being 100% unified in the way that Stanton defines it (agreeing on everything). And to the extent that Stanton does make that claim, it is is self-refuting.
Consider that Stanton has changed doctrine after doctrine after doctrine in each of their last dozens of “May Meetings.” Do you see what I mean by “self-refuting?” If other churches aren’t “The Church” because of their changed doctrines, how can Stanton be “The Church” in spite of their changed doctrines?” It’s simply not possible. It’s self-refuting.
The truth is that no group of human beings can possibly be in 100% agreement. It is a human impossibility. God created us to think for ourselves, and that means we all grow in our intellect and spiritual maturity at different rates. That means unity (as Stanton defines it) is impossible. Of course, unity is entirely possible as the Bible defines it. Jesus didn’t pray to God the Father for something that was impossible to achieve.
John 17:11 (ESV) – And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
But that’s a subject for another time.
Divisions do indeed exist. I saw that there were several groups united under different leaders each holding to their own “understandings”. One man taught that in proverbs 3:9 firstfruits meant the literal first and that a Christian was to take his offering for the Sunday service out of their income first then do a budget for the rest of the bills and household needs others taught that firstfruits meant the best one could offer God and not a literal first. The financial hardship placed upon families was unbearable at times and some resorted to giving very little into the collection… Read more »
One thing that you have missed is the thorns of criticism spewed out on a regular basis. If you truly are good would you not have the fruits of the spirit, Love, peace, and joy? Plants that have thorns and thistles do not produce any fruit. Look at how evil others are is not good fruit, that is it is not edifying. Any fool can criticize and most do. Good edification is teaching to be content in ones state, whether abased or abounding like the Apostle Paul taught. How to be happy in poverty and full of good works is… Read more »
It is an interesting question, is their claim to be the one true church true or false? If one follows the commandment in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to prove all things then one can find the answer. As Merie taught there are identifying marks of a new testament church of Christ one is found in John 13:35 by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another, so do they love each other? Lets examine this 1 John 5:16 if a man see his brother sins a sin which is not unto death,… Read more »
One post I would love to read about the one true church is why the allow brutish men and women have positions of authority in the church. The brutish are characterized by violence and or wreckless endangerment. For an example: a child looks at everything as a toy so why would a preacher keep pet scorpions in his home with little children there? The child if the saw a scorpion in the wild would think it a toy like the ones in her fathers house and go and play with it, child endangerment cut and dried. Another example a bus… Read more »
There is so much good that is missed out on because of the decietfulness of pride. There is a difference between the suffering that comes from tragedy and the suffering that comes from sin. When I would attend the holiday meetings most members would flock around leadership as if they were rock stars to be adored but I wanted to be around the lowly Christians and hear their stories of suffering and servitude to others. I wanted to hear from mothers who had served their families and how they loved and raised their children from birth to adulthood. Having been… Read more »
This brutish attitude and treatment is why I left. I could not see how people in position could treat people who look up to them for help so badly. I tried to get counsel from one teacher and was answered, “no body put a gun to your head to move there”. Since the early 80’s I have seen unloving hands being dealt with people.
Thank you for your post. I consider the teaching of Christ “by their fruit you shall know them” Matthew 7:15-20 or more to the point by their lack of fruits ye shall know them. Lets look at the final fruit of the tree called the SCOC and that being the teaching preacher for men or just teacher for the women. At the end of your three year babehood you are expected to be a fully qualified teacher or preacher ready to go out and start your own church and if not there must be something wrong with you. The leaders… Read more »
It is, in my opinion, the one true church. The blood of Christ is there, I did have my sins washed away in the waters of baptism and I did receive the indwelling of the Holy ghost, which I still have today. It is also currently a predatory church the stronger members preying on the weak, that being the women, the children, the handicapped, the babes. In fighting against evil all that is necessary is words and nothing else. The more you expose the evil of the Christian’s behaviors the more angry God gets. How much more reproach is necessary… Read more »
Is child neglect love? The identifying mark of Christians is to love one for another but so too is love for one’s children and grandchildren as read about in Proverbs 13:22. While paying child support is love it is only half of the responsibility required of parents the other half being time. An absentee parent has to make time to be with thier children. In my separation and divorce I made sure in the court order that I had equal visitation time with my children and four different times across eighteen years I had to call out the police to… Read more »
What is required of a man to become a preacher in the SCOC? Not much, consider this example: we in Phoenix had a man return from a ten year absence and had in absence married a woman who was not a Christian and was not free to marry being divorced. This according to Christ’s teaching makes him an adulterous man and a man who married outside the religion of Christianity forbidden in 1 Corinthians 7:39 was he rebuked for this adultery or causing the woman to commit adultery? Nope, not mentioned at all. With the absence of anti adultery teaching… Read more »
Idolatry is common in the SCOC with the substitution of Merie Weiss for Jesus Christ. When I was first baptized I was not given a bible but instead the church lesson by Merie Weiss. Now some will say that Merie was a righteous woman and perhaps she was as I did not know her, but the Merie that is exalted above Jesus Christ is not the same Merie that walked in the flesh but an insidious idol where the wicked can create false teachings such as children outside the church of Christ go to Hell and then say “Merie said!”… Read more »
Is every leader in the SCOC a predator or a free loading parasite? No, I don’t believe that, but there are enough bullies and perverts that attention needs to be paid to the behaviors of leadership. What qualifications are required of an individual before they can lead in a congregation? The only answer I was given was 2 Timothy 2:2 that the preacher like Timothy was to commit the gospel to other faithful men so the understandings were to be passed down through the generations by one preacher to the next. The definition of faithful men varies from one individual… Read more »
For the man that gleefully says “Bad news” it does not bother me to be chastised because in Proverbs 3:11-12 Solomon has taught me that the chastising of the Lord is an act of love and not hate. The loss of income or even the loss of a job is petty compared to the obedience to God that it produces. The question I have to ask is: are you strong enough to endure the hardship you put on others? With what judgement you judge me you yourself will be judged.
Obstruction of justice occurs when people are discouraged from calling the police when they see a crime happening such as I experienced when I was told by my teaching preacher not to dial 911 when I watched one remove his teenage son quite forcefully from a Holiday meeting at the Arizona center for the blind but to just tell him, the teaching preacher instead. That same man went on to commit felony child abuse against his child then fell into a pit at an oil change business and suffered severe physical injury almost breaking his neck. The church chose to… Read more »
Having an invisible enemy like Satan requires great intellectual work to identify and then counter and defeat him. Satan is like a roaring lion is a metaphor which when applied gives one understanding of how to identify him. Goliath fits the behaviors of a roaring lion, loud, angry, threatening. King Saul fits the behaviors of a roaring lion, loud, angry, threatening King Nebuchadnezzar fits the behaviors of a roaring lion,loud, angry, threatening. How many teaching preachers are also loud, angry, threatening? I can think of a few. Use your intellect and identify the preachers which personify Satan through loud, angry,… Read more »
Is anyone available to rebuke me? I miss the old days in the Church of Christ in Phoenix where I would be told in no uncertain terms how stupid I was by the teaching preacher, saying “he is a fool, someone with less than normal reasoning ” or how lazy I was calling me “lethargic “. I miss the angry two hour midweek class at the building off of 43ave and McDowell where I was insulted and berated for two hours for giving my thoughts on a may week question. I miss being told very angrily that I was going… Read more »
What did I learn in my 12 years in the SCOC? That it is acceptable to discuss sexually related topics such as masturbation in front of children. Today I see that as perverted. I leaned that it is not only acceptable but required to have a short temper and express yourself in anger when behind a pulpit of wood and addressing Christians and their children in a congregation. Today I see that as abusive. I watched one woman, a single mom with two children ask our first teaching preacher if eunuchs recieve special blessing in heaven and he affirmed that… Read more »
Many lessons I have heard in the SCOC were not bible based lessons but rather personal experience lessons with no biblical basis whatsoever. Consider this lesson from the motorcycle salesman in Spring valley called “see what you made me do” His opening remarks were to express his discontent ment with the men who spoke before him by loudly saying “I’m bored!, I’m bored!” Was he reproved for this murmuring before a holiday assembly of 500 Christians? Nope not a word of reproof was spoken. He the went on to describe a situation with some wood furniture that had some water… Read more »
One topic that needs to be mentioned is that if economic governance. When one becomes a Christian they make God their provider and as Paul the Apostle alluded it is God that gives the increase and as mentioned in Haggai 1 it is also God that gives the decrease. Christians have to be taught repeatedly to be content with their wages and make the most of what they have been given. One man, an electrician from Boise started murmuring how that he missed out on making a lot of money as an electrician because of his responsibilities given him. What… Read more »
That is a record. 18 of 19 total comments by one person, Arizona. My goodness. Will respond when able. Am traveling America at the moment. Was just in your state of Arizona last week. Nice place. Am now in a rain storm in North Dakota. Interesting the week I hit the raid and left Solano County, the worst fires to hit Solano County in at least fifty years, which were Frontpage news, suddenly struck. Glad no one in Stanton was hurt or had damaged property. Prayers that they, and we all, would be spared the banker caused racial tensions, and… Read more »
Welcome back Mr. Curious. It is a dubious claim you are putting forth of record setting, have you ever examined the greater number of posts you yourself have written?. I wonder why someone would choose politics as a replacement for religion and it was explained to me that both have an organization, a structure, leaders to look up to, personal work to be done, therefore politics is a very familiar replacement for religion. Traveling the country in search of what?, You were in Arizona and I missed out on it? I am offended that you did not call me and… Read more »
Mr. Curious you should stop by the house next time you’re in the Phoenix area. 12309 n 127 lane El Mirage AZ 85335. I am sure the fellowship would be sweet.
Proverbs 22:24 gives some very good advice. Many worship the idol that is anger. Anger makes one feel empowered over others and when you have a teaching preacher who is short tempered he sets an example that worship of the idol of anger is acceptable. Why do I avoid my fellow Christians? Because they are ticking time bombs and you just don’t know when they are going to explode into abusive rage and start verbally abusing others or physically abusing the children in the congregation. I don’t want to endure the anger and abuse of my fellow Christians nor am… Read more »
Knowledge is an interesting thing. Knowledge is amoral, that is it is neither good nor evil but how one uses it that identifies the individual as good or evil. Knowledge can be weaponized and used insidiously to help a person destroy themselves, an example of this is Proverbs 9:8 where Solomon instructs those wishing to be wise not to reprove scorners lest they hate thee and if we read 1 John 3:15 it teaches that Christians who hate their fellow Christians are equal to murders and do not go to Heaven so if I weaponized that knowledge I would reprove… Read more »
A Christian has to ask themselves am I following a follower or am I following the leader, that being Jesus Christ? In Matthew 25 Christ taught a parable of ten virgins and like all abstract teachings it can be applied to many concrete situations and still be true. For one the bridegroom could be opportunity and the wise virgins those who are prepared and the foolish those who are unprepared, if your not prepared when opportunity knocks you will be rejected. Opportunity for Christians is, for an example; when addiction knocks do you have enough oil(knowledge), in your lamp(heart) to… Read more »
It has taken me years to unlearn the evil lessons I was taught in the SCOC. From the example of the behavior of my teaching preacher I learned that the way to deal with any problem, big or small, was to get angry and like him, stay angry. I was told that I was being unclean but I was not being unclean and so I scorned the council. A short temper is a fruit (behavior) of uncleanness but the problem was not with me but a previous leader who was unclean and set the example for all successive leaders that… Read more »
In Hebrews 5:14 it teaches us who strong meat is for and it can be applied the adult teachings should be for adults and not children. Strong meat like suicide prevention. I studied one book on suicide prevention and found that people commit suicide for many different reasons, depression being just one. Ask people what God is to them and you will get many different answers, for me God is personified as a wise old man but not for my children. To my daughter God is a cruel child abuser because that is how her christian babysitter, a woman who… Read more »
In Matthew 5:30 Christ teaches a principle of leadership that is easier said than done. The principle is that a part has to be sacrificed for the greater good of the rest of the group is easily seen in corporate downsizing where the less profitable part of a business has to be laid off for a more healthy but smaller business overall. This principle works but can be very painful for leaders to do. In WWII the Jews were organized into jewish gettos and an elder Jew appointed to make the decision who stayed and worked and who got deported… Read more »
One source of divisions is aggressions. When you have an aggressive and abusive leader the followers will also develop aggressive and abusive behaviors as they follow the commands and behaviors of the leader. Following someone home from work constitutes a violation of the law against stalking and legal action including arrest against stalkers is appropriate. What kind of leader would encourage or command his followers to stalk someone? Not a good leader but a criminal.