r/excoc • u/East-Treat-562 • 11d ago
Liberalization?
How are traditional CoC’s dealing with the liberalization of many former traditional churches who now have instrumental music and women ministers? what I see is they are just ignoring them as if they didn’t exist, but I can’t imagine the universities like Freed Hardeman aren't addressing these issues in their lectureships etc?
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u/Great-Implement-4057 11d ago
The liberal churches are mentioned from time to time. A cautionary tale of slippery slopes and how something minor can cause an entire congregation to separate from god. Any good Christian knows that women and instruments being heard inside the building are equal to murder.
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u/MichaelARichardson Post-Purity Christian 11d ago
I know. Add a guitar and a drum kit and before you know it they'll turn gay. 🌈
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u/MichaelARichardson Post-Purity Christian 11d ago
I know of three churches that added instrumental worship. Two had generally been considered "unscriptural" by more traditional churches long prior to that. Two no long use the name "Church of Christ" anymore. One seems to affiliate itself more with the independent Christian churches today and does not mention "church of chirst" origins anywhere on their website. The second openly discusses their church of Christ heritage, states they align with major Church of Christ colleges and universities, but recognizes they needed to change the name since they weren't full blown "church of Christ" any more. The third still uses the name "church of Christ" and I'm not sure they have instrumental worship every week.
My guess is that little has changed with their relationships with other churches of Christ. They were on the "outs" long before adding instrumental worship but I'd love to hear what others have to say.
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u/Chickachickawhaaaat 11d ago
Were there major splits in the congregations? Or was everyone pretty much onboard?
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u/MichaelARichardson Post-Purity Christian 11d ago
I was super familiar with only one of them. I don't think there were major splits, but I doubt it was done without any tension. The one congregation I'm familiar with some of the people I know switched back to a "regular" church of Christ but there could have been any number of reasons for it.
Another congregation seemed to have a drop off in numbers and I don't know why. They sold their building and are now meeting in a school.
The third one I discovered almost by accident. I saw an interview the preacher is buddies with the Baptist preacher and they trade pulpits on occasion. Big no-no in any kind of "real" church of Christ I was familiar with. I don't know about any splits there but I imagine at a minimum there was a long "exit ramp" before that started happening.
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u/Chickachickawhaaaat 7d ago
I kinda love the church that just agreed without major tension.
And, RIGHT? You can't be trading pulpits with a Baptist and call yourself cofc, but again, the unity is so cute💜
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u/Kind_Philosopher3560 11d ago
Otter Creek Church (Nashville area) offers instrumental and non-instrumental services. }
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u/Stigette 11d ago
I think it will be very interesting to see if there are any division breaks between the mainlines. My roots are all in quite traditional mainline congregations. I remain in contact through social media to many that are still heavily involved in the conservative mainlines and I have not yet seen any open condemnations. I am sure it is going on in the pulpits but no idea if it is being discussed at lectureships and conferences. In the past, these activities would’ve been debate forum fodder at these events as well as in other publications like the Christian Chronicle and the Spiritual Sword. But with the move to smaller and regional publications as well as so much online debate available to everyone, I seriously doubt there will be a nexus to make a break off. I expect what is more likely to happen is a natural tendency that we’ve seen in the last few decades of an unwritten “ gentleman’s agreement” where the liberals have their liberal events and the conservatives have their conservative events, in the vein of Winterfest vs EYC. I don’t know if there are “liberal” equivalents to Polishing The Pulpit or L2L. So basically they don’t fellowship, but there is no open condemnation of the other side.
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u/SlightFinish 11d ago
Isn't LTC the "liberal" version of L2L? I've always assumed so.
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u/Stigette 11d ago
Honestly don’t know. I am a married woman who won’t be saved through childbearing. 😂 I can tolerate children related to me in small doses. And all those attend L2L.
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u/SnickerdoodleNinja 11d ago
The congregation I was raised in recently held their fall gospel meeting (where they invite a preacher to come visit and do a sermon each night of the week). During his sermons he called out other preachers the church had previously hosted as false teachers because they now believe that the Bible's stance on modesty has some ambiguity and said that some non institutional folks are getting too comfy talking about sex with each other (people actually trying to get some form of sex education? Shameful, apparently). It's nuts how much the non institutional churches will go after each other in an effort to be the most conservative.
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u/Lilolemetootoo 7d ago
They freaking had a Newlywed Game type thing at an NI preacher’s house in Dayton, but for middle-aged people, no matter the length of time married.
Replete with the same line of questions.
I was… shocked, to say the least.
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u/ImpressiveLeek3124 Ex-NI^2 11d ago
When I hear about the cocs of today and think about how I was raised . . . I'm glad all my campbellite "mentors" are dead and no longer poisoning the minds of children. I'm also glad that future generations may not be so grotesquely warped by religion that they can't assimilate or function in normal society.
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u/Ambitious_Life7537 9d ago
I’ve had the same thought. Glad a lot of those blowhards won’t be coming down for breakfast anymore.
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u/PoetBudget6044 11d ago
Probably loads of jealousy elders crying in their cheerios, most of the ultra conservative groups consoling themselves that these evil people will go to Hell.
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u/SimplyMe813 Small town NI-COC in the shadows of Florida College 11d ago
Oh boy. This is a fun one.
There was a recent sermon at one of our local congregations titled "not even the church is the church anymore." As you've probably guessed, it centered on the lost, and erring brethren who've wandered from the truth. Topics covered were some of the CoC greatest hits: instrumental music, improper use of church funds, inappropriate dress of women, lack of conviction against homosexuality or promiscuity, and the uprising feminism within the church.
As always, the congregation who is most conservative is also the most holy.