nick
Puritan Board Freshman
Check my church history below to give you a little background.
One thing I've noticed since becoming reformed is people get into smaller and smaller groups of like-minded people. Eventually they get into even smaller and smaller groups.
Most of these groups seem to draw arbitrary lines about who's in and who's not or who's a heretic. Then in the name of "Semper Reformanda" breakaway from them and say they - their old church body - are going apostate.
Next thing you know you have a denomination of one pastor, 2 elders, and 3 churches. I'm not sure that's a general assembly.
There are a lot of convictions I have that my current PCA church does not have. The longer I've been there the more I've run into issues. Not with the elders or people in the church - they've always been gracious. But there are views they hold to, that I do not that has caused me to withdraw my family more and more to protect them.
Example: Psalm singing
We do sing from the Psalter, but we also (mainly) sing hymns with instruments.
I came to the denomination without the conviction and now that I have it and continue to research it it presses on me more and more. On top of that how can I raise my family in the faith saying this is wrong, but let's do it anyway?
The alternative of never-ending splitting doesn't seem like what God had in mind, but I'm also part of the mega-church mindset that is everywhere. Then again, all those who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. In a culture like the one most of the church is ok with or part of, why would I expect these off-shoot denominations to be big.
Just seems like they would all get together to make a greater impact. Instead it looks like disloyal city.
/rant
Thoughts please?
One thing I've noticed since becoming reformed is people get into smaller and smaller groups of like-minded people. Eventually they get into even smaller and smaller groups.
Most of these groups seem to draw arbitrary lines about who's in and who's not or who's a heretic. Then in the name of "Semper Reformanda" breakaway from them and say they - their old church body - are going apostate.
Next thing you know you have a denomination of one pastor, 2 elders, and 3 churches. I'm not sure that's a general assembly.
There are a lot of convictions I have that my current PCA church does not have. The longer I've been there the more I've run into issues. Not with the elders or people in the church - they've always been gracious. But there are views they hold to, that I do not that has caused me to withdraw my family more and more to protect them.
Example: Psalm singing
We do sing from the Psalter, but we also (mainly) sing hymns with instruments.
I came to the denomination without the conviction and now that I have it and continue to research it it presses on me more and more. On top of that how can I raise my family in the faith saying this is wrong, but let's do it anyway?
The alternative of never-ending splitting doesn't seem like what God had in mind, but I'm also part of the mega-church mindset that is everywhere. Then again, all those who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. In a culture like the one most of the church is ok with or part of, why would I expect these off-shoot denominations to be big.
Just seems like they would all get together to make a greater impact. Instead it looks like disloyal city.
/rant
Thoughts please?