Visitors since May 27, 2001
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The Church
The Church
BY GLEN MORRIS
There is nothing more misunderstood in "Christianity" than what "The Church" is all about. The next 12 pages will explain the biblical definition of what a New Testament church is.
I suspect that most people reading this may not be Baptists; I may be wrong. Even those who read this may be Baptists; but if they are like I was, are totally ignorant as to Baptist history and the issues that make Baptists different from other denominations. In many respects, this report may be offensive to those who read it, especially to Roman Catholics. But this report is not meant as a hate site; rather, it is meant as a LOVE site of the Word of God, history, and those eyes and minds that have been blinded by Satan. Those who hate are those who pervert the Bible and try to change historical facts. As you read these facts, you can decide for yourself.
"To be well born is to enter life with advantage. Baptists are justly proud of their parentage the New Testament. They have an ancient and scriptural origin. Certain characters in history are named as founders of various denominations: The Disciples began with Alexander Campbell, the Methodists with John Wesley, the Presbyterians with John Calvin, the Lutherans with Martin Luther, and the Church of England with Henry VIII and Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer in the reign of Edward VI. Not so with the Baptists. There is no personality this side of Jesus Christ who is a satisfactory explanation of their origin. The New Testament churches were independent, self-governing, democratic bodies like the Baptist churches of to-day. We originated, not at the Reformation, nor in the Dark Ages, nor in any century after the Apostles, but our marching orders are the Commission, and the first Baptist church was the church at Jerusalem. Our principles are as old as Christianity, and we acknowledge no founder but Christ."
--George W. McDaniel
It is to this end, I bring you the New Testament church.
Introduction
My original report on "The Church" was one of the required projects for my Master's Degree at Hyles-Anderson College. I worked hard on this report, and will continue to add to and revise it as more material becomes available (and believe me, I have a LOT more material). Obviously, this Internet version is not hardly in the format in which I submitted it for the class. Much more has been added to it, and each chapter is broken up into easy-to-read sections which can be navigated by the menu above.
I received an "A" on the report, so the teachings thereof are in agreement with the doctrines and philosophies of Hyles-Anderson College and the First Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana, where for 41 years Dr. Jack Hyles was pastor, and since March 7, 2001, is now being pastored by Bro. Hyles' son-in-law Dr. Jack Schaap. I am not saying it is an official statement from Hyles-Anderson College or First Baptist Church, but that a grade such as I received is saying that they are in agreement with the content of the report.
My Question to You, Reader:
If the Bible said it was against something, would you agree with the Bible? In other words, since God wrote the Bible (of course, He used men to do the writing), would you agree with God if He said He was against something? Most people would say they would agree with the Bible or God, except when it came down to the Bible or God disagreeing with what THEY believed. Or is your motto "Ignorance is bliss?" Most people choose a church based to fit THEIR lifestyle, not based on how close it comes to practicing the Bible.
This report will be quite frank. Because the world of religion can be quite controversial and volatile, I do not hesitate to say that there is no doubt this report is bound to offend most who read it; but the documentation, both scriptural and historical, will be irrefutable. I expect to be called a “hate monger,” "polarizer," or “anti-Catholic;" so, for those of you who wish to live in darkness and ignorance, get your hate mail pens and e-mails ready.
In order to properly define what a true New Testament church is, in contrast, we must also take a long look at what it is not (or false religion).
Each chapter is divided up in the menu at the top of this page. You will find a scrolling menu under "The Baptist Pages" title above. To get the full impact of the report, click on each chapter in order. If you have any biblical or historical information to add, please e-mail it to me and I'll consider adding it to this site.
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