Catholic Church Research Paper

In the first chapter of One Sacred Effort the author sets out on a voyage to sketch a brief overview of what fuels the Baptists denomination. Generally, the first conviction to be addressed is the doctrine and authority of Scripture. Following the example of Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16 “historical Baptists have held that the Bible is God-breathed Scripture…and that it is a sufficient rule of faith and practice.” (1.1) As a result of viewing scripture in this light, other theological convictions and distinctions flow out of this. Such as, salvation through faith alone, soul accountability, the priesthood of all believers, autonomy of the local church, and the importance of proclaiming and advancing the gospel. Again, this is not an exhaustive list

Some words that would be helpful to know as these churches are being described, which will be quoted

Church a place many people go on Sunday mornings. A place to worship in the Lord and Savior or whichever God the individual believes in. Some individuals believe that church can only be held in the church building. When in reality it can be held anywhere for example the bedroom or a field. A thing that has been noticed is there are many types of people who go that fit in with a certain group. The types include everyone from the screaming child to the strict churchgoers and everything in between. Church may be a good place to go but it is believed that the churches today are corrupt.

He laments, “In some seminaries today pastors are not trained to use the Bible for ministry decisions.” (12) He argues that the contrasting errors of adding human rules to God’s Word and ignoring it all together, both reject the authority and the sufficiency of Scripture. Rienow maintains that Scripture is not relegated to the realm of ‘religion,’ but is sufficient for issues that we face day to day including family, marriage, education and government. He warns that taking a stand on the sufficiency of Scripture can be dangerous. He points out that Scriptural authority has been replaced outside and inside the church. He states, “We have become twisted and governed by a bizarre mix of feelings, personal experience, human wisdom and pragmatism, rather than the Scriptures.”

To be a successful church the author states that the church should function and relate to the people’s culture that the church is located within.

Gangel, Kenneth O. “Marks of a Healthy Church.” Bibliotheca Sacra vol.158 no.632 (October - December 2001): 467-477.

Mid-nineteenth century southern America, the writer asserts the churches in America are failing mankind by not being inclusive rather than exclusive and turning a blind-eye to the topic. Failing to live up to the core tenants of Christianity are things that erode the church and society alike. He also recalls his personal experiences with his grandfather, who was a minister, and his uncle. How his uncle had the job of being the caretaker of

Author Dan Yarnell suggested seven characteristics of a Christ-honoring church in the 21st century: worship, fellowship, interaction with Scripture, discipleship, community, living sacrificially, and living missionally. However, Yarnell contradicted himself when he stated that the church originated at Pentecost (Acts 2) and proceeded to provide examples of the effects of cultural development and new missional opportunities on the church prior to Pentecost. While the term “church” or “” is unique to Acts and the following New Testament writings, its concept and precepts existed from the time of Genesis. In fact, Yarnell did not reference any Old Testament passages or practices. Therefore, Yarnell contradicted himself and ignored Old

According to the United Methodist Church Scripture is considered the primary source and standard for Christian doctrine.

Yet; now, some argue the institution, whether without walls, storefront, or mega church, has become ambiguous in its purpose. Various people question the relevancy of the church and its current contributions to a contemporary community where poverty remains high, homelessness continues to grow, ignorance persists, and educational pursuits are problematic. Some even suggest ill-moral behavior is rampant. While others, even suggest the church only serves as a tool to put money in a few manipulative peoples' pockets.

Do you know how many of your County neighbors are barely making ends meet—often not earning enough to cover just one unexpected expense? A recent survey revealed that about 46% of Americans don’t feel they have enough money to cover a $400 emergency expense. Rather than paying it outright, these individuals and families have to put the expense on a credit card or simply cannot cover it.

To answer the question, “[W]hat is the church?” (“Evangelicalism”, Dictionary of Christianity in America) evangelical Protestants will reply that the Church is a communion of people drawn together by their common faith in God. “As a people whom God calls together in Christ[,]” (Von Allmen, 54) the term Body of Christ as well as “priesthood of believers” (1 Peter 2:9) is used to describe Christians, too.

Base of the different church structure mentioned, there’s no conclusive evident that one church model is better than the others, it’s a matter of prefer to the believers on which model they will follow. The scripture show no evident that any one model should be followed. Whatever model a believer chooses cannot prove by scripture that their model is mandated. The only visible scriptural goal for all the models would have a structure that is harmonious, has revelation of God’s plan and should be use according to His purpose. An ideal church structure is nearly impossible from what I can see. Unless we go back to Eden, where it all begin and change what Adam and Eve did in the garden, church structure will always be flawed. Free will has changed God’s plan for man, and there will always be people who will not transform by the renewing of their minds. The NT only speaks about Jesus’ church, also known as Ecclesia from two words. Ek means “out” and kaleo means “to call”, so the gathering of the called-out believers is the Church. The ideal church structure would be the believers who are called-out to represent Jesus’s church. Scripture does not mention the traditional church, organic church, hybrid church, or the attractional church (Gray, 2012). In my opinion the simple church would be more ideal for me. Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger confirmed through a case study on churches that the kingdom is expanding through churches with simple process and the more complex

In doing so, we can discover that final authority is not in and of scripture itself but of the Triune God who is the Author of scripture. The second obstacle to consider is that many have dismissed scripture as a book of Israelitic & Christian stories. Wright contends that these stories are told to inform us of “internal dynamics” of the past so as to engage us in the present for transformation into Christ-likeness. (p.25). Thirdly, Wright asserts that the question of scripture’s authority should not be viewed as a list of rules where God condescends to man. Rather, scripture should be received as God’s purpose to save and renew the entire world by authorizing the church—God’s agent in the world—with His mission through the work of the Holy Spirit. Thus, it is imperative that biblical scholars “see the role of scripture not simply as being [informative about or revelatory of God’s truth] but as a means of God’s action in and through us.” (p.28)

Emerging church proponents respect the Bible. Brian McLaren writes, “I believe it [the Bible] is a gift from God, inspired by God, to benefit us in the most important way possible: