Expert: Marvin Howard - 6/15/2004

Question
In your opinion, which other Christian denominations are closest to the Churches of Christ?

Answer
Hi!

Tim, I wish I knew the motive behind your question. I will do my best to answer it. Firstly, the churches of Christ are not a denomination. However, there are denominations which split and use the same description. For more information on this, please see:

http://www.geocities.com/preacherman_1962/ChurchHistory.html

I believe "close" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. If a group has doctrinal error, and all denominations do, then it is not the church, for the church will be pure.

Error is error when it comes to doctrine, so I perceive your question to be moot. If you are asking which denominations have the fewest errors, we shall look at the errors contained within the major groups, and try to see by contrast which one has the fewest.

Every group (besides the church) of which I am aware, save the Greek Orthodox (and possibly Primative Baptists), add to God's Word by adding mechanical instruments to the singing prescribed by God. By adding this (or anything else), they are all accursed of God according to Galatians 1:8-9.

Is baptism essential for salvation? The Bible, and therefore the church, says yes. Catholics say water baptism is essential, but practice rhontism in its place, so they aren't saved. The entire Holiness movement says yes, but denies the water of Acts 8 and 10, instead saying it is Holy Spirit baptism, which was only promised and given to the Apostles and Cornelius, so they have not obeyed God and are not saved. Most of the rest of the denominations pay lip service to baptism. They deny its necessity. Many practice rhontism instead. A few even ignore it all together. In doing this, they all deny God's Word, and are lost.

Concerning the Lord's supper (or communion), The Bible says it is to be done on the first day of the week. Since every week has a first day, and Acts 20:7 records its being after the passover and easter, this indicates every first day of the week. To my knowledge, only catholics consider this to be every Sunday. Except for the sabbatarians which don't do it on Sunday at all, the rest either go monthly, quarterly, semiannually, or annually. Then, when scripture says for all to drink of the cup, catholics don't let their members partake, just an invented clergy. To make matters worse, catholics add the image of Ra (the sun god) to the wafers they offer. They all refuse to remember the death of Christ as commanded.

So, we see, in important doctrinal issues, no one follows scripture, save the church. They do not follow the Word (declared to be Christ in John chapter 1), therefore they do not follow Christ. Since following Christ is the very definition of "Christian," none of them are Christian as you mistakenly wrote, regardless of what claims they might make. Some few may know better, but most have just been voluntarily misled (c.f., II Thessalonians 2:10-12), and now the world falsely considers all of the error to be Christian because of "popular" usage. Judging on doctrinal issues, none of the denominations are close enough to the church to even be considered closest. People are either Christians, or they are not. There is no grey area in a black and white Bible.

In appearance only, without listening to the doctrine taught, it is hardest to tell the difference between the church and the Baptists. But, since we have proven them to be as lost as everybody else outside the church, why would anyone want to join something so useless?

In short, any denomination is just as good as another: none. Revelation prophecies match the catholics and the pope. The catholic church is the beast; the mother of harlots. Therefore, all of her daughters, the denominations, are harlots. Biblical usage of this term indicates those who have left the Word of God to follow their own ideas which they perceive to be better or more valid.

In His Service,
Marvin Howard
preacherman_1962@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/preacherman_1962