Saturday, August 10, 2019

|| Disciples of Christ (Christian Church) ||

Baptism - Baptism symbolizes the death, burial,
and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It signifies new birth,
a cleansing from sin, the individual's response to
God's grace, and acceptance into the faith community.
Bible - Disciples of Christ consider the Bible to be 
the inspired Word of God and recognize 66 books in the canon, 
but beliefs vary on the inerrancy of Scripture. 
Individual churches cover the spectrum from 
fundamentalist to liberal.
Communion - Open communion, where all Christians are welcome, 
was one of the reasons for the founding of the Christian Church. 
In the Lord's Supper, "the living Christ is met and received 
in the sharing of the bread and the cup, representative of 
the body and blood of Jesus." 
Ecumenism - The Christian Church constantly reaches out to
 other Christian denominations. One of the early goals was to 
overcome the differences among Christian faith groups. 
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) belongs to 
the National Council of Churches and World Council of Churches 
and has had conversations with the Roman Catholic Church. 
Equality - One of the four priorities of the Christian Church is to 
become an anti-racist church. The Disciples of Christ include 
440 predominantly African-American congregations, 
156 Hispanic congregations, and 85 Asian-American congregations. 
The Disciples also ordain women. 
Heaven, Hell - Views on heaven and hell among the Disciples of 
Christ range from belief in literal places, to trust in God to 
provide eternal justice. The church itself does not engage in 
"speculative theology" and lets its individual members 
decide for themselves. 
Jesus Christ - The Disciples' Confession states that 
"Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God ... 
Lord and Savior of the world." Belief in Christ as Savior is 
the only requirement for salvation. The Priesthood of Believers - 
The ministry of believers extends to all members of the 
Christian Church. While the denomination has ordained clergy,
 lay people play key roles in the church.
Trinity - Disciples of Christ profess God the Father, the Son,
 and the Holy Spirit in their Confession, and they baptize in
the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Church members are allowed freedom of opinion on
this and other doctrines and are expected to
give others that same freedom. .
by Jack Zavada

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