Them there Protestants

[KingdomBuilder]

Nazarene** not Nazaren...

[ohio jones]

I go online and look for an Evangelical Free Church, Wesleyan Church, Church of Christ, or a Bible Church, I read their statements of faith, and if there is nothing too far out of line

I've never heard of Evangelical Free Church. I'm a bit surprised to see the COC on your list.
Are you talking about the Wesleyan Church or churches who follow Wesleyanism (Nazarene?) ?

There are several conservative Holiness groups in addition to the more mainstream Wesleyan Church. Some of them have standards similar to fundamental-conservative Mennonites, with the exception of the veiling (though of course there are doctrinal differences).

holiness.cc/churchfinder/

[Bootstrap]

GAMEO has an article on Mennonite Theology that explores all the ways that we are and are not Protestant.

In the central classic theological points of historic Christian faith the Anabaptists were in basic agreement with the major Protestant bodies. Ulrich Zwingli described the early Zürich Anabaptists as differing from him "only in some minor points."

Although it is true that the Anabaptists held the basic Reformation emphases of the sole authority of the Bible in matters of faith and life, and justification by faith, the interpretation of Anabaptism by some modern Mennonite historians as basically only Reformation Protestantism with a few added points such as adult baptism, the free church, and ethical earnestness, is an inadequate view. Rather, as more intense research in the documentary sources has shown, Anabaptism is theologically a major type of Protestantism with a theological focus of its own alongside of Lutheranism and Calvinism. It is related to both the latter positions, but through its emphasis on the lordship of Christ, obedient discipleship, and the visible church, it is more closely related to Calvinism.

t was in the doctrines of the church and discipleship that the Anabaptists diverged most emphatically from official Protestant theology, although their stands on certain other points, such as rejection of the oath, refusal to hold governmental office, complete rejection of participation in warfare, insistence upon separation of church and state, and advocacy of freedom of conscience, were also striking divergences which cost them heavily in opposition and persecution. They understood Christianity in terms of discipleship to Christ and acceptance of His full lordship with consequent absolute obedience, rather than chiefly enjoyment of forgiveness and peace with God through justification, although insisting on the latter. They understood salvation not primarily as the attainment of a right status but rather as the production of a right life. They did not teach sinless perfection, but did hold that the Christian can and must live a life of victory over sin, and that it is possible for the church to make measurable progress toward Christ's ideal for her as a body "without spot or wrinkle." The practice of real church discipline as universally demanded among them is evidence both of the absence of perfectionism and of the serious endeavor to attain the highest standards. That this very endeavor has led at times to harshness and schism, as well as tended toward legalism, cannot, on the other hand, be denied.

It was in the doctrine of the church that the divergence from the rest of Christendom, both Catholic and Protestant, was most complete. The Anabaptists broke completely with the medieval concept of the Christian social order (church-state relations) as expressed in the term "corpus christianum," substituting the "corpus Christianorum." They were the first to insist upon a free church, separate from the state, separated from the world, composed only of committed disciples, who had through personal conversion and dedication accepted Christ as Savior and Lord. This believers' church they conceived of as a brotherhood, with leaders but without a hierarchy, with responsibility of all the members for the total life and ministry of the church, a disciplined body, a church of order. By their doctrine of the two kingdoms (not the two-kingdom doctrine of Luther), the one the kingdom of Christ, the other the kingdom of this world ruled by Satan, they drew a clear line between the church and the general social order. Since the state was in this general social order "outside the perfection of Christ," although instituted by God and responsible to God, the church could have no part in it nor be subject to it in matters of faith, etc. Finally, the church was understood as a suffering church, bound to suffer in its conflict with the kingdom, of this world, as it sought to create the holy community of love within its brotherhood circle, but through victorious steadfastness in suffering demonstrating that it was the body of Christ and would ultimately conquer.

But many other Protestants now teach holiness, separation of church and state, priesthood of all believers, etc.

Are Mennonites Protestants? Depends which Mennonite writer you are reading at the time. I'm not sure the labels matter that much anyway.

We're certainly not Catholics or Orthodox ;->

[Josh]

I go online and look for an Evangelical Free Church, Wesleyan Church, Church of Christ, or a Bible Church, I read their statements of faith, and if there is nothing too far out of line

I've never heard of Evangelical Free Church. I'm a bit surprised to see the COC on your list.
Are you talking about the Wesleyan Church or churches who follow Wesleyanism (Nazaren?) ?

EFCA is big in Wisconsin. They are one of the few old denominations that never became "mainline Protestant".

[MaxPC]

I was surprised to see some of the institutions listed as affiliated with the conservative holiness movement.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conserv ... s_movement

We learn something new every day

[Josh]

I was surprised to see some of the institutions listed as affiliated with the conservative holiness movement.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conserv ... s_movement

We learn something new every day

Was there one in particular? These would be more of the Wesleyan strain of second-work-of-grace Holiness than the Pentecostal Holiness strain.

[Ernie]

I go online and look for an Evangelical Free Church, Wesleyan Church, Church of Christ, or a Bible Church, I read their statements of faith, and if there is nothing too far out of line

I've never heard of Evangelical Free Church. I'm a bit surprised to see the COC on your list.
Are you talking about the Wesleyan Church or churches who follow Wesleyanism (Nazaren?) ?

I'm referring to Wesylan churches with a statement of faith something like this.
https://www.wesleyan.org/beliefs
Yes, I could have added Nazarenes to my list as I look for them as well.


What is surprising to you about CoC on my list?

[Ernie]

There are several conservative Holiness groups in addition to the more mainstream Wesleyan Church. Some of them have standards similar to fundamental-conservative Mennonites, with the exception of the veiling (though of course there are doctrinal differences).

holiness.cc/churchfinder/

Would all of these allow women preachers?

Yes, the doctrinal differences are a bit too much for me.

[Josh]

There are several conservative Holiness groups in addition to the more mainstream Wesleyan Church. Some of them have standards similar to fundamental-conservative Mennonites, with the exception of the veiling (though of course there are doctrinal differences).

holiness.cc/churchfinder/

Would all of these allow women preachers?

Yes, the doctrinal differences are a bit too much for me.

Conservative Holiness would not allow women preachers.

[Josh]

I'm referring to Wesylan churches with a statement of faith something like this.
https://www.wesleyan.org/beliefs
Yes, I could have added Nazarenes to my list as I look for them as well.


What is surprising to you about CoC on my list?

CoC tends to have a reputation for being one-true-church and for thinking everyone who doesn't do baptism, salvation and communion the way they do isn't saved. I would view referring someone to CoC like referring someone to United Pentecostal or to a Church of God in Christ, Mennonite church - I would do so if I could find no other good options, or I knew the particular congregation had an excellent ministry.