Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

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Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (abbreviated: Disciples of Christ or Christian Church ) is a Protestant church in the tradition of the Restoration Movement . It is counted as the Mainline Church in the USA . The Church has approximately 382,248 members as of 2018.

history

Thomas Campbell
Alexander Campbell

The origins of the church are in the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement at the beginning of the 19th century, a religious revival movement . It was founded by Thomas Campbell and Alexander Campbell from West Virginia and Barton Stone from Kentucky . The Campbells and Barton were originally Presbyterians . Ordination of women has been possible in this church since 1810. The blessing of same-sex couples were allowed.

Teaching and structure

The basic confession of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is short and based on some statements of the New Testament.

As members of the Christian Church,
We confess that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of the living God,
and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world.

"As members of the Christian Church
we confess that Jesus the Christ is
the Son of the living God
and praise him as Lord and Savior of the world."

Rick Spleth, an Indiana Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister, formulated ten Diciples of Christ doctrines:

  • The weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper , the meal fellowship, forms the center of community life
  • The baptism of believers by immersion, infant baptism, is not practiced
  • Open membership, one's own tradition is not understood as the only valid one
  • An attitude of tolerance and rejection of creeds in the function of tests of faith. Diversity is seen as a strength; no uniform interpretation of the Bible or Christian life is expected from everyone
  • The meaning of the Holy Scriptures , the Bible is understood as the inspired word of God and is read and heard in a historical and social context
  • Congregational but voluntarily affiliated. Each congregation decides on its own life and ministry, but is in full communion with the other congregations of the Disciples of Christ in order to make the universality of the church present
  • The affirmation of church leadership by women , since God gives spiritual gifts to all people and does not restrict any office or role in the life of the church according to gender
  • Focus on community leadership by laypeople , provided that state laws do not prevent this (e.g. in the case of weddings ). This includes the presidency of church services and the celebration of the Eucharist, which can also be presided over by laypeople ( priesthood of all believers )
  • An educated clergy whose admission and ordination are governed by educational and professional standards to monitor and uphold ethical accountability
  • Priority for ecumenical life .

Ecumenism

The Christian Church is part of the Churches Uniting in Christ , an ecumenical movement in the United States. The aim of this movement is to unite the Protestant churches in the USA, similar to the United Church of Canada in Canada and the Uniting Church in Australia in Australia, to form a mainline church . However, many more conservative members are critical of this project because of the prevailing liberal theology in some of the churches involved.

The Disciples of Christ were closely involved in the unification discussions between the United Church of Canada and the Anglican Church of Canada, which should lead to a Church of Christ in Canada . However, shortly before closing in 1974, the negotiations were broken off. The Anglican bishops feared being outvoted by the non-episcopal liberal Protestants in a larger denomination. In the United States, the Disciples of Christ continue to have close ties with the United Church of Christ .

The related Churches of Christ in Great Britain have largely been affiliated with the United Reformed Church since 1981 .

Memberships

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a member of the following associations:

Varia

David Berg was an American preacher and founder of the Children of God religious group . His Swedish father Hjalmar Berg was a preacher at a Christian Church. This had to give up his office because he had the healing experience of his wife Virginia, b. Brandt, moved to the center of his preaching. The couple then started their own evangelism team .

Web links

Remarks


Individual evidence

  1. ^ Disciples of Christ Claim Distinction of Fastest Declining Church (en) . 
  2. ↑ Who are the Disciples of Christ, and what do they believe? gotquestions.org, accessed April 3, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Welt.de:Lesbian couple married after 72 years
  4. ^ Christian Church (Disciples of Christ): Our Mission, Vision and Confession
  5. ↑ Rick Spleth: Ten Basic Beliefs. Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indiana, accessed April 3, 2018 .