with so many people proclaiming so many different beliefs and modes of worship, if Christ returned today how would He recognise His church?
Those who keep His commandments. See ST John 14:15. And those who recognize their sins, are contrite and repent. The amount of incense or if you sing praise band songs are not requirements. Though the Bible tells us incense is used in heaven. I guess the praise band will have to spend time in purgatory and leave the drum set. Blessings Fr. Mark
That...is hilarious Fr Mark. Surely Jesus would expect to find his own where he left them i.e the church (that being another can of worms)
The EO would say that they are the true Church of Christ on earth, but do refrain from saying that only Christians who are members of that Church can be saved. I think that the RC also see themselves as Christ's true Church on earth. http://www.oldenglishchurch.org.uk/jesus-christs-original-church/ That is most definitely a can of worms! Others hold to the branch theory - generally that believers/repentant sinners in EO, RC, Anglicanism and other apostolic tradition Churches represent together Christ's Church on earth. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branch_theory https://orthodoxwiki.org/Branch_theory Others again that all believers/repentant sinners whatever their denomination, together make up Christ's Church.
It is a sad emb It is a difficult question - but the reality is that there are bodies who are "not the church", and actually teach others against the institution. It is much easier to identify those. I don't say this to judge, but as an observation (limited by my own understanding). It is difficult to observe otherwise when some of the "church bodies" reject the very means of grace that the Lord has given us. The branch theory only makes sense to me if it is understood as a temporal situation caused by our fallen nature - in which case the "branches" must seek communion with each other.
The three branches will find it very difficult to unite while each has a an hierarchy. Which hierarchy would want to concede responsibility?
I don't think the hierachies are a stumbling block. They've always been there. What is needed is for those who've strayed to repent and return to the faith once delivered and the "branches" to be in communion with each other (not convert each other). I believe EO was once open to this idea towards Anglicans (recognition and communion)...but then, you know the rest.
Sister, I don't know the rest lol. Was there a "falling out" between Orthodoxy and Anglicanism? I have some awareness of the differences between RC and Orthodoxy
Ha ha! Ha ha ha Aidan..really? "The rest" is Anglicanism doing its own thing and deciding that church unity is unimportant. I wouldn't call it a falling out but it did slow down the dialogue between the two communions. I read that there were places where it was permissible for an EO communicant to take communion in an Anglican Church. I understand that ACNA is doing some work to pick up the pieces.
I don't know Christina. It seems to me that Anglicanism's liberal agenda and the RC's papal doctrines coupled with the filioque are the most stumbling blocks - with most doctrinal differences attributed to the 3 groups having drifted apart. The communions seem willing to work together, if the above mentioned could be ironed out. Some Anglican churches have started dropping the filioque.