OneOfHisElect
Puritan Board Freshman
I have always been a Baptist. I believe in Baptist distinctives. However I do hold strongly to the Covenant view point when it comes to the interpretation of Scripture. With all of that said I will pick on the denomination to which I belong. I have always believed that the Bible is the final authority and always will. I do not, however, find anywhere in the Scriptures that tells me that the opinion of the church is the final authority. The more I speak to the lost around me the more I have realized their problems with the church and to be specific, the Baptist denomination. I do not know how it is in other churches but to me it is a sad thing when the lost around us can walk into a church building and be instantly written off as less than the standard. It is even worse when those in the church cause their own members to feel this way. Time and again I have seen the opinions of the church become the doctrines of the church. I realize that there will never be a perfect church congregation but why is it that so many churches, especially here in the south, seem to think that they, and only they, have the correct opinion on things? It is to the point where I am about to give up going to the judgment house all together and have family church in my own home on Sundays. It is getting out of control. Does anyone else see this trend increasing? Please do not comment back to this post with how much better one church denomination is than another. I did not start this thread with that intention. I simply want to see if I am alone in my frustrations.