Contrasting Baptists and the Church of Christ
listening to: Katelyn is watching "64 Zoo Lane" on Noggin
I assume that you all have heard about this: Police: Minister's wife confesses to killing - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com. A minister in Tennessee was slain recently, and his wife confessed to the crime.
Police report that they know of a motive, but are not releasing it at this time. I am sure that will be fascinating/tragic story in and of itself. However, the point of this entry is to point out what the article says about the Church of Christ, which is the denomination of the slain minister:
"Churches of Christ do not consider themselves a denomination since every congregation is independently governed by a group of church elders. They generally believe the Bible should be interpreted literally and that baptism is essential for salvation. The church is also noted for its prohibition on using musical instruments during services."
I have always said that part of understanding what Christianity is is understanding what Christianity is not. In other words, knowing where the bounds are is important, but it helps to know what is out of bounds as well. My philosophy, in part, goes back to my days of studying math at Purdue: for every point on a line, you can study it from either direction.
So, my philosophy can be taken to a more granular level. Part of understanding what the Baptist denomination believes is understanding what it does not> believe. The paragraph I quote above provides contrasts between the Church of Christ and the North American Baptist Conference.
1. Although every North American Baptist church is independently run and managed -- almost like a franchise, you could say -- we all subscribe to a core set of Biblical beliefs. Our NAB churches identify ourselves with one another. We believe we are a denomination. In and of itself, just how important is that, just how important is it to be associated with a particular denomination? It does not make us any better off or any worse off than any other church. However, it is a rallying point for common doctrine and beliefs.
2. We believe that baptism is a sign of obedience, and is encouraged. However, it is not actually essential for salvation. Salvation comes through grace through faith in Jesus Christ, the rest comes from our desire to become Christlike, which includes salvation. However, baptism is not a requirement to get to Heaven.
3. Baptists use musical instruments. For example, our church features a piano, keyboard, drum, bass guitar, a viola, two violins, and a host of acoustical guitars every Sunday. I once visited a Baptist church north east of Atlanta that featured several brass instruments as well.
buck on 03.25.06 @ 09:51 AM EST [link]
Quiet Saturday Morning
Heather was not feeling well last night, so she sayed behind when we went to the YMCA for swim night. After saying hi to Miss Amy and Miss Brenda, Dylan went to play some basketball, and Katelyn and I went to the pool. The last tiem we went, she had some hesitation about getting in, and clung to me for a few minutes. Last night was a different story, she walked right in immediately, and wanted total independence the entire night.
She was wearing a different bathing suit this time. What she wore last time was just too small, so Heather bought her a larger one. This new one has larger floaties in it, so Katelyn’s mouth and nose rarely hit the water. That allowed her to have even more confidence in being independent, and it gave me a lot more security as well. I think she only coughed and sputtered a couple of times the entire night.
Katelyn had enough confidence to play with a beach ball a young lady shared with her. She also insisted on getting out time and time again so she could jump back in the water. I’m really impressed with how far along she has come with her confidence. Once Dylan made it to the pool, he showed off his abilities by flipping off the diving board several times. Katelyn was bossing him around that whole time:
“Dylan! Dylan! Do a flip! Dylan, that wasn’t a flip!”
Daddy made grilled cheese for everyone once we got home. Since Heather still wasn’t feeling right, she, Dylan and I snuggled in bed upstairs watching TV. Eventually, we all fell asleep that way. As I write this, the TV is still on upstairs. Poor Heather just needs a break.
buck on 03.25.06 @ 09:03 AM EST [link]
Thursday, March 23rd
Thursday Night Thoughts
listening to: NCAA Basketball - Duke just lost
I am going to Cleveland yet again next week. This time it’s for the entire week. I’ll leave Monday morning, and will be back home on Friday night. Our goal is to wrap up this Southwest optimization project. What we are trying to do is optimize the projected freight out of Texas, Mexico, Arizona, and California into the Midwest. Over the past two years, several suppliers have migrated to Mexico, and therefore their freight pops free in Nogales, Arizona, and El Paso and Laredo, Texas. There is enough critical mass down there to get creative with our shipping patterns and consolidation points.
Well, it all makes sense to me anyway. Transportation and logistics is not the most exciting field to try to explain to people, especially the purely analytical portions of it.
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Since I am going to Cleveland next week, and Dylan is going on Spring Break with his dad the following week, I won’t get to see him for two entire weeks. That’s stinks. I think that he and I will have to have our postponed chicken wing party this Sunday night after church. Normally, we only get around to having wings just once a year, but this will be our second helping for 2006. It’s a good thing for guys to do.
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Heather had to return Pegasus, . . . er, the yellow Mustang last night before church. She was sad to see her fast little friend go. Why the name "Pegasus"? Why, he’s the mythological winged horse of the gods. He was very swift, and gave great pleasure to his riders . . . however, I don’t think he was yellow . . .
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My Lady Boilermakers defeated UCLA on Tuesday night to advance to the Sweet 16 in the Women’s NCAA basketball tournament. This will make their third trip to this round of play in the past four years. They are carrying the torch for Purdue fans this year since the football team laid and egg, and the men’s team is still rebuilding.
Again.
buck on 03.23.06 @ 09:48 PM EST [link]
Tuesday, March 21st
The Webmaster's Confession
Many thanks to those who pointed out that the link to Heather's blog was no good. It is now correct, and you can see it at the top of the right hand column. Make sure you check back with her blog in a couple of days . . . that will give her a chance to write about the Georgia trip.
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Dennis . . . Tony . . . P.S., build me an amplifier.
buck on 03.21.06 @ 11:27 AM EST [link]
Monday, March 20th
Awaiting the Return of the Family
My family should be getting home any time now. When I talked to Heather about two hours ago, they were just south of Rochester, Indiana. After they drop off Megan, they will be coming straight home. It's been some good down-time for me, but it's time for the family to get back.
When I was coming home from the hockey game on Saturday night, I stopped at a convenience store for some ice cream. My aching throat needed some soothing. I saw a little girl in there from behind who had a light purple jacket like Katelyn's, and who had straight brown hair just like hers. It was even a bit mussed up in the back a bit like Katelyn's frequently is. So, Daddy was missing his little girl even then. It's time for the family to come home!
buck on 03.20.06 @ 09:44 PM EST [link]
e-mail: ubuckone@earthlink.net
