Activity

In this category, I will be examining different peculiar practices of different groups. Briefly, I will give some of them here and some introductions about this.

Seventh Day Adventists

The Seventh Day Adventists promote themselves as many groups do, saying that they alone are the true descendants of New Testament Christianity. In so doing they have sought after any distinctive element that would separate them from the other groups. One of these elements is to follow the Old Testament Law. Nobody today can follow 100% the OT law because it demanded animal sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem, and that is not possible today. Some other distinctive practices are:

• Day of worship is Saturday, not Sunday.
• OT law observance.

Jehovah’s Witnesses

The Jehovah’s Witnesses are from the same “root” as the Seventh Day Adventists, being a further perversion of Seventh Day Adventists thinking. The list of abnormal practices with this group is long, but I will suffice a few in this introduction.

• Refuse to observe any celebration or “holy day”, yet celebrating their own parties quite extremely.
• Prohibiting blood transfusions.
• Works salvation based on “preaching the gospel”, which means giving out the JW line of propaganda.
• Refusal of the name “church” for their assemblies, preferring “Kingdom Hall” instead.
• Presentation of their “gospel” is that the world is coming to an end (using illustrations from the book of Revelation), therefore people must come and study with them. No presentation of Jesus Christ as Savior.

Disciples of Christ (Campbellites)

While I would consider the Disciples of Christ a lot closer to the Baptist doctrine and practice than the above two groups, they are still off. Their basic doctrinal failing is that they believe that water baptism is necessary to be saved. While some in the group may reject that point outright (from my experience), the group still teaches this point.

• Water baptism essential for salvation.
• No “real names” for churches, only “the Church of Christ”.

Baptist Bride (Landmarkism)

These Baptist groups are supposedly just “regular ole Baptists” but when you get down to the nitty-gritty of things, they have some unscriptural beliefs and practices also. Like Catholicism and others, they propose that they alone are the only true church, and they trace their genuineness through the Anabaptists back to the original Jerusalem church. To me as a missionary, it is amazing how they lump all other churches including all other (non-Baptist Bride churches) into being heretics and unbiblical, yet their missionaries will snuggle up to all these “heretics” to get their missions money. Pastors, ask your missionary if he has a conscious objection to participating in communion in your church. If he says yes, then ask him if he considers your church as a valid and true Baptist Church or not. The answers you get, and the discussion you get into will surprise you!

• Closed Communion
• Apostolic Succession through churches instead of Apostles.
• Belief in a “covering” meaning your church and ministry has to be under another Baptist Bride church in succession back to the original Jerusalem church.
• Use of Carroll’s Book, “Trail of Blood” which is a treatise on the line of Baptists from the Jerusalem church through to them.