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Our Brethren Heritage |
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by Rufus Bowman |
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What is Our Brethren Heritage? |
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The doctrines of the church |
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Alexander Mack
started out to find a church which practiced the ideals and
ordinances as he found them taught in the New Testament.
He and Christopher Hochmann studied church history
together and visited among various church groups. They agreed
essentially in their interpretation of the New Testament, but
disagreed over the question as to whether or not a church should
be founded. Mack believed that a church organization was
necessary in order to carry out the New Testament ordinances. He
believed that the Christian fellowship of believers is a means
through which the Spirit of God works. All through Brethren
history the church has been exalted. The Brethren have taught
that church membership is exceedingly important, that God's
Spirit moving through the Christian body will bless individual
members and that the organized Christian program is necessary
for the most far-reaching Christian service. The ordinances of
the church have been taught and practiced as a means of grace.
Baptism, the anointing, and the communion service have
been important emphases in Brethren history, and they are a
vital part of this doctrine of the church.
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