r/redeemedzoomer

I've met a few people that once you talk to them on the subject. That openly acknowledge the existence of God and even Christ and admit we live as His creation. Yet they still refuse Him and do their own thing. How does one even go about this in life? You accept that God exists, you live within His realm, and even that He's all powerful, but you either think He's unjust or refuse to worship the Lord. How does such a mindset exist?

I’m trying to fully believe that I don’t have to do anything to earn my salvation and realize that Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross was enough and the ultimate gift. What makes this hard is I used to be a practicing Catholic, so with all the rituals it felt like I was trying to maintain and earn my salvation by avoiding mortal sin and taking the Eucharist. And I’ve realized that when I was very devout, it was based off of fear and I don’t want that for my relationship with God. I’ve been exploring other denominations and most likely want to be in historical/high church Protestantism. Catholicism gave me a good starting foundation for my faith, but after re-learning its history and dogmas I don’t want to stay. But that’s kinda besides the point rn and just some extra info.

Anyway, How can I let go of my anxiety and need to feel like I have to do stuff to earn salvation? It feels deeply rooted in me that I have to do that and that I’m not forgiven unless I go to a priest specifically. I’m tired of letting this consume me. I want to focus on God, but it’s hard when I have all these “obligations” and rules from my infant baptism on me, that I don’t want to follow. Also if anyone’s been in my situation and changing denominations I’d love to hear your story for some encouragement. This is one of the hardest things I’ve gone through.

Hello all,

My wife and I do not attend a PCUSA church but we were on a date in a City of Pittsburgh neighborhood and decided to stop into a historic beautiful PCUSA church to see the sanctuary.

We discovered LGBT affirming language in church documents, but the scariest thing we found in a smaller chapel was crystals, feathers, a buddha style statue of Jesus and many artistic renderings of Christian leaders at the front of the room.

I ask that you would pray for this church that the Spirit would move and remove these activities for His glory.

To be clear, I am not trying to disparage the PCUSA as an institution.

Is Calvary chapel non denominational? I get so confused by this group.

Do you guys believe the apostles taught Sola Scriptura, or was it invented later built upon the apostles teachings ?

I'm not presuposing that Sola Scriptura is the 66 books, even if that it's seems to be a necessary condition for it to work in real life, but only that they taught that only what the Scripture (whatever that be), is what people can be bound to believe, to be the rule of faith.

Some people in the comments shrink the definition of Sola Scriptura to be merely that the Church can bind people to believe in other things that are not found in the scripture, but they can't call that infallible, but it's completely anachronistic, the reformation in Switzerland started because the people refused to keep Lent, I don't think the Church was teaching that Lent was infallible, but that they should be bound to follow anyway. And Luther says in diet of worms that he won't follow popes and councils, but he must be convinced by the scripture only, I don't think he viewed their authority as something that could bind his conscious even if they weren't infallible.

I can cite here a bunch of authoritative protestants documents saying the same, but I don't want to make that too long, so I'm gonna put in a comment here.

My only question is whether you believe that the apostles taught the Bible as the only rule of faith for the church.

When I say this I'm not meaning treating and respecting your wife as your teammate and other half in the relationship, nor am I talking about that men should be domineering and abusive to their wives(God literally says the prayers of husbands abusive to their wives will not be heard).

I'm meaning the ever so common scenario where the wife calls all the shots. Whether it be the household, kids, finances, time spent, or pecking order. There's the veil of them being equal or the husband being the head of the house, but if he puts in his input its ignored or shot down by the wife, and it spirals into just "yes dears".

Even King Solomon warned in Scripture that its better to dwell in a desert land than deal with a nagging or quarlsome wife. Yet this seems all too common in Christian households and Christian men let it happen despite the Bible being very clear on the duties and position of husbands and wives in the family unit. Why is this?

Now I'm not hating on women nor taking a misogynistic position, because obviously not all families and wives are like this. I love my wife very much and make her my first priority after God and we have a good dynamic. However it is an observation nonetheless.

I'm asking this in good faith, what is the future of protestantism in America? Specifically is there any chance that we could see a return to a more denominational high church expression?

Curious what others’ thoughts are on Emanuel Swedenborg? Have others heard of him? Do others find any of his claims compelling, or was he just delusional?

Actually leaving one denomination for another seems like a massive decision. Out of curiosity what was it that finally made you leave?

Hopefully this will be the right sub to ask a question like this, but I am going to start reading the church fathers very soon, and I’m starting with Irenaeus’ material since I am already more familiar with him than most of anyone else. After him I will probably backtrack into the apostolic fathers.

But after that point, which fathers should I read primarily? What are the recommendations here?

Wich one of the seven sister mainline, is friendliest to the idea of the reconquista?

I am a Christian and looking into becoming a minister in the Church of Scotland, recently I started to learn more about theology and Reformed theology more specifically and I felt like schism was a serious issue and at that point wanted to join the ministry in the Church of Scotland specifically as I believed it to be the one true church in Scotland and that schism really hurt it

But recently I have been feeling discouraged about it, I feel as if I sin too much to be a minister and I have spoken to the people in he church I attend and not a single person upholds traditional reformed views like me, my reverend told me that communion was purely symbolic and my youth pastor tod me that some of my ideas about God were problematic when they were doctrine of the church of Scotland (predestination, and he even said that multiple divided churches is better than one united one)

And the other church I attend has sound theology, but everyone is really elderly and dying and it is in sloq decline financially as well, the church of Scotland is forcing it to sell a key building that serves the community in many different ways, and we are worried it will be turned into flats.

I am just wondering if it is even worth it to join the ministry, from what I have seen the churches with good theology are dying and the ones without it are mediocre at best and the General Assembly is very progressive here, do you guys think that it is still a good idea for me to go into ministry here despite my worries and the issues with the church or abandon the plan and look for a different way to serve my country as a Christian?

I would like to know your thoughts on Reconquista in Germany.

I am part of the mainline church here and aspirating to be a pastor but I am unsure whether I should stay or leave for the confessional Lutheran church (which was formed after being kicked out by the Prussian king for wanting to remain specifically Lutheran)

I personally do not see Women Ordination or LGBT stuff as a reason to leave, despite rejecting both. Even the shared communion seems okay since the official document looks like the reformed mostly compromised on their views to reach this agreement.

There are however the following issues, making me doubt Reconquista and whether it is a true church (or whether leaving would be allowed/mandated)

1. Union churches
   Some of the state (actual states, not national) churches / synods that are part of the overall nationwide church are Union churches, so neither Lutheran nor Reformed but somehow both.
   I don’t really know if this is something that would be a goal of Reconquista (RZ speaks very positively about church fellowship between the mainlines and downplays the differences)

2. Problematic additions to the constitution
   They have recently added to the constitution, that there are many genders and that the church does not evangelize to Jewish people (since they’re supposedly still saved as God‘s original chosen people). Is it worth joining this church if my believes go this and I would likely be kicked out anyway?

3. Threat of changed baptisms
   Currently there are rumors of baptism done in female names instead of father, son and Holy Spirit (especially the Holy Spirit is replaced by something like holy spiritual force since that makes it female in German). These are not official yet but the first state church already declared they do not think it matter and when they redo the baptism liturgy in the next years they might change it. And they would obviously not tolerate people rebaptizing those who were baptized with this wrong baptism.

Really appreciate all your thoughts!