During the switch to the new site, a brother wrote a contribution for the site.  It was a complex series of doctrinal thoughts.  Rather then include his complex posting, I will summarize his concerns as as a question:

"How should we, as Christians trying to restore the beliefs (Theology) and practice (Liturgy) of the early church, respond and interact with Traditional congregations?"

From the high-liturgy and high-clergy congregations, like Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, to those much closer to our own practices, how do we best interact with them?

• Do we fight against them?
• Ignore them?
• Embrace ecumenism?

What are your thoughts?

I think the first place you have to start is to realize that high-liturgy and high-clergy congregations believe they have the beliefs and the practice of the early church (passed down to them through apostlic tradition). So I think to begin, we have to realize that they seek what we seek---the faith and practice of the early church. They believe they have it (or close to it) and we believe we have it (or are closer to it).

Lane

Ignore them.
There are many different types of congregations
because there are many different types of people.
“He fashions [our] hearts individually.”  Psalm 33:15 NKJV
George Hoherd
Life Coach
Cell: 719-570-9507
“It’s not what happens to you; it’s what you do about it.”
(W. Mitchell, burn victim, paraplegic and motivational speaker)

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Well,
I think it would clearly be wrong to allow them to continue doing what they are doing without explaining that they are wrong with today's modern church system and why. You have to also keep in mind whether or not this person has been born again or if they are just religious. Many people in today's modern church are not born again and are merely religious doing Christianity therefore, they wouldn't understand what you were trying to tell them anyways. There are some things that just are not understood without the supernatural working of God Almighty. I know without a doubt that unless God Himself showed me the things that He did then I would still be in system church. Just my 2 cents. I don't know whether or not my email will make it out there because I am still new to this so hopefully this is the right response email address.

Rick

George,
          I would have to agree with you. There comes a time when we can choose to hang back and try to fix everyone else and what they are doing, which is simply impossible, or we can press forward with our Lord and Master. At times I believe we are to concerned with what everyone else is doing and that's when we hear the Master's voice snap us back,"YOU FOLLOW ME"! We have to stop being so concerned with what other "professing Christians" are doing and start getting closer to our Lord ourselves and be alone with Him. If we hang back to long by trying to fix everything with theology and church history there might come a day when we just might hear these words,"Depart from me, I never knew you!" Some people might not agree with what I'm saying, but I am happy walking with my Lord myself.

Rick