Can you help me guess at his denomination?

[AFWife]

So...I overheard (and my DH was part of) an interesting conversation yesterday. I was hoping you guys could help me figure out a denomination...the convo got cut short so I never got to ask.

He wouldn't let a woman pray for him because of a word in the Scripture that says "man" and not "person" when talking about speaking in church... (I only kind of overheard that part)

He believes that the gifts of the Holy Spirit (speaking in tongues, prophecy, etc...) were poured out only until the Bible was completed..and even then only on the apostles. We do not see those gifts in honest today.


Any guesses?

[kavamamakava]

Mormon?

[Aka mommy]

church of Christ believes those things. Though its hard, that could fall into a lot of different nondenomination groups.

[Shami]

another vote for Church of Christ, but I think there are variations of Church of Christ.

[Nazsmum]

I started to say Baptist but then again. I know many people that think that way.

[Smokering]

Plenty of denominations believe that the gifts of the Spirit ceased after apostolic times. Ditto for believing women should not preach in church, although saying they should not pray is somewhat rarer. Was he talking about a public prayer during a church service, or a woman wanting to pray for him during her own devotions at home? 'Cause I don't know of anyone who believes the latter...

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by Smokering

Plenty of denominations believe that the gifts of the Spirit ceased after apostolic times. Ditto for believing women should not preach in church, although saying they should not pray is somewhat rarer. Was he talking about a public prayer during a church service, or a woman wanting to pray for him during her own devotions at home? 'Cause I don't know of anyone who believes the latter...

The raw milk dairy/diner we go to is Christian run. Their small way of incorporating the faith into it is to bless the table if you're eating and pray with you before you leave. He refused to let her pray with him before he left and cited the above reason.

[Otto]

Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield chimes in on the Presbyterian front.

[ETA.--The McCallum counterargument.]

[Smokering]

The raw milk dairy/diner we go to is Christian run. Their small way of incorporating the faith into it is to bless the table if you're eating and pray with you before you leave. He refused to let her pray with him before he left and cited the above reason.

Wow. OK, I don't know of any denomination which would have official objections to a woman praying with a customer. She wasn't in an authoritative capacity or in a formal church service, so the verse he quoted seems rather irrelevant. My guess is that it's his individual quirk, but I don't have an exhaustive knowledge of denominations, so who knows!

[Otto]

Originally Posted by Smokering

She wasn't in an authoritative capacity or in a formal church service, so the verse he quoted seems rather irrelevant.

I think (and hope that I will be corrected if wrong) that the argument hinges on the lack of "formal" Christian churches around Corinthian times (~50 C.E.), which allows a lot of interpretive leeway.

[ETA.--By which I mean that the church is taken to be instantiated wherever it may gather, if you get my drift.]

[lilmom]

I vote for Church of Christ. *Disclaimer* Old School Church of Christ, that is. Church of Christ members do not believe women should be spiritual leaders of any kind, including leading MEN in prayer. They can lead other women in prayer in a Bible study type situation, etc.

That being said, I have formerly been a member of a very good "progressive" Church of Christ, that was much more friendly to women...not as much as I would have liked though.

[CorasMama]

Originally Posted by kavamamakava

Mormon?

Not even close. We don't believe pretty much anything that guy said. We believe the Gifts of the Spirit are still active, and everyone gets Gifts, and women speak in Church all the time. We also don't believe God has stopped revealing things to mankind (the whole "when the bible was completed" thing rings of sola scriptura.)

As a lifelong smart aleck, I would have been tempted to ask him when exactly he thinks the Bible was completed. When the Gospels were written? When the books currently included were completed? When Revelation was written? When Constantine called the Council of Nicea? Or in 397CE, in Carthage, when it was decreed which books were okay, and which were heresy? Because, well, those are all theories that people have, and that spans quite the period of time, and I'd wonder where in there he thinks that God stopped giving out Gifts.

[CorasMama]

Oh, and yes, the name "Church of Christ" on a church can be very confusing, as there are a number of different groups with that name, with varied doctrines and practices, and all over the liberal to conservative spectrum, theologically.

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by CorasMama

As a lifelong smart aleck, I would have been tempted to ask him when exactly he thinks the Bible was completed. When the Gospels were written? When the books currently included were completed? When Revelation was written? When Constantine called the Council of Nicea? Or in 397CE, in Carthage, when it was decreed which books were okay, and which were heresy? Because, well, those are all theories that people have, and that spans quite the period of time, and I'd wonder where in there he thinks that God stopped giving out Gifts.

This confused DH as well. Was it when they were written or when they were compiled?


Oh, he also mentioned that he views the New Testament as "perfect"...or at least, more perfect than the Old. Not sure why.

[CorasMama]

Originally Posted by AFWife

This confused DH as well. Was it when they were written or when they were compiled?


Oh, he also mentioned that he views the New Testament as "perfect"...or at least, more perfect than the Old. Not sure why.

Well, the New Testament, specifically (IIRC) the Gospels make mention that the Law of Moses is done away with by Christ's sacrifice. (I'm mangling this very very badly, no sleep last night). But of course, there's more to the OT than the Law of Moses.

Honestly? Most people with theologies like this are taking them from biblical extrapolation from extra-biblical sources, which is kinda ironic.

[AFWife]

The more I think about it the more I think that he's probably Church of Christ base with his own opinions thrown in there after personal study...

[cappuccinosmom]

There are also plenty of people who are non-denominational. Either having fallen out of denominational Christianity or purposely rejected it.

[lolar2]

Originally Posted by cappuccinosmom

There are also plenty of people who are non-denominational. Either having fallen out of denominational Christianity or purposely rejected it.

Or who joined a Christian church which they like for whatever reasons, which happens to be an independent/ non-denominational church. I've met people in that category too.

[Christopher]

Seventh Day Adventist.

[KristyDi]

Originally Posted by CorasMama

Well, the New Testament, specifically (IIRC) the Gospels make mention that the Law of Moses is done away with by Christ's sacrifice. (I'm mangling this very very badly, no sleep last night). But of course, there's more to the OT than the Law of Moses.

Honestly? Most people with theologies like this are taking them from biblical extrapolation from extra-biblical sources, which is kinda ironic.

Close, Jesus says in Matthew 5:17 that he didn't come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them. The upshot being the the law is no longer in effect because Jesus' sacrifice covers its requirements.

OP I have known some very old-school Baptists who believed women shouldn't lead men in prayer and didn't believe speaking in tongues etc. was for today. Don't know if it's the same in Texas, but there are tons of different versions of Baptists here (Georgia) that run the gamut from mainstream right wing to very conservative patriarchal to nearly charismatic.