[Biblemat] "Are you a part of the United Church of Christ?"

[Thomas Thornhill]

Greetings brethren.
Tom Thornhill Jr here from Bellflower, CA.
WELL, here it is! A lesson I intend to present this Sunday morning (not 
with joy or malice, but because I believe it is needed. IF you look 
through this lesson and notice ANYTHING that is not accurate, please let 
me know. MOST of the information on this denomination was found at their 
website, www.ucc.org It is a busy site but with some time you can 
navigate it. Start with the "411" at the top and look at "Who are we" 
and "What we believe". Take care and let me know what you think!
Tom Thornhill Jr.
www.roseavenue.org
562-867-4416

/Sunday, April 6, 2008 am/

/ /

*“Are you part of the United Church of Christ?”*

The United Church of Christ (UCC) has been getting a great deal of press 
lately because it is the church that Senator Barak Obama is a member of. 
Because we identify ourselves as the church of Christ many of us have 
probably heard someone ask, “Are you a part of the United Church of 
Christ?” The obvious answer to that question is NO! But because of its 
prevalence in discussions, I would like to take a few moments this 
morning to examine this denomination. We will notice its origin & 
philosophy as well as examine some of what it teaches.

Note: Most of the information that I will be presenting today on the 
background of this denomination is taken from their official website, 
www.ucc.org <http://www.ucc.org> . My purpose in presenting this lesson 
is to identify some reasons why it is not the ONE true church we read of 
in the Bible. I do NOT present this lesson with malice or joy, but as 
something I believe we need to be familiar with as we seek to “/give a 
defense for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear/” (1 Peter 3:15).

*I. ** The History of the UCC*

a. A fairly young denomination. Began on June25, 1957 with the union of 
two protestant denominations: “The Evangelical and Reformed Church” and 
“The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches” (which 
included some churches of the “Disciples of Christ”). Historically it 
points to the fact that each of these denominations also formed by 
merger of two denominations.

b. According to Wikepedia.com (online encyclopedia) the 2007 yearbook 
listed some 5,518 congregations with approximately 1.2 million members.

*II. **Organization of the UCC*

a. It has its own constitution called, “Constitution of the United 
Church of Christ” which is available at their website. It is interesting 
to read but also telling which describes its structure and affiliation 
with other bodies.

b. The basic unit of the UCC is the congregation or local church. Each 
congregation is free to worship and work in a way it seems fit.

c. However there is also a hierarchy which is appointed by local 
churches and their “ordained ministers”. It consists of Associations 
(Local churches, ordained ministers, licensed ministers, etc. who can 
vote within a geographical area), Conferences (consisting of 
associations and other local churches) and a General Synod (which is 
described as, “the representative body of the United Church of Christ”.) 
These bodies discuss affairs and ordination of ministers in local 
churches as well as other things.

*III. **Teachings of the UCC*

a. */The church also has its own creed/* called a statement of faith in 
which they outline key beliefs.
In addition to this they openly accept the creeds and statements of 
faith of others throughout the centuries. On their website you can find 
the “Apostle’s creed, Nicene creed, the Heidelberg Catechism, Augsburg 
Confession of faith and others. Concerning these they say they are 
“valued in our church as authentic testimonies of faith.”

b. */There are many things they teach that are true - /*God in 3 
persons, Jesus Christ was crucified and is rise, emphasis on the local 
church, a desire for unity, the priesthood of all believers, the need 
for love, etc. In fact they have adopted a mantra stated some 200 years 
ago which says, “/In essentials – unity, in non-essentials – diversity, 
in all things – charity/.” 
http://www.ucc.org/about-us/what-is-the-united-church-of.html That is a 
true statement when we understand that compromise is NOT acceptable. BUT 
some truth is not enough!

c. */There are also many things they teach that involve error./*

i. _Emphasis on unity in diversity._
*/God WANTS UNITY! John 17:30-31, 1 Corinthians 1:10, etc, but unity 
cannot come at the cost of truth!/*
In the UCC, not every congregation is in agreement on every subject. In 
fact one of their biggest emphasis is diversity in beliefs. On a page 
that describes what they are about they place emphasis on “testimonies 
of faith rather than tests of faith.”
*/A test of faith would be something that you would draw lines of 
fellowship over – such as God’s plan of salvation, proper worship, the 
authority of scripture, etc. Consider 2 John 9-11.
/*“The unity of the church is not of its own making. It is a gift of 
God. But expressions of that unity are as diverse as there are 
individuals. The common thread that runs through all is love.” (ibid) 
<http://www.ucc.org/about-us/what-is-the-united-church-of.html>
The UCC teaches that “/As individual members of the Body of Christ, we 
are free to believe and act in accordance with our perception of God’s 
will for our lives. But we are called to line in a loving, covenantal 
relationship with one another – gathering in communities of faith, 
congregations of believers, local churches/.” (ibid.)
One of their symbols is a large comma (red or black) which symbolizes 
this doctrine of acceptance of everyone. 
http://www.ucc.org/god-is-still-speaking/ The idea of the comma is to 
say, “Don’t put a period where God put a comma.” Which was taken from 
Gracie Allen (of Burns and Allen – entertainers).
*/In fact the intent is to say that we cannot reject anyone AND that we 
need to ignore their lifestyle (including what we perceive to be sinful 
conduct). The problem with these statements is that it does not hold one 
accountable to the truth of God’s word – Galatians 1:6-9. /*

*/ ii. /*_Emphasis on the term covenant_.
The term “covenant” is important. When we obey the gospel we enter into 
a covenant (a binding agreement) with our Lord to follow and obey Him.
But in the UCC, “Covenantal Relationships” has reference to more than 
one’s relationship with Christ and perhaps other members of a local 
church. It also has reference to churches, associations and conferences 
recognizing one another even if they disagree. In an article describing 
the autonomy of local churches it says, “but it also is called to live 
in a covenantal relationship with other congregations for the sharing of 
insights and for cooperative action under the authority of Christ.” 
(ibid.) What this means is that while a congregation stands by its own 
beliefs it is to still work with congregations with which they do not 
agree. */In essence, unity-in-diversity./*

iii. _Pro-homosexual_.
In 1985, the General assembly voted to accept homosexuality as an 
acceptable lifestyle. One of the “firsts” they boast of is ordination of 
the first openly gay persons into ministry in 1972 (Rev. William R. 
Johnson). Today, More than 700 UCC congregations have engaged in a 
program called, “Open and Affirming” (ONA) which supports and teaches 
acceptance of homosexuality. The LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and 
Transgender) ministry is a ministry of the UCC.
*/The scriptures condemn homosexuality/*. 1 Cor. 6:9, Romans 1:26-27

iv. _Ordination of women as pastors_.
Another point of pride at their website is the ordination of the first 
woman pastor. They mention the appointment of Antoinette Brown in 1853 
(Congregational Church).
Note: They consider a part of their heritage the history of the churches 
that merged to form the UCC.
In their General Synod which includes a board of 5 members, 3 of them 
are women, two of which have the term Reverend attached to their name 
and the third is Associate General Minister (Edith Guffey).
*/The scriptures condemn in passages such as 1 Timothy 2:11-5, 1 
Corinthians 14:34,35/*

*/ v. /*_Two sacraments_. *//*

*/1. /*They teach both baptism and the Lord’s Supper as important. In 
fact they call them sacraments. “an outward sign, instituted by Christ, 
that conveys and inward, spiritual grace through Christ.” 
(Wikipedia.com) This term is NOT found in scriptures and both are acts 
of OBEDIENCE rather than mere signs of God’s grace to us.*//*

*/2. /*_Baptism._ While baptism is treated as important, they do not 
specify how or when it is to be done. In fact, baptism can be in any 
form (sprinkling, pouring or immersion) and can include infants or 
adults. Also, at the discretion of a local congregation, they accept 
baptisms from any previous place.
On their “What we believe page” they say, /_“We believe that all of the 
baptized 'belong body and soul to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.'_ No 
matter who – no matter what – no matter where we are on life's journey – 
notwithstanding race, gender, sexual orientation, class or creed – we 
all belong to God and to one worldwide community of faith. All persons 
baptized – past, present and future – are connected to each other and to 
God through the sacrament of baptism.” (ibid)/
*/The problem with this is obvious. In scripture, baptism is FOR THE 
REMISSION OF SINS (Acts 2:38) and only offered to those who are capable 
of understanding and belief (cf. Mark 16:16 – note the order, 1 Peter 
3:21 – “the answer of a good conscience”, etc.). In Acts 19:1-5 we read 
of a group of individuals who were baptized again because the reason for 
their first baptism was not acceptable. /*

*/3. /*_The Lord’s Supper_ - it is to be offered to all and conducted at 
the discretion of the local congregation. */Scriptures regulate when 
(Acts 20:7) and how it is to be offered (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)./*

*/4. /*_NOTE –_*/ their constitution and belief statements on these and 
other subjects are vague and open to liberal interpretation, which is 
obviously intentional/*

*/ vi. /*_God still speaks._ By that they mean that God’s word is not 
complete and there are still prophets. In fact, their “What we believe 
page” states “/We believe that the UCC is called to be a prophetic 
church/” (ibid). In their constitution it says, “/There is yet more 
light and truth to break forth from God’s holy word…It declares that the 
study of the scriptures is not limited by past interpretations, but it 
is pursued with the expectation of new insights and God’s help for 
living today/.” 
http://www.ucc.org/about-us/what-is-the-united-church-of.html
*/That statement sounds good on the surface, but the intent is to say 
that you can interpret scripture ANY WAY you want to. Scriptures teach 
that the word of God is complete (Jude 3, Galatians 1:6-9, 2 Peter 1:3, 
etc.) and to be respected as it is written (1 Peter 4:11, 1 Corinthians 
14:37)./*

*/ vii. /*_Acceptance of denominationalism_.
The primary goal of the UCC is to achieve unity (at virtually any cost - 
TT). In addition to their broad constitution which provides many 
different ways for a church to be recognized by the UCC, including “any 
denomination which… unites with the United Church of Christ” 
(Constitution), they also seek ways to be united with other 
denominations and churches. AS a result the UCC is members of United 
Council of Churches, World Council of Churches, World Alliance of 
Reformed Churches – these councils (alliances) are multi-denominational 
councils. In addition to this they have direct ties (Ecumenical 
partnership) with Aliance of Baptists, the Presbyterian Church (USA), 
the Methodist Church, AME churches, International Council of Community 
Churches, etc.
http://www.ucc.org/ecumenical/ecumenical-partnerships-and.html
*/I mention these because they demonstrate how willing the UCC is to 
compromise doctrinally for unity. The Bible condemns the denominational 
concept of Christianity (1 Cor. 1:10-13), etc./*

*IV. **Lessons to learn from this study*

a. _Just because a church calls themselves by a Bible name does not make 
it so_. What makes a church the TRUE church is what it does, INCLUDING 
its name. Matthew 7:21-23 clarifies this.

b. _The real danger: The appearance of truth_. The danger of this 
religion is that some of their core beliefs are based upon truth, but 
they have veered from that truth, in some instances to the extreme.
For example: The emphasis on local congregations is good and scriptural, 
BUT what about anything that goes beyond that? WHERE is the authority? 
Where do we find associations, Conferences and a General Synod in scripture?
Also their emphasis on unity is important – BUT not at the cost of truth!
1 Thess. 5:22 tells us to abstain from every appearance (form) of evil. 
If some is evil we are to avoid it. 2 Timothy 3:5 describes the 
self-willed man who has “a /form of godliness but denying its power. And 
form such people turn away/.”

c. *_NEVER_*_ dismisses the importance of scriptural authority_ for what 
we do and that which promotes unity. Colossians 3:17 – do all in the 
name of the Lord.
1 Peter 4:11 – speak as the oracles of God (not man or man’s wisdom).

d. _Why we call ourselves the church of Christ?_

i. It is NOT a denominational title. Let us understand we do not intend 
to use the term as an official title of churches on earth.

ii. It is a scriptural description of who we are. We are the 
congregation of Christ’s people here in this location. The term is used 
in Romans 16:16.

iii. Because we are! At least, we strive to be the one true church as 
much as we can.
Matthew 16:81 – Jesus spoke of building His church. It is HIS and thus 
we must strive to keep it His by doing His will.

Thus we can see some information about the UCC. Much more could be added 
to these things. It is my hope that we now understand more about this 
denomination and that we can give a defense when people ask us. We are 
certainly NOT affiliated with this denomination, NOR ANY of its 
congregations in any way. Let us always strive to speak ONLY where the 
Bible speaks and be silent where it is silent. 2 Peter 2:1-3, 2 Timothy 
4:1-4. Think about it.