Unique LJ Interests Meme

[rj_anderson]

I've mentioned some of these before, but...

Cock Robin - brilliant, obscure 80's pop duo. Peter Kingsbery has a gorgeous voice. Anna LaCazio had a great whine.

Wild Swans (the band) - another obscure 80's band. Lilting, gorgeous melodies. The title of my Alias fic Whirlpool Heart was taken from a song by the Swans. Originally this didn't seem to be a unique interest, but then I realized that the other people listing "Wild Swans" were referring to the book by pegkerr, so I added the qualifier and now it's unique. Still, somebody else must like these guys, I'm sure -- heidi8?

New Testament churches - that is, local congregations that attempt to organize and govern themselves in the same way the first-century Christians did. They're much rarer than you might think, even in otherwise conservative circles -- how many evangelical churches do you know that have a group of teaching elders instead of a single pastor, for instance, or where those in full-time ministry are supported by freewill gifts (without appeals or fundraising) instead of being salaried? What about each congregation being autonomous and responsible to Christ alone, instead of being part of a denomination or otherwise controlled from the outside? Those are just a few examples of NT principles that have been pushed aside or forgotten in many instances -- but I think they're important ones, so this is an interest of mine.

Saffron cake (recipe here) - I can't be the only person on LiveJournal who likes the stuff, surely? I'm sure I'm not the only LJ user of Cornish descent...

Comments

Re: New Testament Church

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I'm aware of the Orthodox Church -- it wasn't really what I had in mind. The liturgical nature of its worship, the priesthood as a separate class from the laity, the use of ikons and so on, are very different from the practices described and exemplified in the New Testament.

I know there are many churches which claim a long historical tradition behind them, but that really doesn't carry any weight with me unless their doctrines and practices are clearly found in Scripture. Even being able to date one's practices back to the first century doesn't make a church truly Biblical -- after all, Paul and the other apostles were constantly warning the first-century churches about false teachers and doctrines, so there were all kinds of errors and misconceptions floating about even then...

On a less serious note, you don't need a crazy amount of saffron to make Saffron Cake -- my mother usually spends about $20 to get enough saffron for four to six loaves, I think. It isn't cheap, but it isn't exorbitant either...

Re: New Testament Church

[(Anonymous)]

"unless their doctrines and practices are clearly found in Scripture."

Could you give me an example of how you think the NT church is different from what you think the Orthodox Church is?

Yes, there were (and continue to be) many heresies in the heterodox Christian church. I've run into "good protestants" who don't believe in the dual natures of Christ, the Virgin Birth, or even His actual physical ressurection from the dead. I would point out, however, that the Orthodox Church established, through the power of the Holy Spirit, was we know to be truth and what is heresy.

I know that most Protestants, from lack of information, do not understand Orthodoxy. And many Orthodox, whether for reasons based on ethnicity or outright fear of persecution, don't particularly do an adept job at presenting the history of the Body of Christ which Protestants tend to skip. My college history of the Church class went from the Apostles to St. Augustine of Hippo to Martin Luther in one class. As if the Eucumenical Councils, including those that defined the basics of the faith, never took place. Those basics are now how we judge if a "church" is truly Christian - the Trinity, the Holy Spirit as God, Christ's dual natures and virgin birth, His physical ressurection and bodily ascension into Heaven.

Kim

Re: New Testament Church

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I understand what you're saying, but I'm not talking about doctrine, Kim -- I'm talking about the form of the church, its basic structure. Not what it believes, but how it operates on a practical functional level. Which is something quite different from what you're discussing above. Sorry for causing the confusion.