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

[perceval.livejournal.com]

Ever heard about the Scottish Covenanters? I don't know much about the Free Church of Scotland, but it seems to be organised along fairly similar lines to what you are talking about.

you might find the story of their rebellion against the Anglican church interesting ...
see here: Free Church Internet Library (http://www.freechurch.org/main.html) It's courtesy of them that there are no Sunday ferries to the Hebridean Islands of Lewis and Harris.

another LJ user who is a member of a non-denominational congregation is cynthia_black. She has a story archived on FA.

AS for Saffron cake: I can't be interested in something I don't have a recipe for! *pouts*

[roobarb.livejournal.com]

The church you describe seems normal to me. I'm not at the moment attending anywhere because I cant find one within travelling distance that's like this. I know it is not doing me any good not going anywhere though :-(

[sff-corgi.livejournal.com]

Oooo... my friend Debbie has a church kinda like that! They meet in a circulation of the congregation's houses. I called it a 'coven' once and freaked her out. *giggle* Well, they work the same way!!

And perceval, I think I posted a saffron cake recipe the last time she whimpered about it being a unique interest, so if you scroll back a few weeks....

New Testament Church

[(Anonymous)]

You know, the New Testament church still exists. It's commonly (in the Western Hemisphere, at least) the Orthodox Christian Church. You might have one locally with an ethnic first name (such as Russian, Greek, Serb, Romanian, etc.)

You might be surprised if you looked historically, at how the NT church worshipped. Might I recommend the book The Orthodox Church by Callistos Ware (earlier versions have the name Timothy Ware, same book, same author, but when he became a bishop, his name was changed.)

Kim

kimk@mail.cannet . com (take the spaces out)

PS as to saffron cake, can one afford enough saffron to make cake with it?

[dr-c.livejournal.com]

Re. NT churches: My beliefs on the subject differ somewhat from yours, I think (if I'm understanding your remarks correctly). I view any church that takes Scripture alone as its authority, and that obeys it in good faith as best they understand it, as a "New Testament Church." Some churches of course may understand the NT more accurately than others-- in particular, as regards which church practices are presented as normative in the NT-- but this is a difference of degree rather than of category.

In my observation, the view that "all NT church practices are normative" causes several difficulties. One is that, if we don't speak in tongues, it forces us into lots of hermeneutical gyrations to explain why that "doesn't count." Similarly, it allows us to get far too caught up in conflicts over minutiae like (for example) whether the Lord's supper was just a token bit of bread and wine, or a full meal (I've never known a church to practice this, but they seem to have done it thus in early Acts, and also in Corinth). But more importantly, it undermines the unity of the universal Church by leading us into the trap of taking an "us vs. them" view of other Bible-believing churches (thus making us at least as sectarian as "denominational" churches, and perhaps more so); and it also misplaces our priorities in leading us to exalt church order above the work of evangelism, shepherding, and teaching.

I believe unapologetically in New Testament principles (or, more simply, in obedience to the New Testament) as a goal for Christian churches-- but not as a point of separation from other churches who believe the same gospel that we believe.