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Tag: Nondenominational

What Are the Theological Differences Between Baptist Churches and Non-Denominational or Charismatic Congregations?

Bruce Gerencser 9 Comments
questions

Dr. Gero asked:

What are the core fundamental beliefs of Baptists that are shared with these “non-denominational” churches? Also what separates Charismatics/Pentecostals from Baptists? They look mostly the same.

Please see my posts titled Are Evangelical Churches Really “Nondenominational?” and Are Evangelicals Fundamentalists?

Nondenominational is Greek for Baptist. Theologically, there is little to no difference between nondenominational and Baptist churches. Go to a nondenominational church’s website, read their official doctrinal statement, and then compare it to the official beliefs of the National Association of Evangelicals and the Southern Baptist Convention. Any deviations are minor/insignificant. On secondary issues such as eschatology, pneumatology, ecclesiology, Calvinism, and Arminianism, there are differences of opinion, but none of which should cause the other to say, “You are not a real Christian.” Of course, there are always outliers, especially when you reach the outlands of Evangelicalism. I knew Calvinists who believed that Arminians were lost or Pentecostals who thought that you had to speak in tongues to be saved. All these exceptions do is prove the rule.

I should note, in passing, that many Charismatic churches are nondenominational. While their services may resemble a scene from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, their core doctrines are as Baptist as any of the churches I pastored. Word of Faith churches and prosperity churches are an exception to this observation. Quite frankly, most of these churches are either heterodox or downright heretical.

There’s a difference between Charismatic churches and Pentecostal congregations, though that line has blurred somewhat over the years. I have attended numerous Charismatic and Pentecostal church services. I even preached for several Charismatic/Pentecostal churches. I generally found that Pentecostal churches were deeply influenced by the holiness movement, and many of them were appalled by what they saw in Charismatic assemblies. Charismatics seem to have no guardrails. “If God is moving, who are we to object?” the thinking goes. What started with speaking in tongues, has turned into all sorts of crazy, including raising the dead, hysterical laughing, and gold fillings magically growing in mouths. Just go to YouTube and search for Charismatic church services for evidence of my claims. Lots of cray-cray.

Sameness is in the eye of the beholder. I admit I have a sharply critical eye, so I tend to spot differences that casual church attendees might not see easily.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.

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Are Evangelical Churches Really “Nondenominational?”

Bruce Gerencser 12 Comments
nondenominational

One way Evangelicals hide their beliefs and practices is to self-identify as “nondenominational.” Sectarian affiliation carries certain baggage that may turn some people off, especially if they have had negative experiences with a particular denomination. Using the nondenominational label gives people unfamiliar with Evangelicalism a false impression of a church or pastor. Nondenominational says to people that a particular church or preacher has no sectarian connection or beliefs. This, of course, is patently untrue.

Most nondenominational churches are independent (or quasi-independent) Baptist assemblies that typically have congregational government structures. All one needs to do is look at a church’s official statement of belief to see that there is no doctrinal difference to speak of between First Baptist Church and Praise Cathedral and Bible Baptist Church and Bada Boom Bada Bing Jesus is Lord Assembly. Each church might be Charismatic, Pentecostal, Calvinistic, or Arminian, or have differing views on eschatology, pneumatology, or other secondary issues, but their core doctrinal beliefs and practices are similar, if not identical.

Evangelicalism is defined by certain foundational beliefs and practices. Thus, Evangelicalism is a Christian sect divided according to peculiar secondary beliefs. And yes, I am aware that some churches and pastors elevate these secondary beliefs to the level of what people must believe to be a Christian. For example, some Calvinists think Arminians are unsaved and some Pentecostals think “Christians” who aren’t baptized by immersion or who don’t speak in tongues aren’t saved either. Evangelicalism is, in every way, a denomination in the same way the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a denomination. Churches may be independent or loosely affiliated, but their beliefs and practices suggest they are denominational.

A common ploy among Evangelical churches is for congregations to drop their denominational names. This is especially true for churches affiliated with the SBC and the Assembly of God. The goal is to give off the appearance of being nondenominational and hopefully lessen the negative opinions people have of denominations.

I have previously shared that while Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) churches are “independent,” they do affiliate with one another, just as Southern Baptists do. (Please see Let’s Go Camping: Understanding Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Camps.) IFB churches have horrible reputations. What better way to distance a church from being viewed this way than to change its name and remove IFB from all church literature and advertising? King James Baptist Church becomes Bible Believer’s Community Church and Victory Baptist Church becomes Faith Bible Church. Nothing changes except the name.

our father's house west unity ohio
Our Father’s House, West Unity, Ohio 1995-2002. We were a nondenominational church in name only. Theologically we were a Baptist congregation, with a Calvinistic twist.

Lifewise Academy — an Evangelical parachurch organization — exploits a quirk in federal and state law to establish release-time Bible classes for Ohio public school students. Currently, over 170 school districts have Lifewise programs! How in the hell did this happen? Lifewise tells two lies to school boards and superintendents:

  • We are a nondenominational program
  • We teach children morals and ethics

Lifewise is, in fact, Evangelical. I mean 100 percent, unabashed Evangelical. Lifewise doesn’t teach generic morality and ethics; it teaches explicitly Evangelical dogma. Internal Lifewise documents reveal that the organization’s number one goal is to evangelize students perceived to be unsaved. If Lifewise is nondenominational, children of all sects would be welcome, and no attempt would be made to “save” them. That’s not what’s happening. Suppose your child is Roman Catholic or attends a Unitarian congregation. Will they be considered “Christians?” Maybe, by some of the teachers, but Lifewise’s internal documents suggest that such children are ripe for conversion. According to Lifewise, there is one gospel (theirs) and one plan of salvation (theirs). A Catholic child who thinks baptism and confirmation “save” her is deceived (by Satan himself). Catholicism is a false religion, the whore of Babylon. The Unitarian child? My God, he thinks all roads lead to God and Heaven and good works are what matter. He definitely is deceived. Lifewise’s grand plan is to make every child a good Evangelical and make sure that they are attending a “good” Bible-believing church.

The next time a Christian tells you she is nondenominational, ask yourself what she is trying to hide? If she is a Baptist or a Pentecostal or a Charismatic, why doesn’t she proudly wear her denominational name tag? What doesn’t she want you to know or see? Don’t take my word for it. Go visit a local Southern Baptist congregation and then visit a church that says it is nondenominational. Set aside music and preaching differences, paying careful attention to their beliefs and practices. Don’t pay attention to secondary issues that separate them. Once the peripheral stuff is peeled back, you will likely find a Baptist church with a congregational ecclesiology. The nondenominational label is little more than a magic trick clerics and sects use to hide their sectarian distinctives. Don’t be fooled.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.

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The Nondenominational — Evangelical Connection

Bruce Gerencser 10 Comments
nondenominational lakewood church
“Nondenominational” Lakewood Church, pastored by Joel Osteen

Evangelical churches, pastors, colleges, and parachurch organizations are using sleight of hand to distance themselves from the toxicity associated with labels such as Evangelical and Evangelicalism. Instead of using the E word, Evangelicals say they are “nondenominational.” This implies they are detached from Christianity proper, when, in fact, they are explicitly Evangelical.

Lifewise Academy advertises itself as nondenominational, hoping unaware people won’t pay attention to its Evangelical theology and practice. One of my goals as a writer is to pull back the nondenominational facade so people can see that a church, pastor, or parachurch organization is actually an Evangelical in nondenominational clothing.

Southern Baptists have been playing this game for years. Realizing that Southern Baptist (or Baptist, in general) is an increasingly toxic label, churches change their names, dropping the Baptist identifier. These churches are in every way Baptist, yet people unaware of the scam think such churches are nondenominational. Take Saddleback Church, formerly pastored by Rick Warren. Saddleback’s name has a nondenominational vibe, when, in fact, the church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Numerous megachurches play this game, hoping people will be attracted to them by their generic, nondenominational name.

Evangelicalism is a sect. I have battled with newspaper editors for many years over my insistence that Evangelical and Evangelicalism be capitalized. These proper nouns are no different from Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, or Christian. To be Evangelical means holding certain beliefs. While there is diversity within Evangelicalism, there are core beliefs and practices one must hold to be considered Evangelical. I am aware that there are numerous people who self-identify as Evangelical, who are not actually Evangelicals. This is especially true on the far-left end of the Evangelical spectrum. These people are liberals who, for a variety of reasons, refuse to leave Evangelicalism. Some of them think Evangelicalism can be “saved” or their personal and familial connections are such that they can’t or won’t leave their tribe. I suspect part of the problem is that they look over the fence at mainline churches and find themselves saying, “why bother?” Mainline churches are, for the most part, dying. Aging members and clerics don’t make attractive stops for younger adults or families with children. So, liberal-minded Evangelicals stay where they are, despite their increased dissatisfaction with their churches and pastors.

With rare exceptions, when you see a nondenominational church, know that it is Evangelical in doctrine and practice. Evangelicalism is the largest sect in the United States. Even among denominational churches, many of them are affiliated with Evangelical sects. Add to this mainline churches that are Evangelical or pastored by Evangelical-trained men, I can safely say that the United States is largely an Evangelical nation. Oh, the labels are legion, and many churches/pastors will try to hide their Evangelical bona fides, but when you take a close look at their theology and practice, they are decidedly Evangelical.

The mainstream media needs to stop allowing Evangelicals to hide behind the nondenominational facade. One news report I recently read said that a particular church was nondenominational, but its beliefs were Evangelical. That’s the right approach to take. Many Americans think the term nondenominational denotes a church or pastor that is inclusive or non-threatening. This is patently untrue. Just today I read an article by Evangelical zealot Mike Brown where he was trying to distance the January 6th Insurrection from the fact that many of the insurrectionists were Evangelicals or Evangelical adjacent. Brown even went so far as to use the No True Scotsman Fallacy to suggest that the violent, lawbreaking insurrectionists weren’t “real” Evangelicals. Most of the insurrectionists were Christians; not just any Christians, but Evangelicals. Many of them were members of nondenominational churches. Some of the most dangerous ideology in America is coming out of nondenominational churches. We must not allow the media to misidentify whom these people are and what they believe. We must learn to distinguish between these various labels. Some Christians are my allies. We hold similar political and social beliefs. We may disagree on the God question, but we have common ground on a broad array of issues. Evangelicals are Christians too, but their political and social beliefs are diametrically opposed to mine. The media owes it to the American people to make sure we understand the difference between the two.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.

Connect with me on social media:

Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.

You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.