Category Archives: Church 2.0

Church 2.0: Part 10.11A: Congregational Autonomy, Part 5A (May We Condone Error?)

Posted on December 25, 2015 by Jay F Guin

Larry asked, The question then arises, when we understand that the organization with which we are associating is upholding teachings that we can prove are not supported by scripture, are we not also supporting the same if we support the … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues, Ecclesiology, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Church 2.0: Part 10.20: Deacons, Part 5 (Female deacons)

Posted on December 24, 2015 by Jay F Guin

Female deacons I am not very interested in the question of whether women may wear the deacon title, because I’d rather not bother with the title. Granting “deacon” as an honorific title only gets in the way of humble, servant-hearted volunteer … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues, Deacons, Deacons, Ecclesiology, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Church 2.0: Part 10.19: Deacons, Part 4 (A better understanding)

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Jay F Guin

Defining the office: better hermeneutic I remember receiving a call from a candidate for a ministerial position at my church. He asked why we didn’t have the deacons listed on our website. I asked why he cared. He explained that … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues, Deacons, Deacons, Ecclesiology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Church 2.0: Part 10.18: Deacons, Part 3 (The traditional view of deacons)

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Jay F Guin

Later church history In the early church, we find further support for deacons being teachers. The Didache (100-125 AD) says that deacons “are to be honored, “for they too carry out the ministry of prophets and teachers” (Did. 15.1). Later … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues, Deacons, Deacons, Ecclesiology, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Church 2.0: Part 10.17: Deacons, Part 2 (Re-translating Acts 6:1-6)

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Jay F Guin

Deacon as church office/re-translating Acts 6:1-6 So what does mean with regard to the office of deacon? Well, we should not think of them so much as servants but as representatives, agents, or even attendants. That is, they serve at … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues, Deacons, Deacons, Ecclesiology, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Church 2.0: Part 10.16: Deacons, Part 1 (Redefining “Deacon”)

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Jay F Guin

John N. Collins and the meaning of diakonos A couple of years ago, in a comment, Mike Cope referred me to Diakonia: Re-Interpreting the Ancient Sources (1990) ($38.95 at Amazon) by John N. Collins. In this book, Collins comprehensively surveys secular and … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues, Deacons, Deacons, Ecclesiology, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Church 2.0: Part 10.15: Vision-casting, Part 2

Posted on December 19, 2015 by Jay F Guin

I have a few more thoughts on this subject to share. First, remember that God equips certain members of the church as pilots — people equipped to navigate the church between the rocks and shoals. We assume that these people are … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues, Ecclesiology, Uncategorized | 11 Comments

Church 2.0: Part 10.14: Vision-casting, Part 1

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Jay F Guin

(Prov. 29:18 KJV) Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. This verse is in the running for most-misused Bible passage of the 21st Century, and even though there’s a lot … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues, Ecclesiology, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Church 2.0: Part 10.13: Selecting Elders, Part 2

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Jay F Guin

The job descriptions in the titles Next, some of the most helpful instructions for what an elder should look like are found in the titles given the position: elder, overseer, and shepherd. An “elder” was the ancient world’s equivalent of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Ecclesiology, Elders, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Church 2.0: Part 10.12: Selecting Elders, Part 1

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Jay F Guin

When I mention “elders” in a Church of Christ forum, I immediately receive a negative reaction, as though all elders in the Churches of Christ are just awful. There’s a desperate unhappiness within many of our congregations regarding whom we’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Ecclesiology, Elders, Uncategorized | 30 Comments