The Only Ones Going To Heaven

I was born into the Church of Christ, so to speak.  My family were  faithful members of the Sansom Avenue church of Christ in Gadsden, Alabama.  I attended various other congregations of the church of Christ well into my forties.  I guess it took me that long to study my way out and evolve, religiously speaking. 

I’m going to give you my two religious world views based on my earlier years and those of today.  In my youth I learned that members of the church of Christ were the only ones going to heaven.  I was told the church had the true message of Holy Scriptures and we were the “ark” of the world.  Everyone else needed to come to us to be saved.  Members of the church didn’t consider themselves a denomination.  The argument was that we were not part of the church, we were the TRUE church of Jesus Christ.  Supposedly, our correct interpretation of scripture had moved us, not to the number one position, but the only position!

We were the only religious body who sang acapella (voice only), took the Lord’s Supper EVERY Sunday, and most importantly, the only religious entity that believed a person was saved at baptism.  That baptism had to be a complete immersion in water too, or it didn’t count.  If you were traveling on your way to be baptized, had a heart attack and died, you weren’t saved either!  Intention didn’t count in the eyes of most preachers. 

We supposedly had the only proper scriptural organization as well.  There were Elders, who shepherded over the flock, and Deacons, who served the church in whatever capacity the elders required.  In reality, the Elders served as super-deacons.  I rarely saw them so concerned over non-attendees that they went out to urge their return.  Those lost sheep might get a “withdrawal” letter but little else.  As “those who watch over your soul” the elders actually were more of a “those who watch over your money”!

Deep down, I always had questions, but relied on the pat scriptural answers given me by the village elders/teachers/members.  Gradually, those answers just didn’t work any more.  I suppose the tipping point came after having children and joining a support group of homeschooling families.  I was very impressed with the religious attitudes of people who, in my earlier years, I would have said were lost. 

After visiting a few Baptist churches, my perspectives completely rolled upside down.  I heard the same scriptures but with different interpretations.  I heard a focus on grace and love.  I learned the importance of a belief in Jesus and that anyone dying on their way to be baptized, was okay!  I also learned of the security of a believer in Jesus.  God wasn’t angry all the time and that we don’t bounce from saved to sinner with one unprayed “forgive me for that one”.

Today, I worship at Church of the Highlands, a multi-campus mega-church.  It is the largest church in Alabama and incidentally, have a group which meets in Gadsden, my old hometown.  We attended that campus recently and the auditorium was packed!  In contrast, many of the churches of Christ I had previously attended were “out of business”.  I guess many of the others woke up too!

If you still attend a church of Christ, I urge you to break free.  Those chains come off easily and you’ll never regret leaving.  You can enjoy worship and absolutely NOT go to hell for it.  Highlands is also online, as are many other churches.  Freedom is awesome!

Making Memories

My Grandparents were Wallace Henry and Serepta Cox.  They were my mother’s parents who gave dad the land to build his house.  We lived directly behind them in a two-story cinder block house.   I know now what a blessing it was to live so close, to at least one side of my third generation.  I have so many memories of them that I consider priceless.

They were both born in the late 1800’s and married in December of 1919, only two months after his military discharge from the Army.  Granddaddy had served in World War I as a military policeman in France.  He had many occupations as he traveled around the Southeast seeking income for his young family.  Grandmother would often joke every time they passed through a small town, “Wallace said he helped build that plant”!  They grew up in harsh economic times.  Granddad was forty-one years old when the depression hit.  By that time, he owned a dump truck and was able to make ends meet hauling whatever he could.  He was able to open a small grocery store in Alabama City, near their house on Dozier Street.  Mother said he didn’t make much money because he would over extend credit to those who were in desperate need. 

He closed that store and opened a larger one near the Dwight cotton mill at Canterberry Station.  By the time I came along in 1958, he had retired and was only selling Watkins products, and those mostly to the black community near Forrest Cemetery in Gadsden.  My early driver training was helping him deliver orders to his clients.

He loved to go fishing.  He would walk out to our house and ask Mom if I wanted to go fishing.  Of course, I always did.  His favorite spot was Lack’s fish camp, on the low side of the dam at Leesburg.  He liked to go early and fish till mid-afternoon.  We’d tie up, usually not too far from the dam.  He fished with three rods to my one.  We rarely left with an empty cooler.  He would clean and cook the fish when we got home.   Grandmother always refused to cook fish.  She didn’t like the smell of it cooking but she usually ate some.

She was probably the best cook I’ve known.  Her back door was the kitchen door and I was there often.  I still remember the blackberry and apple cobblers she would make.  They were just the best!  I remember eating simple lunches such as pinto beans and cornbread, butter beans and rice, or just a tomato sandwich.  She would cook a big spread with mother’s help if company were coming.   Oddly, Granddaddy always fixed breakfast.  I’ve always known that, but for some reason I have always given her credit for those great leftover biscuits I grabbed, as I passed through the kitchen.

I probably spent as much time at their house as I did at mine.  I remember watching Bonanza on TV, along with Hawaii 5-0 and Perry Mason.  Granddaddy would also listen to the Braves play baseball on the radio while Grandmother sewed or cleaned house. 

My Grandfather served as an elder at the Sansom Avenue Church of Christ for over forty years.  He loved studying the Bible and I remember listening in on several conversations with preachers, who came to visit and discuss scripture.  He had cataract surgery when he was in his eighties, and it distressed him that afterwards, he couldn’t read his Bible as well.  Grandmother was a member of the Sansom church but still had most of her Primitive Baptist blood still in tact.  She was from a   Sand Mountain family named “Wootten”.  Famous for their sacred harp singing or “fa-so-la” as some call it.  We usually attended the Spring Decoration at Antioch Baptist and enjoyed the dinner on the ground afterwards.

In our neighborhood, we knew everyone’s name on our side of the street and most of those on the other side.  We would sit on the front porch like greeters.  If a passer by saw anyone on the porch, they would usually stop and chat.  It was just a friendlier time with friendlier people.  The front porch was also our family gathering location.  As the youngest, I remember being the “gofer”.   If someone wanted a coke from the corner store, I’d take the money and run get it.  Herdon’s was at the end of our block and they sold drinks for 10 cents.  They were in a coke display box filled with cold water.  You identified the drink you wanted by the cap and then slid it to the end to remove.  Bringing the empty bottle back also got you three cents, so I could sometimes get a drink just by returning bottles.

I’ve been mind wandering a lot since working on family genealogy again.  We tend to think of history as the Crusades, famous battles, or the birth of nations.  Family history is a treasure that is hidden in each of us.  Don’t forget where you buried it.  Even more important, new treasures are formed every day.  Still got your grandparents?  Go make some memories!

Missing Dad

As this Father’s Day approaches, I’ve found myself thinking more about my Dad.  He was in his fifties when I was born, so we didn’t have the close relationship of most.  I don’t ever remember playing football or tossing a baseball with him. 

He was a quiet man, except when something didn’t work right.  He had served on a submarine in the Navy.  That experience endowed him with words that could make my Mom madder than a wet cat.  “Jack” she would scream after hearing a sixty- second barrage of harsh language.  He’d look, and say, “what”?  The salty language would just come out automatically.  He didn’t even realize it. 

Mother was a devoted Christian and a faithful member of the Church of Christ.  Her Dad was an Elder who lived within rock throwing distance of our house.  Dad didn’t go to church.  He did at one time, but got angry over an incident involving a preacher and something about the Lord’s Supper.  The details remain a mystery to me and I’m not sure why I never asked.  I guess I figured Dad wouldn’t say anything about it and Mom was just too embarrassed.  He would listen to gospel music every Sunday morning.  I think now that he probably missed attending.  I did see Dad in church one time at Easter, when I was little.  Then, never again.  It must have brought back too many memories.

Again, Dad was mostly quiet about things.  He didn’t say much in a conversational way.  Course, it was probably because Mom did all the talking.  They were opposite in most regards.  I easily figured out neither were happy with the other, even at my young age.  They fought a lot, not loud fighting, but the quiet kind.  They wouldn’t speak to each other for days, and then suddenly everything would be back to normal.  He probably learned, like most married men, it’s best to be quiet!

Money was always tight.  Dad didn’t make that much as a meat cutter and Mom tended to impulse buy at times.  She controlled the checkbook, and for some reason, couldn’t keep the balance correct.  I remember meals of cornbread and milk.  We had a lot of pinto beans and discounted meat that Dad would get at work.  We never went hungry, so Dad was a good provider.

He had tons of integrity.  I saw Dad cry once. My sister’s boyfriend was arrested by the Sheriff for theft.  No one in our family had ever had trouble with law enforcement.   Dad took that hard, but moved past it. 

He smoked two packs of Cool cigarettes for most of his life.  Finally, he decided to quit smoking somewhere around my high school years.  Five years later, he was diagnosed with emphysema and began a slow suffocating death.  It is a cruel disease because it slowly takes your breath away over a period of years.

Dad fought it admirably, but death finally came to the quiet man who was devoted to his family.   Being much older now, I respect him more now than I ever did while I was young.  I know he went through hard times with difficult people.  He probably had much to tell me, but I was too busy to ask or listen.  Most of us take our parents for granted.  All you can think about, being young, is fledging the nest and starting out on your own.  After that, most never look back. 

This Father’s Day, if your dad is still around, appreciate it.  Maybe you’d like to ask him something that will bother you twenty years from now, when he’s gone.  It’ll bother you, not because you don’t have the answer, but maybe because you didn’t ask the question.

Looking for a Church Home

As I’ve gotten older, I realize how important attending a good church is.  I grew up in the church of Christ and spent over forty years there. Discovering greener “spiritual” pastures was a great enlightenment.  I migrated to the Baptist faith about ten years ago and am currently a member at Church of the Highlands and attend the Riverchase campus.

Judy and I enjoy Highlands, the only problem is, there isn’t a campus in Cullman. Since we spend most of our weekends working on our remodeling project, we’ve been visiting several churches in the Cullman area. We still haven’t decided which one to call home when we move permanently.

In today’s blog, I thought I’d tell a little about each, in case someone else was searching for a church home. I've included pictures of each building so you'll know what it looks like.

We first visited Temple Baptist Church on Highway 157. Temple was probably the most different from Highlands of all we’ve been to. It has a country feel with a high amount of audience participation. “Amen”, “preach it”, “he’s warming up now”, are among the accolades of encouragement for the preacher, Malcolm Carter II, during the sermon. Once I got used to that, I found it a listening encourager as well. Temple was in dire need of a larger sanctuary and currently have an ongoing construction project to remedy that.

 

 

 

 

 

We also visited at Northbrook Baptist on the east side of Highway 157. By far, the prettiest building facilities in the area, Northbrook is another large church with multiple worship services. Steve Britt is the pastor and has a smooth sermon delivery with emphasis on Bible teaching. I would guess that Northbrook has the highest “average age” attendees. An interesting plus, is that breakfast is available on Sundays and a nice meal on Wednesdays, which may help some families who are rushed to make attendance.

 

 

 

 

 

Daystar Church was another, located in Goodhope, Alabama. It was only fifteen minutes away and the easiest accessible by Interstate. Jerry Lawson is the pastor and is another smooth sermon deliverer. We were there on Valentines week and the series involved a lesson on “sex in marriage”. You don’t hear that very often and my research discovered it wasn’t the first time that topic was taught there. They were once maligned by some for a billboard advertising a sermon series entitled “Great Sex“. Evidently the message went viral to the extent that the pastor was interviewed on several major networks. You can read about it in the link here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are currently attending Desperation Church in the Downtown area. Andy Heis is the pastor. Andy may be familiar to some in Birmingham,  since he served at Gardendale First Baptist for several years, working with the college age and young marrieds. Desperation has big plans for Cullman. They have the most worship services of any church, probably due to the limited size of the building. We were there when plans were presented for a new facility on eighteen acres, soon as the funding goals are reached. I told Judy that I needed cotton in my ears for the worship team, due to the volume. Desperation probably has the youngest “average age” of all the churches. Worship is akin to a rock concert, so that is part of the attraction for the younger folks. During Christmas week, we were shocked to find “Santa” greeting people in the foyer. He was absolutely the most realistic one I've ever seen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we make that final decision it’ll be pretty tough. I forgot to mention the closest Highlands campus is in Madison, Alabama, which is about forty-five minutes away. That drive is “doable” but I feel we need to be onboard in a local environment. Our culture is racing downhill in a death spiral. Only God knows what is ahead but my feeling is that local church work will have to play a larger role in "defending the faith."  I also believe church unity across denominational lines will be extremely important for Christianity. Members in every church need to meet their Christian brothers and sisters who worship in other buildings. Jesus said that a house divided against itself, will not stand.

If you attend a church who believes it’s the “only” one going to heaven… visit elsewhere this Sunday and you’ll find there are saved believers everywhere! As they say in the country, “woods are full of em."  Preach it Bro!

Tearing Down Denominational Walls

Pardon me while I dip into my past for today’s blog.  I was part of the church of Christ for about forty years.  My parents and grandparents were members as well, hence my indoctrination of strict beliefs and Biblical interpretations.  The church of Christ is one of several groups who are under the false impression that heaven waits for members of their sect only.  I know that sounds harsh but it is true.  They see themselves as being on the spiritual ark with the door already shut.  God has protected them against the cultural waves of sin that are drowning the rest of humanity.

I believe I’ve always doubted that idea, but it would have been heresy and sudden expulsion if a verbal confession had been made.  So, to let everyone know where I stand today is important.  There will be souls in heaven who have given their lives to Jesus from many different religions.  Obviously some will be there who have gone against the wishes of the denomination they belong to.  That is, in reference to following manmade creeds established  by men either to hold onto power or oppress the masses by their power.

It is belief in Jesus that saves!  We are probably nearing the end of existence as we know it here.  The “last days” have been going on for a while now.  If Biblical prophesy is correct, and it always is, there are very dark days ahead for us all.  Christians will suffer as well as non-Christians but there will be rewards for the faithful.

Ephesians 4:3 says “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”  That verse has been used, quite often to keep dissenters in line with current church views.  I believe that verse should be applied along denominational lines.  It is time to tear down the walls that separate the family of God.  We need to look for things to unify us as Christians.  Lets face it, Biblical interpretations of first century writings have quite a few gray areas.  We were not eyewitnesses of the way everything was done, so drawing lines in the sand may not be appropriate when it comes to salvation.  For example, you may believe in the Lord’s Supper each Sunday, but don’t condemn another Christian who doesn’t.

In Acts chapter 15 there is great discussion about the burdens placed on people to be Christians.  Verses 10 & 11 say this, “Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?  No!  We believe it through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”  I especially like verse 19, “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.”  I would say the same rule should apply today among churches.  Ease up on the requirements and focus on Jesus.  More emphasis should be placed on John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that WHOEVER believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” and less on church dogma.

Jesus said in Mark 3:23-30 that a house divided against itself cannot stand. and that “no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up.  Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.”  Our denominational differences have “tied us up” so much that the church is being raped and plundered by the culture we live in.  Christians are no longer even a force to be reckoned with by American politicians.  Islam seems to be the new driving force.

We have no one to blame but ourselves.  Our house is divided and beginning to crumble.  We need to repent and preach unity before it is too late to reach the masses for Jesus.  Please pray for eyes to be opened and hearts changed.  If I can be led to see the truth, anyone can!

I’ve written a long manuscript about my personal journey out of the church of Christ which is ready to be published.  I know God has directed my steps just as he will direct yours.  Change isn’t always easy and encouragement is usually hard to find.  I am encouraging you to meet your extended family of Christians.  They are everywhere.  Try visiting a different church nearby.  Preachers and Pastors, why not have a joint service with the Baptist or Methodist.  Be different for a change.  Lets preach unity that all may be saved!