Independent Baptist vs United Church of Christ - Whats the Difference?

What is the difference in the teaching and practices of Independent Baptists and the United Church of Christ? This video seeks to answer that.

[darthfine]

These videos are excellent. You won't get these detailed explanations anywhere else. The comparisons are most helpful also. Keep up the excellent work. Grace and Peace.

[donalddodson]

My goodness, what has changed since I attended a UCC Church in 1970. Thank you, Joshua, for giving this detailed comparison. Blessings.

[aduenamz]

Remember when the problem was baptize baby’s or not? Good times...

[geraldwalker]

You couldn't have picked two more different. Even IFB and Catholics may have more in common. Good job.

[matthewahern]

This is great, I'm a more "conservative" UCC member and I love the varying beliefs and dialogue we get to have.

[barefootinroann]

I honestly don’t know how you were able to talk this long about these two groups without your camera melting. Talk about both ends of the spectrum. I truly appreciate your objective analysis of denominations and churches.

[Toetalwar]

the UCC is bizarrely specific on what they want the UN to be O.o

[EnrgyMaximus]

I like the amount of work you seem to have put into this video! I would like to share that, from my perspective and experiences, the national setting of the UCC (as found in General Synod or the national conference) may make statements on beliefs held by the Church, but not all local congregations or even individuals part of the UCC may hold the same beliefs. Some congregations don't believe LGBTQIA+ people deserve certain rights.

I'm certainly a fan of your work, though!

[DV-mqfv]

In the 1950s I grew up in a Congregational church and it was great. When it became UC it gradually went downhill. By
the 1980s it was over for me.

[rev.stephena.cakouros]

At the reading of No. 4 and a thru H I couldn't help but think of Reinhold Niebuhr and his desire for a one world government.

[rosehammer]

Why do they use the name of Christ for their gathering when they don’t believe the Bible. I visited a United Church of Christ and took my Bible with me. I was called a fundamentalist and the man told me he had one of those but leaves it at home. I came on a bad day as they had gathered for a guided meditation by a Franciscan monk or priest and a business meeting. This was a totally new experience for me I’m glad I visited them I had no clue what the churches were all about and thank you for your video you cleared up a whole lot for me I never went back

[matthewkopp]

Although the UCC in my experience no longer follows Johannes Calvin’s predestination idea, we do learn about what he wrote, and what came out of it. The social gospel idea is demonstrably routed in Calvinist tradition and emerged in the USA by Baptist Walter Rauschenbush.

Part of Calvin’s idea was NO ONE can know the mind of God, because he is transcendent of man. And that follows Biblically as well in many areas.

But let’s be clear the Social Gospel was fought against by exploitative industries who used child labor. Walter Rauschenbush fought against child labor and other issues and that fight was successful.

As far as the democratic structure of the church that is also Calvinist in origin.

There was also a lesson on “calling” in regards to occupational choice also from Calvin.

So there was a lot of Calvinist ideas in the UCC I attended.

But the theology comes out of survey of the entire Christian tradition.

Confirmation took years of study. It was rigorous scholarship of every era.

When you learn the entire history of Christianity, you find that Christianity is hundreds of different beliefs and ideas. But there are key principles. I think learning to love more and greater tolerance of others is a far more pronounced principle as Jesus teaching in the Gospel than believing that Revelations is literal and not allegorical. And even ancient Christians did NOT believe that Genesis was literal. Ancient Christians thought literal belief in Genesis creationism was completely childish.

Other Christians can waste their time judging other denominations as heretics or whatever, I think that is the most mediocre waste of time imaginable. 1000’s of versions of Christianity and your version is somehow absolutely the right one. Really?

The Logos is a living principle and Jesus reveals himself to us. How he reveals himself to you I don’t know, but I do know how he has revealed himself to me.

[stevendrumm]

I grew up in the liberal, apostate United Church of Christ but abruptly left after I was born again when I was in my early 20s back during early 1996.

[Inhumantics]

The UCC acts as an "advisor", but as our pastor reminds us, they are not in any way an authority figure for us. In this way, Congregational churches generally consider themselves independent in the sense that the people govern the church and write their own general belief statements.

However, congregants are often encouraged to come to their own conclusions, and if they choose to do a "statement of faith" upon membership, what's within can vary greatly.

[leatherpastor]

I’d like to see a video showing differences between UCC and its spin-off, the Evangelical Association of Reformed & Congregational Christian Churches (EA).

[sdthyng]

Sounds like a battle of wits between two unarmed opponents!

[forty_two]

I was a member of a UCC church. There was alot of animosity towards Baptists, CCCC members, Catholics, and especially evangelist.

[MatthewDiClemente-su]

Interesting comparison. What I think has been left out of this video is why the comparison is pertinent. The Baptist tradition grew out of the Congregationalist tradition. That's why both denominations have congregational polity. What is ironic is that, as a result of that congregational polity, the descendants of those churches sometimes find themselves on opposite points in the Protestant theological spectrum. However, not all Baptist churches are theologically or socially conservative. Most in the American Baptist denomination are not, for example. Meanwhile, as you have mentioned some Congregationalist churches are theologically, and even socially conservative, such as some in the comparatively small 4Cs. I think it is important to draw a clear distinction between theological liberalism and conservatism and political polarization in the United States. Both theologically and socially conservative and liberal churches can sometimes (justly) be accused of throwing their support behind certain parties. But this is not what we are talking about. The only entities who benefit from stirring up hatred based on politics in the United States are the enemies of the United States, and the followers of Christ should have no part in this. Meanwhile churches can be theologically liberal, and socially conservative, or the reverse, theologically conservative and socially liberal. In addition, some theologically conservative churches have been very strongly aligned with more liberal politics and social policies in the United States, or at least parties representing these. Consider for example, the Roman Catholic Church, and Black Christian denominations in the USA. So, the real sociological picture is much more complex than soundbites or Youtube videos often make it seem.

[nicholasshaler]

Love these older videos where he calls out Antichrist. 4:55

[cheez-itman]

I'm realizing more and more how cool independent baptists are. Coming from LCMS btw