Tips on denominations & finding men's groups?

[deleted] · 2019-06-28T03:20:22+00:00

[permanently deleted]

Deep_Strength · 2019-06-28T02:10:54+00:00

Also, how common is it for churches or parishes to have men's groups where men meet to talk about their "walk" with God, or to get encouragement to pray about their practical problems? Or to share stories about God's Grace in their lives?

Maybe 50/50 from what I've seen in non-denom Churches.

The real key is that you usually gotta step out and make friends with men and often start the process yourself if it's not going on already. This takes faith and courage.

rocknrollchuck · 2019-06-28T14:12:06+00:00

I like the idea of men trying to be strong men. I have yet to read any stories about Jesus or the saints that lead me to believe that being a weak man is a virtue? And how can a man be a good example to his wife if he's confused and frightened of everything?

Yes, Joshua 1:9 says "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” So we are commanded to be strong. It's not optional. There are many other verses in the Bible that speak to this as well. It's the opposite of being a Nice Guy^{^TM} .

Jesus wasn’t a Nice Guy^{^TM} at all by the modern definition (agreeable and passive). Jesus was a strong, tough, disagreeable leader. Sure, He had compassion and loved others (Beta). But, He wasn’t weak or wishy-washy. He knew what was right, stood firm in His conviction, and influenced others (Alpha). He did it knowing there were serious risks, even to His life (Alpha). However, that boldness and conviction resulted in many followers.

Though He humbled himself to become a servant (Beta), He remained the Lord at all times (Alpha); His command over His world was without question, and this is illustrated clearly in the Gospels. Jesus declared that He laid down His life of His own volition; no one took it from Him, nor could they. (John 10:18; Matthew 26:53).

In the Bible, although Jesus is assertive, He is not overbearingly aggressive to those who challenge Him, and He displays considerable compassion for those who seek Him (Beta).

So Jesus embodies both Alpha and Beta qualities in perfect balance - because He is God.

My question is, what kinds of denominations have you found to work for you?

I attend a non-denominational church that is part of the Reformed Movement myself. I find that it's less about the specific denomination and more about whether they teach and preach the Bible faithfully or not. Also whether they add to Scripture or not. This post gives a biblical path to finding a good church. The video is solid, and I gave a breakdown in the comment section.

I noticed others are saying go Catholic or Orthodox. While I'm not here to put down or bash any particular denomination, the question is about denominations so here's my opinion on those two since they seem to come up frequently:

Catholic

Here is a comment that addresses several practices in the Catholic Church that are not biblical. The Catholic Church combines the Word of God with the word of man. The Pope's words when speaking "ex cathedra" in his official capacity are considered to be equal with the Word of God, because the Pope is God's mouthpiece here on earth according to the Catholic Church. And yet the word of man sometimes (often) disagrees with what is written in the Word of God.

Orthodox

The Orthodox Church is a little better, but they still attempt to incorporate tradition which include church culture, and they believe in the power of Icons.

What you're looking for is a church that teaches and preaches that you must be born again to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the main difference between a biblical church and one that teaches something other than what the Bible teaches.

Also, how common is it for churches or parishes to have men's groups where men meet to talk about their "walk" with God, or to get encouragement to pray about their practical problems? Or to share stories about God's Grace in their lives?

While it's common to discuss these things at a surface level in men's Bible studies, most don't focus on going deeper and stick to studying the Word. This isn't a bad thing per se, but doesn't leave much room for men to really develop their walk as a man. One objective of this sub is to foster change in that area by developing men here so they can take that to their local church.

Red-Curious · 2019-06-29T06:10:20+00:00

More important than finding the right denomination is finding the right guy to disciple you. Is there anyone in your life who makes you think: "That guy's got his stuff together. He's strong, confident, godly, and making a difference for eternity. I want my life to be like his someday"?

If you do have that guy in your life right now, go ask him to disciple you. If he won't, follow him around anyway. Learn from him passively. When you're ready, start discipling other men and living a mission on your own. In the meantime, chill with the guys here and raise up some local guys to be on the same mission with you. It's a life-long journey and you're not going to find a permanent resting home from most of today's congregations - certainly not after only a few months of looking around.

Let me simply say that the Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants (all denominations) are screwed up in some ways, but also have strengths that the others don't have. Rather than committing to one particular line of theology, learn what they all have to say. Pray diligently with godly counsel and discern from Scripture for yourself who's got what right. Don't take someone's word for it just because they're from your denomination of choice. Let the Bible dominate. Every denomination will say they're the most biblical, but ALL of them also compromise their credibility somewhere to make their core beliefs coherent with the rest of their theological framework.

Always be less interested in theological technicalities than you are in the character of the people you're living alongside. Unless the Gospel is compromised, I'd take a group of faithful, available, and teachable believers who have a lot of bad theology over the stagnant intellectuals any day. Any day.

g_e_m_anscombe · 2019-06-28T06:33:32+00:00

Traditional Catholicism is the ultimate RP you can swallow, IMO. St. John Henry Newman’s book The Development of Christian Doctrine outlines how some of the more controversial Catholic positions do originate in Scripture, even if they are more robust (like trees growing from an acorn).

Ultimately Catholicism depends wholly on Scripture. God is the highest authority, then his Word, then his Church. The magisterium of the Church is protected by God so that it never contradicts his Word in Scripture. Most of it consists of systematic theology developed over nearly 2,000 years by the world’s brightest minds. I basically spent the first seven years of my life trying to wrap my head around theology, and on pretty much every front - divorce, baptism, salvation are just three examples - I came to one position but as I started encountering more use cases and seeing how it affected other parts of theology, I came to the Catholic Church’s position. I realized Jesus doesn’t want me to waste my life spending 50 years figuring out every bit of theology to get it right; I can just submit to the authority of the Church and then get to doing the hard work of helping build the Kingdom of God. In other words, Catholicism provides the frame and I can rest comfortably to operate within that frame to serve God as best I can.

The trick is that much of what passes for Catholicism is terrible. Catechesis has been terrible in the US and the West for at least 100 years. So you have to be willing to dig deep into the tradition and ask for direction from the right people / places, as many will say they are Catholic while flagrantly violating the Church’s teachings. R/Catholicism is a great place to come to ask questions and to get answers consistent with the Church’s teaching.

SingularityOne198 · 2019-06-28T02:11:49+00:00

The Orthodox Church is the Church that wrote the bible; it's the fullness of the faith and the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

The Catholic's added onto the faith. The protestants took away from the faith.

Start with these talks and readings for insight into proper gender roles and masculinity:

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/230120.htm

https://www.orthodoxtalks.com/talk-67-does-christianity-repress-women-especially-in-marriage/

RPCJoeMak · 2019-07-03T21:35:25+00:00

Feel free to contact me if you want info on how I started a local group in our area. I have tons of materials prepared and we use them all the time. We have about 40 guys that have been through our program so far. Its great stuff. We have saved a lot of lives. I get about 2-3 suicide calls a month from guys who need help. Good luck in all you do.

We are developing a road-show program where we can go to churches or men's groups and teach our concepts. Its exciting stuff.

Joe Mak

Compassionate Alpha

Title	Tips on denominations & finding men's groups?
Author	plein_old
Upvotes	6
Comments	14
Date	June 28, 2019 12:49 AM UTC (7 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/RPChristians
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/RPChristians/comments/c6diob/tips_on_denominations_finding_mens_groups/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/RPChristians/tips-on-denominations-finding-mens-groups.301232 https://theredarchive.com/post/301232

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