Circles of Fellowship: Responding to the Crisis of Christian Identity
A Reprise of Who Is My Brother?
A quiet revolution is taking place among the churches of Christ, raising troubling questions about identity and fellowship. Never before in the history of the restoration movement has so dramatic a change occurred in such short a time with such little opposition." Is baptism essential for forgiveness and salvation? How should we regard believers whose doctrine is different? Can there be Christian unity without compromising truth?
For a younger audience who may have missed Who Is My Brother?, Smith proposes a comprehensive five-fold fellowship:
- Universal Fellowship (The Family of Man)
- Faith Fellowship (Like Family)
- "In Christ" Fellowship (The Extended Family)
- Conscience Fellowship (Close Family)
- Congregational Fellowship (Immediate Family)
Table of Contents:
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Introduction
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Part I: The Quiet Revolution
- 1. A Clear and Present Danger
- 2. The Ghost of Faith-Only Arguments Past
- 3. Not By Overnight Express
- 4. Uncommon Common Cause
- 1. A Clear and Present Danger
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Part II: Five-fold Fellowship
- 5. Universal Fellowship: The Family of Man
- 6. Faith Fellowship: Like Family
- 7. "In Christ" Fellowship: The Extended Family
- 8. Conscience Fellowship: Close Family
- 9. Congregational Fellowship: Immediate Family
- 5. Universal Fellowship: The Family of Man
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Part III: Rethinking Sacred Cows
- 10. The Loving Discipline of Disfellowship
- 11. False Teachers or False Teaching?
- 12. The Prospect of Eternal Fellowship
- Discussion Questions
- 10. The Loving Discipline of Disfellowship
Author and professor F. LaGard Smith continues to prompt our thinking as in his previous books: The Cultural Church - Male Spiritual Leadership - Baptism--The Believer's Wedding Ceremony - Radical Restoration - After Life - Troubling Questions for Calvinists - Angels, Demons, and the Devil. Smith is also the compiler and narrator of the best-selling The Daily Bible -- the NIV in chronological order."