Historical Timeline Of The Quail Springs Church of Christ Oklahoma City |
Among "Statements of beliefs from the elders, August 30, 2015"
one point is: "We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers
in our Lord Jesus Christ, as He is understood from the Bible alone,
regardless of denominational affiliation.
John 17:20-21; John 10:16; I Corinthians 12:12-31."
Under "Our Heritage" the following statement is made:
"With a heritage in the American Restoration Movement we embrace
the tradition and values of the Churches of Christ and join them
in their pursuit of Christianity. At the same time, we uphold
congregational autonomy while demonstrating 'in matters of faith,
unity; in matters of opinion, liberty.' We choose to freely associate
with Restoration Movement churches and those of the
larger Christian community."
From thesprings.cc/statement-of-beliefs downloaded on
February 15, 2017.
Evaluation:
The claim that they "embrace the tradition and values of the
Churches of Christ" is contradicted by their use of instrumental
music in worship and by their belief in the unity of all believers
regardless of denominational affiliation. Churches of Christ believe
that only those who have been "baptized into Christ" can be
"one in Christ" (Galatians 3:27, 28). This prevents them from having
spiritual unity with people who practice infant baptism, for example,
or who do not baptize "for the forgiveness of sins" (Acts 2:38).
As was specified in the original articles of incorporation, which were violated when instrumental music was introduced, churches of Christ "in all their work, worship, and teaching, use and employ only that which is authorized and required in the New Testament, rejecting all creeds, innovations and devices of man, such as the use of mechanical instruments of music in connection with the worship."
"The Springs" is not a church of Christ in the traditional sense and is not recognized as such by churches of Christ in general. Even a Baptist minister in the area, in an email to the publisher of this history, referred to the Springs Church as a "former Church of Christ"!