First Christian Church
AI summary — doctrinal positions on this page are inferred by AI from this church's own public statements and may be inaccurate.
Inherited from denomination
What Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) teaches
Positions bound by the denomination's confessional standards. This is what the tradition teaches; whether this specific congregation publicly holds each is a separate question — see Statements below.
Affirms
- Believer's BaptismSTRONGBaptist confessions; Pentecostal fundamentals; Anabaptist tradition
- Infant BaptismSTRONGWestminster XXVIII; Book of Concord SC IV; Council of Trent Session VII; Wesleyan Articles Art. XVII
- Marriage as one man and one womanSTRONGGenesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6; historic universal Christian teaching.
- Permissibility of divorce and remarriagestandardMatthew 19:9 (adultery ground); 1 Corinthians 7:15 (abandonment ground). Practice varies.
- Women in pastoral / ordained officestandardVarious denominational actions (TEC 1976, ELCA 1970s, PC(USA) 1956, AG 1935, CofE 1994 priests / 2014 bishops, etc.)
Denies
- Apostolic SuccessionstandardCongregational and presbyterian polity reject the necessity of tactile episcopal succession.
- Assumption of MarystandardUniversal Protestant rejection — not attested in Scripture; not received as dogma.
- Immaculate ConceptionSTRONGUniversal Protestant + Orthodox rejection. Orthodox reject on the grounds that they hold prepurification at the Annunciation, not conception.
- Perpetual Virginity of MarystandardNatural reading of Matthew 13:55–56 (brothers of Jesus); typical modern Baptist / evangelical position.
- Real PresencestandardMemorialist / Zwinglian view; typical Baptist and Free Church position
- TransubstantiationSTRONGOrthodox reject the Aristotelian metaphysics; Lutherans use 'sacramental union'; 39 Articles Art. XXVIII rejects explicitly; Reformed/Baptist reject substance-change.
Wrestles with
- Homosexual practice and biblical sexual ethicsweakNo unified national stance.
- Pacifism vs. just-warweakDefault just-war framework — usually unwritten. Inheriting at weak confidence.
In their own words
Statements
statement_of_faith
<!DOCTYPE html> Beliefs | firstchristianathens top of page First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 400 West Market St., Athens, AL 35611 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 966, Athens, AL 35612 Church Phone: 256-232-5611 Pastor's Cell: 256-374-9451 Lenten Book Study Beginning February 18 and every then every Wednesday until Easter. We'll meet at 6pm for fellowship meal, and 6:30 pm for the study, Let us know if you need a copy of the book! Program for Children Also beginning in Lent we are restarting our Worship and Wonder service. This special worship is designed for younger school-age chSource ↗
beliefs
--> Beliefs | firstchristianathens top of page First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 400 West Market St., Athens, AL 35611 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 966, Athens, AL 35612 Church Phone: 256-232-5611 Pastor's Cell: 256-374-9451 Lenten Book Study Beginning February 18 and every then every Wednesday until Easter. We'll meet at 6pm for fellowship meal, and 6:30 pm for the study, Let us know if you need a copy of the book! Program for Children Also beginning in Lent we are restarting our Worship and Wonder service. This special worship is designed for younger school-age children and follows tSource ↗