What do you think?
Rate this book
Why I Am a Member of the Churc
Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1945
8 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 9, 2023
This was a very well-researched and organized text. I liked how it was formatted similarly to Aquinas’ Theologica in that the author presented a question and then the proofs for its answer. However, I must say, that even though there was a lot of scripture references, the author really seemed the drive the point that the main reason we are members of the church of Christ is because we are “not like the other churches”. There was a lot of “we are do not believe X, Y, Z. The Baptists do X, Y, Z. We are not Baptist, therefore, we do not do X, Y, Z.” There was some flimsy reasoning in my opinion and I didn’t agree with all the doctrine the author squeezed from many verses, however, I still enjoyed the book.
October 9, 2012
One of the best books Iv read in a long time made me have a revelation on the truth and how so many have gone astray only by their selfish choices and failed attempts at self justification. But everything is taught 1st by the Bible and the Bible is the only book inspired book, yet the world would be a lot better if they read this too since most can't understand simple things anymore
May 30, 2024
AN EXCELLENT BOOK DETAILING THE BIBLICAL BASIS FOR THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST
The back cover of this 1945 book explains, “As a young man Leroy Brownlow [1914-2002] was not a member of any church. Before entering college, he became a Christian, and soon realized he was being called to preach… While still in his twenties, he held revival gospel meetings every summer… and explained why Churches of Christ seemed to best represent Bible-based, non-denominational Christianity.”
After quoting Acts 20:29-30, 2 Th 2:1-4, and 1 Tim 4:1-3, he comments, “The above quotations make it clear that an apostate church would grow out of the true church; therefore, any church that can be traced back to Jerusalem and Pentecost might be an apostate church. Thus those who attempt to prove church succession---if they succeed---might only prove themselves members of an apostate church.” (Pg. 17)
He notes, “the Bible speak of ‘churches of Christ (Rom 16:16)… The word ‘churches’ is here used in a CONGREGATIONAL sense… We speak of the churches of Christ in the country, but they are all alike… Christ is the founder of only one church. This being true, we have no choice n the matter and should be content to be members of Christ’s church.” (Pg. 27) He adds, “We find in the Bible that the disciples were called Christians, but we never read of any person being called some hyphenated Christian… I prefer to stick to the Bible and be a Christian only.” (Pg. 32-33)
He states, “In speaking of the autonomy of the church we mean the autonomy of the local church or congregation. Autonomy is defined as ‘right of self-government… an independent body.’ In the first century each congregation was such… There was no tyranny of one church over another. The church in Rome or Jerusalem had no authority over the churches in other communities… There was no system of church government larger or smaller than the congregation… Each was independent to direct its own work!” (Pg. 39-40)
He explains, “we need to answer the oft-repeated question: ‘What about the thief on the cross? If baptism is essential to salvation, why wasn’t the thief baptized?’ … Permit me to suggest in the first place that it cannot be proved that the thief had NOT been baptized. John the Baptist went through the country baptizing folk, and this man … could have been baptized the same as others… In the second place… this was under the law of Moses… The thief lived and died under a dispensation different from the one man is under today.” (Pg. 67-68)
He points out, “The largest restoration movement was led by Barton W. Stone, a prominent preacher of Kentucky… they did not establish a new denomination. They dissolved a denomination to be undenominational… This occurred five years before Alexander Campbell came to America. This alone should silence the unlearned who have unknowingly charged that Alexander Campbell established the Church of Christ… Alexander Campbell… heartily endorsed the restoration movement… Alexander Campbell was not the founder of any church. The movement to restore primitive Christianity to the world was under way before he ever came to America.” (Pg. 73-75)
He argues, “Any missionary society larger or smaller than or different from the congregation is unscriptural. In the first century the local church or congregation was the only missionary society… It is said that it takes about fifty per cent---some societies more and some less---of the money contributed to fuel the machinery of the missionary society… It is obvious that the society is a sponge, which absorbs much of the funds that could be used in supporting the missionary.” (Pg. 81-83)
He asserts, “The future kingdom theory together with the literal reign of Christ upon the earth for a literal thousand years has disturbed many people… I could never cast my lot with a church which is lending its support to such a wild theory conceived by the unrestrained fantasy of men. It is called premillennialism… it cannot be true because the kingdom has already been established… the theory is untrue because it teaches we are not living in the last days… Peter says [Acts 2:16-17]… the day of Pentecost, the day the kingdom was established was the last days.”” (Pg. 86, 90-91)
He notes, “men are wrong in thinking that faith, repentance and a change of heart are all that God has required of man to be saved… The [Philippian] jailor [Acts 16:31] was an unbeliever. He was told to believe… The people on Pentecost did believe. So they were told [Acts 2:38] to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins... Saul was a believing, penitent man. He was told [Acts 22:16] to be baptized and wash away his sins… They were given different answers, because they were at different places on the road to salvation.” (Pg. 98-100) Later, he adds, “to interpret the passages which mention faith to teach justification by faith only would be a flat contradiction of other plain passages.” (Pg. 104)
He says, “The Bible teaches that a child of God can call and be lost…The child of God is commanded to give diligence to make his calling and election sure. Thus the Christian’s election is evidently not sure or such a command would not be enjoined upon him… A Christian can so sin as to be eternally lost, because he can so sin as to be in a worse condition than he was before he became a Christian.” (Pg. 143-145)
He states, “Many people have knowingly and unknowingly… subscribed to church creeds which teach hereditary total depravity… It is a theory which claims that sinful corruption has been transmitted to the infant from the parent and that it is wholly inclined to evil; that is inherently impure; that it is a child of the devil… The doctrine of heredity total depravity led to the erroneous doctrine of infant baptism... The writer could never affiliate with a group which teaches this unscriptural and repugnant doctrine.” (Pg. 154-155) He adds, “A little child is not depraved, because man must become as a little child to enter into the kingdom of heaven… The fact that God has not given a plan for saving infants is certain proof that they are not lost, that they are not sinners.” (Pg. 158)
He argues, “The church at Troas [Acts 20:7]… came together on that day, the first day of the week, for the primary purpose of breaking bread… Does this mean that they took the Supper the first day of every week? It does not say ‘every week,’ but neither does is say that God commanded the Jews to keep every Sabbath… The church at Corinth at the Lord’s supper when they assembled, which was the first day of the week [1 Cor 11:20].” (Pg. 171-173)
He notes, “the guiding principle in the churches of Christ is: ‘Speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent.’ … this basic principle is the reason for the omission of instrumental music in the worship of the churches of Christ… the New Testament is silent concerning instrumental music in the wordship. It is evident that those who have it in the worship do so without scriptural authority. We should not presume to add to the divine pattern.” (Pg. 176-177)
He asserts, “Most denominational preachers say that man does not have to be a member of the church to be saved… If a man can be saved out of a denomination as well as in it, why be in it? … Any church which is not essential to man’s salvation is not Christ’s church, because membership in this church is indispensable to salvation." (Pg. 186)
If you want a concise book explaining the reasons for the doctrinal positions of the Church of Christ, this book will be “must reading”; that is has remained in print for 75 years is good evidence of its usefulness.
The back cover of this 1945 book explains, “As a young man Leroy Brownlow [1914-2002] was not a member of any church. Before entering college, he became a Christian, and soon realized he was being called to preach… While still in his twenties, he held revival gospel meetings every summer… and explained why Churches of Christ seemed to best represent Bible-based, non-denominational Christianity.”
After quoting Acts 20:29-30, 2 Th 2:1-4, and 1 Tim 4:1-3, he comments, “The above quotations make it clear that an apostate church would grow out of the true church; therefore, any church that can be traced back to Jerusalem and Pentecost might be an apostate church. Thus those who attempt to prove church succession---if they succeed---might only prove themselves members of an apostate church.” (Pg. 17)
He notes, “the Bible speak of ‘churches of Christ (Rom 16:16)… The word ‘churches’ is here used in a CONGREGATIONAL sense… We speak of the churches of Christ in the country, but they are all alike… Christ is the founder of only one church. This being true, we have no choice n the matter and should be content to be members of Christ’s church.” (Pg. 27) He adds, “We find in the Bible that the disciples were called Christians, but we never read of any person being called some hyphenated Christian… I prefer to stick to the Bible and be a Christian only.” (Pg. 32-33)
He states, “In speaking of the autonomy of the church we mean the autonomy of the local church or congregation. Autonomy is defined as ‘right of self-government… an independent body.’ In the first century each congregation was such… There was no tyranny of one church over another. The church in Rome or Jerusalem had no authority over the churches in other communities… There was no system of church government larger or smaller than the congregation… Each was independent to direct its own work!” (Pg. 39-40)
He explains, “we need to answer the oft-repeated question: ‘What about the thief on the cross? If baptism is essential to salvation, why wasn’t the thief baptized?’ … Permit me to suggest in the first place that it cannot be proved that the thief had NOT been baptized. John the Baptist went through the country baptizing folk, and this man … could have been baptized the same as others… In the second place… this was under the law of Moses… The thief lived and died under a dispensation different from the one man is under today.” (Pg. 67-68)
He points out, “The largest restoration movement was led by Barton W. Stone, a prominent preacher of Kentucky… they did not establish a new denomination. They dissolved a denomination to be undenominational… This occurred five years before Alexander Campbell came to America. This alone should silence the unlearned who have unknowingly charged that Alexander Campbell established the Church of Christ… Alexander Campbell… heartily endorsed the restoration movement… Alexander Campbell was not the founder of any church. The movement to restore primitive Christianity to the world was under way before he ever came to America.” (Pg. 73-75)
He argues, “Any missionary society larger or smaller than or different from the congregation is unscriptural. In the first century the local church or congregation was the only missionary society… It is said that it takes about fifty per cent---some societies more and some less---of the money contributed to fuel the machinery of the missionary society… It is obvious that the society is a sponge, which absorbs much of the funds that could be used in supporting the missionary.” (Pg. 81-83)
He asserts, “The future kingdom theory together with the literal reign of Christ upon the earth for a literal thousand years has disturbed many people… I could never cast my lot with a church which is lending its support to such a wild theory conceived by the unrestrained fantasy of men. It is called premillennialism… it cannot be true because the kingdom has already been established… the theory is untrue because it teaches we are not living in the last days… Peter says [Acts 2:16-17]… the day of Pentecost, the day the kingdom was established was the last days.”” (Pg. 86, 90-91)
He notes, “men are wrong in thinking that faith, repentance and a change of heart are all that God has required of man to be saved… The [Philippian] jailor [Acts 16:31] was an unbeliever. He was told to believe… The people on Pentecost did believe. So they were told [Acts 2:38] to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins... Saul was a believing, penitent man. He was told [Acts 22:16] to be baptized and wash away his sins… They were given different answers, because they were at different places on the road to salvation.” (Pg. 98-100) Later, he adds, “to interpret the passages which mention faith to teach justification by faith only would be a flat contradiction of other plain passages.” (Pg. 104)
He says, “The Bible teaches that a child of God can call and be lost…The child of God is commanded to give diligence to make his calling and election sure. Thus the Christian’s election is evidently not sure or such a command would not be enjoined upon him… A Christian can so sin as to be eternally lost, because he can so sin as to be in a worse condition than he was before he became a Christian.” (Pg. 143-145)
He states, “Many people have knowingly and unknowingly… subscribed to church creeds which teach hereditary total depravity… It is a theory which claims that sinful corruption has been transmitted to the infant from the parent and that it is wholly inclined to evil; that is inherently impure; that it is a child of the devil… The doctrine of heredity total depravity led to the erroneous doctrine of infant baptism... The writer could never affiliate with a group which teaches this unscriptural and repugnant doctrine.” (Pg. 154-155) He adds, “A little child is not depraved, because man must become as a little child to enter into the kingdom of heaven… The fact that God has not given a plan for saving infants is certain proof that they are not lost, that they are not sinners.” (Pg. 158)
He argues, “The church at Troas [Acts 20:7]… came together on that day, the first day of the week, for the primary purpose of breaking bread… Does this mean that they took the Supper the first day of every week? It does not say ‘every week,’ but neither does is say that God commanded the Jews to keep every Sabbath… The church at Corinth at the Lord’s supper when they assembled, which was the first day of the week [1 Cor 11:20].” (Pg. 171-173)
He notes, “the guiding principle in the churches of Christ is: ‘Speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent.’ … this basic principle is the reason for the omission of instrumental music in the worship of the churches of Christ… the New Testament is silent concerning instrumental music in the wordship. It is evident that those who have it in the worship do so without scriptural authority. We should not presume to add to the divine pattern.” (Pg. 176-177)
He asserts, “Most denominational preachers say that man does not have to be a member of the church to be saved… If a man can be saved out of a denomination as well as in it, why be in it? … Any church which is not essential to man’s salvation is not Christ’s church, because membership in this church is indispensable to salvation." (Pg. 186)
If you want a concise book explaining the reasons for the doctrinal positions of the Church of Christ, this book will be “must reading”; that is has remained in print for 75 years is good evidence of its usefulness.
March 17, 2015
Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ is very well organized and thoughtfully written. Leroy Brownlow speaks with such clarity and conviction that it is very difficult to doubt his proclamation.
August 20, 2019
I believe that anyone that professes to be a Christian should read this book. Denominationalism has destroyed the church that Christ founded, this book brings in to perspective the church that we as Christians should be a part of.
August 8, 2014
I absolutely loved this book. I am sixteen and it was truly a great read. Really helped sort out some questions of what we, as Christians, should believe and why.
February 7, 2024
This short book gives an insight into some good bible verses to prove its point but it lacks in actual real sources and it is way too offensive towards other churches just because they play instruments or do not do things like they do them
July 4, 2020
I absolutely loved this book. I am sixteen and it was truly a great read. Really helped sort out some questions of what we, as Christians, should believe and why
November 18, 2021
So many good solid points backed up by scripture on a myriad of issues. This is a book I will be referring back to.
July 8, 2025
Information about the Church of Christ.
August 23, 2010
I disagree somewhat with some of the chapters. Although, I think that this book in general provides a reasonable explanation and description of the beliefs of the Church of Christ. Although, I should state that there exists no document other than the Bible that gives an authoritative description of the Church of Christ.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews