{"id":1025,"date":"2003-01-26T16:09:41","date_gmt":"2003-01-26T16:09:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/"},"modified":"2014-02-02T02:37:50","modified_gmt":"2014-02-02T02:37:50","slug":"january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/","title":{"rendered":"Generic Church: The New Formalism (part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/h1>\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

Note:\u00a0 I have been intending to write the following article for a few months.\u00a0 It will probably take two issues to finish.\u00a0 It describes my disagreement with the contemporary church movement and what I believe to be unbiblical trends among our conservative churches.\u00a0 I have no antipathy toward individual people or churches.\u00a0 I do have a great love for the local church and a deep desire for its purity and its priorities.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/center><\/div>\n

Solomon said, <\/span>Meddle not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly <\/em>(Proverbs 24:21-22).\u00a0 It is my opinion that we are seeing a blind allegiance to change for change\u2019s sake, not because the Scriptures ask that of us, but because the world does. That kind of change is the most rigid formalism of all and in the end becomes the most useless.\u00a0 Chesterton said the same when he wrote, \u201cThe modern young man will never change his environment; for he will always change his mind.\u201d<\/span>1<\/sup> When the church is constantly asking the world what it wants, the world will never ask the church what it needs.\u00a0 This is true whether it involves the incidentals or the fundamentals.\u00a0 Constant change, even in the incidentals, sends the message to a postmodern culture that nothing is important enough to be believed absolutely and permanently.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our fundamental and evangelical churches have played with this fire long enough to think they cannot be burned.\u00a0 We have sold our soul to a pragmatic approach to church growth for the past fifty years.\u00a0 Now, when someone appeals to what our \u201cfathers\u201d in the ministry used to do, they have their own \u201chistorical\u201d examples of the same pragmatism.<\/p>\n

Today, however, the methodology isn\u2019t even unique (at least our \u201cforefathers\u201d were more original thinkers).\u00a0 Everyone is different together!\u00a0 Every church is on the cutting edge, every church has a part of the vision, every church does the same innovative things!\u00a0 But when all have changed, who is different?\u00a0 When everyone is on the cutting edge, who is not?\u00a0 The fact is, for all their \u201cinnovativeness,\u201d all the \u201ccontemporary\u201d churches are alike!\u00a0 And they are the same regardless of creed or doctrine.\u00a0 The instruments, the stage, the volume, the screens, the dramas, et al.\u00a0 It is all generic.\u00a0 You will find the same thing in almost any contemporary service you choose.\u00a0 In my city, you will find it in the Unity church as well as the Evangelical church, and even in the contemporary Catholic church.<\/p>\n

Now if the change were for the better, we might be glad for them all.\u00a0 But if the change is inferior, then all will be inferior.\u00a0 If God cannot bless opposite doctrine, why are all of these contemporary-style churches experiencing the same results?\u00a0 It is because the results have little to do with God\u2019s blessing but everything to do with a common methodology\u2014a methodology demanded by the world if we are to be blessed by their presence in our services.\u00a0 But then once we have acquiesced to the demands for their presence, we must continue to acquiesce if we are to be blessed with such success.<\/p>\n

It is my contention that the new formalism is not better in form or methodology, but is inferior in almost every way to what our independent Baptist churches knew and practiced for many years before the current pragmatism.\u00a0 The very reason why lost people are more comfortable in the new formalism is an obvious reason why it is inferior.\u00a0 They love the confession before the conversion; the worship before the wonder; the participation before the partaking.\u00a0 We have forgotten that we are there to worship the immutable God, not to please His whimsical creatures.<\/p>\n

Our normal Baptist churches are not without their problems.\u00a0 Many in our congregations have lost their zeal and warmth.\u00a0 Many have fallen prey to the thinking that we come together to worship, rather than being worshipers who come together.\u00a0 Hence, they bring nothing in their heart or head to offer to God.\u00a0 They are bored with the whole arrangement.\u00a0 They have lost their love for the brethren (the church!) and begin to fall away in spirit as well as body.\u00a0 But this is an individual heart problem, not a problem with the church.\u00a0 And it cannot be solved by the world\u2019s alternative, nor by the contemporary alternative.<\/p>\n

In the new generic churches you will find modern characteristics that are assumed to be better than the normal church service.\u00a0 With a little reflection one will realize they are not.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

It is juvenile, not mature<\/h3>\n

Whereas the normal church service has been led by elder believers, the new formalism is led by novices.\u00a0 Sadly, their parents and elders seem to be held hostage by the threat of desertion if they do not get their way, which usually means control.\u00a0 Why should we be surprised?\u00a0 Our homes, our schools, and our nation are being held hostage by the same threat.\u00a0 And all of those institutions are dutifully handing over the reins.<\/p>\n

It is often retorted, \u201cThe youth are the future of the church!\u201d\u00a0 But that is an obvious misnomer as well as a formula for disaster\u2014not to mention just plain unbiblical!\u00a0 Rather, it is the belief, maturity and direction of the elders that is the future of the church.\u00a0 And it is the biblical duty of young people to respect and obey this direction.\u00a0 Paul plainly gave instruction for leadership:\u00a0 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in word and doctrine<\/em> (1 Timothy 5:17).\u00a0 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil <\/em>(1 Timothy 3:6).<\/p>\n

I have received letters and emails from all across the country of older saints who feel their church has gone through a hostile takeover!\u00a0 Many older saints have shown amazing resiliency in putting up with this immaturity (even to the point of walking away and leaving their life\u2019s investment to these who are now occupying the facilities).\u00a0 The younger saints are not hesitant to seize that for which they did not pay.<\/p>\n

But there is a fine line between patience and permission.\u00a0 The elders in our churches must not fear their God-given authority, even if the threat of desertion is followed through by one\u2019s own children or others.\u00a0 When it comes to eternal things, (baptismal) water must be thicker than blood.\u00a0 Is this not what our Lord said would be the case in the latter days?\u00a0 I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother . . . . And a man\u2019s foes shall be they of his own household <\/em>(Matthew 10:35-36).<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

It is profane, not reverent<\/h3>\n

Profane means to be unworthy of the sacred place.\u00a0 It describes that which is out of place where the holy and reverent are called for.\u00a0 Language can be profane as well as action and deportment.\u00a0 The Bible admonishes us to let our moderation be known unto all men [for] the Lord is at hand <\/em>(Philippians 4:5).\u00a0 We are not to be a profane person, as Esau <\/em>(Hebrews 12:16) but rather we are to make straight paths for your feet. . . . Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God <\/em>(Hebrews 12:13-15).<\/p>\n

As the world has become more profane in their dress, their language, their casualness, their arrogance, it is not fitting before an unchangeable God to don what is unworthy of our worship services.\u00a0 G. Campbell Morgan wrote, \u201cThere has been much quenching of the Holy Spirit by service that does not wait but rushes, and by the burning of false fires upon the altars of God.\u00a0 The attempt to carry on the work of the kingdom of God by worldly means, the perpetual desecration of holy things by alliance with things that are unholy, the pressing of Mammon into the service of God, have meant the quenching of the Spirit;\u00a0 for God will never allow the Fire of the Holy Spirit to be mingled with strange fires upon His altars.\u201d2<\/sup><\/p>\n

Christians ought to prefer quietness over loudness, deportment over casualness, an attitude that asks the head to bow and the hands to fold rather than the proud and unyielding posture of so many today.\u00a0 \u201cBreeziness and singiness are no compensation for lack of depth and dignity.\u201d3<\/sup> Being in a contemporary church\u2019s \u201cworship\u201d service is like Vance Havner\u2019s description:\u00a0 \u201cThey say the words and sing the songs, but they are like fountains in public squares where water gushes out of lips that never taste it.\u201d4<\/sup><\/p>\n

Ezekiel mourned the priests of his day who have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shown difference between the unclean and clean <\/em>(Ezekiel 22:26).\u00a0 But when Ezekiel prophesied of the Lord\u2019s return and the building of the millennial temple, he recorded, And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean <\/em>(Ezekiel 44:23).\u00a0 The writer of Hebrews, anticipating these coming things, admonished, Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire <\/em> (Hebrews 12:28-29).<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

It is worldly, not heavenly<\/h3>\n

In the contemporary services in which I have attended, I almost have to chuckle at the invitation to stand and begin \u201cour worship time.\u201d\u00a0 What follows is more like a rock concert than a church service.\u00a0 One would have to spend the entire week before, immersing himself in the world\u2019s noise, music and bodily actions in order to feel comfortable in such an atmosphere.\u00a0 And I fear that is why the average lost person feels very comfortable there.<\/p>\n

But the church has never measured herself by applause or approval of the world.\u00a0 Today we have become acute technicians, measuring up to the world\u2019s standards, winning ourselves to them, but not winning them to a different life.\u00a0 The apostle wrote, Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.\u00a0 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth <\/em>(Colossians 3:1-2).\u00a0 Many believers have prepared themselves to live in the world, but are, I am afraid, totally unprepared to enter heaven.\u00a0 The glory of God will be a total surprise to them.\u00a0 Paul\u2019s desire was to attain unto the resurrection from the dead, not to attain unto the fellowship with the dead.\u00a0 It is a good thing that one day our sanctification will match our justification, and not the other way around, or we would be hopeless.<\/p>\n

Our churches ought to be places where we escape the world\u2019s clatter and enjoy the blessed quietness and fellowship of heaven.\u00a0 We come to church to let our guard down, not have to defend ourselves from the world.\u00a0 It seems the contemporary church minister spends more time defending David\u2019s naked dancing than preaching against the world\u2019s sins.\u00a0 As Havner wrote, \u201cHe mistakes the stretching of his conscience for the broadening of his mind.\u00a0 He renounces what he calls the \u2018Pharisaism\u2019 and \u2018puritanism\u2019 of earlier days with a good word for dancing, smoking, and even cocktails now and then.\u00a0 Instead of passing up Vanity Fair, he spends his vacations there.\u201d5<\/sup><\/p>\n

The generic contemporary church is busy trying to prove that the world\u2019s culture is neutral.\u00a0 We read it in almost every publication.\u00a0 It would be a comfort to them to think that lost man\u2019s actions come from an amoral basis.\u00a0 Then we would be free to use any of it that we like.\u00a0 But this is like hitting one\u2019s head against the wall, it feels so good when you quit!\u00a0 Culture, as T.S. Eliot once wrote, is the incarnation of a man\u2019s religion.6<\/sup> It is the \u201cworld\u201d man has created in his lost condition.\u00a0 The church must confront it, not cater to it!<\/p>\n

To be continued in the next issue<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/address>\n
1. G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy <\/em>(Wheaton: Harold Shaw Publishers, 1994) 115.<\/address>\n
2. G. Campbell Morgan, Understanding The Holy Spirit<\/em> (AMG, 1995) 166.<\/address>\n
3. J.S. Baxter, Christian Holiness <\/em>(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1977) 24.<\/address>\n
4. Vance Havner, Why Not Just Be Christian<\/em> (Westwood, NJ:\u00a0 Revell, 1964) 38.<\/address>\n
5. Vance Havner, Ibid, 21.<\/address>\n
6. T.S. Eliot, Christianity and Culture <\/em>(New York: Harcourt Brace, 1949) 101.<\/address>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Note:\u00a0 I have been intending to write the following article for a few months.\u00a0 It will probably take two issues to finish.\u00a0 It describes my disagreement with the contemporary church movement and what I believe to be unbiblical trends among our conservative churches.\u00a0 I have no antipathy toward individual people or churches.\u00a0 I do have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[123],"tags":[143,170],"class_list":["post-1025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","tag-church","tag-methodology"],"yoast_head":"\nGeneric Church: The New Formalism (part 1) - Aletheia Baptist Ministries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Generic Church: The New Formalism (part 1) - Aletheia Baptist Ministries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Note:\u00a0 I have been intending to write the following article for a few months.\u00a0 It will probably take two issues to finish.\u00a0 It describes my disagreement with the contemporary church movement and what I believe to be unbiblical trends among our conservative churches.\u00a0 I have no antipathy toward individual people or churches.\u00a0 I do have […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Aletheia Baptist Ministries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AletheiaBaptist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2003-01-26T16:09:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-02-02T02:37:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Book-Reviews-1024x1024.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rick Shrader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rick Shrader\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Rick Shrader\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/person\/588b75c574dc86d40cf5fb13774181b2\"},\"headline\":\"Generic Church: The New Formalism (part 1)\",\"datePublished\":\"2003-01-26T16:09:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-02-02T02:37:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/\"},\"wordCount\":2072,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Church\",\"Methodology\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/\",\"name\":\"Generic Church: The New Formalism (part 1) - Aletheia Baptist Ministries\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2003-01-26T16:09:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-02-02T02:37:50+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Generic Church: The New Formalism (part 1)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/\",\"name\":\"Aletheia Baptist Ministries\",\"description\":\"Rick Shrader's Blog\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Aletheia Baptist Ministries\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/bible-study.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/bible-study.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":277,\"caption\":\"Aletheia Baptist Ministries\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AletheiaBaptist\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/person\/588b75c574dc86d40cf5fb13774181b2\",\"name\":\"Rick Shrader\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c8bdc017347d423d458094a09c43d05fb368007ffcd14de5437afe5cc616c7b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c8bdc017347d423d458094a09c43d05fb368007ffcd14de5437afe5cc616c7b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rick Shrader\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/author\/rick\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Generic Church: The New Formalism (part 1) - Aletheia Baptist Ministries","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Generic Church: The New Formalism (part 1) - Aletheia Baptist Ministries","og_description":"Note:\u00a0 I have been intending to write the following article for a few months.\u00a0 It will probably take two issues to finish.\u00a0 It describes my disagreement with the contemporary church movement and what I believe to be unbiblical trends among our conservative churches.\u00a0 I have no antipathy toward individual people or churches.\u00a0 I do have […]","og_url":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/","og_site_name":"Aletheia Baptist Ministries","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AletheiaBaptist","article_published_time":"2003-01-26T16:09:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-02-02T02:37:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":1024,"url":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Book-Reviews-1024x1024.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Rick Shrader","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rick Shrader","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/"},"author":{"name":"Rick Shrader","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/person\/588b75c574dc86d40cf5fb13774181b2"},"headline":"Generic Church: The New Formalism (part 1)","datePublished":"2003-01-26T16:09:41+00:00","dateModified":"2014-02-02T02:37:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/"},"wordCount":2072,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["Church","Methodology"],"articleSection":["Articles"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/","url":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/","name":"Generic Church: The New Formalism (part 1) - Aletheia Baptist Ministries","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2003-01-26T16:09:41+00:00","dateModified":"2014-02-02T02:37:50+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qgeneric-church-the-new-formalismq\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Generic Church: The New Formalism (part 1)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/","name":"Aletheia Baptist Ministries","description":"Rick Shrader's Blog","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#organization","name":"Aletheia Baptist Ministries","url":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/bible-study.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/bible-study.jpg","width":400,"height":277,"caption":"Aletheia Baptist Ministries"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AletheiaBaptist"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/person\/588b75c574dc86d40cf5fb13774181b2","name":"Rick Shrader","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c8bdc017347d423d458094a09c43d05fb368007ffcd14de5437afe5cc616c7b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c8bdc017347d423d458094a09c43d05fb368007ffcd14de5437afe5cc616c7b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rick Shrader"},"url":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/author\/rick\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1025"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4453,"href":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025\/revisions\/4453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}