The repeated restoration plea is: “Bible things by Bible names, and Bible ways.”

The issue is not merely leaving one denomination for another. The larger argument is a return to the church, gospel, worship, organization, and salvation pattern revealed in the New Testament.

Scripture Over Human Authority

Talking Point: No pope, creed, confession, catechism, discipline, synod, convention, council, or denominational headquarters has authority to legislate where Christ and the apostles did not.

Christ’s Church vs. Denominational Churches

Talking Point: Christ built one church. Denominations founded centuries later by men are treated as departures from the original New Testament pattern.

The Name Christian vs. Denominational Names

Talking Point: The reviewed writers prefer the New Testament identity “Christian” over names derived from founders, doctrines, methods, national churches, or religious parties.

Human Creeds and Manuals

Talking Point: If a creed says more than the Bible, it says too much. If it says less than the Bible, it says too little. If it says exactly what the Bible says, the Bible alone is enough.

• Baptism for remission of sins: The pages reject systems that separate baptism from forgiveness, entrance into Christ, or obedience to the gospel.
• Rejection of infant baptism: The New Testament pattern presented is believing, repentant people being baptized.
• Immersion rather than sprinkling or pouring: The writers argue that biblical baptism is immersion, not later substitute forms.

• Instrumental music: The Christian Church page frames the question around New Testament authority, not beauty, emotion, usefulness, or tradition.
• Missionary societies: The issue is whether the church may create separate organizations to do the work God assigned to the church.
• Unauthorized innovations: Practices are rejected when they are viewed as additions to the apostolic pattern.

Talking Point: The New Testament pattern is local congregations under Christ, with scriptural offices such as elders and deacons. The reviewed pages reject papal, episcopal, synodical, convention, and denominational structures that go beyond that pattern.

Why I Left the Christian Church

• Instrumental music in worship.
• Missionary societies and human organizations.
• The law of exclusion: when God specifies, man must not add.
• Open membership and restoration concerns.

Condensed point: The writer believed the movement accepted practices without New Testament authority.

Why I Left the Presbyterian Church

• Human creeds.
• Denominational names.
• Infant baptism, sprinkling, and pouring.
• The one church versus denominational division.

Condensed point: The system is criticized for replacing New Testament simplicity with creedal identity, infant baptism, and denominational structure.

Why I Left the Baptist Church

• One New Testament church.
• Baptism for remission of sins.
• Rejection of “once saved, always saved.”
• Christ’s authority versus democratic denominational government.

Condensed point: The critique centers on the claim that Baptist doctrine creates a church, name, government, and salvation framework not found in the New Testament.

Why I Left the Methodist Church

• Methodist origin with Wesley, not Christ.
• Methodist Discipline as a human creed.
• Unscrip­tural bishops and hierarchy.
• Infant baptism, sprinkling, and pouring.

Condensed point: A church founded by Wesley, governed by human discipline, and practicing infant baptism is presented as unlike the New Testament church.

Why I Left the Nazarene Church

• Wesleyan holiness doctrine.
• Inherited depravity.
• Second blessing / entire sanctification.
• Mourner’s bench conversion practice.

Condensed point: The critique focuses on holiness doctrines and conversion practices the writer believed were not taught by the apostles.

Why I Left the Lutheran Church

• Bible versus catechism.
• Christ’s church versus Luther’s church.
• Infant baptism, sprinkling, and pouring.
• Obedient faith versus faith only.

Condensed point: The Lutheran critique argues that Luther’s name, catechism, baptismal practices, and faith-only doctrine depart from New Testament teaching.

Why I Left the Catholic Church

• Scripture versus Catholic authority and tradition.
• Papacy, infallibility, priesthood, and hierarchy.
• Infant baptism and sprinkling.
• Penance, purgatory, indulgences, auricular confession, and priestly forgiveness.
• Images, relics, Marian devotion, transubstantiation, and withholding the cup.

Condensed point: Roman Catholicism is presented as the most developed example of accumulated tradition replacing New Testament simplicity.

Why I Left the World

• Leaving worldly life for obedience to Christ.
• Choosing the kingdom over the world.
• Rejecting worldly approval as the measure of truth.

Condensed point: Leaving error is not only denominational; it also includes leaving the world’s values, sins, and loyalties.

Anti-Class Position

• Misapplication of 1 Corinthians 14.
• Consistency issues with singing schools and teaching arrangements.
• Titus 2 teaching.
• Bible classes treated as an expedient for teaching.

Condensed point: Bible classes are defended as a lawful expedient for teaching, not a separate unauthorized institution.

1. The Bible is sufficient.
2. Christ built one church.
3. Names matter.
4. Baptism matters.
5. Worship must be authorized.
6. Human additions corrupt simplicity.
7. Organization must follow the New Testament pattern.
8. Sincerity is not enough.
9. Leaving is framed as obedience, not rebellion.
10. The restoration plea is the heart of the series.