Ha! The first word of your old post certainly brings back some memories. Just wish the old post was around so I could look back and compare results.

I'm not at all surprised by my list. I know my theology isn't conservative Roman Catholic. Also, I scored the “put the power in one person” question as “disagree,” which I'm sure was counted a knock against Catholicism - though it's a bit of a misunderstanding of how the Catholic Church works.

I'm in a Wesleyan/Anabaptist seminary and was raised UMC, so it shouldn't be a shock that those traditions scored so high.

SDA was a bit of a shock, but I'm guessing the only reason it scored where it did is that I marked that “Sunday Sabbath” isn't important to me. The grading likely skews that toward an assumption of a Saturday Sabbath, though I meant it more as an Everyday Sabbath (Rom 14).

Finally, the more I study Reformed theology, the less I like it.

#1: Methodist/Wesleyan Church
#2: Seventh-Day Adventist
#3: Episcopal/Anglican Church
#4: Evangelical Lutheran Church
#5: Eastern Orthodox Church
#6: Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
#7: Mennonite Brethren
#8: Assemblies of God
#9: Orthodox Quakerism
10: Free Will Baptist
11: Roman Catholic Church
12: Presbyterian Church USA
13: Church of Christ
14: International Church of Christ
15: Southern Baptist
16: Presbyterian Church in America/Orthodox Presbyterian Church
17: Reformed Churches
18: Liberal Quakerism
19: Reformed Baptist
20: United Pentecostal Church
21: Unity Church
22: Mormonism
23: Unitarian Universalism
24: Jehovah's Witness

Interesting, Caedmon. I think we use to match up a bit more. It is interesting that your sacramental church scores are so weak. You sure you don't want to just call yourself an Wesleyan/Arminian Protestant and be done with it?

You don't happen to have backups of the old site, do you? There are a number of places this blog refers to that one… would love to see what I was linking to again…

I'm intrigued by how much “better” you did with regards to Orthodoxy over Catholicism. Hmm…

There's no question I fit better with the Wesleyan camp, but finding a church family is more than a test score. Looking at the questions, I can understand why I was scored low on RC, especially as compared to Anglican. What the profile simply can't do, though, is recognize the breadth of expression within the Catholic Church. It's not nearly so monolithic as most non-Catholics (and many Catholics) might assume.

No, no backups of that old site. Is the Wayback Machine still around? Once upon a time, it contained much of that old stuff.

Yes it is, though it looks like this post was posted by you right after one crawl. By the next crawl, you had relaunched the site into the blue “2.0” version.

I know what you mean about variations amongst Catholics. Nevertheless, I think you may be one of the few that is coming from a Protestant background to Rome who hasn't adopted something mostly like the official line.

Then again, you always are the rebel.

I agree the little test is highly skewed in some ways. I would not be welcomed in many congregations of any type once they figured out where I was. Yet, the test pegged me as Reformed Baptist, followed by several other Reformed/Presbyterian groups. Still, it was mildly amusing.

Ed, I'm not so sure you wouldn't fit in some Reformed groups around here. Those that didn't are fools… alas, there are quite a few fools around.

A Fun test.

Case 1 (with Once saved always saved; all else the same)

#1 Reformed Baptist
#2 Church of Christ
#3 Episcopal

Case 2 (w/o Once saved always saved)

#1 Church of Christ
#2 Episcopal
#3 Free Will Baptist

Although the bodies have considerable external differences it is true that they have some-what similar theological positions at their core. The Church of Christ resembles the New Episcopal Church of North America (conservative) minus the externals (rituals). There is a remarkable similarity between The reformed Baptist and the church of Christ. And on the issue of once save always saved although publicly denied by the church of Christ (in an absolute sense) it is nevertheless viewed (now a days) as a necessary consequence of salvation and the transformation that accompanies salvation.

I posted my results on Facebook.

John S: that is an interesting set of observations. I've never really thought of the CoC and the Reformed Baptists as so closely related. What about differences in views on the nature of baptism? Have those softened in recent times?

Of course both see baptism as a very important “sign” of iniation into the community of belivers. The CoC additionally view it as the normal, prescribed, mode of initial actulization of the WHOLE person, by the Spirit, into the new Life (not to deminish Faith as the necessary, driving force). (By the whole peron we mean willing, doing, courage, gifts of the Spirit,etc.) The CoC sees the actualization of the WHOLE person as consisting of more than the self-identification with the community. It is deeply symbolic of being buired and raised with christ. Of course both see baptism as a very important “sign” of initiation into the community of believers. The CoC additionally view it as the normal, prescribed, mode of actualization of the WHOLE person, by the Spirit, into the new Life (not to diminish Faith as the necessary, driving force). The CoC sees the actualization of the WHOLE person as consisting of more than the self-identification with the community. It is deeply symbolic of being buried with Christ and being raise, by the Spirit, to walk in newness of Life. This is what the community sees (and should see as it replicates the Savior's resurrection). And the baptized also replicate that gracious occurrence wherein he may stand in grace, a new creation.

Moderation exist in the allowance by most CoC'ers for other divine approved modes of actualization for a host of reasons. However, it is considered by the CoC as the /Bibical/tradational/prescribed mode of actualization; but it would be presumptuous to prohibit God from complete freedom with respect to “other” modes of facilitating the new Creation. Nevertheless, for the new disciple the revealed mode should always take priority, as possible.

Actualization of the whole person is a mystery. 1) recognition that salvation is by faith (for whosoever will), 2) this leads to water/spirit baptism (I do not mean in the neo-Pentecostal manner) —-the order is not a issue. Although Paul seemed to see Spirit Baptism as concurrent with water Baptism. I think Paul convolves faith, willing, and doing quite well when he says “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God that works in you to will and to do” There is total involvement.

So the CoC would not speculate on the validity of the Reformed Baptist's Baptism and if their motivation was to simply obey Christ then there would be full agreement.

I've certainty over speculated and written more than I know. The following excerpt from Barth is humbling as we see that any analysis of salvation can only conclude: “with God all things are possible”.

The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God,”Ps. 14:2, see 53:2. Will He find such? “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?,”Is. 53:1. “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith (τὴν πίστιν) on the earth?,” Lk. 18:8. Is not 2 Thess. 3:2 putting it very mildly when it says that not all have faith, Not all? Who, then, can and will have faith and be faithful to God? According to Mk. 10:24 Jesus says very generally that it is hard (δύσκολον) to enter the kingdom of God. So great is the difficulty that of the rich, though obviously not of them alone, but of all men, it may be said (v. 25) that a camel will go more easily through a needle’s eye than they into the kingdom of God. The disciples of Jesus undoubtedly took the saying thus (v. 26), and they were “astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?” The answer of Jesus is again very general (v. 27): “With men (παρὰ ἀνθρώποις) it is impossible, but not with God (παρὰ θεῷ): for with God all things are possible.”

Um, I'm scaring myself. #1 was LCMS. #2 was Eastern Orthodox. 3 was Evangelical Lutheran. 4 was the PCA/OPC (finally) with Roman Catholicism at 6 behind generic Reformed.

John, thanks for that thorough analysis. I appreciated it. And you fit Barth in… what could be better than that?

Jason: Interesting. Martin would be so proud.