WHY "________" IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH CHRISTIAN STUDENTS UNITE

As being a part of the ministry of Christian Students Unite over the last couple of years, I have come across an interesting question that I answer quite frequently, "How come Mormons (Latter Day Saints), Jehovah's Witnesses, or L.A. Church of Christ members not affiliated with Christian Students Unite? I thought they were all Christians?"

First off, let me mention that each of these different areas of belief either refer to a different Jesus or more necessities needed for salvation to occur. Christian Students Unite have core beliefs that each ministry involved must abide by or else the ministry will in no way be affiliated with Christian Students Unite. Our ideology must occur not only to educated the seeker but to celebrate the true meaning of The Father, Jesus, & Holy Spirit. A couple of these belief include the following [we suggest you look up these scriptures for yourself for further understanding]:

The Bible is the inspired, infallible, authoritative, and inerrant Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:15-17, 1 Peter 1:21). There one God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30).

Deity of Christ (John 10:33); His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:34-35); His sinless life (Hebrews 4:15, 7:26); His Miracles (John 2:11); His vicarious and atoning death (1 Corinthians 15:3, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 2:9); His resurrection (John 11:25, 1 Corinthians 15:4); His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19); His personal return to earth in power and glory (Acts 1:11, Revelation 19:11-16).

The absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness (depravity) of the human nature, and that all are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ, and that only by God's grace through faith alone are we saved (John 3:16-19, 5:24, Romans 3:23, 5:8-9, Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 3:5).

The resurrection of both the saved and the lost; those who are saved unto the resurrection of eternal life, and those who are not unto the resurrection of eternal damnation (John 5:28-29).

Mormons (Latter Day Saints), Jehovah's Witnesses, & L.A. Church of Christ members have issues with some of these writings above. I'll go over these another time, but for now, I hope this inspired you to open up the scriptures and see for yourselves what an amazing God we serve!

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

FALSE - Mormonism (Latter Day Saints)

The Mormons, also know as the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, is now the largest U.S. cult that boasts more than 7 million members worldwide, and over 40,000 full-time "missionaries". Mormonism was discovered by a boy name Joseph Smith Jr. in 1820. Supposedly, Joseph saw a vision at Palmyra, New York where God told him not to join any church, he said, because they were all wrong due to the corrupt professors & creeds. (The Pearl of Great Price, 1:18-19) Three years later, he claimed the angel "Moroni" visited him and led him to some golden plates written in Reformed Egyptian Hieroglyphics. After translating these plates through a pair of magical "spectacles", the Book of Mormon was born.

"The Book of Moromon", "Doctrines and Covenants", and "The Pearl of Great Price" are now considered by Mormons as equal authority with the Word of God. It is not the Christian church that is attacking Mormonism, but rather, Mormonism that has attacked the Christian church by believing & stating that "true Christianity" disappeared from the earth for over 1800 years until Joseph Smith enlightened us all. In contrary to biblical teachings they also believe in more than one God, that God is a literal man, that men can become gods, that Jesus was the spirit brother of Lucifer, not to mention salvation by works and not by grace (Isa. 43:10; Mark 12:29; John 4:24; John 1:1-14; Gal. 2:14-16; Eph. 2:8-9).

With this knowledge leads Christians to classify Mormonism as a non-Christian cult and its prophets, of course, are either deceieved or they are deceivers. These beliefs force Christian Students Unite to distance ourselves with the Mormon church. However, we do invite any member of this belief to be a part of our events to hear the TRUTH about Jesus Christ, the Living God, the One and Only.

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

FALSE - Jehovah's Witness

Jehovah's Witnesses openly profess to believe in Jesus Christ, but what exactly is their view of Jesus?

After much research, we find that Jehovah's Witnesses teach a Jesus that is very different from the Jesus of the Bible. The core beliefs about Jesus is that they regard him as the first and only being directly created by Jehovah God (cf. John 1:1-3). They believe that Jehovah God has never had any personal contact with creation, but was indirectly responsible for the creation of all beings by empowering Jesus to bring the physical universe into existence.

Jehovah's Witnesses also deny that Jesus is God Almighty (cf. Phil 2:6-7). They make claims that Jesus is not all-powerful, not all-knowing, and not even all-present. In addition, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus should not be worshipped & prayers should not be addressed to Him (cf. Heb. 1:6; Acts 9:13-14). They believe that Jesus should not be honored in the same degree as God the Father.

This belief is a direct contradiciton to what Jesus proclaimed in John 5:23, when He said that it is God's will for all to honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Jehovah's Witnesses deny that Jesus rose bodily from the dead, instead, teach us that He rose in a "Spirit Body" (whatever that may be). Jesus' resurrection cannot be seen as a triumph over physical death when, in fact, this is the very opposite of what Scripture reveals (1 Cor. 15:54-55).

For these reasons, Jehovah's Witnesses cannot be regarded as true Christians & must be referred to as a cult. Jehovah's Witnesses claim to be Christian yet deny essential Christian doctrine. Christian Students Unite must distance themselves from this belief because we cannot compromise when it comes to the nature of God, and certainly not when it comes to the Lord Jesus Christ. We do, however, invite members of Jehovah's Witnesses to any of our events to hear about the true life of Jesus.

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

FALSE - L.A. Church of Christ (Boston Movement / Int'l Churches of Christ)

Members of the International Churches of Christ (ICC, also known as the Boston Movement, the Boston Church of Christ, etc.) might resemble Christians who are on fire & excited about serving the Lord. The evangelical sound stems from the claim that the Bible is their only source for doctrine. ICC is on of the fastest growing heretical movements in the world.

Christian Students Unite has classified ICC as heretical due to denying one or more of the essential doctrine of the Christian faith. Among ICC’s doctrinal inconsistency are a works-oriented plan of salvation that is related to a heavy misunderstanding of grace and the rejection of the doctrine of original sin. While claiming to believe in salvation by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9) in Jesus Christ, in reality, certain necessary acts have been added as prerequisites for salvation. Joanne Ruhlad, a member of Countercult Ministry, specializes in the International Churches of Christ explains the process of salvation after being meeting all prerequisites, “after meeting all prerequisites, the prospective member’s eligibility for salvation then depends on the leadership determining if the candidate is ready for baptism. Ultimately then, receiving God’s grace in ICC depends on faith plus the completion of works, the presumptuousness of the leaders judging another’s heart, & water baptism.”

The meaning of water baptism plays a significant role in Christianity & the ICC. There are a number of scriptures that which are often cited by the ICC to prove that the Bible makes baptism mandatory for salvation. Some of the most common are Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Romans 6:4, & 1 Peter 3:21.

An up-close examination of each of these scriptures in context will show that baptism is regularly associated with conversion and salvation, rather than absolutely required for salvation. When Christians say that baptism is not essential for salvation, we do not mean that God does not expect new Christians to be baptized. The reality is that He does. The Lord Jesus Christ, however, did command every Christian to be baptized. But baptism is not prerequisite to being born again or forgiveness of one’s sins. It is possible for some people who have not been baptized to be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. Cornelius’s family received the Holy Spirit and was manifesting the gifts of the Spirit after hearing the gospel but before being baptized (Acts 10:44-48).

The ICC, because of their extreme view about the essential doctrine of salvation, must be referred to as a cult. Like Jehovah's Witnesses & Mormonism, the ICC claims to be Christian and then deny core Christian doctrine. Christian Students Unite must keep distant from the ICC because we cannot compromise essential doctrine like salvation. We do, however, openly invite members of ICC to any of our event to help understand that salvation comes by grace through faith alone!

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

LOOKING FOR A CHURCH?

Here is some information about some of the wonderful churches in the area. If you're new to the area or are just seeking some answers, these local churches will definitely be places that will give you an opportunity to grow with God both intellectually & spiritually. I included links to the website if you care to dig further. I hope this helps!
(All times are for Sunday unless specified otherwise)

Cornerstone Church
Time: 10:00am
Hill Classical Middle School
1100 Iroquois Ave.
Long Beach Ca. 90815
562.493.2731
Pastor Jerry Reub
www.Cornerstone-Church.info

Bethany Church
Traditional Service: 8:15am
Contemporary Service: 10:45am
Resonate(College): 7:00pm
2250 Clark Ave.
Long Beach Ca. 90815
562.597.2411
Pastor Matt Swaney:mswaney@bethanylb.org
www.BethanyLB.org

Parkcrest Church
Time: 8:30am, 10:00am, 11:30am
5950(College): 5:15pm & 7:00pm
3936 Woodruff Ave.
Long Beach Ca. 90808
562.421.9374
Pastor Roger Beard: Click Here
www.Parkcrest.org

We are working on a church network site that will be up shortly...but this will give you a great start!

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

WELCOME!

Thank you for checking out our blog. It has come to my attention that there are a number of students who desire to know about some of the wonderful things the Lord is doing on this campus...you've come to the right place. We are updating our website frequently so make sure to come back regularly as your source for Christian events, ministry information, & growth materials that will guide your faith with Jesus Christ. Our goal is to assist each of you on your journey with Christ.
If you have any questions about anything, please do not hesistate to leave a response or e-mail me at armando@csulb.net!

God Bless!

--Armando