Russell Haffner
The church you read about in the New Testament (church of Christ - Romans 16:16) was not a denomination. Therefore, the church of Christ today is not a denomination. The members of the Lord's church are just plain Christians – Christians only! They are not hyphenated Christians (Methodist-Christian, Lutheran-Christian, Baptist-Christian, etc.). The church of Christ follows no creeds, because creeds are made to denominate (to separate a specific group of religious people from other religious groups).
The true church of Christ follows the New Testament only, as the guide to salvation, worship and Christian living. To add to God’s word or detract from it is to change His word and this is condemned throughout the Bible (Deuteronomy 4:2; Deuteronomy 12:32; Proverbs 30:8; Galatians 1:7-9; Revelation 22:18). Creeds, disciplines, catechisms, etc. are not the Bible. They always add to or take away from the Bible (or both). If they are identical to the Bible we don't need them because we have the Bible.
The true church of Christ is not a denomination and has no denominational views about the Bible. To teach denominational views is to teach views other than what is taught in the Bible. God has specifically condemned that kind of teaching. We must reject all denominational teaching.
To denominate means to mark as different. To do this means to change from the original standard. We must not do this! We must go directly to the Bible and follow it exactly without any changes. Our goal should be to stay true to what the Bible says and we dedicate ourselves to teaching only those things which can be proven to be true from the Scriptures.
If you have already registered for a course you may have noticed the tab which is labeled "Instructions." This is where you will find the course syllabus that has information about the course and the requirements needed to earn a certificate for the course. This is a very helpful reference for the Formal and Informal Students who are taking the courses for credit. However, Auditing Students will also find the Syllabus to be an excellent starting point to understand the purpose of the course and the structure of the lessons. All students should begin each course by reading the Course Instructions.