So would you consider churches w/o doctine apostate?
The simple truth is that there is no such thing as a "church without doctrine."
All "churches," or assemblies, or fellowships...come into being due to shared interest, doctrine, and goal. As the article stated, which is very true...
In my Christian experience I have heard things like, "I don't want to know doctrine. I just want to know Jesus." The irony is that a person who says that is actually espousing doctrine! None of us can avoid doctrine. We may act indifferently to doctrine, but once again, that indifference is actually a doctrine; a teaching or a belief. The Scripture commands us to, "study to show yourself approved unto God" (2 Tim. 2:15). In other words, we are commanded to study doctrine.
It's kind of like the term "Non-Denominational" is in fact a denomination.
But to answer your question, yes. Because Christian Doctrine is heavily focused upon, both implicit as well as explicit. Christians are commanded to seek God, and the best provision for understanding God is in fact the revelation of Himself He has given us in His Word. The above mentality (in the article) would be like saying, "I am pacifist so don't mess with me or I will throttle you."
One cannot be a Christian, period, apart from the knowledge of the truth. The Gospel centers on specific Doctrine and we determine not apostasy, but heresy through Doctrine. There are only two doctrines in the world available to men, Biblical Doctrine, and the doctrines of men.
But nobody can say doctrine is absent from their views. Atheists often get upset with me when I mention Atheist Doctrine, which is one of the parallels of Atheism with all other religions. Atheists prophets like Bill Maher may deny Atheism as a religion having doctrine by asking the question, "If atheism is a religion, does that mean that bald is a hair-do?"
Very humorous, but a ploy to distract people from the truth, which is that Atheism has doctrine as well. They seek, like those implied in the article, to present a platform of unbiased neutrality, but that is not the case. For example, there is no neutral condition in regards to God, because in order for one to be neutral they must lack knowledge, and the term atheist not only implies but demands knowledge of God, by which we might say the only true atheist in the world might be an infant who has not received the knowledge of God in a capacity by which they might determine their doctrine in regards to Him.
And not just apostate, but hostile to Christianity's purpose. God has always sought to educate men for their own good. First in regards to knowledge concerning Himself, and secondly in regards to our own selves. Understanding our condition drives us to reliance in God. Denial of that condition forces self reliance which unfortunately people have deceived themselves into thinking they possess.
God bless.
