LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY gleef)

My recent foray into Harriet Miers's church reminded me of a complex question I've had for a while.

How can an outsider tell what a church believes/teaches?

I mean, sometimes it's easy, Urbana Assembly of God Church is an Assembly of God church, and you can assume that it adheres pretty closely to the beliefs and teachings of other AoG churches.

Often, however, the churches are more coy about it, and just say they are "Christian" or "Non-Denominational". What ways are there to tell if a church is teaching Christian Reconstructionism? Or is Pentecostal/Charismatic (or some variation)? Or is supporting Dominionist causes and organizations? Or is preaching dangerous attitudes like "name it and claim it" prayer and regular "chastening" of children?

What should we be looking for when we run across a church? I mean, even if they want to hide their true nature from outsiders, they still want to attract like-minded people, so I assume they would keep their beliefs somewhat visible, even if it's encoded in some way, don't they? Or is that not a safe assumption?