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CHURCH OF CHRIST
God’s New Reign Or A Counterfeit Copy?
I’m aware that some positive changes have occurred in the a cappella Church of Christ over the past few years. So it is not like I’m lost and don’t know where I’ve been or where I’m going. Although I welcome positive changes, and praise my God they are happening, overall they have done little to remove the sectarian stigma and partisan traditions of the Church of Christ. All I need do is to pick up a copy of Gospel Advocate, The Spiritual Sword, Guardian of Truth, Truth Magazine, Vanguard, and a host of other Church of Christ publications to confirm the claims I’m making in this and the feature that follows.
I now encourage you to prepare yourself for Section 1, which follows. The story you are about to read is based on a factual experience.
The membership averages about 300. Most of them have been rigidly indoctrinated and lined up with the programs and projects like ATM machines—without originality. The remainder are indifferent, bored to death, and attend only out of tradition. When the congregation meets, they are not allowed to develop their gifts or learn from practical experience, for the local ecclesiastic—called “pulpit minister” in Churches of Christ—does most of the talking, public speaking, and lecturing. He’s the “remote controller” and flips the membership on and off, or “changes their channels,” with his sermonettes and system of beliefs.
The elders do not function as true shepherds of the sheep for they still lean upon the pulpit minister’s wisdom and knowledge for guidance and spiritual nourishment. After all, he graduated from a clerical manufacturing plant and was hired to “dispense the bread of life” to everyone, including the elders. However, Church of Christ elders do possess the “authority” to fire the clerical celebrity should he lean a little to the right or fall a little to the left—that is, should he teach or adopt a posture that is out of line with their party’s doctrinal platform. They hired him, and they can fire him.
[Shades of hallelujah! Does this strike you as strange? It should, because no community of believers 2,000 years ago ever hired and fired a professional minister. He didn’t even exist. It was centuries later before his “office” was invented.]
The preacher responded, “Are you members of the Church of Christ?” The husband replied, “No, but we were baptized by immersion twelve years ago, but only after we accepted the Lord and changed our way of living.”
The pulpiteer was not satisfied with the answer he received and thought he best use a different approach. He inquired, “Do they use instrumental music in worship where you come from?” The couple, not wishing to create fear and suspicion, replied, “Yes, but we don’t make musical instruments in church a test of brotherhood. We can worship with or without them. There’s a possibility we’re wrong, and we’re willing to study the matter further.”
By this time the pulpit minister’s face was flushed. “Something,” he thought, “isn’t according to the pattern,” for he was taught by his Christian College professors and by his Church of Christ forebears that before a believer from another church—whether from a Church of Christ faction, the Christian Church (instrumental music), or from any other church—could be recognized and accepted he would have to confess before the congregation that instrumental music in the assembly is sinful and that he had sinned in being associated with the wrong church and the group that employed it.
He moved over to the other side of the building where the elders were lined up on the front bench like little Indian chiefs, bent over with the grace of a prince, and whispered the situation to them. One of the elders spoke up, “We can’t accept them until they’re willing to confess their wrongs and come back. After all, they left the one body.” Another elder whispered softly, “I think they should be rebaptized.”
The pulpiteer, seeing that no immediate decision was in the making, and that many in the assembly were yawning and growing restless, suggested that the matter be brought before the congregation that night. All agreed. The husband and wife were told that the matter was to receive further discussion. They were asked to leave their address and telephone number. The necessary announcements were made, and all were dismissed. The husband and wife sneaked through a side door, visibly embarrassed. Once inside their car, they broke down and wept.
The elite servant explained the matter to those in attendance, and then added, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith did not return tonight, but we’ll continue with the proceedings inasmuch as we don’t know when we will be faced with another problem of this magnitude. So how many of you,” he asked, “think this couple should be accepted into full fellowship?” One hand went up. He had been branded by the congregation a maverick, “radical reformer,” and a “thorn in the flesh” because he feels that no religious party has an exclusive claim on salvation, and that God’s children can be found among all the sects.
“How many of you,” the attendees were asked, “think they should not be accepted?” All of the other hands went up. The elders, who had congregated on the front bench again, were smiling and obviously elated with the decision. One of the long-term and outstanding male members, sitting just behind the elders, could no longer restrain himself. He stood up, and beckoning with his hand, exclaimed, “The scriptures clearly teach there is one body. This man and woman have been members of another body! And until they’re willing to give up their human church and become members of the Lord’s church, we cannot accept them. The elders jiggled their heads in approval.
The “radical reformer” spoke up. “I wish not to appear rude and disrespectful when I say that we are as sectarian as those we condemn. We do not hold an exclusive contract with the Lord to being the one and only body of believers.
“However,” he continued, “I would like to remind you that Jesus did not institute a church—any church. He ushered in His family or holy nation, and every born-again disciple is a member of that family and a citizen of that holy nation, regardless of what he calls himself. Man founded churches. Religious parties in the form of churches were non-existent until hundreds of years after Jesus founded His new community. Our modern term church refers, and has always referred, to a sect. The Greek ekklesia does not translate church. Ekklesia is properly rendered community, assembly, or congregation. But never church.”
The voice from among the crowd begged to be heard, stating, “There’s not a court in this land that would refuse me the right to be heard. And brothers, your calling is higher than any civil court. At least give me the same courtesy a civil court would allow me.” Things quieted for the moment, and he was permitted to continue.
“I was talking,” he said, “of our English church. You can place the blame for this translation blunder on King James and his translators of the King James Version of the new scriptures. The translators knew better, as our contemporary translators know better, but King James forbade them to translate the Greek ekklesia correctly and insisted that they deliver it church. And why? Because he was king of The Established Church of England, and it is unlikely he wanted to be king of a mere congregation! Today’s translators give in to the pressures and insistence of a herd of smaller kings, the special clergy.”
“Not necessarily,” the brother answered. “God’s ekklesia has no proper or exclusive name. Before we can cease being a religious party or sect, we must reform our self-righteous and conceited attitude and admit we do not have the only rights to heaven. We are not the one and only we claim to be. Anyone who obeys God, as best he can, and allows Jesus to become Lord of his life, is a Christian in the truest sense of the term. When we place other believers in a separate slot and brand them sectarian because they cannot understand all things as we do, we set ourselves up as divine judges and become guilty of the party spirit, a work of the flesh, according to Paul in Galatians 5:20.”
“Which primitive congregation of saints does the Church of Christ pattern after?” he asked. “The one at Corinth where some denied the resurrection and others got drunk during the feast of the Lord’s Supper? Or the one at Galatia where some had returned to the old Law of Moses for salvation? Or the one at Pergamum where some held the teaching of Balaam? Permit me to say that our pattern is a Person, not some congregation, whether primitive or modern. Jesus was the pattern, the new testament, and the gospel long before the new covenant scriptures were written. Their pattern (Jesus) did not teach intolerance, hatred, fear, and division as are so vividly found among many Churches of Christ today. We must allow love to have her way if our wounds are ever to be healed. I beg you” he exhorted, “out of love and common sense, to accept the Smiths. They have done you no wrong.”
Except for one of the sisters, everyone snubbed the brother who would not be stilled. She told him that if stoning the wayward and wicked were still the law, “You would have been stoned tonight.” He assured her that he held no hatred in his heart for anyone.
The charges: 1) Preaching another gospel; 2) Teaching false doctrine; 3) Speaking negatively against the “Lord’s church”; 4) Refusing to honor the “authority” of the elders; 5) Disrupting the peace and tranquillity of a loyal and faithful church; 6) Accepting “denominational” people as Christians; 7) believing and teaching that God has children in other churches.
The “expelled reprobate” walked to the front and attempted to speak, but the song leader had been warned in advance to immediately start the closing song should he try to answer the charges. He jumped to his feet and everybody joined in to sing “Let There Be Peace On Earth.” The expelled brother was “sung” down! He couldn’t help but think, “That was one closing song that got only as high as the ceiling.”
Well, some good things—and all bad things—must eventually come to an end. The brother was written up in all the party’s journals, and congregations everywhere were warned to avoid him. “At least, he thought, “I didn’t receive the same fate as reformer John received—decapitation!” He has now broadened his horizon and is sharing the messages of brotherhood, unity, and reformation with anyone who will listen.
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Section 2
I felt that King James’ Romans 16:16 was pure gold! I equated the Church of Christ with God’s new reign and defied any man to show otherwise. Like my Church of Christ brothers, I used the same arguments, affirmed the same theology, advocated the same principles, and quoted the same scriptures. I was even willing to shed my life’s blood for this church.
Simply, I have been deprogrammed! The event was not supernatural or miraculous. As I studied the scriptures for myself, the Holy Spirit of God operated upon my heart to alter my attitude and change my course. It was a simple but serious procedure. The only prerequisites were that I cast aside my sectarian shackles and open my heart and mind.
Did I leave Jesus when I left the Church of Christ? Goodness, no! He and I are closer now than ever before. Do I now believe in universal salvation? Of course not. Do I now accept within the brotherhood of God anyone and everyone? I do not. But I do accept as part of the divine fraternity all of those God accepts. And He accepts all of those who have experienced the new beginning and have made Jesus Lord of their lives, regardless of whether they have heard of the Church of Christ—or Church of God, or Assembly of God, or Baptist Church, or any of the other sects.
It is my firm persuasion that churchism is sectarianism. That Jesus established a new people and set in motion a new Israel, colony, commonwealth, household, congregation, assembly, or community no born-again believer will deny. We need only read and examine Galatians 5:20 to ascertain that Jesus is not the founder of religious parties in the form of churches.
Ambassador Paul placed the “party spirit” alongside drunkenness, immorality, and other evils of the lower nature (RSV). The New English Bible renders “party intrigues,” and the Living Bible says the partisan spirit is “the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group.” I am inclined to believe that this strikes at the very core of it.
A religious party, then, is any group that classifies all others wrong, rejects other believers, and whose terms for staying on the “church roll” are foreign to the terms inaugurated by the King of kings and His special envoys, the apostles.
To deny that the mainline Church of Christ (non-instrumental music) considers everyone wrong except those in her own little group is to flirt with the world’s greatest falsehood. To deny that she rejects other believers who are not “of her” is to deny reality. To deny that her terms for staying admitted are foreign to our Master’s plea is to flirt with another falsehood.
To put it another way, a sect or religious party is any group that practices and promotes the party spirit. The “party spirit” is an attitude that generates division and separation. Religious parties are the end result. Inasmuch as the Church of Christ is guilty of the party spirit, a work of the flesh, she is therefore a religious party. Stay with me as I give you additional reasons why this church is a counterfeit copy of what our Lord ushered in 2,000 years ago.
As a religious order, she struggles for a prestigious position in a society already overburdened with sectarianism and rabid partisanism. As a church, she takes her place alongside scores of others and announces that Jesus is her head and founder. As a denomination, none has surpassed her in choosing a selective and restrictive designation. Her ensign is Romans 16:16, “The churches of Christ salute you” (KJV). In identifying herself to the world, she steers clear of “church of God,” even though the King James Version of the sacred documents employs the term many times.
To “denominate” is to name by a restrictive and exclusive title. A case in point: Paper money is arranged in denominations. The various sizes of the bills are denominated or named. A ten-dollar bill is the exclusive name of that bill. It separates it from all the other bills. The a cappella Church of Christ fills the slot for she uses the term “Church of Christ” exclusively on her meetinghouses, signboards, in newspaper and magazine advertisements, and on radio and television. When an outsider inquires of which church they are members, the answer is invariably the same. “We are members of the Church of Christ.” Yet she staunchly asserts, “We are not a denomination!” Well, we know better.
It should be understood that the common nouns used in the sacred writings to designate God’s people are descriptive of some aspect of relationship and were never intended to be exclusive or selective.
But let’s continue. As a divisive faction, she is second only to the Baptist sect, for within her ranks may be found 12 or more different Churches of Christ. It is ridiculously insane to claim that Jesus is the head and founder of such a lamentable mess.
As a religious party, her platform borders the irrational. According to her dictates, no one can be saved from the “error of his ways” unless and until he surrenders his theology as garbage and accepts her proclamations, edicts, and commissions—conveniently coined “commandments of God.”
Some of the leading journals that serve as official mouthpieces are The Spiritual Sword, The Gospel Advocate, Guardian of Truth, Truth Magazine, and Vanguard—among others. Each paper represents a distinct faction within the Church of Christ. Although each contentious group denies a central office, one has only to take issue with the “home office” on some ideology to feel their authoritative wrath.
And I could go on and on with other creedal ideologies. The divine message does not support stringent legalism in the likes of “pattern theology.” A church’s “pattern theology” will save no one. Jesus Himself demonstrated His opposition to religious parties and their “pattern theology” when He laid bare the sect (party) of the Pharisees and the sect (party) of the Sadducees. He accused them of not entering God’s reign themselves nor permitting anyone else to enter.
It was not essential to be a member of either religious party to receive God’s grace. Nor is membership in the religious party known as the Church of Christ essential to receiving God’s grace and forgiveness. The crux of the matter is that a man can be a Christian in good standing with God without ever coming within ear-shot of the a cappella Church of Christ.
I first toyed with this subject in 1980 during the Walters-Scott Debate on “The Authenticity of the Church of Christ” (now out of print), and again during the W. N. (Bill) Jackson-Scott Debate in 1984 on the same subject (also out of print). However, my first challenge to the “church” scenario and the Greek “ekklesia,” which is supposed to translate our English “church,” was in 1976.
It was then (1976) that I began to formulate my ideas about King James’ “church” and churchianity in general. Since then I have covered a lot of ground and involved myself in a lot of research relative to these subjects. Consequently, I do not feel my conclusions are based on “grapevine exploration.” Instead, I affirm that the foundation of my conclusions is grounded in credible documentation and valid deductions.
