Archives for March 2012

A brother suggests that the mainstream of congregations calling themselves Churches of Christ are either a "sect" or "denomination," but that his associates (whose sign says "church of Christ") escape both those categories and any identification with founding fathers Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone. * * * Whether we spell "church(es)" with a capital or lower-case letter isn't nearly so indicative of a sectarian or denominational attitude, I would suggest, as how we think about God's entire people in the world and "our" relationship to that larger whole. Any group of professing … [Read more...]

A gracEmaiI subscriber writes: “I am a Psychiatric Social Worker and an avid reader. Only a few years ago did I learn of so many branches in our Restoration Movement heritage. That grieves me severely because it is contradicts Jesus' prayer for unity in John 17. Can you tell me how these divisions started?" * * * The Restoration Movement, like most tribes within the Christian church, began with small groups of people meeting in simple fellowships doing things in uncomplicated ways. As time went on and the people became more numerous, prosperous and sophisticated, the mainstream would propose … [Read more...]

A gracEmail subscriber notes the divisions among Churches of Christ, a contemporary wing of the back-to-the-Bible movement led by 19th-century reformers Thomas and Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone. This subscriber asks whether the vision of this particular Restoration Movement is even viable, or if it is inherently self-destructive and doomed to failure. * * * Modern descendants of the Stone-Campbell movement differ in defining its fundamental vision and they naturally differ also in answering this question. If one concedes that the Restoration Movement vision includes its founders' … [Read more...]

A couple with roots in the Churches of Christ write that, while they love that fellowship, they no longer fit and feel compelled to go elsewhere. This thought makes them both sad and fearful, and they ask if I can offer any advice. * * * I empathize with your struggle and your search. Remember that before there were Protestants or Catholics, there were disciples of Jesus. Before there were any modern denominations, there were New Testament churches, built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. How would we identify such disciples? From the beginning, they are people who believe in the one … [Read more...]

In this increasingly post-denominational age, historic Christian groups often struggle to maintain their distinctive identities within the broader Christian church. I observe that general phenomenon as a teacher and elder within the Churches of Christ, among whom God has assigned me a home base. This fervor to perpetuate institutional identity is particularly ironic in my context, however, since the Churches of Christ spring from a movement that ostensibly rejects denominationalism, opposes human creeds and champions both the freedom of individual conscience and the autonomy of local … [Read more...]

Someone recently lamented that many in the Churches of Christ were turning to "fuzzy-headed evangelicalism," suggesting by this label that such a transformation might be less than desirable. In response, please allow this personal confession. * * * The term "evangelicalism" refers to a religious faith and spiritual life centered on and growing out of the gospel of Jesus Christ -- the good news that God loves sinners and that in Jesus of Nazareth he has reconciled us to himself. More specifically, an evangelical is anyone who professes a personal relationship with God through the crucified … [Read more...]

A subscriber asks whether Churches of Christ are classified among "evangelical" Christians. He quotes a Churches of Christ seminary professor who says they are not, because evangelicals believe in "full assurance of salvation, coming not by any work of human merit, but through faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross" and deny that salvation is dependent on any "sacrament" (such as baptism). * * * I would argue that some Church of Christ people are evangelicals and some are not. The non-instrumental Churches of Christ, like the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the … [Read more...]

Various gracEmail subscribers ask why I am connected with the Churches of Christ instead of some other Christian tribe or movement. They ask for different reasons, depending on their own experience and perspective. * * * My home base is with the Churches of Christ because that is where God has placed me for now. If I ever sense that God is leading me to a different subdivision on the Christian map, I will not hesitate to move. The truth is that I am at home wherever believers worship God, proclaim Jesus Christ, teach the Bible, live in the Spirit and love each other. The spiritual address is … [Read more...]