THE ELEVENTH DAY OF FEBRUARY IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN CHRIST AS SIN-OFFERING A good many years ago I discovered that I was not really preaching Christ. I was preaching only the conditions of salvation, just as though . . . the Lord’s visit to this earth [was] to set forth certain acts as conditions of justification. I was overlooking the importance of the cross upon which he bore our sins. I was not recognizing Jesus as our High Priest who offered himself for the sins of the world. I considered the cross as a means to an end, the end being the endowment of … [Read more...]
THE OLD PATHS
A brother in Singapore hears some persons urge that we should "follow the old paths" and resist changes in the church. He asks what Scripture says that and in what context. "Is there an 'old path' for us Christians today?" * * * "Ask for the old paths and walk therein" is a quotation from the King James Version of Jeremiah 6:16. By saying that, the prophet was calling the people of Judah back from idolatry and immorality to the Law of Moses as given at Sinai. He was challenging them to return from a disregard and neglect of their relationship with God to a hearty love for him and commitment … [Read more...]
SOMETHING AGAINST CHURCHES OF CHRIST?
A dear gracEmail subscriber writes, "I have been receiving your mail for almost a month now. I get the picture that you have something against the churches of Christ. Is that so? If it is, why?" * * * If by "churches of Christ" you mean the congregations of those who trust Jesus as Savior and who follow him as Lord, those assemblies mentioned in Romans 16:16, then I certainly hope not to be "against" them, for that would place me, like Saul of Tarsus, squarely against Jesus himself (Acts 9:1-5). If you refer to the modern-day Christian group known as Churches of Christ, which sprang from … [Read more...]
SECTS, DENOMINATIONS AND CHRIST’S CHURCH
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...]
WHY RELIGIOUS DIVISIONS?
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...]
THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT VISION
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...]
SEEKING CHURCH HOME
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...]
KICKING THE WALLS
A composite of comments from several gracEmail subscribers says: "I think you are a bit far-out to be a representative of the Churches of Christ. You seem always to be kicking the walls of what is generally accepted within the brotherhood. Might you simply be overreacting to some legalistic and sectarian extremes you have encountered in the past? Do you really think some other group has the truth? If so, why don't you join it and leave us alone?" * * * Some people feel the need to psychoanalyze others whose thinking does not fit what they expect, and you are welcome to join the crowd. … [Read more...]
THE IDENTITY THAT MATTERS
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...]
FUZZY-HEADED EVANGELICALISM
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...]