If you use a euphemism for denomination, such as fellowship, then the title might read
"A Fellowship That Wants To Die." Or it could read, "A Church That Wants To
Die." None of us would have a problem with "A Sect That Wants To Die,"
except that sects by their very nature do not want to die. To the contrary, they will
sacrifice people and principles alike in order to preserve themselves.
And it may be that there is enough
sectarianism in us all, whether "denomination" or "fellowship" or
"church" that we are reluctant to call for our own demise, not even for some
great ecumenical cause.
The
title is in quotation marks because it comes from Hampton Adams, late pastor of the Park
Ave. Christian Church in New York City. The full quotation is impressive. He referred to
his own Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as "A denomination that wants to die
so that it can live more fully in the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ."
It might be questioned whether the
Disciples of Christ really have a death wish, but that is beside the point for our purpose
here. It is the idea or the ideal that interests me. Is this not what should happen to all
sects, denominations, and churches — cease to exist?
We all agree that there is but one
church, one Body of Christ, and there never was but one, so all these denominations should
not exist. It is that simple. This is why C.C. Morrison, founder of the Christian
Century and a leading Disciple of Christ, kept insisting Let the churches cease
being churches! And we may presume that he, like Hampton Adams, included his own
Disciples of Christ church in that plea.
If we took my town as an
illustration of what would happen, the First Baptist Church in Denton would cease being
the First Baptist Church. It would still be a congregation and would own property and
continue to serve Christ, but it would do so as "the church at Fulton and
Malone." There would be no more Baptists; they would be simply Christians or children
of God. So with all denominations, "the churches" would become "the
Church."
Since Assembly of God, Church of
God, Christian Church, Church of Christ have all become distinctive denominational names,
they too would cease being denominations, and would become simply the Body of Christ at
their given locations.
Or they might simply name their
meeting place as is common in Britain, such as the St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church would
become St. Andrew's Chapel. Recently when I visited in Nashville I noticed that the
Woodmont Hills Church of Christ was calling itself "The Church at Woodmont
Hills" and "God's Family at Woodmont Hills."
Think of your city as having no
denominations and no denominational names. There would simply be the church of Jesus
Christ meeting at muliple locations. They would of course still have their differences
(which in time would dim), but a visitor might have a problem knowing what
"denomination" he was in. He would be told that it is no longer a denomination
but simply the family of God at that location.
In time this would go deeper than a
mere name change. All believers would come to think of themselves as belonging to the same
church even if in different congregations. The differences would probably be no greater
than those that existed in the first-century congregations. Our mutual devotion to Christ
would provide a rich fellowship, and we would do things together for our troubled world.
We would still have our distinct
heritages, whether Lutheran, Calvin, Anglican, Stone-Campbell, but they would be expressed
in but one faith, one Body, and with time the traditions would become less pronounced:
respected but not emphasized. Even when we still celebrated the Lord's Supper and baptism
differently, we would still be but one church, one people.
Because of different backgrounds and
traditions we would prefer "our" congregation, as conscience might dictate, but
we would recognize all other believers as part of "the Church," for that is all
there would be. Denominations would have ceased to exist!
People would no longer ask,
"What denomination?" but "What congregation?" And when they saw our
love for each other, which would transcend marginal differences, they would know that we
were truly Christ's disciples.
In time we would grow closer and
closer together. Our commonalities would be emphasized, differences minimized. We would
all be rooted in the fundamentals of the faith, centered in Jesus Christ. Drawing upon our
varied backgrounds, we would have much to share with each other. We would learn to bear
and forebear for the sake of "preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace."
You may say that all this is an
empty dream. And I say that it is only in some such way as this that our Lord's prayer for
unity will ever be realized. The denominations must cease being denominations and become
simply "the Church."
Our Lord's prayer for our unity in
him will one day be answered, perhaps in a completely unforeseen and surprising way, such
as through the Spirit's use of house churches. Denominations may gradually disappear,
perhaps by attrition one by one, but they will disappear. And that includes yours and
mine!
But it cannot come until we are
willing for our church or our fellowship to die and become part of the Body of Christ at
large.
When that happens we will be where
our own heritage pointed us to at our beginning. Back in 1804 a few disillusioned
Presbyterians resolved to do precisely what I have described - cease being a sect or a
denomination and simply become part of the church catholic. They laid aside their
ecclesiastical creation with: "Let this body die, be dissolved, and sink into union
with the Body of Christ at large."
They demonstrated that people do not
have to be a denomination or sect. They can be nothing more than the Body of Christ where
they are, and at the same time at one with the Body of Christ at large.
That is why our own Barton W. Stone
pleaded, "Let Christian unity be our polar star."
It is a matter of our repenting of
our sinful divisions, and of resolving, "Yes, let our denomination die and live more
fully in the Body of Christ at large." I respect C.C. Morrison for pestering world
church leaders, even in their ecumenical conclaves. "If you are serious about
unity," he challenged them, "then cease being churches."
A dream? Yes! That is what our Lord
was doing, dreaming. But he also prayed, "Father, may they be one, even as we are
one." We can start all this by praying as our Lord did. Is our sin of denominational
complacency compounded by the fact that we do not even pray for unity? - Leroy
DO THOSE IN HEAVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENS ON EARTH?
Athletes are inspired to play better when there are friends and loved ones in the stands
rooting for them. This is what they call "home field advantage," which
recognizes that it makes a difference who the spectators are. An athlete is more likely to
hang in and do his best when he is cheered on.
This is the imagery in Heb. 12:1-2,
which is likely drawn from the ancient Greek Olympics where multitudes gathered to cheer
on their favorite athletes. The writer of Hebrews begins with a "therefore," and
a good rule of interpretation is that when you come to a therefore stop and ask what it is
there for. In this case the therefore points back to "God's hall of fame" in
chapter 11, where the great heroes are honored for their victorious faith. While some
conquered kingdoms and stopped the mouths of lions, others were tortured and imprisoned,
but they were also faithful.
This passage is saying that these
heroes are still around, cheering us on as a great heavenly audience: "Therefore we
also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race
that is set beforeus" (12:1).
If language means anything, these
words say that those old heroes of the faith, now in heaven, are "witnesses" to
our stumbling efforts to run the race they once ran. It is as if we, struggling on the
floor of the arena to persevere, can look up in the stands and see this "great cloud
of witnesses" urging us on. They dealt with the same weights that hinder us, the same
sins that tempt us, along with all difficulties that we face, and they are saying, Hang
in! We did it, so can you!
If they are witnesses or spectators,
they certainly know what is going on. It is the church triumphant in heaven in fellowship
with the church militant still on earth. This seems to be what Paul says in Eph. 3:10,
except that in this verse it is the angels ("principalities and powers") that
are witnesses of "the manifold wisdom of God" being made known by the church on
earth. The angels join the saints in heaven in watching what we are up to on earth.
And they rejoice when even one
sinner repents (Lk. 15:7). And aicy know when the church on earth is persecuted, and they
cry to the Lord, even in heaven, for vengeance on our persecutors (Rev. 6:9-10). In the
next verse God assures them that victory will eventually come, but they must "wait a
little longer," for they had brethren on earth who would yet be killed for their
faith as they had been martyred.
Angels are called
"watchers," as in Dan. 4:12, which suggests that they are not only aware of what
is going on but may sometimes serve on guard duty. They both watch and protect, as Jesus
implied in reference to children: "their angels do always behold the face of their
Father in heaven" (Mt. 18:10). If angels watch and know what is going on, would it be
any less so with our loved ones who have joined the angels in heaven.
Angels and our loved ones (all of
us) are mentioned together in Heb. 12:22-23. Unlike the Old Testament saints who came to
Mt. Sinai and confronted a fearful, smoking mountain, we have come to "Mt. Zion, and
to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of
angels" (verse 22).
The next verse places us in fellowship,
not only with angels, but with "the general assembly and church of the firstborn who
are registered in heaven, to God the judge of all, and to the spirits ofjust men made
perfect." This says that we are not only in the presence of each other in the church
on earth but also with the church that has already "checked in" in heaven. We
are in fellowship with "righteous people made perfect" in heaven.
Lk. 9:30 makes it clear that Moses
and Elijah, long absent from planet earth, knew when Jesus was to face the Cross. They
were present at the Transfiguration and talked with Jesus about his "departure"
which he was soon to accomplish.
What comfort it is to realize that
we are not alone in our earthly pilgrimage! Not only do we have fellowship with each other
but with the church in heaven as well. Our loved ones who have gone on before us are still
with us in a very real way. We can believe that our dear mother or a beloved grandfather
or a trusted friend, who was always there for us when he or she was on earth, is
still there, encouraging us.
We are not to suppose that if our
loved ones in heaven know what is transpiring on earth they could not be happy because of
all the evil they would see. If Jesus is happy in spite of all the evil on earth, why not
our loved ones who are now with him? Besides, there is so much good, so many beautiful
victories of faith to rejoice over, and even the evil is seen in broader dimensions than
we see. The utlimate victory is clearer to them than to us who still look through a glass
darkly.
Ouida and I often sense the nearness of
those who have gone on when we read their writings together. We have just read (once
more!) Louis Cochran' 5 Raccoon John Smith. What a blessed story! We relive with
old Raccoon his tragedies and triumphs, and we are thankful for his simple life, his
wisdom, his sense of humor, and his passion for the unity of all believers. He has gone on
but he still teaches us from that "cloud of witnesses" that encompass our home.
And we thank dear Louis Cochran, the old FBI man turned novelist, whom we knew and loved
when he was on planet Earth, for leaving us such a great story to be read again and again.
We can sense dear old Louie giving us the "thumbs up" from the ramparts of
heaven as we go on reading his stuff.
The poetess George Eliot described
the contributions of the dead this way:
O
may Ijoin the choir invisible
Of those immortal dead who live
again
In minds made better by their
presence.
The
biblical view seems to be that "the dead who die in the Lord" not only live
again in "their works which do follow them," but they live on both in God's
presence and as that "choir invisible" which encompasses and encourages us with
its beautiful music.
It is more than that they know what
is going on. They are in on the action, as much so as the angels or Moses and Elijah or
spectators in an arena. - Leroy
IS PRAYER HABITUAL?
And
being in agony, Jesus prayed more earnestly. And His sweat became like great drops of
blood falling down to the ground. - Lk. 22:44
You know the story behind this
moving description. Jesus is in Gethsemane anticipating the agonizing ordeal of
crucifixion. He has already prayed that "this cup" of suffering might pass from
him, but "Nevertheless," he added, "not My will but Yours be done."
The next verse says that an angel came from heaven, strengthening him.
Then comes the graphic lines quoted
above. Luke says that in his agony Jesus prayed "more earnestly." He had already
been praying, and Luke tells us at least part of what he had prayed. Now "in
agony" Jesus prays even more earnestly, but we are not told what he said.
This is not saying that Jesus was in
such agony that he turned to prayer as a last resort, as if he might not have prayed had
there not been the trauma. Or, to put it another way, we are not to suppose that the
circumstance was so devastating that even Jesus found the need to pray.
That is often the case with people
in dire straits. They pray only when they are in trouble, as if grabbing for a straw.
So, Jesus did not pray because he
was in agony. He was in agony and so he prayed. He prayed when he was not in agony. He
prayed like he breathed; it was part of who he was. He prayed habitually. His excruciating
ordeal may have caused him to pray "more fervently" than usual, but it did not
cause him to pray. He prayed in every circumstance, as naturally as he breathed, and it
was not a refuge when in distress.
One of the mysterious facts of the
Christian faith is that not only did Jesus pray, but he prayed habitually and incessantly,
as if his need was overwhelming. The Scriptures give us that laudatory cry, "Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:3). Jesus had aGod and
Father to whom he prayed in childlike faith. It is hardly acase of God praying to God as
Trinitarian theology mandates. It is rather a child (Son) praying to his Father in great
humility.
Is it amiss to think of prayer as a
habit? Jesus prayed when he was in agony because he prayed about all of life. And it may
be as natural as it is habitual, especially for the Christian. True, we learn to pray as
we learn all our habits, especially the disciplined ones.
Even when we know what prayer is, it
is not easily defined. Is it our minds turning to a Mind wiser than ourselves, and
adjusting our hearts to a Love greater than our own, as one theologian has suggested? But
that might be said of all education. Prayer involves the two most powerful forces in the
universe: the mind of man and the Spirit of God.
It is as if God is always there and
we can "tune in" to the power of light and force at anytime. There is no way to
comprehend what is going on. Prayer is an act of childlike faith. And might it be as
habitual and natural as a child talking to her father. And yet prayer is not asking for
things; it is using them. It is not begging; it is appropriating. It is fellowship with
God more than an escape from trouble. - Leroy
The
day after I finished my early summer philosophy class at Richland College, Ouida and I
flew to Halifax, Nova Scotia with A.C/ Ruth Oliver of Lubbock, friends of many years.
Having lived in those parts as missionaries, they were able to chart our itinerary and get
us to the places / people we wanted to see. After serving as one of the speakers for the
Maritimes Christian Fellowship in Berwick, N.S., we took off in a leased van and did
"bed and breakfast" across much of Nova Scotia. We crossed the Northumberlin
Straits on a ferry to Prince Fdward Island where we delighted in cool weather, historic
places, and interesting people. We were in the homes of dear sisters and brothers in both
provinces, some of whom have been readers of ours for many years. We visited Maritimes
Christian College in Charlottetown, P.E.I. Of special interest were some of our oldest
churches, including Crossroads Christian Church in Nova Scotia, which was founded in 1810,
a year before Campbell's Brush Run church in the U.S. But Ouida may have most enjoyed
Green Gables in historic Cavendish, P.E.I., even in the rain. In your travels don't
neglect "Atlantic Canada," as they call it, some of which, to my surprise, is
south of parts of the U.S.
I recently did a hurried "one
night stand" with the First Street Church of Christ in Dumas, Tx. as part of their
summer series on hope. I spoke on "In Hope of God's Tomorrow," which was
well-received. A new church for me, I met some beautiful sisters and brothers, including
Art and Judy Lynch, in whose home I stayed. Art is the pulpit minister and Judy is a
counsellor. Winners they.
For six Wednesday evenings during
the summer I did a series on our heritage at the Buckingham Rd. Church of Christ in
Garland, Tx. (Dallas metroplex). They had previously studied the Protestant Reformation.
One indication that they had not had too much history is that they purchased 28
copies of my history book!
The late Norvel Young's Living Lights, Shining Stars is partly autobiographical,
partly testimonial. He shares his tragedies and triumphs as he reveals his 10 secrets for
becoming a shining star. $17 postpaid.
James S. Woodroof's The Church in
Transition deals with changes that are or should be taking place in Churces of Christ.
It is a hard-bitting, biblical approach, both sympathetic and responsible. $9 post-paid.
Hearing God's Word: My Life with
Scripture in the Churches of Christ by Tom Olbricht has received impressive reviews.
It is historical, autobiographical, anecdotal, and hermeneutical all in one. An engaging
critique of one's man life in Churches of Christ. $13 postpaid.
The 12-volume set of The Works of
Carl Ketcherside is now published and is selling well. We offer it at the
discount price of $185 postpaid. This is a handsome, matching, hardcover set, containing
most of Carl's published works, including Mission Messenger. Ideal for a gift or for
church library.
We continue to get good responses to
The Stone- Campbell Movement by Leroy Garrett. It is written for the rank and file,
and they are reading it. It tells how two unity movements united only eventually to divide
into three more churches. We believe you too will appreciate the story it tells. $25 postpaid.
We now have only 58 copies of bound
volumes of Restoration Review, in four volumes (1985-92), with 400 pages in each
volume. $55. Individual volumes, $15. Prices postpaid. Loose copies of Restoration
Review at near give-away price of 25 copies for $5, postpaid, while they last.