No. 33, October 1998

 

DID WE BEGIN AT PENTECOST OR IN STONE-CAMPBELL?

 

            At one of our congregations in Dallas recently I made the point that Churches of Christ, unlike most other U.S. churches, are American made and American born. We are among what Paul K. Conkin, historian at Vanderbilt, calls “American Originals.” While most all other churches in the U.S. were transplanted from Europe, we had our origin on the American frontier.

 

            Afterwards an intelligent brother came to me and complained in a friendly way, “You really blew my mind tonight about Churches of Christ being American made, for I thought we began on Pentecost!” While we were able to laugh about it, I went on to explain that it isn’t either/or but both/and. Our roots go back to Pentecost and to the American frontier.

 

            Did Churches of Christ begin at Pentecost or in the Stone/Campbell Restoration Movement? Yes!

 

            We may now find it amusing that some of our church buildings, erected back in the 20s and 30s, had engraved on their cornerstone: “Church of Christ, Founded 33 A.D.” While that sounds naive at its best and sectarian at its worst, it is a claim that has virtue. The Church of Christ was founded on Pentecost some 2,000 years ago, depending on what one means by “Church of Christ.”

 

            When Leroy Brownlowe in his book Why I Am A Member of the Church of Christ? says he is a member of the Church of Christ because that is the only church founded by Christ, he is stating a truth. Christ did found but one church, and it may be properly called the Church of Christ.

 

            When Thomas Campbell wrote in his “Declaration and Address” that “The Church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one” he did not yet have his first congregation at Brush Run that bore that name. Yet he wrote of “the Church of Christ on earth” as a present reality. He was clearly being ecumenical and catholic in that he was referring to the church universal. That Church of Christ, he wrote, “consists of all those everywhere who profess their faith in Christ and obey him in all things according to the Scriptures.”

 

            Perhaps Brownlowe was referring to less than the Body of Christ at large when he wrote of “the Church of Christ” that he belonged to, and it may be that our cornerstones were referring to only a small part of the church universal. But they could use such language properly and biblically.

 

            What is important for us to see is that we share our Pentecost origins with all Christians. Therein we find our true unity. It was on Pentecost that the Church of Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit, and this is what made it the one Body of Christ. That is what makes us one today, accepting unity as the gift of the Spirit. All those infused by that Spirit are one in Christ, wherever they are. That is our common heritage in Pentecost.

 

            We must recognize that much has happened since Pentecost, and it was not all good. The only church there was eventually became largely apostate and decadent, which called for repeated efforts of reform over a long period of time. Then came the Protestant Reformation, which failed in its effort to reform the church from within.

 

            There were eventually three reforming persuasions that broke with what had become the Roman Catholic Church: Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican. A fourth influence was the Radical Reformation, which believed the reformers had not gone far enough. This gave us the Anabaptists and their heirs.

 

            All modem Protestant churches grew out of one of these three or four traditions. This means that while we all who claim to be Christian have roots in Pentecost, we have more recent origin in the Protestant Reformation. Churches of Christ, for the most part, grew out of the Reformed (Presbyterian) tradition. Most of our founding pioneers were Presbyterians who were seeking to reform the church.

 

            Those pioneers launched what we can now call the Stone-Campbell Movement to unite the Christians in all the sects. They believed that a restoration of New Testament Christianity would bring an end to sectarianism and denominationalism, and there would once again be one, united church. They had no intention of starting still another denomination. However well-intentioned they were, the movement they launched eventually divided into three separate churches: Disciples of Christ, Churches of Christ, Christian Churches.

 

            The facts impel us to recognize who we are. We cannot ignore 2,000 years of history. Yes, of course, we can claim Pentecost or first-century origins, along with all other Christians, but we are playing a hurtful game to presume that that is the whole story.

 

            There came a time in history when Churches of Christ came into existence as a separate church with its own unique identity. We become more authentic, not less so, when we come to terms with our own distinct heritage, which happens to have much that is commendable.

 

            When we divest ourselves of our antihistorical posture and come to terms with how we came to be who we are, we will position ourselves for a more effective witness to the church at large. In Pentecost we share common roots with all Christians. In Stone-Campbell we share what is unique in our own peculiar history.

 

            Ideally, we want to become more catholic (universal) and less unique. The less unique we are the more we will have in common with the church at large. For example, if we are mostly white, American/Western, middle class, affluent we are not as catholic as we would be if we were made up of all nations, races, classes, tongues. And if we have such unique traits as being “non-instrumental music,” a practice that cannot be identified with the church at large, we certainly must not make that unique trait a test of faithfulness to Christ.

 

            This means that our secondary heritage in Stone-Campbell should always yield to our primary heritage in Pentecost and the New Testament. Our secondary heritage should serve to point us to our biblical heritage. It is likely that we will find more meaning in our New Testament origins when we come to terms with our secondary origins. It is true of all churches.

 

            To suppose otherwise is to conclude that God has nothing to teach us in 2,000 years of history. Or as Prof. George Santayana of Harvard put it, those who ignore their history have to repeat its mistakes. We made too many mistakes to do that! – Leroy

 

 

 

ON HAVING TO HAVE IT OUR WAY

 

        Let each of us please his neighbor, for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please himself. – Rom. 15:2-3

 

            It would qualify as a rule for the living of these days: We don‘t have to have it our way. As with our Lord, we could think of pleasing others more than ourselves.

 

            But few see it that way. The vast majority live it the way Frank Sinatra sang it, I Did It My Way. And what havoc it has wrought in terms of human misery! It is evident in churches as well as in families, businesses, politics, international relations. The human race is spoiled, especially those who live in affluence. It might be called selfishness or narcissism. Jesus called it greed. We are God’s “self-willed” children.

 

            Greed or self-will has devastated more churches than false doctrine ever did. The “squeaky wheels” are always there, insisting it be done their way – or that it not be done since it is not their way! The more peaceful ones remain quiet and the leaders back off, and so it isn’t done.

 

            “Squeaky wheels” always have their prooftexts, but Philip. 2:4 isn’t one of them: “Let each of you look out – not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

 

            If by chance it is done, the dissenters walk out and start another church – a “loyal church” of course. It has to be their way. That is why the new church is soon in trouble, and soon there is still another division.

 

            Greedy self-will penetrates all of society. The inexcusable carnage on our highways is largely due to drivers that have to have it their way. YIELD not only makes an appropriate traffic sign but a rule for all of life. Paul’s rule in Philip. 4:5 is to the point: “Let your yieldingness be known to all men.”

 

            This story is told for true. It happened in my own city of Denton, Tx. A woman driver, confused for the moment, made a wrong move, getting in a man’s way. The man gave her “the finger” as they passed each other. A driver following saw all this and decided to follow the man to his home and on up into his driveway behind him.

 

            But he approached the man with utmost gentleness. “I want to meet you, sir,” he said quietly, offering his hand. He went on to say, “I noticed what you did to that poor lady back there, and I wondered what kind of a man would do that.” The man colored, and in his embarrassment said nothing. “This is your home, right? And you have a wife and children?” He then slowly walked away, leaving the stunned man momentarily glued to his driveway.

 

            We may give “the finger” more than we realize in our demand to have it our way, even if in more acceptable ways. In church we shoot our own wounded. In politics we destroy reputations. At work and at school we are often insensitive to the feelings of others. We are sometimes rude to our wife and children. When life is over we can sing it with Sinatra, I did it my way.

 

            In Rev. 18 there is a grim picture of those who had to have it their way. “Fallen, fallen is Babylon,” the angel cries from heaven, for she had become a habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird. It was a sad time for those who witnessed Babylon’s fall.

 

            The nations were drunk with the wine of the wrath of her fornication. The kings of the earth had committed fornication with her. And the merchants had become rich through the abundance of Babylon’s luxury. They had all had it their way, but now it was all going up in smoke right before their eyes.

 

            Rev. 18:9 says they will weep and lament when they see the smoke of Babylon’s destruction. But the sad spectacle is that such ones were not weeping for others but only for themselves. The greedy and self-willed know nothing of compassion. As Babylon fell they shed tears of self-pity. How they will miss her riches, pleasure, and luxury!

 

            What a contrast we see in Jesus. He wept for others rather for himself. This is because he was not in the world to please himself or to have his own way. He always looked beyond himself to others. Even the Cross. He teaches us that we gain not by winning but by losing

 

            Are we in all our wilfulness truly his disciples? It is a sobering question. – Leroy

 

 

THE WILL OF GOD

 

        It is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. – Mt. 18: 14

 

            Our Lord refers to the will of God with greater caution than we often do. We are prone to explain tragedies and misfortunes with “It is God’s will,” whether an airline disaster or death by cancer. When a child is run down by a truck or dies of leukemia the parents are sometimes told that they must yield to God’s will.

 

            Virtually everything that goes wrong is blamed on God, whether earthquakes, wars, famine or pestilence. Even wicked rulers. It is all the will of God, we are told. Oftentimes the implication is that God is punishing people for their sins. The theology is as old as Job: the righteous prevail, the wicked suffer.

 

            Jesus did not see it that way. In Lk. 13: 1- 5 he refers to two tragedies, one natural and one man-made. A wicked ruler (Pilate) murders a number of Galileans, “mixing their blood with their sacrifices.” Jesus uses the story to teach a lesson we are slow to learn: there is no necessary connection between sin and suffering; those whom Pilate murdered were no greater sinners than the rest of the Galileans.

 

            The other tragedy was when a tower in Jerusalem fell on 18 people and killed them. The Lord assured his hearers that those on whom the tower fell deserved to die no more than than all the others in Jerusalem.

 

            It was in this context that Jesus told the people, “I tell you, no, that unless you repent you shall all likewise perish.” He said this after each of the stories. The “no” told them they weren’t thinking right. They were not secure because Pilate had not killed them or a tower had not fallen on them. They too were doomed to perish if they did not repent.

 

            Is not our Lord saying that it was Pilate that murdered the Galileans, not God; and it was a freak of nature, a falling building, perhaps a human error, that killed 18 people, not God?

 

            We may be too quick to judge such things as “an act of God.” And when someone “miraculously” survives a massive tragedy, it is a temptation to conclude that God must have a special destiny for him or her. Do we really mean it was God’s will that 168 perish in an airline crash and that one survive?

 

            When an airplane crashes we might blame it on pilot error, mechanical failure, or the weather, but not on God. God had nothing to do with it, and he is grieved even more than we are. Most of the bad things that happen are our own making. Even falling planes and falling buildings may be our fault. And when “natural” tragedies occur, events outside human control, such as hurricanes, we may misjudge to see them as “the will of God.”

 

            Jesus sets forth a beautiful truth in Mt. 18: 14: “It is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” He is talking about us all, all of humankind, and it relates to the welfare of all people, in this life and the life to come. God never wants us to perish (period)!

 

            That should always be our answer in the face of tragedy, whether war in Bosnia, massacres in Kosovo, or a famine in Ethiopia. It is not the will of our Father who is in heaven! Moreover, he has called us to be light amidst the darkness, peacemakers amidst all the violence.

 

            We might better understand “the will of God” when we realize it can be used in different senses. Some theologians distinguish between the intentional or purposive will of God, the circumstantial or permissive will of God, and the ultimate or final will of God.

 

            Intentional will of God – God’s ideal plan/purpose for us all.

 

            Circumstantial will of God – God’s provisional plan, or Plan B when Plan A (what he intended) goes awry. It does seem that God’s purposes are sometimes obstructed by human perfidy

 

            Ultimate will of God – God’s final victory and realization of his purposes.

 

            It may have been God’s permissive will for Paul to have a thorn in the flesh, but not his intentional will. Paul says Satan gave it to him, but God permitted it, and he used it for the apostle’s good. So, in that circumstance God’s will changed, allowing what he had not intended. And in any event the ultimate will of God will be realized in that Paul will at last be all that God intended.

 

            So with you. God did not will that you lose your job, suffer disgrace, go through a divorce, be homosexual, have diabetes, or lose a dear friend. God’s intentional will for you would not include any of these. But in the kind of world God has set in order, which includes our own free agency, all these bad things and much more occur.

 

            But in all such circumstances God is at work – working in all things for our good. His intentional will may give way to his provisional will, radically changing a person’s life. The founder of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers started that very effective organization only when she lost a child to a drunk driver.

 

            Many a person has been driven to ennobling endeavors after suffering some grievous tragedy. God uses the circum-stance of tragedy, which he himself did not cause, to bring us up higher. This of course calls for a faithful response on our part. Tragedy destroys many when they refuse to see what God can do for them in that circumstance.

 

            What really matters in reference to the will of God is that in the end God wins. That he is the sovereign Lord means that however permissive he may be in a world like ours in the end his eternal purposes will be realized. – Leroy

 

Between Us . . .

 

            I’m enjoying a new book by Paul Conkin, professor of history at Vanderbilt, titled American Originals: Homemade Varieties of Christianity.. He has an extended chapter on “Restoration Christianity,” which is an incisive treatment of Stone-Campbell beginnings and the three churches it produced. Among his interesting remarks about us: “Churches of Christ have had difficulty relating grace and God’s initiative in salvation with their step-by-step, legalistic approach.” Other American-born churches he discusses are Unitarians, Universalists, Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Christian Science, Unity, Holiness, Pentecostal. This objective, gloves-off analysis by an outsider enables all these religions to see themselves as others see them, which can sometimes be painful. The author is fair but hard-hitting. Highly recommended. $21 postpaid.

 

            An new set of study guides by John Stott, eminent British scholar, is available at $6 each or the set of eight for $42, postpaid. They are Seeing the Spirit At Work (Acts), Developing Spiritual Character (The Beatitudes), Building Community in Christ (Ephesians), Experiencing the Grace of Christ (Galatians), Experiencing the Gospel’s Power (Romans), Living in End Times (I & 2 Thess.), Fighting the Good Fight (I Tim & Titus), Standing Firm in Truth (2 Tim.). This is good stuff, ideal for personal study and for those who teach.

 

            Those who read Norvel Young’s Living Lights, Shining Stars are impressed with its spiritual depth and homespun common sense. He draws on numerous national and world leaders to show how we can be lights and stars. $17 postpaid.

 

            We now have only four bound volumes of Restoration Review, 1985-92 (less than 50 altogether). They are $15 each or $55 for all four, postpaid. These are hardbound, matching volumes, with dust jackets, prefaces, and table of contents.

 

            Tom Olbricht’s Hearing God’s Word: My Life With Scripture in Churches of Christ is both history and autobiography. A preacher/ professor reveals in a sympathetic, constructive way what happened to him among us. $13 postpaid.

 

            James Woodroof’s The Church In Transition is a similar kind of book but hard-hitting. He makes it clear that Churches of Christ are in transition and should be. $9 postpaid.

 

            Fire and Sword by Roy Key is also about one’s life in Churches of Christ. In mid-career Roy left us and went to Disciples of Christ. But he says if it had been today he would not have had to leave. A heart-wrenching account of how we shoot our own wounded. $10 postpaid.

 

            We are pleased when folk read my The Stone-Campbell Movement: The Story of the American Restoration Movement, Revised and Expanded, for we believe it is true to what really happened, and that includes some surprises. It runs 573 pages, lots of history for $25 postpaid. Consider one as a gift to a young minister.

 

            We want to pass along our loose copies of Restoration Review, so we offer them at little above price of postage while they last. 25 copies for $5, or we’ll send you one of all we have (approx. 75) for $10. Ideal for passing along.

 

            Distant Voices by Leonard Allen is in my opinion one of the best books published by Churches of Christ. Its sub-title reveals its message: “Discovering a Forgotten Past for a Changing Churches.” Including women preachers and consummate liberals! The chapter on T. B. Larimore (“How to Deal with Division”) is more than worth the price of the book at $13 postpaid.

 

            INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH. We hope you will encourage your congregation to join an estimated 100,000 churches around the world that will participate in a day of prayer for our persecuted sisters and brothers in some 60 nations who still maltreat Christians, and only because they are Christians. The day is Sunday, Nov. 15. It would be appropriate to inform the people of the nature and prevalence of such persecution, and then pray for them. Let us also pray privately. In Sudan Christians are enslaved, in Iran they are murdered, in Cuba they are imprisoned, in China they are beaten to death. 200 million believers around the world live in daily fear that they might be arrested because of their faith. More believers suffer for their faith today that at any other time in Christian history.

 

            If you want to be further informed, read Paul Marshall’s Their Blood Cries Out which we can send you for $14 postpaid.