OUR CHANGING WORLD

 

Joe Shulam is a Jewish brother presently visiting from Jerusalem, where he hopes to build a school for believing Jews. He had the unique experience of being tried for heresy by a rabbinical court, the charge being that he believed Jesus to be the Messiah. His defense must have been something else, for he was acquitted when he pointed out that even on ground of Jewish tradition there is nothing inconsistent in accepting Jesus as the Messiah. He reminded the old rabbis that the most respected rabbi of all, Rabbi Akiva, believed that old Bar Kochba (c. 200 A.D.) was the Messiah. Akiva was proved to be wrong, but still he was not excommunicated. So Joe is within his rights, even as a Jew, to believe Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messiah. Standing by his position as a faithful Jew who accepts Jesus, rather than a “Christian” or as one who has left the faith, there isn’t much they can do with him. But he surely must be the most unique “Church of Christ member” in the world, if that’s what he is. He is supported by a Nashville church, and that is encouraging.

In Manhattan, Kansas they are having a “Bethany Breakfast” once a month, which brings folk together from Disciples, Christian Churches, and Churches of Christ. They report that respect and understanding are early fruits of this effort, and that they enjoy breakfast together. It is this kind of grassroots crossing of lines that will make the difference in the long pull.

Some 65 preachers and professors, Baptists and Church of Christ, gathered in Houston to hear Dr. George Beasley-Murray, the British scholar who has published some good stuff on baptism. While defending “believer’s baptism,” he thinks it uncharitable to reject other modes. There were eight Ph.D.’s there from the Church of Christ, one of whom asked the doctor as to how he managed to state his convictions without fear of contradicting his own tradition. He replied that he did so by standing under the Bible rather than on it. The question is an appropriate one for all scholars, including those that teach in “our” schools!

A brother in a Church of Christ in Dallas sent us a copy of a letter he sent to the elders of his congregation requesting that the budget reflect a concern for the unity of the church. He explained that, while contributing some of his funds to the congregation, he felt a need to direct some of the Lord’s money to efforts that strive to fulfill the Lord’s prayer for the oneness of his people. He suggested that one important thing to do is to encourage saints to gather in prayer for the unity of the church.

Our brother, Jack Gilbert, writing in the Gospel Guardian defines a gospel preacher as one “who draws a circle around those things and declares that things outside the circle, i.e., sprinkling, mechanical instruments and sponsoring churches, are wrong and will lead straight to Hell.”

The Christian Appeal, published in Amarillo, recently had a special issue on “Why Be Baptized?” Writers set forth nine different reasons, or blessings involved, for being immersed. No suggestion was made that one has to have knowledge of these in order for the baptism to be valid. They wrote as if only faith and repentance were conditions, not knowledge.

A church in St. Louis (Lemay Ferry Road) has “with-drawn fellowship” from two well-known preachers, Stan Shipp and Landon Saunders, who were not even members of their congregation, Landon even living in a distant state! One charge against Stan was that he allowed sisters to talk to their Father along with their brothers (except that they didn’t put it that way!) But what should interest us in this case is an eldership’s assumed prerogatives over souls committed to the care of other shepherds. Stan and Landon should request data from said congregation as to when they were accepted into the fellowship of that church. How can elders withdraw from folk they’ve never received?