OUR CHANGING WORLD

 

A three-page spread on “The Churches of Christ” appeared recently in the U.S. Catholic, written by William J. Whatlen, who seems to have found out all he needed to know about us. He is impressed that our numbers have increased fivefold since 1936 and that we have 200 congregations in the Philippines and 70 in Japan, all without a missionary society. He refers to our 65 publications, 18,000 congregations, 75 orphanages and homes for the aged, and the “Herald of Truth” with its $1,600,000 budget. Yet he calls us a sect and quotes one of our elders as admitting we are a denomination despite the disclaimers. He notes that the women’s liberation movement has passed us by, and that “the major trends in religion today swirl around the Church of Christ and leave it unmoved.” He recognizes that our people insist that we alone represent the Church of Christ as it existed in the first century, and his research turned up the fact that we do not honor as Christians even other believers who have been baptized by immersion. Then he nails us: “Small wonder that the Church of Christ’s contribution to unity does not seem apparent to other followers of Jesus.” He refers to Pat Boone as one of our few nationally known members, and as one disfellowshipped by his own people for his belief in glossolalia. He quotes only one living member by name, Norvel Young, to the effect that our churches are autonomous. He presents an accurate summary of the beginning of the Restoration Movement. And considering the facts he had at his disposal he writes with a stroke of charity, recognizing that the Lord works in mysterious ways, and so He may use even us in the quest for genuine unity among all Christians!

James L. Merrell, editor of The Disciple, notes in an editorial that no Disciples congregation has surrendered its freedom to a “denominational hierarchy” since the start of restructure in the early 1960’s, contrary to the fears circulated back in those days that they would. Each church continues to make its own decisions, he assures us. He refers to a new furore among Disciples, a kind of aftermath to the struggle over restructure, resulting from Resolution 60 passed at their last General Assembly. This was a “mutual recognition of members” resolution, which Merrell says put an old Campbellite slogan into fresh language. The resolution merely recognizes that Disciples are “Christians only” and not the only Christians, that they are only part of the Body of Christ at large. The editor insists that this is not an “open membership” policy for congregations, for each church is still free to accept members according to its own conviction, requiring immersion if it chooses.

C.B. radios are really the thing these days in Texas, with many Cars having one. And our church folk are right in the middle of it. The big deal is to tip each other as to where “Smokey” might be lurking, ready to pounce upon highway speeders. It strikes me as odd that Christians will join with worldlings in this way, arming themselves with the necessary electronic equipment to preempt law enforcement. If a Christian works his C.B. right, he might be able to speed all the way across Texas without “Smokey” bothering him, being tipped off every several miles by other Christians as to where the troopers are and are not, and maybe he won’t kill anybody in doing so. The deal right now is to keep the other guy from swiping yours. Dallas alone had 2,000 C.B.’s stolen in a single month, though I have no evidence that Christians are stealing from each other. I have a simple suggestion that might ease all the fuss: obey the law. That is the safe way to get along with “Smokey”, who really happens to be on our side. Otherwise you might have the experience of one C.B. enthusiast. He called ahead for a “Smokey report.” All clear’ came booming back. Moments later a trooper pulled him over for doing 80. If you do right, you don’t have to worry about whose over the hill —or whose on the phone! But the best C.B. story of all concerns one ot our ACC girls who lives here in Denton. Receiving a C.B. for Christmas, she tried it out on her return to Abilene. She got in between two trucks on that long west Texas stretch, and the drivers both entertained her and protected her all the way to Abilene. But what the truckers had no way of knowing is that it is in Abilene that one needs protection!

A letter from Krister Stendahl, dean at Harvard Divinity School, states that after a year’s leave of absence to his native Sweden that he is all the more eager “to work hard for bringing sharp thinking and tender care of souls together in one, or as the rabbi prayed, ‘that I do not use my reason against truth’.” That’s not a bad ideal for an editor, is it? Or a minister, a teacher, all of us. Krister also indicated that he planned to write an in-depth commentary on Romans during his sabbatical or at least get it underway, but his further study revealed to him that he didn’t know enough yet! This would sound strange to a lot of people I know, who can work up a sermon or knock off a book or write a commentary (or publish a journal!) without all that much concern about preparation.

In a recent issue of Photoplay Pat Boone has an article on “Why I Became a Jew.” His point is that he is a Jew by adoption through the Messiah. He believes that disciples of Jesus are heirs of the promise made to Abraham and are therefore the new Israel. He states that his entire family is enjoying the Jewish approach to the Christian faith. One of his daughters is now well versed in the Hebrew language, as is the man she married. It is significant to Pat that Jesus, whom he calls Yeshua more and more, came not to destroy the Jewish law but to fulfill it.

A sister down near the Mexican border decided that she would be happier with the Baptists than with the Church of Christ, where she has been all her life. But she refused to be re-immersed, which is usually the Baptist procedure. She was allowed to read a statement of her conversion and immersion experience in the Church of Christ. The pastor made mention of her “non-denominational” background. Setting a precedent for that church, she was accepted without being re-immersed. All Baptists coming to the Church of Christ, and all Church of Christ people going to the Baptists should refuse to be re-immersed since they have already been baptized into Christ. As of now, they insist on re-baptizing each other, just as if they were outside the Christian faith. A little self-assertion of one’s convictions will stop that nonsense.