OUR CHANGING WORLD

 

Sometime back the College Church of Christ in Victoria, Texas issued a statement on the kind of preacher they were then looking for. First on their list of qualifications is that he should be one who seeks to build the congregation “from among the unchurched, not from denominational groups or other Churches of Christ.” Second in rank is that he should have an understanding of grace as the power that saves. They also ask that the man believe in and teach the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and that he value the unity of believers above dogmatism and doctrine. As for his pulpit ministry, they ask that he be Bible-oriented and have a balance between Old and New Testaments, and they want him to have a positive attitude toward their religious neighbors. This is a non-instrument, main-line Church of Christ deep in the heart of Texas, and you can be assured that this is the new direction that our churches will be taking, and it may not be as long in coming as some think.

The ministry of the Alpine Hills Church of Christ in Mobile is a different story, for their Restoration Leadership Ministry, designed to convert preachers from “the denominations,” now employs five men. The elders report in eight years that 100 such preachers have become “simply New Testament Christians and gospel preachers.” But a substantial number of these are from independent Christian Churches who were already “Christians only.” Their January newsletter tells of one more conversion, and again the one being “reached” is from the Christian Church. A brother in South Dakota sent us the news item and wrote in the margin: ‘’‘Is this Christian unity? Must we all ‘be reached’ by the acappella persuasion before there can be Christian unity? The Alpine Hills elders might answer that one for us. But one thing I know, this notion that one finds “the truth” in leaving one party and joining another one is only so much game-playing. There simply is not that much difference between the “Christian Church” and the “Church of Christ,” and besides the God of heaven does not recognize such sects anyhow. There is only one church and that is the Body of Christ, and all of us who are in Jesus are in that church, and we do not have to go anywhere to have “the truth” that is in Christ Jesus. We should be ashamed of ourselves when we seek to “reach” one who is already a Christian and urge him to move from one “fellowship” to another “fellowship.” It reeks of sectarianism! If it is a better job, or any job at all, that these preachers are after, which has been apparent enough in some cases, would it not be more honest to say so? What the Lord must think of the games we play!

The Southwest Church in Dallas, even though they are “our” folk, wear only that mode of identification, whether on signboard, bulletin, or letterhead. They are simply the church meeting at 2760 Emmett. Why is this so rare for people who claim to be undenominational? If we are serious about that claim, why do we hold so tenaciously to a denominational name, using Church of Christ exclusively? We are even impatient with those who “steal” our name, as we suppose some Christian Churches do. If we are simply the church of the New Testament, why not do as they do at Southwest? Are we afraid that folk may not recognize us for what we really are?

The Central Church of Christ in St. Louis recently issued this statement about the rights of women in its bulletin: “I’m sick and tired of all this senseless talk about the role of the female, the role of the male, equal but different, different but unique, ad nauseum. Let’s come on out with it. Women are equal, top quality, A-1 members of the human race, United States of America and Church of Christ with ALL the rights and privileges accorded to thereof and forthwith. We need women in government, education, business, and most of all in the stale confines of the Church of Christ business meetings where the menfolk have just about run out of ideas on how to fight sin and watch the Super Bowl at the same time.”