A UNITY PRESENTATION
Roger Woodward

This is going to be a plea for openness, unity, and heart searching Bible study. I certainly have no desire to condemn, ridicule, or embarrass anyone. God forbid that either by word or tone of voice I should convey any impression of feeling superior to anyone. I have been asked to explain what I believe about the word of God, and this I am most glad to do. I have made a big and wonderful change in my understanding of this grand book we call the Bible

I've been in the mainline Church of Christ all my life. I've converted Catholics, Christian Church, Baptists, and Nazarenes to our fellowship. I've served as an elder and have taught many, many classes. So, I know Church of Christ teachings and thinking frontwards and backwards, and I have defended them all. About six years ago I began to really question division in the Church of Christ (of which there are about thirty). I also decided that, to be intellectually honest, I had to re-examine everything I believed.

I inherited an old religious library that included the Millennial Harbinger by Alexander Campbell, works of Barton W. Stone, and many others. The Restoration fathers were tolerant of all who named Jesus as Lord, and I only tolerated those who understood the New Testament as I did. The Restoration fathers moved among all denominations calling for unity. Not me; I had walled myself in and did not dare move among my friends in denominations. The Restoration fathers operated on love for acceptance, and I operated on conformity for acceptance.

I was shocked when I learned about Daniel Sommer and the Sand Creek, Illinois "Address and Declaration" on August 18, 1889 that served, more or less, as a formal withdrawal of fellowship and of calling anyone a brother who did not agree with them on choirs, missionary societies, instrumental music, etc. I've always argued that we were not Campbellites but, until I read this, I did not know that our group of the Church of Christ was Sommerites.

I read a new book entitled I Just Want To Be A Christian, and I thought, "Why can't we see simple Christianity alike?" Last year at the OCC Lectureship I picked up a book entitled Re-Digging The Wells and was given a copy of ONE BODY, a tabloid dedicated to unity. In October, 1985, I received a copy of Free In Christ, written by a retired preacher. These books opened up my thinking for a greater desire to have unity. This was followed in January, 1986 by the most scholarly study of the covenants I have ever read. It was titled That The World May Believe. This book was the key that made me see that I had misused the scriptures. Believe me, it's not easy to admit that you've been wrong and misunderstood the scriptures all of your life. As a result, though, I can now enjoy anyone who names Jesus, and I can tolerate and consider the thinking of others, even though I may not agree with their understanding.

How prevalent is this thinking? I can't speak for these men or say exactly what they believe, but I understand that Rubel Shelly, after study, changed overnight and Reuel Lemmons has been writing and proposing this thinking in Image Magazine for one and one-half years. Richard Rogers made the statement to me that I should disregard anything of his that is over three years old because he has changed completely his way of approaching the Word. I deceived my father to get him even to consider this because he was so prejudiced. He has been a Christian for sixty years and fought this way of thinking with all his vigor for months until he finally saw the simple truth I am about to share with you. I have never seen my father as excited about the Lord and His Word as I have in the last four months. His excitement is as though he had just found the Pearl of Great Price. Jesus is all he wants to talk about. I could go on with names too numerous to mention.

So, you ask, "How have you changed in your understanding of the Word?" First, we have to realize that the words testament and covenant are the same. When we say Old Testament or New Testament, we could just as easily say Old Covenant or New Covenant. The first thirty-nine books of the book we call the Bible are not the Old Testament; however, the Old Testament is recorded there. And the twenty-seven books we call the New Testament are not the New Testament; however, Luke recorded for us the giving of the New Testament thirty to forty years after it was given by God.

Let's look at what the Old Testament was. Deuteronomy 4:13 says it's the Ten Commandments written in stone. The old scriptures following the giving of the testament at Mount Sinai tell how God's people related to the testament. God said through Jeremiah (Jer. 31:31 f) he would change the testament.

The New Testament was not a written code; neither was it chiseled or printed. The New Testament was written on the heart (inward parts). The New Testament is not enshrined in a book, but within the spirit of man. The New Testament was complete when given on the day of Pentecost.

With the giving of the New Testament, or Covenant, Jesus did not confine us with another law. He did not build another fence. He did not provide another yoke of bondage. Instead, he set us free. He freed us, not only from the law given by Moses, but the law principle that was helpless because of the flesh.

The new scriptures, apostolic letters, were written years later. Many Christians lived and died and never saw what we call the New Testament. In fact, many never saw a Bible until the 15th Century when the printing press was invented. The twenty-seven letters are not the New Testament. They are the apostles' letters written to testament people on how to conduct themselves in relation to the New Testament (2 Cor. 3:3-6).

Here is a quotation from a religious historian, Dr. Leroy Garrett:

Thank God that He did not give a book to save the world, but He gave himself in the form of a Person. That Person is the ground of our faith, the basis of our unity, and the source of our hope. There is a book, a glorious revelation, that tells us of that Person. But it is the wonderful Person of the Bible rather than the Bible itself that unites us. That Book is like a map or a telescope by which or through which we see the Christ. We tragically err when we lose Christ in the Book, allowing some set of 'faithful doctrines,' which are often only the opinions of some sect, to eclipse the very one the Bible was intended to reveal.

Because we use the letters of the apostles as letters of law like the testament of law, we are the authors of division. Robert Richardson wrote: "Many seem to have lost sight of the obvious distinction which is to be made between the Bible and the Gospel. It should never be forgotten that the Apostles and first preachers of the gospel had no Bibles, and not even a New Testament to distribute; and that there was no such thing among the early Christians as a formal union upon the 'Bible alone.' Nay, rather it was a union upon the 'gospel alone.' " (Millennial Harbinger, 1847, p. 508f)

I accept the Gospel as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. My faith is in him alone. It's Jesus I praise, honor, love, and hold up as both Lord and Christ. He alone is my righteousness, for I have none of my own.

I do not plead that my brethren accept instrumental music, premillennialism, orphans homes, classes, cups, or colleges. I simply plead that they quit playing God and accept all of God's children as their brothers.

There is a revolution going on, a new awakening about unity in Christ, and I want to be a part of it. Brethren, we need a united church for a divided world. Speaking for myself, I want to be a peace maker, and not a piece maker; so I intend to devote the rest of my life to this godly task.

(This is a condensed version, prepared by Cecil Hook, of an extended presentation by Roger Woodward to his own congregation, the Garriott Rd Church of Christ in Enid, Ok., which eventually culminated in his separation from said church. Roger has a long and faithful history in the Church of Christ. If you want a free copy of the entire presentation, write to him at 1234 5. Hayes, Enid OK 73703 — Ed.)