The Hope of the Believer . . .

UNITED IN CHRIST, DIVIDED AS CHURCHES 

We, being many, are one body in Christ. - Rom. 12:5

Back in 1954 when the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches met in Evanston it chose the theme "Our Oneness in Christ, Our Disunity As Churches." It pointed to the fact stated in Rom. 12:5 that those who are Christians are one body in Christ, and yet they acknowledged that as they met as representatives of churches they were divided. United in Christ but divided as churches!

When it is put this way, one can appreciate what C. C. Morrison, founding editor of the Christian Century, said in response: If we are united in one body but divided as churches, then let us do away with the churches, and then we will be united and not divided. He was saying that we can do away with denominations, which stand as monuments of our divisions, and be left only with the Body of Christ, of which we are all "severally members one of another."

He was not being as naive and impractical as might appear. Traditions would continue even after the denominations were laid to rest, whether Lutheran, Calvinistic, or Anglican, so long as they were not imposed as conditions of fellowship and acceptance. Agencies, whether missionary or educational, would continue their work, but they would serve and be supported by the church at large, the only church there would be.

While it would be easier for congregations to merge, and there would be some of this, by and large they would continue meeting where they are now and would carry on the work they now do, though there would be much more cooperation. But they would no longer assemble as Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, Lutheran, etc., etc. churches. They would drop all such names, rejecting them as divisive.

The Hillcrest Baptist Church or the Riverside Church of Christ in a given city would become something like the Hillcrest Chapel and the Riverside Assembly, or, since a church building is obviously what it is, it would only be necessary to have a sign giving the time of services. It would not be any denomination, only one more assembly of the Body of Christ. It might follow a tradition somewhat different from other assemblies and the doctrine taught might vary some, but it would not be a separate church or denomination. People would continue to have their preferences, but they would not be divided into denominations. There would be only the one, universal church. There would be a common membership in that one could move from one congregation to another and be accepted simply on the basis of being a Christian. We could also move toward a common ministry even though this might require more time, traditional preferences being what they are.  

We might still differ on things like the Lord's supper and baptism, so each congregation would follow its own preference and tradition. These are differences that we could tolerate for the sake of unity, but no one would be expected to violate his or her conscience, and each congregation would practice and bear witness to what it believed. We would be united upon the basis of loyalty to Jesus Christ, allowing each person to follow Christ according to the understanding he has at the moment.

Some will say it is unrealistic to think in terms of the churches quit being churches. But if this is where we are divided, as the World Council concedes, we should call for an end to all churches, however unrealistic it may be. We must find the answer to our endless divisions which stand as an obstruction to our Lord's prayer for the unity of his people. If doing away with the denominations is the answer, let's recognize it and move in that direction, however long it may take.

It was this spirit of selflessness that gave rise to our heritage as Churches of Christ/Christian Churches. When Barton W. Stone caught the vision of the unity of all believers, he realized that any sectarian body is a hindrance to that unity. He consequently resolved to do away with the little sect he had created and called the Springfield Presbytery. It was dissolved by a resolution of heart and a stroke of the pen. "Let this body die, and sink into union with the Body of Christ at large," he wrote. And it was done. Stone's labors may have eventually led to the formation of still another denomination, but that was not his intention. He had the right idea for bringing an end to divisions — do away with all the sects!

It will never happen, you may say. Not by our own power, no, but we must prepare ourselves in heart and mind to be used as instruments of God's power. The first step is for us to really have a passion for unity and to desire it more than we desire the existence of our own church. What might happen if many of us began to pray "Lord, let our own denomination die and become apart of the Body of Christ at large if this is what it takes for your people to be one"?

That is the real test as to whether we really believe in unity: Are we willing to say "Let this body die," and watch our denomination become a part of history? We would no longer be Baptists, Roman Catholics, or members of the Christian Church, but simply believers, followers of Jesus Christ together. "We, being many, are one body in Christ." That is all we would be! It is all we need to be! And when we are that and only that we cannot help being one in Christ! It is as churches that we are divided.

If we make this the desire of our hearts, it can happen in God's own time and in God's own way. — the Editor