AVOIDING THE DITCHES

The highway of holiness has dangerous ditches on both right and left hand sides. Whether we wreck on one side or the other is of little consequence. 

The results are fatal in either case.  Moses warned Israel, "Ye shall walk in all the way which Jehovah your God hath commanded you, Ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left" (Deut. 5:32). From the earliest ages, God's people have been plagued with the extremes of liberalism and legalism. The great challenge of every Christian and congregation is to maintain a balanced position between these two perversions of God's way.

What is Legalism?  Legalism is an unwholesome attitude toward religion.  It is a blind zeal for law with no thought for the spirit or intent of it. Paul was a minister of the "new covenant, not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" (II Cor. 3:6).  Legalists have a greater concern for rules than for people.   When Jesus healed the poor invalid at Bethesda, the legalistic Jews showed no sympathy for the man.

Rather, they persecuted Jesus because he broke their uninspired rules about Sabbath keeping in so doing (John 5:1-18). He reminded them that, "the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath..." (Mark 2:27). Legalists worship the law more than the Lawgiver.  Traditions are gradually elevated to equality with God's law in the legalistic mind.  A legalist is obsessed with details and numerous insignificant matters, while casually overlooking serious matters of major importance.  Pharisees who were legalists, were scrupulous to tithe even their garden herbs; mint, anise, and cumin.  Yet they had little interest in weightier matters of the law such as justice, mercy and faith (Matt. 23:23). They majored in minors while minoring in major things. With the legalist, there is always the disposition to make additional rules to reinforce what they perceive to be God's law. 

The Pharisees of Jesus' day were classic legalists.  They bound heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and laid them on men's shoulders; but they themselves would "not move them with their finders" (Mat. 23:4). James tells us that "One only is the lawgiver and judge, even he who is able to save and destroy" (4:12). When man sets himself up to criticize and judge his brother, he has ceased to be a doer of the law and is condemned.

What is Liberalism?  It too is a mistaken attitude toward Christianity.  The liberal has a low view of Scripture. More extreme liberals deny the miraculous element of the Bible. They question the full, complete inspiration of God's Word.  Especially do thy reject the Bible as the final authority in religious matters.  In liberalism there is always a willingness to place human wisdom above the revealed wisdom of God. Liberals feel that they can select the portions of the Bible which they choose to accept and follow. We are describing a frame of mind that does not feel obligated to do all that God says to do.  We definitely have an element of liberalism in the Lord's  church today. It is a movement away from doctrinal preaching.  It substitutes subjectivism for objective Biblical authority. It shows a willingness to fellowship denominations.  It compromises truth with error. It is unhappy with simple New Testament worship. This spirit has always found fertile ground in Christian Universities. The Sadducees of Christ's day were liberals.
  
The departure of our "non-institutional" brethren in the 50s did not end our problem with legalism.  From then till now we have had a small but noisy band of "ultraconservative" brethren who have carried on a belligerent agitation against all who would not heel to their demands. Lacking a significant organ of communication and champions who commanded wide respect, they have not succeeded in forging their own independent fellowship, though for years many have tried to do so.  Like a thorn in the foot, this legalistic element have imposed a decided limp on our brotherhood.

Today while we endure the legalism on the right, we are faced with a much greater threat from a wave of liberalism on the left.  This assault is originating primarily from those associated with our Christian Universities and their proteges.  Most of them are men with high educational credentials and a following among the young adults of our churches and schools.  There are having marked success in many of our large city churches that have younger memberships. 

While few of these "liberal teachers" would openly question the miraculous events of the Bible, or the inspiration of the Word, by their words and deeds they demonstrate that they do not respect the authority of the Bible in regulating the faith and practice of the church.

They are working to broaden our fellowship to include that of denominational bodies. They especially chaff at having to sing without instruments, choirs and soloists.  They wish to move women into roles of public leadership.  They think they have found a new way of interpreting the Bible that will allow them to do all of this and still claim to be New Testament Christians. If they cannot capture and lead our brotherhood into their liberal camp their future will be with the Christian Churches and Disciples of Christ who have long trodden the same path. Either of the ditches described herein will wreck and destroy a congregation.  God's way is the Biblical way that stands between these two extremes. May God grant us wisdom to clearly see his way and the courage to walk therein. Only by so doing can Churches of Christ survive the current crisis.