OUR CHALLENGE

To win in our struggle against the liberal forces at work among us we must find a way to enlist every available man who shares our basic loyalties and is willing to stand strong.  Most folks can easily see the dangers of the extreme liberals or the radicals on the right.  Either camp is still relatively small in number. Between those extremes are several thousand congregations and preachers whom we must try to salvage and save. Large numbers of them are clearly tilted to the left and will likely go that way if we are not able to reach them with a clear and cordial message that will help them see the problem and inspired them to stick with the Book of God.

While the two extremes mentioned above have done their damage, our ability to hold the center has been greatly weakened, even crippled, by an unfortunate tendency to demand total agreement on every detail from our fellow-workers and an unwillingness to work together.  This attitude has been seen primarily among those who are the conservatives of the middle group. The tendency to attack rather than reason, to write up and write off those who don't see the details as we do has weakened our forces. It has also provided powerful ammunition for the liberals to use against us. By painting us as narrow, factious and hateful they have convinced many younger, weaker, more moderate brethren that they offer the only reasonable alternative

Is there any way we can arrive at a simple understanding of basic truths that must be mutually held if we are to be able to work together against a common foe, without writing a creedal statement?

The following items are being challenged by liberal brethren.  They are central to our being New Testament Christians and the church of the Bible.

If we are in agreement on these points how tolerant can be afford to be on other issues that occasionally arise?

	The verbal inspiration and thus inerrancy of the Bible.
	The full and final authority of the New Testament of Christ in the faith and practice oft the church.
	The ability of the common man to arrive at a correct understanding of the word of God.
	Belief in the nature and status of the contemporary Church of Christ of which we are members as the church which Christ purchased with his blood; that it is not a sect or denomination founded by humans?
	That denominationalism is unacceptable to Jehovah?
	The fact that the Lord's church is separate from the other religious bodies founded by men. Hence we can have no fellowship with them.
	Loyalty to the concept of restoring Christianity to its original faith and practice.
	Loyalty to the items and kind of worship set forth in the New Testament: Weekly communion, on the First Day as a memorial; Acappella music; Prayers; Offerings and Scripture Studies.
	Congregational leadership that is limited to male Christians.
	Only men to be "preachers, ministers and evangelists"
	No name but that of Christian for individual disciples and only Bible names for the church.
	Commitment to the sufficiency of the church to do its work of evangelism. (Here we must be careful not to drift into a position like the non-institutional brethren did). The liberals would like very much to brand us as just a new brand of "anti-ism."  We clearly have a bevy of organizations soliciting the funds from our churches to do their work of evangelism in the same way that the missionary societies did a century ago.
	Baptism by immersion as an essential prerequisite for remission of sins and membership in the church.

We will sink or survive on our ability or lack thereof to maintain a united front in the face of our enemy.  The big question is can we find a common ground on which to stand and fight our common enemy?