 STRANGE LOGIC OF CHANGE AGENTS
The champions of the change movement lodge many criticisms against their brethren of the churches of Christ. The most notable is that we are a divided people. They delight in numbering and pointing out the varius factions, (be they large or small), that have arisen and then blaming all for the divisiveness of the few. We are blamed for every kook and crank who draws away any disciples and starts his own congregation. We are blamed for refusing to allow assertive folks to bind on us rules of their own making.
We are faulted for refusing to abandon the prescribed principles of New Testament Christianity found in the Testament of Christ. To the promoters of change, such is proof that we are not the church we claim to be.
At the same time, change agents are aggressively pursuing a policy that will inevitably cause yet another division among our people. That will occur because they are determined to introduce unscriptural changes into the faith worship and practice of our churches. These items of change are not old truths from the Bible, which have been overlooked or forgotten. They are not new Biblical ideas discovered by brilliant minds. They are old items borrowed from the various school of denominationalism. Notice the following:
- In the realm of salvation, they have introduced salvation by grace through faith, before and even without baptism. This they borrowed from Luther, Calvin and their heirs. They also promote grace and faith as the all in all of Christian commitment. Their bashing of the necessity of obedience (works of faith) (Jas. 2:24) is a page out of the latest book of Baptist theology.
- In the realm of Scripture some of them openly question the inerrancy of the Bible. This implies a low view of inspiration of the Scripture writers. This comes straight from the halls of liberal theological seminaries. They question the authority of God's Word, and deny that it is His law for the church. They ridicule the idea that we should feel duty bound to look to the New Testament as a pattern for our faith and practice. This has been the standard approach of Protestantism for hundreds of years.
- In the realm of worship, they would supplant our simple, Bible-based worship for the emotionalism of the Charismatics. In the area of our music they would open the gate to those who want instruments with their worship, just as the Disciples of Christ and Christian Churches did in the past
- In the realm of preaching, they would replace gospel proclamation that teaches the doctrine of Christ and tells auditors where they can see it in their own Bibles. They prefer story-telling, entertainment and emotional appeals, with little or no appeal to Scripture. Instead of "teaching them to observe all things whatsoever (Christ) commanded" (Matt. 28:20), they offer lessons that meet the "felt needs" of their hearers. Not accepting the New Covenant of Christ as binding law, they have little inclination to emphasize its doctrinal and legislative content.
Ignoring the heaven-ordained role of male spiritual leadership in the church, they would place women in those roles, with no regard for scriptural prohibition (I Cor. 14:33-34; I Tim. 2:8-12). Liberal Protestant bodies and Pentecostals have done this for generations.
The items cited above are the same package of errors that drove a wedge of division between our brethren a century ago. Now the process is in motion yet again. When the change agents gain the ascendancy in a congregation, they don't hesitate to assert their dominance and tell those who cannot in good conscience accept their innovations to leave and go elsewhere! What is that but another case of division in the family of God. Thus those who sow the discord and divide the brethren, blame them for resisting their assault.
It reminds us of the robber who blames his victims for resisting his criminal act. Is it not strange that for us to tell them to be gone is blameworthy, while for them to do the same is necessary for building up the church?
JHW |
