| JOHN WADDEY, EDITOR
Published by the Church of Christ, 12213 West Bell Road, Surprise, AZ 85374 Volume 2, Number 8
CURRENT ISSUE: April, 2003 |
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Table of Contents:
1. THE AUTHORITY IN CHRISTIANITY
Without an established code of law and authority, a kingdom cannot long exist. If its subjects refuse to submit to the established authority, a nation will soon collapse. A kingdom whose citizens are divided in their allegiance to conflicting sources of authority is doomed to failure. These points are conceded by all, yet there is utter confusion as to the established law and authority in Christianity. Folks are trying to serve God, when they have not learned or accepted the authority established by God. CONTEMPORARY THEORIES ABOUT RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY - In Roman Catholicism it is argued that the church, with its pope and his cardinals, has the authority to interpret the Bible and to legislate law for the church. The history of Catholicism reveals the fallacy of this approach to authority. Churches are composed of fallible, often sinful, men. God made Christ to the be head of his Church (Eph. 1:22). That authority he has not surrendered to anyone.
- The larger Protestant churches look to their creedal statements as authoritative. Yet they find it necessary to revise them every few years. Yesterday’s sins are today’s privileges.
- Traditions from the past are revered as authoritative by some. Yet Jesus warned against traditions that make “void the word of God” (Matt. 15:8-9).
- The founding fathers of a denomination may be looked to as the voice of authority. But no man has the right to start his own church or to legislate for the people of God. It is just such men who are responsible for the mass confusion in the Christendom today.
- Most denominational bodies have conventions where church leaders decide what they will believe and do.
- Many moderns view human reason as the final authority in their religion.
- God reminded the Hebrews “...my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Is. 55:8-9). Reason subjected to the Revelation of God is man’s most valuable asset. But when exalted beyond its proper realm, reason is the cause of his alienation.
- Multitudes see conscience as their authority in religion. Solomon said, “There is a way that seemeth right to a man but the ends thereof is the way of death” (Prov. 16:25). The conscience must be trained in truth before it can safely lead us; and God’s Word is that truth (John 17:17). Feelings are not a safe guide.
WHERE DID GOD PLACE THE AUTHORITY IN CHRISTIANITY? All authority has been given unto the victorious Christ (Matt. 28:18). He is head over all things to the church (Eph. 1:22). His word will judge us in the last day (John 12:48). Jesus delegated his authority to his apostles, saying, Go teach all nations, baptizing them and “teaching them to observe all things... I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20). Their writings, our New Testament, is the only authority we possess. Those who seek to please God, speak and act only as Scripture authorizes. Peter wrote, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (I Pet. 4:11). Thus the early church continued steadfastly in the apostles teaching” (Acts 2:42). John warns, “Whosoever... abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching the same hath both the Father and the Son” (II John 9). The New Testament of Jesus is the absolute and only authority for Christ’s church and those who wish to please Him will look to it for direction in every matter of faith, worship and practice. Such is a distinguishing mark of a body of people who are truly and only, a church of Christ (Rom. 16:16). JHW  |
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2. NEEDED: 1,000 FAITHFUL MEN Waves of error are sweeping over the brotherhood of churches of Christ, driven by men whom we have come to know as “agents of change.” Unfortunately, this destructive movement has already attained great momentum. It has captured some of our major universities and numerous churches, including some of our largest and most influential congregations. If we are going to save the church from being swept away in its entirety and effectively block the advance of this pernicious error, we must rally a band of faithful men and get to work immediately. Unfortunately most of our brethren are idly standing by, either totally unaware of the problem, or unsure about what to do. A multitude are indifferent to the problem, not willing to be involved in anything controversial. In the meanwhile, the proponents of change are aggressively and evangelistically advancing their cause. We need a thousand faithful brethren who love the Lord and his church and are willing to get seriously involved in this endeavor. We must establish a network of men who will stand together in the defense of the faith once delivered (Jude 3), and then coordinate our efforts for maximum success. A thousand men, strategically placed across the nation, could effectively block the advances of the promoters of change and contain those pockets already under their influence. - Each man must go to work immediately to inform and fortify himself and then do the same for the church with which he is associated. He would try to get them concerned and involved in the effort.
- Each man must resolve to be proactive, taking specific steps calculated to educate, inform and fortify the faith of his brethren and to block the spread of the error.
- Each man needs to select a geographic area for which he will personally be responsible by laboring to shield and protect those in that area from the incursions of the change agents.
- This is the strategy: Each man will volunteer to provide a steady flow of information to the leaders of every congregation in a given city, county, or even a state, depending on the number of congregations in that area. Ideally he will live in the immediate area, but if we have no volunteer who lives in an area, a brother from another area could be responsible for caring for it. For example, a brother could easily mail all the churches in Wyoming, or Delaware. In the states where we have many churches, one could be responsible for a city, or for a single county. Once a month he will mail the preachers and elders of the congregations in his chosen field a newsletter or bulletin of helpful information on the change movement. He could copy and mail Christianity Then and Now, or he could provide the funds and we will mail them from here. He could collect good materials from many sources, copy and forward them to his neighbors. He might wish to start his own, local newsletter. He could recommend useful papers or books on the topics under attack. He could invite those in his area for occasional get-togethers where they could discuss the problems at hand. He would lend aid and encouragement to every faithful brother and cause in his area and similarly refuse to lend such encouragement to the promoters of unscriptural changes. He would need to write letters and make calls of encouragement to those who are struggling to maintain the faith. He would actively look for opportunities to encourage those who are weak or faltering in the face of pressures from the opposition. He needs to be a source of information and help to those who are under attack or who need information to strengthen their faith and that of their congregations.
- He should do his work with a kind and brotherly spirit and avoid sarcasm, ridicule and a dictatorial attitude.
ØHe should also network with other faithful men across the country so he could share pertinent information with them and strengthen their hands. - This network will be built, step by step as new helpers are found. We will use the Internet, mail and phone as needed.
- This network will be a voluntary relationship of concerned Christians, with no authority over anyone, with no interest or desire in making laws or binding our judgments on others. We will have no officers, no written creedal standard, save the New Testament of Christ. Our sole purposes will be to strengthen the faith of our brethren in New Testament Christianity and to oppose the inroads of false teachers promoting unscriptural changes for our people.
We are up against a serious challenge. The goal of the change movement is to remold and shape the Lord’s church into a denomination such as the “Independent ‘Nondenominational’ Baptist type of Churches” or the Christian Churches. At this point the momentum is in their favor. If the church is to survive for the next generation as the faithful body of New Testament Christians, we must act immediately. Would you be interested in being one of the thousand sentries that will be set for the defense of the gospel (Phil. 1:16)? If so, please contact us at once at 12630 W. Foxfire Dr., Sun City West, AZ 85375, or e-mail: johnwaddey@aol.com 3. TRUSTING WOMEN a Review Trusting Women, (The way of women in Churches of Christ) is a recent publication issued by New Leaf Books of Orange, Calif. New Leaf is a perennial spring of materials promoting the agenda of the change movement. Billie Silvey is the editor of this book of essays by women affiliated with the Lord’s church. Harold Shank of the Highland Church of Christ in Memphis expresses the view of change agents concerning the message of this book. “These writers say things about Churches of Christ that nobody else is saying, things that nobody else can say.” He feels it “contains things that should have been said long ago.” This reviewer and others of a conservative bent, would describe it as a “coming out statement” of women who have rejected God’s Word and the limitations it sets on their filling roles of congregational leadership and public teaching in His church. Preferring the teaching of feminism to that of the Holy Spirit, they express their frustration with preachers, elders and congregations that would not allow them to use their talents in the leadership and public worship of the church.
This book is noteworthy in that is a declaration of the first women preachers to surface among our churches in over a hundred years. True, women preachers emerged among the digressive churches that separated from us at the end of the 19th century, but they had no place among our brethren until recently. - There is Katie Hays, one time ministeress of the Cahaba Valley Church of Christ in Birmingham, AL, now preaching for the West Islip Church of Christ in Long Island, NY.
- There is D’Esta Love, chaplain of Pepperdine University and member of the Malibu Church of Christ whose elders “made a statement to the church that made it possible for women to read from the Scriptures, to serve communion to the congregation, and to participate in periods of prayer in our worship” (p. 128). She feels that her “own religious tradition” (i.e., Churches of Christ) had let her down. She reminiscences about thinking she would never have the opportunity to use her gifts of “ministry” in the church. It seems to me she could easily have walked away from a church so tightly bound and limited by Scripture and gone to the Disciples of Christ, the Methodists, Presbyterians or Pentecostals and instantly gone on payroll (p. 129). She tell us how folks like her get around such embarrassing passages as I Cor. 14:43-34 and I Tim. 2:8-14. “We are finding tools for the analysis of scripture which allow us to view the role of women in the larger context of the biblical witness, rather than allow two heavily disputed passages to relegate women to a silent role” (p. 130). She believes that God “called (her) to Pepperdine University and has opened doors of opportunity for service that could not have been possible elsewhere” (p. 131). In this she is probably right, except of course she could have gone to Abilene Christian University and done as well.
- There is Amy Henegar, hospital chaplain, who preaches Sunday sermons at the hospital chapel.
- There is Karen Logan who found her inspiration from “a statement of faith by ‘Christians for Biblical Equality’” published in the denominational journal, Christianity Today.
- Joyce Hardin argues that women can do anything except be elders, preachers or Bible teachers of Christian men” (p. 57). For this concession we do give her credit. But she informs us that she does “not...understand why those restrictions are placed on women” (p. 57).
- Pat Boultinghouse tells us how she found her freedom from the old religious restrictions while working for Howard Publishing Co. of West Monroe, La. With the help and encouragement of Alton and John Howard, she and her husband launched Image magazine, precursor of Wineskins. She tells of working with influential leaders of the change movement such as Joe Beam, Ruble Shelly, Lynn Anderson, Jeff Walling, Mike Cope, Terry Rush and Marvin Phillips (p. 135). She asks, “Do we lift up our Lord and draw others to him when we rigidly hold to human traditions and a fifties culture” (p.141). I remind her and others of like-mind that the limitations on women in the leadership and worship of the church originated with the apostles in the first century, not the 1950s.
- Sherrylee Woodward acknowledges that, “During those tender devotions of the late sixties youth rallies, my crowd first began to wonder about applying the pattern for church worship, order and leadership when the church was not “in church.” (p. 191). It is fair to assume that much of the change agenda had it origin in the period of the sixties and in the environment of youth meetings. Young people who were poorly taught and led then are now the forty-something adults who are emerging as leaders of our churches. Nurtured on entertainment and emotionalism they know not what we believe nor why we worship as we do. Nor do they care much for what the Scriptures says.
- Lucille Todd and her friend, “felt the Holy Spirit moving (them)” (p. 209).
- Karen Logan tells us she was “blessed to be at a progressive church” where she enjoyed the worship of hand-raising and singing” (p. 228). She wonders, “Where is the verse that says a woman cannot lead a prayer?” (p. 22). We could ask, “Where is the verse that says we cannot sprinkle babies for baptism?” Of course this is the wrong question. The question is where is the verse that says women can lead in public worship? She believes that “God was preparing (her) to teach gender equality using this ministry of drama” (p. 232).
In reading this volume, one is impressed that virtually all of these liberated women who aspire to public leadership in the Lord’s church got their education and or inspiration from universities operated by members of the Churches of Christ. The most notable influence coming from Abilene Christian University and Pepperdine University. This is important information for those who care for the church and want to see this apostasy contained. Whenever there is an outbreak of food poisoning, public health workers look for the source. When blatant heresy breaks out in the church we too must look for the source. This book provides the answer. All who read Trusting Women will agree with Harold Shank who, in his commendation of this book, rightly said, “This is not an academic volume or a book on Bible study.” It is rather a declaration of women who no longer accept the Bible as their spiritual standard.
JHW 4. ASPECTS OF ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP - Acceptable worship must be Biblical, i.e., according to the instructions God has given us. Jesus said, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21).
- It must be reverent, i.e., showing proper respect and deference to the great God we are approaching (Heb. 12:13).
- It must be with pure hearts and lives. “Draw nigh unto God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (Jas. 4:8).
- Worship should be with joyful hearts. “My mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips” (Ps. 63:5).
- God expects our worship to proceed from our minds as well as from our emotions. We must worship with the spirit and the understanding (I Cor. 14:15).
- Pleasing worship will be whole-hearted. We must love the Lord our God will all our heart, soul and mind (Matt. 22:37). Half-heart or indifferent worship is not acceptable to Him.
- True worship will be offered with enthusiasm. “Serve Jehovah with gladness” (Ps. 100:2). Like David, we should be glad when they say to us, “Let us go unto the house of Jehovah” (Ps. 122:1).
- We should worship the Lord with the best we have to offer. “But whatsoever hath a blemish that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you” (Lev. 22:20). Give God your best attention and effort in worship and your best gifts as offerings.
Remember that God is not so desperate for worship that He will accept any
scraps or second rate efforts we toss Him. There is no greater blessing than
to come before the Creator in adoring worship and be accepted by Him. There
is no greater loss that to come before him in an unacceptable way and be
rejected.
JHW 5. THE PRIVILEGE OF PRAISE Bro. Paul Brownlow has written an attractive booklet by the above title, addressing twenty-five questions commonly raised by those who are inclined to allow instrumental music in Christian worship. Although not as strong in its response as some, it does address the contemporary arguments of those wanting to change the worship of the Lord’s church. The booklet is well worth reading. It sells for $1.00 and may be ordered from Brownlow Pub. Co. 6309 Airport Freeway, Ft. Worth, TX 76117 |
