| JOHN WADDEY, EDITOR
Published by the Church of Christ, 12213 West Bell Road, Surprise, AZ 85374 Volume 2, Number 9
May, 2003 |
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Table of Contents: 1. WOMEN IN THE PULPIT A common topic in the news media these days is the issue of women serving as gospel ministers. If one is interested in pleasing God, he must look to the New Testament of Christ for the answer to this question. If he is interested in pleasing self, he will scorn that God-given document and seek approval in public opinion and social change.
Christ built the church (Matt. 16:18) and claims all authority in matters relating to it (Matt. 28:18). He authorized his apostles to record his will on all things regarding the faith and practice of his church. Paul wrote, “The things which I write unto you...are the commandment of the Lord” (I Cor. 14:37). Through his divinely appointed apostolic ambassador Christ announced the boundaries of woman’s work in his church.
“As in all the churches of the saints, let the women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as also saith the law” (I Cor. 14:33-34).
“But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness” (I Tim. 2:12).
He who is serious about serving God will gladly accept these divine restrictions. He that “goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching...hath both the Father and the Son” (II John 9).
Should all the conferences and conventions, synods and bishops in the world cast their vote for women preachers it would not change God’s Word one whit. If all of society endorses women filling pulpits it would only be the wish of the creature against the will of the Creator. Women share the image of God with men (Gen. 1:27). Together they are one in Christ (Gal. 3:28). But the God who created men, women and the church has assigned the public leadership role to males (I Tim. 3:1-2). One has no greater value than the other. It is a matter of divine decree.
To be a Christian is to confess Christ as Lord (Rom. 10:9) and ourselves as his servants (Rom.1:1) A faithful servant will honor and obey his Lord’s will in reference to women and the ministry. To challenge the Master’s will is to be unfaithful.
The timeliness of this lesson is underscored by the fact that both Abilene
Christian University and Pepperdine University featured Katie Hays on their lectureships this year. Sis. Hayes is minister of the West Islip Church of Christ in New York. JHW  |
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2. KOINONIA: a book you should read
Some years ago Bro. Jimmy Jividen wrote an excellent book entitled Koinonia, A Contemporary Study of Church Fellowship. It was truly a book ahead of its time. He addresses the age old issues of the scope and limits of Christian fellowship; How to decide with whom we are in fellowship? What about those who claim to be members of the church but don’t adhere to New Testament teachings? In reading it, one would think he was contemplating the very issues of the change movement that bedevil us today. Every preacher and elder would be well-rewarded by reading this book. It is thoroughly biblical and is designed for class use. Preachers could easily find a dozen sermons to preach within its pages. It may be ordered from the Gospel Advocate, P. O. Box 150, Nashville, TN 37202. |
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3. PREACHING CHRIST IN A DAY OF CRISIS
The church is under siege by those who would destroy her with their intended changes. Yet a certain type of preacher is content just to “preach Jesus.” They refuse to deal with any of the controversial issues, reasoning that if they just preach Christ, everything will be OK. While no one objects to preaching Christ (I Cor. 2:2), we must recognize that there is more to Christianity than Christ alone. One could preach a life-time about Christ (alone) and the church be swept away and destroyed by error, even as he spoke.
Christ is not under attack by the change agents, but certain aspects of his kingdom are. Not only will a good solider take his place on the walls of the city under siege, he will rush to the spot where the assault is mounted and do his part to drive the enemy away. The following aspects of the kingdom of Christ are under attack by those who style themselves “agents of change.” It is at these points that a faithful preacher will defend the Cause of his liege Lord. - The Bible is under assault. Many of the change agents question its inerrancy, its verbal inspiration and its authority. They deny it is a pattern for us to follow in our worship, in the organization and mission of the church, even though God says it is (II Tim. 1:13).
- The Church of Christ is under attack. The promoters of change would turn her into a human denomination. They would move her into the ecumenical movement. They would corrupt her faith, her preaching, her worship and leadership. They attack and ridicule her and seek to make her irrelevant. They would capture and control her congregations for their own purposes.
- The worship of Christ’s church is under siege. Change agents would corrupt her sacred singing by introducing instruments of music. They would defile her communion by mixing it with a common meal.
- The government of the Lord’s church is under attack. Agents of change want to place women into leadership roles in the church. Some already have female preachers and teachers of men. They would have women lead in public worship of the church. They would take away the authority of elders, and some have already taken away the office of deacon. They would turn her into a democracy governed by the will of the people, rather than the monarchy of Christ (Matt. 28:20; Eph. 1:22).
- Her plan of salvation and entrance into her membership is under siege.
Obedience to the commands of Christ is discounted while salvation by faith and grace before and without specific obedience to his instructions is promoted. They are saying the New Testament of Christ should not be viewed as a law to be obeyed, but a love letter from God to his children. They are denying that one must be immersed in water for the forgiveness of his sins in order to be saved! - Her past is being denied. They deny she is the same church as that found the Book of Acts. The agents of change are busy rewriting our history to paint a different picture of the goals and intentions of our forefathers. They launched our back to the Bible movement with the stated goal of restoring original Christianity. Promoters of change wish to cast their efforts as a “unity movement.” They depict them as seeking fellowship with other denominational bodies rather than rejecting denominationalism. They made a determined effort to rid themselves of all the human doctrines and practices that had accrued over the centuries. The promoters of change scorn those of the last century who served the Lord and led his people to the success we now enjoy.
One could preach hundreds of beautiful, biblical lessons about Christ and never touch a single one of these critical issues. While dutifully “preaching Christ,” false teachers would make the Bible ineffective, reconstruct the church, corrupt her worship, mislead sinners about salvation and thus destroy the religion of Jesus. That approach which sounds so noble is seen to be a mistaken, misguided exercise in foolishness. To preach Christ alone is as foreign to Scripture and as misguided as to preach faith or grace alone. May every man who stands before God’s people shrink not from declaring anything that is profitable, and boldly preach “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:20; 27). JHW |
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4. GOOD NEWS
In the last month several brethren have volunteered to underwrite the cost of mailing Christianity: Then and Now to the preachers and elders in their areas. You may wish to do the same. It costs us .50 per month to mail two copies, addressed to Minister/Elders of a church. If you would like to see the paper go to the church leaders of your city, county or state, call or write us. We especially would like to send it to the congregational leaders in the vicinity of our Christian Universities and Colleges. The push for change commonly is flowing from some of those schools. We can supply the addresses if you can provide the funds. Together we can make a difference. You may e-mail us @ johnwaddey@aol.com or phone us at (623) 214-3715. See more lessons @ www.christianity-then-and-now.com. |
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5. A CHURCH THAT FLIES (A Review)
Tim Woodroof of Nashville has recently published a book entitled, A Church that Flies (A New Call to Restoration in the Churches of Christ). His theme is “the advocacy for change and for the discovery of new expressions of faith that represents the true restoration spirit” (p. 139). He seeks to help us “discover unconventional forms for refreshed religious expression” (p. 138). His confession about his relationship with Churches of Christ is found on page 141: “To tell the truth, my heart knew something was wrong years before my head caught on. I have never been comfortable with the sectarian rhetoric of the ‘one true church.’ Our exclusivism and isolationism seemed to me to stem from equal parts arrogance and insecurity.” The reader of this volume will see a clear portrait of what the liberal change agents have in mind for the churches of our brotherhood. He will see just how far down the road the leading lights among them have already traveled. Bro. Woodroof is a well-educated man and a gifted writer. His advocacy of change is as eloquent as that of any man of their band. When the last shot has been fired and the smoke is cleared from the field of battle his name will be written large along side of Rubel Shelly, Lynn Anderson and Max Lucado. The question is, will it be on the list of those who were defeated or those who won the battle for the soul of the Churches of Christ? His thesis is set forth on p. 9. “Central to this endeavor...is a willingness to...suggest it is possible to build a contemporary church that pleases God even if it does not look exactly like the church of the first or the nineteenth-century.” He admits “Many of us are growing frustrated with a modern church that may look like the ancient church in the particulars but fails to function with anything like its power and life-changing dynamic. Some are beginning to ask whether it might be possible to be the Church of Christ today without the focus on forms that have become our hallmark?”
His intent is expressed on p. 18-19. “Some of us, reviewing the state of Churches of Christ at the dawn of the twenty-first century, are recognizing that drastic surgery is in order or else the patient may well expire on the table....For them the only kind of restoration worth pursuing has little to do with resuscitating ancient methods and much to do with recapturing an ancient vision of who God’s people are and what business they are to be about. They no longer believe that the restoration of proper forms will ensure proper functioning in the church.”
His liberal theology is reflected in the following lines. “It says, for example, that the church need not have either explicit mandate or permission for everything it wishes to do” (p. 25). Early on he declares “...I call into question our reliance on ‘pattern theology’...” (p. 29). “(Antioch) Christianity clearly establishes there never was the ‘pattern’ we have so vehemently asserted” (p. 143). “These Jewish Christians (Judaizers) were the first ‘patternists’ of the Christian faith. They had discovered—in those early, innocent years of the church in Jerusalem—a pattern for worshiping God...” (p. 162).
The goal of the change agents in general and Bro. Woodroof in particular is as follows: “That is a goal that has, I believe, the power to capture the children of the Restoration movement” (p. 21). These men are not content to transform their particular congregations into charismatic, denominational churches. Conquest and dominance of the entire brotherhood as their goal.
His contempt for the faith and worship of the church he grew up in and that his family has been part of is clearly expressed: “Clinging to old worship forms that cease calling us to a transforming experience of God in not ‘faithfulness.’ Indeed, it represents a greater threat to the church than the worship ‘innovations’ we have been taught to fear” (p. 71-72). The stand of our brethren on the following topics he labels as defense of mole-hills:
Clerical titles, worship styles, organizational structures, our method of interpreting Scripture, the role of women, choirs, instrumental music, etc. (p. 120). “Many of the practices and habits bequeathed to us by the church of our fathers have lost all connection to contemporary minds and hearts. Once-vivid forms, with the passing of time, have become dead ritual and mindless liturgy and instinctive tradition” (p. 135).
“The church must be constantly renovating its forms or innovating new forms that allow it to be God’s living presence in this world” (p. 134). He makes repeated, exaggerated or false criticisms of those preachers and churches who do not embrace his theology of change (p. 122). To him, our way of preaching and practicing the faith of Jesus is “beyond embarrassing. It is mortifying...”
As a well-trained false teacher is wont to do, he tries to disarm in advance anyone who would dare criticize his plan by shaming them into quietness. “Who can pay attention to the larger issues when policing the use of instruments requires such vigilance and concentration?” ( p. 123). A major objective of change agents is to batter down our convictions regarding the use of instrumental music in worship. To do so they resort not to scripture arguments (those they don’t have), but to special pleading. Their program is “a commitment to holiness and mercy and service. It has nothing to do with the musical forms we use in worship...” (p. 123-124).
Change agents like Bro. Woodroof are prone to unfounded assumptions. Note the following: - The Jerusalem church “was a congregation shaped as much by Moses and the customs of Israel as by Christ” (p.162).
- “Jewish—Christian worship was virtually indistinguishable from the worship of orthodox Judaism” (p. 163).
- “When at last, God forced the hand of the Jerusalem church and scattered those first Christians abroad” (p. 163.
- The Holy Spirit had to “win from Peter the grudging concession” (emph. mine, jw) that Gentiles could be accepted into the church (p. 165).
- Speaking of Antioch, he says, “In this church we have the first specific record of kosher food laws being ignored...by the Jewish Christians” (p. 165).
- “Though we are told little about the manner in which the Antioch church worshipped, it is safe to assume that the forms used to express worship were drawn from their native culture rather than a Jewish one” (p. 165).
- James and the elders of Jerusalem (agreed) “Gentiles would still be permitted to practice a different ‘brand’ of Christianity (emp. mine, jw). than Jerusalem Jews” (p. 171).
- He assumes that the Ebionites (heretics of the late first and second centuries) “differed little from many of the first Jewish believers who populated the church in Jerusalem” (p. 172).
- He assumes that David, on his own initiative, introduced instrumental music into the temple worship. He evidently is unfamiliar with II Chron. 29:25.
Concerning those instruments, it says, “the commandment was of Jehovah by his prophets.” But then, change agents are not known for their dependence on Scripture for their assertions.
His interpretation of the sins of Nadab and Abihu in offering the strange fire is remarkable. “The sin of Nadab and Abihu may have nothing to do with ‘innovations’ or some departure from specifically commanded procedures. Rather, the text (Lev. 10) suggests that the sin involved here was treating God and their important duties casually, carelessly” (p. 208). This sounds much like the interpretation gays give for the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. Rather than homosexuality, they say it was their lack of hospitality that God punished. When a man is intoxicated with the wine of liberalism, everything he views is distorted.
As I pored over the pages of Bro. Woodroof’s book I was impressed with the thought, “Herein is clearly demonstrated the mind of a liberal change-agent. Bold and brazen, he is unashamedly determined to destroy the church as we have known her and from the rubble build a new one in his own image.” Read it to know what they have in mind. As you do so, “Keep thy heart with all diligence” (Prov. 4:23), because the message of the book is deadly poison. JHW |
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6. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE CHURCH?
The Lord’s Church in Duluth, GA has produced a multi-media response to the change movement by the above title. It consists of a professionally done video presentation, an audio cassette and a booklet containing the text of the presentation. The material was researched and written by Bro. Rod Rutherford and presented by Bro. Jim Dearman. This material is offered to churches without cost. You may contact them at Church of Christ, 3239 Hwy 120, Duluth, GA 30096. 7. WHY WE LEFT
In a book by the above title, Bro. Alvin Jennings chronicles the inroads of the Change Movement in the Richland Hills Church of Christ in Ft. Worth and his written appeals to the church leaders to remain faithful to God’s Word. It contains his 25 Theses of protest which he fastened to the church’s door. Order from Star Bible Pub. Box 821220, Ft. Worth, TX 76182 |
