 TO UNDERSTAND THE PRESENT, LOOK TO THE PAST
Clamorous calls are being heard for changes in what we who are members of Churches of Christ believe and the way we worship God. Many members, including elders and preachers are mystified, not able or willing to believe their ears. The key to understanding today's errant voices is in our history. Samuel Johnson said, "The present state of things is the consequence of the past...to neglect the study of history is not prudent." Dave
McCullough observed that "History is a guide to navigation in perilous times.
History is who we are and why we are the way we are." The poet Shelly wrote, "I know the past, and thence I will essay to glean a warning for the future, so that man may profit by his errors, and derive experience from his folly." Unfortunately ours is not an age of reading, but of television. Also by our mode of education, we have been conditioned to think mainly of the present and not of the past. For that we are poorer and in great jeopardy. It has well been observed that those who do not learn from the mistakes of history are doomed to repeat them. There are wonderful books that tell the story of our brotherhood's past. If every preacher and elder among us would read the following list of histories and biographies, the false teachers among us would be hard pressed to find a nail on which to hang their hats. As Norman Cousins observed, "History is a vast early warning system." - The Church, the Falling Away and the Restoration by J. W. Shepherd, Gospel Advocate.
- Attitudes and Consequences of the Restoration Movement by Homer Hailey
- The Search for the Ancient Order, 4 volumes, by Earl West, published by the author.
- Christians Only by J. D. Murch., Standard Pub. Co.
- The Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, by Robert Richardson published by Earl West.
- The Eye of the Storm, a biography of Benjamin Franklin, gospel preacher, by Earl West.
- The Life and Times of David Lipscomb by Earl West, published by the author.
- The Life of Elder John Smith by J. A. Williams
- Any biography of our early preachers provides a valuable background of history to who we are as a people and how our back to the Bible movement began. Such books set forth in bold relief the beliefs they held and the price paid for all that we now enjoy. When those heroes of the faith are compared with some of our contemporary preachers who are working to change us into something new and different you will see that "The men of the past had convictions, while (these) moderns have only opinions" (Heinrich Heine).
Also you will quickly learn that "The history of the world (and church, jhw), is but the biography of great men" (Thomas Carlyle). It will provide you a reliable standard by which to gauge the criticisms and proposals of some of our contemporary preachers and teachers who think the church has missed the mark.
Moses urged his people to, "Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations: Ask thy father and he will show thee, Thine elders, and they will tell thee" (Deut. 32:7). The Chinese philosopher Confucius said, "Study the past if you would divine the future." I pray that every man who is a leader of God's people will heed this wise advice. JHW |
