 IN CASE YOU DID NOT KNOW
Within our brotherhood is a body of men who are on a mission to impose changes on our churches. These agents of change are found primarily in our Christian Universities and larger urban churches. Their agenda includes changing the faith, worship and practice of the religion of Christ. So radical are the changes advocated that where they succeed a congregation will cease to be a Church of Christ such as we have known and will become a motley denominational body.
In the years following the Civil War this same type of trend developed among our people and the results were devastating. The progressives won a decisive victory and the faithful remnant who resisted them had to start all over again, rebuilding what had been lost. The heirs of that earlier change movement are the Disciples of Christ, Christian Churches in your community. It took us a nearly century to recover from that disaster and now we once more face that same cycle of apostasy.
One of our problems is awakening good brethren to the danger we face. In 1940, Bro. J. N. Armstrong of Harding College wrote the following lines describing the situation our brethren faced at the turn of last century:
"Not only did the defection leave us without schools, but those who introduced the (instrumental) music carried with them, also, the best church property, most of the wealth... All colleges, scholarships, church property, wealth ... became the inherited assets of the Christian Church" (A Piece of History, Christian Leader, Aug. 1, 1940).
Lest we suffer the same dire consequences yet again, we must arm ourselves with truth and take our stand now, before the situation is beyond repair. We publish Christianity: Then and Now to sound the alarm; to provide the needed information; to encourage brethren to be strong in their faith. It is sent forth with the prayer that those who love the church will heed the warning and prepare themselves for the struggle that is coming. If you wish to help us in this endeavor, we would welcome your fellowship.
JHW |
