A STRATEGY FOR VICTORY

The following are suggestions for Christian leaders that if implemented, will help to block the spreading flood of apostasy that in the name of "change" is sweeping across the brotherhood of Churches of Christ.

Elders and Preachers:
In solemn prayer, commit yourself to Christ, his church and his Word.  Ask God to use you to help the Cause for which his Son died.
Commit yourself to do anything and everything within your power to protect the church from those who would harm her; to faithfully teach the doctrine of
Christ and to uphold it against every foe. Put on the whole armor of God and prepare yourselves for the battle that we all must face.

1. Begin immediately a series of lessons on the fundamentals of the faith. Doctrine must be taught if our people are to know what God expects of them and his church. Such teaching must be ongoing.

2. In your Bible classes show how the verses under consideration express themselves in our daily life and in our faith and worship. We must return to being a people full of the Word.

3. In your bulletins, write or select articles on doctrinal points, especially those now under assault. Call these to the attention of your members and encourage them to read them.  

4. Never assume that your flock is well informed and indoctrinated. Fifty years of neglect has left many of our brethren unaware of what we believe and why.  This flaw must be remedied. Of course these are not the only topics to be covered, but they cannot be neglected without serious consequences.

5. Inform yourself of our past history. Change agents are trying to
rewrite the history of our people in a way that would make their innovations seem acceptable. Read Bro. Earl West's great series, Search for the Ancient Order, Homer Hailey's Attitudes and Consequences of the Restoration Movement. Read the biographies of great men of the past.  Knowing the truth, you can help others.

6. Talk with your deacons, teachers, youth workers and members. Inform them of the problems we are up against.  You likely are more aware of such matters than any of them. Do so in a way that will inspire loyalty to Christ and His Word, rather than merely sowing fear and doom.

7. See that "sound"gospel tracts are made available to your members on the various topics being promoted by the "change-makers" among us. They should cover such topics as:

       a. The role of women in the church.
       b. The use of instrumental music in worship.
           (1). The use of choirs and soloists in worship.
       c. Public worship: that revealed in Scripture and that being promoted by change agents.
       d. The "Community church" concept.
       e. Denominationalism; the sinfulness of it.
       f. Fellowship with those of other religious bodies, those who have not obeyed the gospel.
       g. The necessity of respecting Bible authority in all matters.
       h. Respect for the silence of the Scriptures.
       i. The oneness of Christ's church and what that fact demands of us.
       j. The unscripturalness of manmade and controlled organizations that attempt to do the work God gave the church.
       k. The history of the Restoration Movement and the principles that guided our earlier preachers.
       l. Premillennialism.
       m. The role of baptism in salvation.
       n. The proper roles of grace and faith in salvation and their relationship to obedience.
       o. The essentiality of baptism in God's plan of salvation.
       p. Are miracles to be expected today?
       q. The names we wear as disciples and churches.
   Tracts can be ordered from Bro. Delton Haun. Write him for a catalog @ P. O. Box 3426 Pasadena, TX 77501.

8. Purchase and place in your church library books that clearly set forth the teaching of Scripture on the issues of the hour. For example:

       a. Handbook on Baptism,  J. W. Shepherd
       b. Instrumental Music by M. C. Kurfees.
       c. The New Testament Church by F. D. Srygley
       d. Sound Doctrine by Nichol and Whiteside.
       e. Books on The Holy Spirit by H. Leo Boles, Gus Nichols, James D. Bales.
       f. What Does the Bible Say About Premillennialism?, edited by Wendell Winkler
       g. There should be complete sets of commentaries by our brethren available for members to consult. The Gospel Advocate series on the New Testament, or Burton Coffman's series on the whole Bible are suggested.
       h. Search for the Ancient Order by Earl West.  These volumes are essential to anyone wishing to have factual information about our past.
       i. The Church, Falling Away and Restored by J. W. Shepherd.
       j. Sermons by great men of the past. Our folks need a point of
reference in comparing what they are currently hearing and what our brethren have long stood for:  Hardeman's Tabernacle Sermons; sermons by V. E. Howard, T. B. Larimore, Benjamin Franklin, etc.  make a good start.
       k. Change Agents and Churches of Christ by William Woodson.  This book is a must.
       l. Piloting the Strait by Dave Miller. All elders and preachers should read this book.

9. Encourage your members to subscribe to the Gospel Advocate and/or The Firm Foundation.  Bro. Neil Anderson and Bro. Buster Dobbs are making a diligent effort to provide teaching that will strengthen and fortify our brethren in this hour of crisis.  Perhaps elders would underwrite sending one or both of these papers to each family or providing bundles for all families. Such would be a worthwhile investment of the Lord's money. Write the Advocate at P. O. Box 150, Nashville, TN 37202-1050 or The Firm Foundation at P. O. Box 69 Damon, TX 77430-0069. Also all elders, deacons and preachers should be receiving the Spiritual Sword quarterly edited by Bro. Alan Highers. Subscriptions should be sent to the Spiritual Sword, c/o Church of Christ, 1511 Getwell  Rd., Memphis, TN 38111-7299.

10. Seek out the fellowship of those brethren whose faith is sound.
Attend their functions, meetings and fellowship activities so that you may be encouraged and encourage them.

11. Host a monthly or quarterly social get together for preachers in your area. Have a meal or refreshments and then have a well-informed brother designated to present a lesson addressing one or more of these issues of conflict. Do so in a cordial, friendly way, that will educate and inform, rather than drive away those who are wavering. Discussion could follow the presentation, but do not allow it to degenerate into a shouting match.

12. Assist those who are struggling to maintain the faith under difficult circumstances. We will see many congregations divided in the coming years.
If only a small group stand firm for the faith, those who are strong must reach out to help them recover and get back on their feet.
       a. The same is true for gospel preachers. There will be  cases where good men will lose their jobs or support because they resisted apostasy.  They must not be left to bear that burden alone.

13. Each congregation should seek out a mission field for which it will be responsible for proving sound teaching materials.  For example, a faithful church could send monthly mailings to all the preachers and perhaps the elders of a given city, that would keep before them the principles of New Testament Christianity and expose the errors being promoted.  Each month, they could send a tract on crucial topics, or copies of pertinent articles.  They might even send a book that would answer timely questions.  They might send a subscription to a sound paper that is addressing the issues, such as the Gospel Advocate or the Firm Foundation.
       a. A strong church might do the same for all the churches in a given county or state, or even a foreign mission field. Remember that truth makes men free (John 8:32), and people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Amos 4:12).

14. We need congregations or individuals who will help underwrite the cost of sending the Gospel Advocate or the Firm Foundation to every preacher in the country who is not presently subscribed. In the apostasy that occurred a hundred years ago, these papers  played a major role in stemming the tide
and salvaging a remnant of our people. They can serve the same purpose today if we can get them into the hands of those who need them.
       a. We need your help in sending Christianity: Then and Now to more church leaders. A monthly contribution of $50 would allow us to send it to the elders and preachers of every congregation is some of our mission states.

15. We need good men, wise in Scripture and able writers, to address the many points of conflict now before us. We need articles for papers, tracts and books that can be placed in the hands of our people.

16. We need Christians of means who will underwrite the publishing and distribution of these materials so they can reach those who desperately need
to read them.

17. We need men who will equip themselves to speak intelligently on these issues, who can serve as resource people whom elders can call upon to assist them.

18. We need wise and knowledgeable men to write and publish reviews of some of the poisonous books and articles being produced by those who no longer hold to sound doctrine.

19. Those who conduct annual lectureships should be encouraged to focus on the problems before us. We must keep the pressure on those who are troubling Zion until they cease their agitating.

20. Elders of strong churches need to schedule special seminars that will bring together wise brethren  who are equipped to discuss the issues before us.  Such could be accomplished in a one day program with several sessions.
It would be a blessing to many congregations and leaders in an area.

21. Write letters; reasoned, intelligent letters, to leaders of
congregations, schools and papers urging them stand strong in the faith and pleading with them not to allow teachers of error to use their platforms to harm the Lord's church. Carping criticism or threats will not accomplish nearly as much as the sincere appeal.

22. Remember that our object in all the above is not to drive folks out, but to save them by snatching them out of the fire (Jude 23).
       a. Older, wiser men need to reach out to younger men and guide and encourage them to faithfulness. Good mentors can help young men avoid pitfalls of error.

23. Promote and encourage those radio and television broadcasts by
faithful men of God that will edify and strengthen you members. Broadcasts such as Bro. Dave Miller's Truth in Love, Mack Lyon's television outreach and Mike Scott's What do the Scriptures Say?  These and others are available on cable TV in many areas of the country. 

24. Pray every day that God will bless and save His church from harm; that He will bless and use us in protecting His cause from those who would do her damage by diluting and changing her message,corrupting her worship and compromising her uniqueness.

Some Things We Must Avoid

1. We must not allow ourselves to come across as bitter, angry
belligerents.  This ugly attitude has without doubt driven some of our people to embrace the warm, fuzzy message of liberal teachers.  They continually try to picture all who oppose them as grouchy old cranks.  Temperance, patience, brotherly kindness and love are essential (II Pet. 1:6-7).

2. We must avoid a  radical response that will do more harm than good. To avoid the ditch on the left by falling into the ditch on the right is of no benefit (Prov. 4:26-27).

3. We must not allow our teaching to degenerate into name-calling and attacks on personalities.  True, there will be a time and place to identify those who trouble Israel, but generally in the worship hour and in our bulletins is not the best place for this

4. We must not open our pulpits to those who are unsound in the faith. To do so is to invite disaster.

5. We should not encourage our young people to attend the colleges and universities where these departures have taken hold.  We should encourage them and their parents to choose schools that will bless, not harm their faith. The primary fountainheads of this current apostasy are Abilene Christian University and Pepperdine University. Make it your business to determine where a school stands before recommending it.

6. We should encourage our people to be more selective in where they send their gifts and contributions. No institution should be supported by those whose faith they do not respect.

7. We should place a moratorium on support for all of those extra-church or para-church organizations that have sprung up among us to do the work God has commissioned his church to do. I especially have in mind all of those evangelistic and missionary organizations that are not functions of a local congregation and overseen by elders.  One of the major issues in the emergence of the Disciples of Christ and Christian Churches was the Missionary Society.  For good scriptural reasons our brethren rejected it then and we should do the same now.

8. Do not invite those of unsound faith to fill your pulpit, whether it be for meetings, lectureship, seminars, workshops, classes. They are eager to sow their seed in your congregation and find disciples.  Don't provide them the opportunity to do so.

9. Do not promote or in anyway encourage those programs, seminars,
encampments, workshops of those who are unsound. They want you to encourage your brethren to attend so they can indoctrinate them and send them back to you to begin their work of deconstruction.

10. We must not close the door of fellowship to those who can be
salvaged. While we must reject teaching and practice that is unscriptural, we must try to win back all we can to the Savior's way.

11. We must not infringe on the autonomy of sister congregations. This Biblical teaching means that each church is answerable to Christ alone.  While we may reject their teaching or practice and fellowship, we may not intervene in their internal affairs. Resist this temptation.

12. We must not allow the current challenges to consume us and divert us from our mission of evangelizing the world for Christ.  Such is a common problem in times like these.

13. We should not meekly surrender and walk away from the meeting houses and good works sound brethren have built and financed in days past. If anyone is to leave, it should be those who are preaching a new gospel.  Paul says they are anathema or cut off from Christ (Gal. 1:8-9). Let them go else where and establish their own congregations, camps  and schools.

You may have other suggestions that need to be added to the above. Please give these recommendations your careful consideration and share with me you observations.  One thing is sure, "something must be done."  It must be done quickly and decisively if the Cause we love is to survive.