TO CHANGE OR NOT TO CHANGE?

Churches of Christ are standing at a critical crossroads.  We face the same situation our forefathers faced in the half-century following the Civil War.

Shall we continue in the old paths of New Testament Christianity that our predecessors in the faith traveled, or shall we change our direction? The road to the right is the road of ultra conservatism that inevitably leads to radicalism, faction and division.  The road to the left is the road of liberalism. It leads away from the simplicity of the gospel to a denominational version of Christianity that stands without Christ's approval. It is the approach being promoted by those who are advocating “change” for our churches.

A hundred years ago the majority of those who were part of the movement to restore original Christianity chose the same road the agents of change are now promoting. Today they are identified as the Disciples of Christ/Christian Churches. The issues that distinguished that movement last century and the movement for change of today are virtually identical.  When the digression occurred in the past, the surviving remnant, led by great men such as David Lipscomb, James A. Harding, Austin McGary, and J. D. Tant had to rebuild almost from scratch.  But God blessed their efforts and today well over two million souls are identified with the Churches of Christ around the world.

Today winds are blowing gale-force across the face of our beloved brotherhood. They are urging us to abandon the old ways for new ways learned from our denominational neighbors. These winds, originating primarily from our large universities, are sure to drive the ship of Zion on the rocks of destruction, should they prevail.

The purpose of this site is to address the changes being advocated; to examine them in light of Scripture. Each month we will post our journal, Christianity: Then and Now. We will review the books of the change agents as well as useful books that answer them. We will answer the questions our readers submit that relate to the problems before us. Additional materials will be posted on a regular basis. Should you find any of them useful, we encourage you to download them and distribute them, as you will.

Please join us in prayer that God will bless this effort and use this teaching site to the honor and glory of his Son and for the good of his church. Pray that we will do only good and no harm at all. If we can help one preaching brother to clarify his thinking and avoid taking the road to the left; if we can assist one eldership in protecting their flock; if we can help to reclaim one soul who has been beguiled by false teachers; if we can light a candle to guide one or a hundred in the way of Truth, our efforts will be well repaid.

Sincerely in Christ,

johnwaddey@aol.com