Saturday, June 3, 2017

Letter to the Churches of Christ

Dear beloved in Christ Jesus:

I just finished reading “Reclaiming a Heritage” (2002) by Richard T. Hughes, and this is one book that should be recommended reading by every church member; especially the leadership. The author grew up in the Church of Christ and is therefore eminently qualified to write this book, not only from a scholarly perspective but he has an insider perspective about the mindset and inner workings of this religious group. The first thing that has to be admitted is the influence of such men as Alexander Campbell, Barton Stone, David Lipscomb, James Harding, and others in the Restoration Movement in general and Churches of Christ/Disciples of Christ (The Christian Church) in particular. Although Jesus Christ is the founder of our ‘Faith’ these reformers are the founders of our religious tradition. In this article I will use the author’s words mostly taken from his book to help better explain the Churches of Christ from a perspective that is seldom taught, or if at all, in the congregations.

The main point that Hughes wants to make is that the in the beginning the foundational principle behind the movement was that everyone had the right and privilege to search out the truth for themselves, and that such an endeavor may take a lifetime because humans are imperfect and our understanding of Scripture is constantly evolving. Since we are imperfect and not infallible, no mere human person can fully capture, possess, comprehend, preserve, dispense or attempt to codify the full measure of God’s eternal truth. The central theme of the Restoration Movement was first, to return back to the ancient order as presented in the New Testament and secondly, Christian unity (p. 30). There are those among the Churches of Christ who believe and teach that they have already restored the foundation or structure of the ancient Church in all its purity and perfection. I suppose they think they have fulfilled what it says in Ephesians 4: 13:  until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Barton Stone said: “View all children of God as your brother, whatever [religious] name they may bear” (p. 32).There seems to have been a seismic shift from that viewpoint where in modern times there is an overemphasis on being “the One True Church” as opposed to unifying all Christians on the basis of following the ancient faith as outlined in the New Testament, and not following sectarian creeds, dogma, ritual or ecumenical authorities. Churches of Christ claim not to be a denomination because they do not have a written creed or that each congregation is autonomous, but they follow an unwritten code where they exclude (dis-fellowship/withdraw) from their fellowship anyone or entire groups of people who disagree with the standard or accepted orthodoxy. On page 47, the author correctly opines that in our zeal to restore the primitive church in its purity we deny the history of the human founders of our faith tradition.

Churches of Christ claim to follow the Bible and the Bible alone and that our congregations are nothing more or less than those of the first Christian Age. The other Churches are a product of the powerful forces of history, culture and tradition; but not Churches of Christ. The thing is, though, what started out as a sincere movement to restore New Testament pattern of faith practice and teaching has instead, become a religious organization with our own particular ‘brand’ of Christianity as evidenced by our own distinct Churches, lectureships, publications, colleges, disciplinary measures, and theology- hence a denomination. Perhaps the one fatal flaw in all of this is that since we are so preoccupied or convinced of our restorative perfection then whenever the Gospel is preached among and out from us it has the seal of approval from God and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Plan of Salvation almost seems to lose some of its meaning because it is presented as a series of steps to do instead of as it pictured in Ephesians 2: 8-9, which says: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Richard Hughes, near the end of the book goes on to say that Churches of Christ are facing enormous challenges over forms and methods- worship, baptism, administering the Lord’s Supper (p. 121). 

He concludes by saying that we need to restore the passion of the former times by what is referred to as “radical discipleship,” which is similar to the commitment of the Anabaptists/Mennonite/Amish believers. Instead of withdrawing from society in separatist communities there should be a more proactive engagement in society and the world for the cause of social justice; which the Churches of Christ have been somewhat derelict in this area as opposed to other Christians. The Cross of Christ is more than facts, forms, methods and structures (p. 132), it must be engagement with or in the world where we shine as a beacon of light on a hill (Cp. Matthew 15: 14-16). Another Bible verses worth considering are found in Titus 2: 14: Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works; Colossians 1: 10: that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Further information regarding the Churches of Christ is suggested below in the following:

Sounding Brass and Clanging Cymbals by Choate/Woodson; Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement by Foster/Blowers/Dunnavant/Williams; Distant Voices: Uncovering a Forgotten past for a Changing Church by Leonard C. Allen; Evangelism & the Stone-Campbell Movement by William R. Baker; Radical Restoration by F. LaGard Smith


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St Apt 701
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 3, 2017