Since I’m teaching a course at ACU this semester, I attended a pre-session for the College of Biblical Studies. Jack Reese, dean of the college, mentioned that one board member asked him if twenty-five years from now there will still exist a church of Christ that we would recognize.
With my keen ability to explore tangents (i.e., my mind wanders), I began thinking about this question: Would someone from the first century recognize our church? The answer that quickly came to mind was: Of course not.
“What?!” I shrieked at that intruding thought (fortunately, it was an inaudible shriek). “How can you say that?”
Being a rational thought, it calmly explained to me that there was little about our church that would be familiar to someone from the first century. All of our standard trappings would be unfamiliar to them: songbooks, pews, pulpits, communion tables…. Buildings themselves would be a novelty. Bibles! They had no such thing. Communion trays. Offering baskets. All of it new.
I could go on, but you probably see that this thought of mine had a point. However, relentless thought that it was, it didn’t stop there. It also proceeded to point out that this time-traveling Christian would probably come to see that, in the things that really matter, our faith was the same as his.
Which gave me an opportunity to return to what Dr. Reese was talking about. Made me hope that, whatever changes we may see in the next 25 years, we may come to the same conclusion. In the things that really matter, it’s still the same faith.