He drew a circle that shut me out–
Heretic, a rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!
Edwin Markham
I grow weary of those that would place themselves in the place of God, deciding who is and who isn’t worthy of the name Christian. A few weeks ago on Twitter, someone from the Christian Chronicle dared to quote a preacher who is on the black list for some in the churches of Christ (and you thought Joe McCarthy was dead). Quickly someone wrote to ask why he and his co-workers were so “besotted with progressives.” (Interestingly enough, this person had also been frequently quoted by the man he was criticizing; was he calling himself a progressive?)
It’s not the first time I’ve seen such criticism aimed at the Chronicle, a publication that attempts the difficult task of covering the broadest possible spectrum within churches of Christ (too broad for some, not broad enough for others). It’s always easier to align yourself with one camp or the other than to attempt to maintain journalistic objectivity.
I’m on an e-mail list on Yahoo of preachers from churches of Christ. Every once in a while, someone will write asking for the name of a “sound” congregation in a certain area. I’ve pressed for a definition of that term on a few occasions, but have only been met with embarrassed silence. No one wants to admit to keeping a McCarthy-like black list, but it exists for many.
A few years ago, someone at the church I was working with gave me a copy of a brotherhood publication. This particular issue was about “Change Agents” (this brother had gotten numerous copies for men in the church). One article had a list of “change agent” churches, institutions, publications, etc. At least that brother was bold enough to make his black list public.
Am I guilty of the same? Probably. I do find myself rolling my eyes at times when I see certain publications or institutions mentioned, but I make an effort to read what I can of what they produce. They are right about some things that I’m not. I don’t even know what they are, but I know that it’s true. There is no one that I can’t learn something from.
I grow impatient with those who would divide the Lord’s church. May I never be guilty of such. There are enough powers in this world that are working against God’s kingdom; we don’t need any internal forces doing the same. I’ll close with one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite preachers of the past:
“I never call Christians or others ‘anti’s,’ ‘digressives, ‘ mossbacks,’ ‘tackies,’ or ‘trash.’ I concede to all, and accord to all, the same sincerity and courtesy I claim for myself, as the Golden Rule demands…” T.B. Larimore
Great post Sir! Very sad but true. Some have indeed been playing God for quite some time. Sometimes I get involved in various discussions and fall for it as I begin to be sarcastic and not so nice.
I think we forget the very thing that the Law and the Prophets hang on and that is love. Thanks for the post!
Trent, I think you’re right. It’s like the Ephesian church in Revelation: we get so busy resisting error that we lose our first love.
A righteous plea, Tim. I hope I can do a better job this year of avoiding labels. The only one thing I think I can make stick is ‘sinner’—a label which seems appropriate for me and all others.
Good point Matthew.
Excellent post! I have seen far too much of this in my lifetime.
I will make a concerted effort this year to be more like TB Larimore. I can’t promise I will read more of the GA or anything else, but I’m desperately trying to reject -isms and labels.
I was visiting a church recently where the Bible class discussion turned to liberals and conservatives, and given my position with the Chronicle, the teacher called on me to help define the terms. I dodged the question and suggested that neither is a description that I have read about in the Bible (maybe I missed it). That said, I am as guilty as anyone — at least in my own mind — of assigning folks to the left or the right or perhaps the middle.
Yet we live in a world where publicly declaring that Jesus is the truth and the light, and that a religion such as Buddhism is not equal to Christianity, can get you in a lot of trouble, at least in the media. Do we really have the luxury to spend so much time and energy fighting among ourselves? (And yes, I know, I am sounding like a liberal … and I really am not meaning to. I am just posing a question.)
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Good stuff, Tim. I told a man in my office on Monday we are all recovering legalists about something or another… thanks for the reminder to quit drawing lines in the sand
Great post! I try to practice Christian fellowship to all but I must say that it is difficult to do when being one of the people that some wish to black-ball for being a supposed “liberal”. That happened to me when I was preaching in New York. Ironically, while the people were unwilling to recognize myself and the church I worked for as faithful Christians when it came time to raising money, they seemed to have little hesitancy about approaching us with their need (which was equally disturbing, since they wanted help in forming a support group for churches and ministers who they considered to be “faithful NT Christians”).
Grace and peace,
Rex
Excellent thoughts! I believe each of us has s small list inside of our minds that generate immediate thoughts of liberal, conservative, balanced or crazy brotherhood issues. Many of those thoughts are based on our own backgrounds, things we have been taught and personal “soapboxes.”
I get a kick when preacher will quote extensively from a denominational preacher/author, but never mention one thing from a “liberal” in our brotherhood.
Silly Christians, Christ is for everyone. Stop bickering and take Him there!
Just my thoughts and yes, I now repent!
Chris
Bobby is headed in the right direction. Some are arguing over ridiculous things when in reality we should/must be persecuted and hated for the proclamation of the Gospel and that Jesus as the only Name by which salvation comes. Let’s shed some blood, time, money, sweat, and tears for THAT.
Of course, underneath all of this is that our heritage really has no line to draw. We say “no creed but Christ” but that can mean 100 different things to 100 different people. We really stand on nothing when we fail to draw a line; which allows for certain popular authors of the day to swoop in like wolves. Anybody can say anything and then if they are questioned the questioner is called unChristlike or a threat to unity. However, I believe to truly protect unity we need to actually stand for something. Something we can sign on to. Something we can in front of a body of believers, affirm and commit to. This is where creeds, for example, can be valuable.
For example: Jim Belcher, in chapter 3 of his recent book “Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional”, proposes a two-tiered approach that divides the essentials of orthodoxy from the particulars of differing traditions within the boundaries of orthodoxy. The top tier “matches the creeds of the early church that have historically and universally defined orthodoxy. The bottom tier corresponds to the distinctive of each individual church body.” (p. 60) To Belcher, the top tier which “historically and universally define orthodoxy” are the Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.
I think that is a good start.
J.R., you make an excellent point. I don’t believe in “anything goes.” We do need to agree on some central doctrines. I’ll confess to being somewhat ignorant of the content of the different creeds. I’ve read them but haven’t given them great importance. (I know how bad that sounds, but it’s the truth. Most of us with a CofC background have probably experienced the same).
I did a few posts a while back on discovering which are the most important things in the Bible. I’m guessing a similar exercise is the place to start.
Grace and peace,
Tim Archer
Tim said “I did a few posts a while back on discovering which are the most important things in the Bible.”
Tim, can you expound upon the part of God’s word that is less important, to you than others .
Laymond: less important does not equal unimportant. Read the posts on biblical interpretation starting in October 2006 to see what I’m talking about.
Tim,
This is a great post. i’m not sure why we can’t read anything we like in order to be sharpened. i think some people who wish to burn the books of some people still have other books on their shelves from men whom they agree with even less. Some people who “roll their eyes” (as you say) at certain publications probably also have books on their shelves from people who would appreciate a lot of that publication. What’s the difference? i’m really not sure. i think both sides are guilty of the black-listing you speak of. i wonder why we’re so concerned with where an idea came from rather than just weighing its content.
–Guy