West Cocoa Chat

First, if you haven’t had a chance to check out my 2 previous posts from the weekend, please do so. There are copious amounts of pictures from Steven’s Homecoming.

Second, as to the question of which goal we would be talking about today, you will find it around the ninth paragraph. Let me know (as you always do) what you think.

Have you ever heard the old saying, “If you don’t have goals you’re “goal-ing” no where?” Individuals and organizations should always have goals, yes? I remember my days as a Middle School Basketball Coach. I had a goal of having to just raise a certain number of fingers or yell out a certain number, have my point-guard see or hear me, and tell the rest of the team what defense, press, or offense to get into without me having to yell, “1-3-1 halfcourt press, 1-3-1 halfcourt press!”

The last year I coached Steven in Juniors, I had a particular young man whose goal from my stand point was to recognize the signs I was flashing from the third base coaching box when ever he got on base. There was one game where he drew a walk. The catcher for the other team was terrible and virtually had no hope to throw out someone trying to steal second. It seemed like I had the right combinations of balls, foul tips, and fall balls to have given him the “steal sign” several times. Finally I yelled across the field, “Johnny, I want you to steal on this pitch! If the pitcher throws the ball home, you run to second!” I could hear the coaches from the other team’s dugout having a good laugh. Of course, I had the last laugh as he stole the base anyway despite the “head’s up” I gave them.

In church leadership we have many goals for our members and our church collectively and although I knew of the one I’m going to mention I never actually thought of actively working towards achieving it. We were discussing the events of the early part of this year with respect to our attempted merger with the local Conservative Christian Church.

Despite our 2 churches being unable to consummate our efforts, we were more than pleased with the results of such an effort. We spoke of how our members had been freed from any last vestiges of believing that the use of instruments in worship was wrong or was an offense capable of sending one to Hell. Moreover, they embraced having a second instrumental service to go with an a-capella worship service.

Our members have embraced the fact that the members of the Conservative Christian Churches are our brother and sisters in Christ. They came to find out that they think like us and they act like us or in other words, they are “us.”

From a personal standpoint, the reaction of being “un-invited” from the camp that we had served for many years was at first viewed as a negative of the whole merger experience. God being God knew better and turned it into such a positive experience. God opened the door to a new camp with a truly non-denominational attitude. We were able to have Pat Pugh at our week and as I’ve said in the past, we are still reaping the rewards of his lessons through our youth group.

Despite all of the above there was one thing, one goal, a goal that every church should strive for that had escaped my notice until this past Wednesday night. In talking about all of the above my good friend Curt said, “Our church has truly become autonomous.” I want you to let that thought settle for a moment.

After thinking about Curt’s statement I have come to the conclusion that our movement has been hijacked. What started as a unity / non-denominational movement deteriorated into a “denominational group.” There are many “distinctives” of being in a denomination. One of them is that each church is controlled by a “para-organization” that can assign and fire ministers and in essence, make each of it’s member churches hold to the “party line.”

Some will say that we in the churches of Christ do not have any type of “Home Office” calling the shots. True but in my opinion we have something more subversive and devious. In many ways it acts like Al Qaeda in that the “leaders” remain behind the lines and invisible. Yet in our form, these men wield great power holding camps, youth rallies, workshops, Christian Homes and Bible Schools, and churches hostage to their beliefs and whims with the threats of boycotts, financial blackmail, and un-invitations in the name of “keeping the church pure.”

In some ways I don’t blame or hold any ill will towards these “invisible leaders” for what seems to be an increasing amount of “un-invitations, boycotts, and acts of exile.” They themselves are victims of denominationalism. They have been handed down a tradition of denominationalism in the guise of “keeping the church pure.” Their intentions are an attempt to "keep the church pure" but like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, they have become paralyzed by not being autonomous in their thinking, actions, and beliefs and allowing others to practice the same Biblical concepts.

Now, I have no doubt there will be some of those wonderful “anonymous readers” who will take exception with the above. They will espouse and beat their bully-pulpits saying, “We have no creeds! We only follow the Bible.” The only problem with such a belief is that it is fantasy. One need only be aware of how many variations of Churches of Christ exist from “one-cuppers,” “no located preacher,” “AD 70,” “non-institutional,” and so on to realize that “following only the Bible” will not produce a “one model fits all” of doing church. If it does, then we’ve failed by virtue of the above.

A quote from Barton Stone on Bobby Valentine’s blog (http://stoned-campbelldisciple.blogspot.com/) shows that our early Restoration Fathers understood the fallacy of that thinking. Read for yourself - “In those days there were but a few terms of communion among Christians. All were admitted to fellowship who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and obeyed him; and their obedience was considered the best evidence of their faith … If opinions of truth were to be made terms of fellowship, it is much questioned whether (emphasis mine) any two men on earth could so perfectly agree in all points, as ever to unite; there could be no union or fellowship on earth” (Barton W. Stone, “Objections to Christian Union Calmly Considered,” Christian Messenger 1 {December 1826}, 27)

Did you catch the date? 1826! Here is “pure” as it gets non-denominational / autonomous thinking and it “was” us! I know, some will say, “They were “just men” and again, we follow the just the Bible.” Really? Lets go back to Jesus –
Mark 9:
Mk 9:38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” Mk 9:39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 I tell you the truth; anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.”

Jesus himself tries to get his Disciples to understand and embrace the concept of autonomy. He speaks with a loud voice to us today. To put it in our movement’s vernacular, if there is a fellow church of Christ doing good works in the name of Jesus, don’t stop or un-invite them. To go “southern” with it, Jesus is trying to say that “them” are “you.” Why would you want to stop or un-invite them? Autonomy allows us to be somewhat different as long as we are being Jesus to our respective communities.

Oh, what did I hear out there – that was before “the Church” was established. Lets see, I wonder what Paul would say about “autonomy?” Remember the Jerusalem Conference in Acts 15? Some I’m sure, well meaning / trying to keep the church pure men stand up and say:

Acts 15:5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

Does that sound familiar? I believe you could take out “circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses” and insert must be: “non – clappers,” “single song leaders,” “churches who don’t invite or listen to ___________.” (fill in the blank) The infiltration of denominationalism had already started to creep in to the church.

Our man Paul knew this would kill his efforts to reach and save the Gentiles. As we all know he prevails upon the gathered leaders of the church to not give in to denominationalism, requiring everyone to fit the same model of church / Christianity or not be accepted.

So, here we find ourselves in the beginning of the 21st Century dealing with the same problem Jesus and Paul faced in the first century. What are we to do?

I’m not saying that our church has “arrived” but I think we are truly on a journey towards Biblical / Christ-like autonomy. It is my prayer that in my lifetime that I will live to see the Movement that I’ve grown to love throw off the chains of denominationalism and truly return to the old paths of autonomy.