Comments on: Churches of Christ in Decline: What Went Wrong

By: Larry Short

Larry Short — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 01:03:32 +0000

I think a few comments are off-base. First The Church of Christ, the Bride of Christ, doesn't need reforming, restoring or any other ing. Maybe most of us need to seek it, rediscover it, etc.
Second, every religious group that claims to honor Jesus came from some heritage. Just to get a meeting place, time, and some form of worship is beyond any NT blueprint. The mechanics will come from the leader(s) past experiences.
What this site is excellent at is sorting the past to find how we got here. I think its just as true in religious history as history general that we will repeat errors of the past, unless we learn from the past.
To GC, unity is not the major theme of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation it is God. They had unity at the ancient tower, until God made it Babel.
Those that really try to understand the revelation we have been given, will not as Jay says get all of our interputations correct. Still I will seek to congregate with people who take all inspired word seriously, hopefully with a humble spirit that we are seeking as are others.

By: Gary Cummings

Gary Cummings — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:51:08 +0000

Jay,
No I think restorationism is the problem. You get a theological heretic like Stone with a Deist rationalist like Campbell, and then throw is Restoration, you get a mess. The more spiritual folks, with their theological errors, had a different take on what was to be restored than the rationalist "Word only folks".

I think you are seeking an irenic middle ground. That is great.The progressives will never unite with traditionalists.
The best thing to do is to proclaim and live the Kingdom of God and that can be done without restorationism.
Just my two cents as an ex-restorationist.

By: Jay Guin

Jay Guin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:24:21 +0000

I'd say the mistake was not so much in restorationism, as confusing restorationism with salvation. Campbell himself was quite clear that you don't have to get the frequency of the Lord's Supper and such right to be saved.

However, it wasn't but a generation later that others argued you have to have the right "marks of the church" to be saved — turning the Stone-Campbell Movement into the very thing they'd spent their lives opposing.

By: Gary Cummings

Gary Cummings — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:38:06 +0000

Jay,
I joined with the COC in 1965, after being convinced it was the true church. I had been previously saved in 1964 while attending a Baptist Church. I was never comfortable with Baptist teaching like once saved ,always saved and no personal holiness. I went looking for "The True Church". The local COC preacher convinced me that had the marks of the true church and the true way to become a Christian-the old five finger exercise. I bit, went to a Christian college for four years. I met so many baptized COC pagans: no personal holiness, and all they said was we are the true church because we do these things-the pattern, and we performed the five finger exercise. I preached for them about a year and quit out of disgust of the sectarianism I saw and even practiced!
You have Baptist Landmarkism, and then the COC Landmarkism, which is just as bad.
Leroy was right, you can't combine Unity and Restorationism. All you get are a bunch of bickering sub-sects withina larger sect.

By: Jay Guin

Jay Guin — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:46:23 +0000

Dell,

There is another version of that saying, just as old: No creed but Christ." It's more alliterative and more right. "No creed but the Bible" easily becomes "No creed but my interpretation of the Bible," which becomes "creed." "No creed but Christ" puts the focus on the person of Jesus rather than our hermeneutical skills.

By: David Himes

David Himes — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:05:03 +0000

Upon reflection, I guess this post explains where you came up with the domain name for your blog.

Right on!!!

By: Dell Kimberly

Dell Kimberly — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:37:28 +0000

In years past I have heard the statement,"No creed but the Bible" used again and again. The truth is we have an unwritten creed that is as adhered to as closely as any ever written and adopted by man. Our words may say no but our actions cry yes in a voice to loud to deny.

By: willohroots

willohroots — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:26:41 +0000

How often in Church history what started out to unite , divides We all get carried away it seems with our own Idea of right. I appreciate the article. this makes a lot of sense. .