Tornados have a way of bringing out the best and worst in people. While some people were desperately searching for the injured, others were desperately searching for things to steal. It’s times like these when you find out who someone really is deep down inside.
We’ve been privileged as a congregation to work with congregations from across the nation anxious to give to help Tuscaloosans dig out from under the destruction. Some good people have come as volunteers, taking time off from work and school to help people rebuild their homes and their lives. Some have donated supplies and money. Far more have immersed the entire recovery effort in prayer. Thank you!
But then there’s a dark side to it all. We’ve seen the best of the Churches of Christ — and the worst. For example, a volunteer came to help. He volunteered and so received a stack of work orders listing needs that could be met with his particular skills. He sneered, “I came to help members of the Churches of Christ!” He turned the orders back in.
Our church received a request for a particular kind of supply we didn’t have. We asked a relief agency associated with the Churches of Christ (there’s more than one in town) whether they could meet this demand. They responded, “We hear your congregation is using instrumental music. Our supporters are very ‘conservative,’ and so we can’t be seen to be helping an instrumental church.” Of course, the supplies weren’t even for us. They were for families in town in need. We didn’t think to ask their denominational affiliation.
The elder they spoke to kindly asked them not to listen to rumors and assured them our assemblies remain a cappella. But why should it matter? (Why are we so quick to gossip and to believe gossip?)
There are plenty of such stories.
It’s not new. After Katrina, there were Churches of Christ that were only willing to help fellow Church of Christ members recover. Many — probably most — of the Churches of Christ refused to cooperate with non-Church of Christ churches for fear that the credit for their work wouldn’t go to the Church of Christ brand.
For some, the “logic” of this kind of thinking is built on —
(Gal 6:10 ESV) So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
The argument is that, based on this verse, we must help brothers and sisters in Christ first and may only help non-members after needs within the Churches have been met. Of course, this logic assumes —
* That “Churches of Christ” = “household of faith,” that is, that everyone else is going to hell. (And those among us who use instruments, who have a biblical name that isn’t “Church of Christ,” or who otherwise fail to adhere to the Church of Christ creed are going to hell, too.)
* That “especially” means we can walk by on the other side of the road when a non-member needs our help.
Both assumptions are obviously false. And yet I’ve seen this attitude in many congregations over the years. But I had hoped we’d gotten over it. Evidently not.
Here’s what I think. Some of us (not by any means all of us, but some) are stingy tightwads, and they defend their selfishness using perverted doctrine. And the CENI approach to hermeneutics makes it possible to oppose nearly anything. The things they choose to oppose as unauthorized just happen to be things that cost money. It seems some of us can never find biblical authority for spending money.
We’ve been known to oppose —
* The instrument
* Located preachers
* Missionary societies
* Fundraisers other than freewill offerings
* Sunday school
* Congregational support for the Herald of Truth
* Congregational support for orphanages
* Congregational support for Christian colleges
* Congregational cooperation to support missionaries
* Congregational benevolence for non-members
* Campus ministry supported by a non-congregational institution
* Campus ministry supported by a congregation
* Steeples
* Stained glass
* Fellowship halls
* Kitchens in the building
Do you see the pattern? They all cost money.
Yes, there are some points of division that have little to do with money: one cup, Premillennialism, the Holy Spirit. But most of the divisive issues are ultimately about money. And we are too nice to brand such nonsense for what it is: sin.
The result is a culture, atmosphere, and image of mean-spiritedness. Indeed, members are often afraid to propose a new outreach or benevolent activity for fear that some creative member will think of a way to declare the proposal unauthorized and damnable so that the leadership will cave in and refuse the proposal.
After all, the result of CENI is to force an elaborate argument over what is and isn’t authorized. The result is contention, division, and no clear answer. And so the leaders avoid the fight by saying no.
I have this crazy idea. It goes like this:
* Jesus said,
(Luk 10:27 ESV) “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
* We are therefore authorized to do acts of love for our neighbors.
It’s not complicated.
The complexity is from Satan, who deceives us by appealing to our arrogance. We pretend to be smarter than everyone else, looking down on the denominations who foolishly go about trying to dig people out of the rubble, while we are “people of the Book” who know their Bibles so very well that we know it’s wrong to do that for anyone but our own.
You see, Satan knows where we are the weakest, and it’s in our desire to be smarter than everyone else and in our pocketbooks. And this leads to a crazy approach to the Bible that turns “love your neighbor” into “do nothing because your neighbor isn’t a member of the Church of Christ.” It’s a great tragedy and huge embarrassment to the Churches of Christ.
Now, to be fair, I have to add that many Churches of Christ do not have this attitude. Even many Churches that are far from being “progressive” read their Bibles clearly enough to escape such wickedness. But the attitude, at least in this part of the country, is surprisingly common and has severely injured the image of the Churches of Christ.
Partially motivated by exactly the kinds of things you addressed in this post I recently wrote a post, "Unconditional love?" (http://gracedigest.com/2011/05/15/unconditional-love/) Unfortunately, I had to learn first hand the unbiblical and unchristian practices of some of our so called "brethren". I learned that not only some who wear the name "church of Christ" will only help those who are like them, but that some elders will lie and do everything possible to wreck the ministry of people who don't fit their pattern exactly.
Thanks Jay for this unflattering but true portrait of what religion can do to people.
Royce Ogle
Monroe, LA
Jay, we have faced this same thing over and over again. Some churches wouldn't help rebuild a house for a family which had burned because some baptists were helping, and after all, we can't fellowship darkness. I often think that many Churches of Christ are the real darkness that we should stay away from. It's amazing that when Jesus talks about the final judgment in Matthew 25 that he doesn't say anything about worship, especially the 5 acts, or any of the other doctrinal issues that are soooo important…nope, He says you did good to your fellow man, and you didn't! Yet, Churches of Christ continue to express a legalistic concern over true godly love….I'm too disturbed to say more. Thanks for what you're doing to help the healing process.
Roger Scully
Morgan City, LA
For the legalist who may be wondering…yes, I'm THAT Roger Scully, so go ahead and "write me up."
This is an example of the very reason why so many in my generation are disturbed and disgusted with COC and other churches as well. These are the things on my mind when I contemplate no longer preaching in COC and cutting ties all together. It's downright embarrassing and disgusting! I thank God not every COC , or all other churches, are this way.
I don't know the finances of any other congregation, but there is a small one cup congregation around here that has a tv show every week. I also know of two non-benevolence (I'm not sure what the term is) congregations that spend money on internet shows. I think that there are folks who think those in need just need to work harder so they'd rather spend their money telling others why they're lost instead of helping the lost.
Josh
If Jesus could commend a Samaritan over a Priest and a Levite because he was a neighbor to the man who fell among thieves, it is really stretching Gal. 6:9 to say we are not to help anyone who is not a member of the Church of Christ! Yet, many do.
Such a sad post. It makes me blink back tears.
One word comes to mind.. cult… when legalism extends that far.
Jay,
Bless your heart, I know what nerve it took and the frustration you must feel to cause you to post this. You have just described 99% of the churches of Christ in Alabama.
Sad, but true. The positive is men like you standing up to this thinking is influencing our youth (and even a few oldies) and times are changing due to your efforts blessed by God. What few liberals there are are helping in so many ways.
Many conservatives are helping a couple whose whole city was destroyed by the tornadoes, but only because they are members of the conservatives while driving past all that destruction of others who have nothing. Cannot be a congregation effort though, individually only, as this cannot be a work of the church nor its money be used for this purpose. Not authorized you know!
Keep the pressure on. So many have told others of this site and the good that is coming from real discussion and not just parroting the part line for fear of being set aside.
Reading the description of the closed cult-like attitude of some members of the Church of Christ is like taking a trip back in time. If only that were so.
In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), a few points should be noted.
(1) The story may be called “The Good Samaritan,” but the story was told as an answer to the original question (vs. 25), which was about “eternal life.” That should sound pretty important.
(2) The expert in the law was obviously already satisfied with his own self-justification; it was only in the presence of Jesus did he feel unsure of his interpretation. As long as he stayed within the confines of his own like-thinking, inward-reinforcing group, his self-justification was unthreatened; but, put into the presence of Jesus, his faulty theology was displayed. (Note to self: If you want to keep a faulty self-justifying theology, better stay away from the presence of the Lord Jesus.)
(3) The expert tried to reestablish his justification with Jesus by asking, “Who is my neighbor?” “Who meets the qualifications? Who is worthy to be my neighbor? Who has the right credentials? Who can meet all the criteria to deserve my help, if I should so deign to grant it?”
“Is this person a member of the Sanhedrin Church of Christ? Does he keep the Sabbath laws and rules? Has he been baptized in water? Is he worthy?” The Samaritan didn’t check the person’s identification and his congregational affiliation. The person was qualified because he was in need.
(4) Jesus told a story showing those with artificial religiosity failed to recognize a God-given work assignment, because their self-justification prevented them from seeing the Lord, Himself, in need (Matthew 25). Two out of three missed it. Missed what? Remember, the original question was about eternal life.
(5) Jesus’ story didn’t answer the expert’s question, because the expert had not asked the right question. He missed the right question because his motive was for self-justification, not works of service, not truth, not in fulfilling the anointing of Jesus (Luke 4), not worship of the Lord Jesus, and, really, not even in eternal life. The expert had himself and his circular, self-perpetuating doctrine as an idol.
(6) Jesus asked the right question to the expert. “Who proved to be a neighbor?” Surprise! The neighbor isn’t the person in need; the neighbor is the person who helps him. “Who is the neighbor?” I am, when I help.
Wrong question: “Is this person worthy to be categorized as my neighbor and receive my assistance in their need?” Right question: “Am I going to be a neighbor and prove myself worthy of the name I bear, the name above all names, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ?”
Remember, the original question was about eternal life.
“Go and do likewise.”
A challenge to those legalists who pass by others who are in need because they are not deemed religiously worthy of your assistance – either change your behavior or change your name.
Jay, It is so sad – but needful – to be confronted with this. The folks you describe have used the bricks of an ill-conceived body of doctrine, strange to both the letter and the spirit of the 'sacred pages' of the NT, to construct a wall of separation that isolates them from the very people they (we all) are called to serve and/or 'enlighten'. Enlighten, only with the simple Gospel of the saving work of Christ. Your summary paints this picture so clearly.
We are praying for your ongoing efforts to bring a different message home to our good folks caught up in this counter-productive and God-dishonoring mindset. It hinders the real work of the Kingdom in so many places and on so many levels.
Not being raised in the Church it has been enlightening and humbling to grow within the church. I have seen the best and worst of people and their actions and I have cried and rejoiced. Ignorance is not something only for those outside the body but within as well. May we have the mind of Christ, but also display the love He demands. Never let anyone or any group come between you and your God! May the work efforts be blessed and your contending for "The Faith" be rewarded. In Christ, Joel.
Jay,
Not sure your money charge is quite accurate. Plenty of churches claim the oppositions you list, yet still use their money in the very areas where they have those prohibitions. The dissent is usually about *how* the money is used/transferred. Florida Christian College would be an example. i've even known a church or two that claimed to oppose located preachers, yet paid a guy who lived in his RV. (Since he didn't have a permanent home in the community, that meant he wasn't technically a located preacher.)
But that's not terribly important. What i really want to know is this: What do you think the "especially" in Galatians 6:10 means?
–guy
While we are defining words/phrases in Galatians 6:10, you might include also what "family of believers," or "household of faith" means.
Are these the same types of questions the "expert in the law" would ask in Luke 10:29? The answer to that is the intent behind the questions about Gal 6:10. Is one trying to define Gal 6:10 so as to justify a limitation of benevolence or to expand it in the name of Jesus? Is this viewed as an opportunity to expand our faith or as a threat to our "limited resources?"
Decisions rest on the interface between these different modes of thinking. Where would Jesus put the "interface?"
Guy asked, “What do you think the “especially” in Galatians 6:10 means?”
Friberg Lexicon says “especially.” Louw-Nida say “especially.” Thayer’s translates “especially.” I checked 7 translations. They all say “especially.”
It does not mean “before you do anything else.” Indeed, the command in Gal 6:10 is “do good to everyone,” which is only modified by “especially to those who are of the household of faith.” The modifier cannot repeal the primary command. Thus, the primary command remains in effect. We must do both.
Consider an example. “After a tornado strikes, you should care for everyone, especially your family.”
Does that mean help your family dig out, heal, rebuild their houses, and fully recover before you help anyone else? Do you walk past those near death to help your daughter replant her rosebed? Plainly not.
The extremes are easy to sort out. If you never help anyone outside the Churches of Christ, you’re not obedient to God’s word. Moreover, if an objective observer would conclude you don’t much love non-members, you’re disobedient.
I have to tell a neat story. After Katrina a little congregation in Biloxi was only minimally damaged while buildings all around were destroyed including many low income homes. This little group of folks unbolted their pews and stacked them to the side and turned their auditorium into a warehouse, the classrooms became specialized closets for various needs. The foyer became the distribution center, the upstairs nursery a stock room for donated matresses. This little group of folks helped anyone who came from all over the region. All they asked was basic contact information in hopes of followup.
The best part of it was the preacher. He was a semi-retired type who had been overseeing a declining membership. Now he was serving his entire community with all of his heart. May God bless such men and increase their number.
One of the reasons I can never be in a position of authority in a church is because I am unable to handle/tolerate those within the church who behave like Jay describes. I don't know how to extend Christ's love to people like that. I know that that is a sign of my weakness and immaturity, but there it is.
So how do we, as members of Christ's body who have a "fuller" understanding of what Jay is talking about, deal with others members of Christ's body who completely miss it?
I have absolutely no idea how to even begin to approach that question from the perspective of the love of Christ.
For the most part realize it isn't our job to deal with them at all. Love them, teach them better things if you can, otherwise do what you know you need to be doing and don't let them hinder you. This is true whether within a congregation or looking at the Body as a whole.
It will always be the Boss's job to deal with them and He does either by removing them Himself or by raising up others to do the jobs they refuse to do. The Body will function as He intends whether they help or not. That can be a great source of comfort if we will allow it to be.
Jay,
i'm certainly not claiming that Galatians 6:10 means either that i shouldn't help non-Christians, nor that i should help Christians in some exhaustive sense before i lift a finger for a non-Christian. i whole-heartedly agree with you on those.
You definitely cover what the verse doesn't mean, but you still never said anything about what it *does* mean.
Doesn't the verse suggest that there is some preference or difference in the way i help the two groups? (i'm also thinking here of Jesus in Mark who said those who do the word of God were His family.) Even if i am to help everyone, this verse seems to suggest that i am in some sense more obligated to my spiritual family than to non-family members.
–guy
Guy,I find it difficult to articulate what “especially” means beyond, you know, “especially.” The word and the verse do not give a very exact rule. It leaves much to discretion — but a discretion guided by the larger principles taught in Galatians and elsewhere.Yes, Paul certainly suggests a preference for members of the church-universal over non-members in terms of doing good. How much preference that is cannot be answered in terms of rules, as Paul offers none. It’s a matter for a wisdom bathed in love, not for rule making.We err, not when we give a preference, but when we turn the preference into an excuse for doing nothing of consequence for others. If we were to actually, deeply, passionately love others, then we’d sort the tension out easily enough.
Adam,Being a leader doesn’t make it any easier. It just means you have to deal the best you can with it.My fellow elders who’ve had to cope with this problem have handled it with more patience and gentleness than I could have mustered. I’m glad I’ve not had to deal directly with it. (It really upsets me to see needs going unmet and the scriptures being cited as the reason. To me, it’s an indirect slander of Jesus, and it certainly brings shame to his church.)I guess the best any of us can do is call sin sin and teach. At the least, we can encourage an attitude of finding such behavior utterly unacceptable.
Jay, I know that you are probably like me and weary of all the tornado mess… the debris piled up on cubsides, the constant sights and sounds of dump trucks and in my case the lack of insurance company effeciency (I could go on and on…). That probably makes you particulary sensitive to that Aid groups lack of caring for their neighbors. I just know this, I have to go to the city jail in about 5 minutes to meet with the inmates there and it will be the highlight of my day. Those that define limits on who their neighbors are will never know that the one who benefits the most from being a good neighbor is the helper… not the help-ee. That is hidden from them. Pity….