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SAND CREEK CHRONICLES (Author not identified)
From Christian Standard, September 28, 1889
SAND CREEK CHRONICLES
Sand Creek is the name of a congregation of Disciples of Christ not far from Windsor, in the county of Shelby,
and State of Illinois, and the United States of America. Sand Creek has recently taken long steps toward immortality. It
is wonderful how places you never heard of before and brethren whose names have never been in print, can suddenly
develop into marvelous proportions! Sand Creek! How suggestive of obscurity and fleetness and shallowness! And yet
Sand Creek is not obscure, nor fleeting, nor shallow! Sand Creek has come to the front, and stands out like Pike's Peak--the great tower and bay window of the Rockies! Sand Creek has become profound! Sand Creek proposes to lead in a
valiant warfare against vile corruptions which have crept into the ranks of the brotherhood; and in this courageous
struggle, she is to be seconded by Ash Grove and Green Creek and Liberty and Mode and Union--country churches
which, at the call of one Sommer, are coming up to the help of the Lord against the mighty! The world has had its
Luther leading in the fight against the ecclesiastical corruptions and moral deformities and iniquities of Rome; its
Wesley leading in the fight against coldness and godless formalities in religion; its Williams, leading in the struggle for
civil and religious liberty; its Campbell, leading in the struggle against sectarianism and in favor of Christian Unity.
And these great leaders have made history of which every true man is proud. But it is left for Sand Creek Church, under
the lead of humble but determined elders, to excel all others in the work of reformation! They have four great evils--the
like of which none cursed the church before--compared with which Romish indulgences, wickedness in high places,
ecclesiastical tyranny and unholy sectarianism--against which war was urged by Luther, Wesley and Campbell--sink
into utter insignificance. Sand Creek has lifted up her voice against missionary societies, church festivals, church organs
and the pastor! Was there ever a greater reform than this? Their remedy is admonition, meditation and reflection.
They administer the admonition themselves and the people meditate and reflect! "If, after having had sufficient time to
meditate and reflect"--how considerate!--they continue to contribute to the treasury of a missionary society for home or
foreign missions, or if they attend a church festival, and especially if they pay an admission fee at the door, or if they
sanction the use of an organ in the house of worship, or if they want to employ a pastor to look after the flock of God,
then what? Why simply this "We can not and will not regard them as brethren"--and so the church will be purified and
God will be glorified. Sand Creek is immortal. Sand Creek has taken lessons of the Pope who issued his bull against
the comet. Sand Creek will live forever! See Octographic Review of Sept 12.
Rumor has it that nearly all the churches at Sand Creek have signed the four articles of the new faith. They
have had serious trouble in formulating them. There is, however, substantial agreement that they shall read as
follows:
ART. I.--that missionary societies are man-made and therefore to be avoided as sinful and unholy.
ART. II.--That church festivals, especially if there be an admittance fee at the door, are wrong and therefore can not be
tolerated.
ART. III.--That the organ in public worship is a corruption of the worship, is a very wholesome doctrine and full of
comfort.
ART. IV.--That one man should be employed to give all his time to taking heed to the flock, is a practice dangerous to
liberty, and specially subversive of the privileges of the elders. Better that the flock be not cared for, than one man
should do it.
There was considerable discussion over the first Article. There was no dispute about the societies being "man-made," as nearly everything is more or less "man-made." The chief objection was a phraseology which indicated that
they would cease to support them. Sand Creek was never guilty of giving a penny for missions, and therefore could not
stop giving to these man-made institutions. So they wrote "to be avoided as sinful and holy." [Sic] They also had a
good deal of discussion over the last clause in the new creed, "Better that the flock be not cared for, than one man should
do it." But, after long discussion, they left it on record, chiefly as a testimony to their loyalty to the Word of God.
Rumor also says that they expect trouble from two sources, viz.: There is a brother there who insists that the
adoption and signing of these articles of faith is a grave departure from the ground of the Campbells, Scotts, etc., and he
threatens for this reason to withdraw from them, and induce others to do the same, and start a new church. To overcome
this, they depend on the vindication of Sommer and Rowe, which, they are assured, will be able and sufficient. There is
another brother who is anxious to add to the creed as follows:
ART. V.--That Sunday-schools are man-made institutions, and to be avoided as sinful and unholy.
ART. VI.--That religious papers are man-made institutions, and therefore not to be subscribed for or
circulated.
The church would have little trouble as to these additional articles, if it were not for Sommer and Rowe, who
insist that Article VI. would ruin their business, to which this brother retorts that it is none of their business what the
Sand Creek Church wants, and had the audacity to insinuate than an imported editor was no better than an imported
pastor.
And yet Sand Creek hopes to get on with this great reformation and survive the attacks of these extremists.
Some one has tried to block the wheels of this great movement by ridicule, as witness the following:
Think of Haynes, and Allen, and Radford, and Briney, and Howe, and Gilliland, and scores of others, going
down to Sand Creek, and not being regarded as brethren! Think of these men standing up to be admonished by the
elders of Sand Creek Church for the grave sin of supporting missionary societies, or sanctioning the use of an organ in
public worship, or attending a church social where they had something to eat, or being pastors of their respective
churches! Think of these men after "meditating and reflecting" after such admonition--and because they can not
subscribe to these four articles of the new faith, the elders gravely inform them that they can not "regard them as
brethren"; or, think of these men, after "meditating and reflecting," yielding to the admonition, signing the articles and
joining a sect which outsectarianizes all sectarianism!
Think further of these Sand Creek brethren moving on to the "pale realms of shade"; and reaching the pearly
gates, they see inside Campbell, and Scott, and Johnson, and Hayden, and Stone, and Franklin, and Milligan, and Errett,
and scores of others who worked in the missionary societies; and they hear the sound of the harps and golden reeds
accompanying the song of redeeming love; and all joining in the chorus of praise, because they have been redeemed out
of every kindred and tongue and people and nation--a grand reunion missionary song--think of these Sand Creek
brethren refusing to go in because of the instrumental music, and the presence of persons they could not regard as
brethren on this mundane sphere; and the grand results of organized missionary work, as seen in the host that no man
can number! Think of Sand Creek refusing to go in!
Well, Sand Creek will be consistent and stay out--Sand Creek has sand.
OHIO
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Kenny Guthrie can be reached at KennyGE@aol.comThis page last updated 18 June, 1996