Ernest Beam and Unity

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     It is a common practice of many to relate any attempt at reformation with others which have preceded it. The motivation in doing so differs with the individuals who engage in it. In the case of our own plea for greater unity among the heirs of the restoration movement, the one name from the past most frequently heard is that of Ernest Beam. This brother began a paper called The Christian Forum in 1950, through which he publicized an appeal for the children of God to treat each other like brethren. Unfortunately, at the time I was still enslaved by the yoke of factionalism and could not even consider what he wrote objectively. In those days, any extension of charity toward those who differed with "the loyal church" of which I was a member, was assailed as a compromise.

     Since that time, and with a greater degree of spiritual maturity, I can better evaluate the contributions made by this brother who is now deceased. I think we both held the same ideal and struggled toward the same goal. The differences, which are several in number, lie chiefly in the methods to be employed in helping our brethren throw off the shackles of the party spirit. Some of these differences seem to me to be quite basic to the eventual realization of our vision of a closer walk with each other under the rule of the Messiah.

     It is probable that many of our readers have never seen an outline of Bro. Beam's objectives. In a recent speech at Hartford, Illinois, Grayson Ensign repeated his "Seventeen Propositions to Promote Unity," as they appeared on page 14 of Christian Standard, October 8, 1949. We reproduce them here so that all of us can again evaluate them in the light of God's revelation and the divine purpose in our lives for this generation.

     1. All sincerely immersed into Christ, with manifest purpose to be governed of Him, are one body in Jesus Christ, though some are now also in denominational churches and others also in church of Christ sects.

     2. All of those in next above are commanded of God to receive one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

     3. The receiving of brethren in Christ is never an endorsement of weakness, immaturity, and error even as Christ's reception of us is not His endorsement of our weakness, immaturity and error.

     4. Those who will not receive the brethren but do disfellowship them, or some of them, are, on that account, to be marked, avoided, and rejected, even as the man under the old law who did kill was himself to be put to death.

     5. The Scriptures forbid any sincere brother to violate his own conscience in religious acts and devotions whether that conscience is properly taught or not; and the Scriptures forbid the rest of us to ignore that conscience. Nor is our own liberty to be judged of another's conscience.

     6. It is not necessary for the brethren to be of the same mind upon meats, days,

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circumcision, the law, colleges, missionary organization, orphan homes, instrument, "pastor system," cups, war, premillennial views, tobacco, classes, uninspired literature, names, or other such, as conditions of salvation and of receiving one another Those of Proposition 1 are one body notwithstanding these and like differences.

     7. Division in the body of Christ is always made by the brother who will not fellowship his brother. (This does not mean there are not times that a brother must disown a brother; there are. But the brother who disfellowships always and everywhere makes the division--those that should never be, as well as those that must he).

     8. The brother, though right about every item in Proposition 6 above, is not permitted to bind that right, as a condition of receiving, against his brother who does not yet perceive the right.

     9. The receiving of all those sincerely in Christ, by Paul, did not stop him from successful labor to overcome the wrongs of those received, but did enhance the working of it. The receiving by all of us, of each of the rest of us, in Proposition 1 above, by the wonderful grace of our God, can and should work the same way.

     10. No more grace is required in my heart to receive my brother, as set out above, than is required in Christ to receive me now and hereafter. (Yea, the comparison is an unworthy one, but is used to turn the mind toward working of grace from us as it has come to us).

     11. The Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the apostles were not compromisers and betrayers of the gospel in receiving brethren with error of whom we read in the New Testament: we are the compromisers and betrayers of their gospel when we do not so receive one another.

     12. The Holy Spirit as certainly commands not to own all those who come among us not of genuine faith in the whole mystery of Christ revealed in Scripture (2 John 7-11; 1 John 4:3, 3) or who are not of mind to consent to "wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the doctrine which is according to godliness (1 Timothy 6:3), as he does command us to receive the brethren of genuine faith.

     13. It is hurtfully erroneous to try to make God speak in the field of necessary judgment--the circumstantials of the gospel left to the judgment of the brethren and the expediency of which changes through the centuries with changing means and agencies of society--as it is not to hear God in the great realm of faith where He does speak.

     14. In all matters of faith a thing must be lawful before it can ever be expedient; in all matters of necessary judgment a thing is not to be judged of right or wrong but whether it is a good and useful means to attain the given end.

     15. The use of any and all humanly accepted means and methods must ever be kept within the realm of enabling what God has commanded and never used upon a par with, as an addition to, as a part of, or exalted above the thing commanded or those appointed by God. (The use of uninspired literature to enable the teaching of God's Word is one thing. But to make use of it as upon par with, added to, a part of, or exalted above God's Word, is a grievous error not to be tolerated. The same is true of all things whatsoever that have been left to the judgment and wisdom of men.)

     16. To charge a brother with an addition to the Word who uses uninspired literature to enable the teaching of the inspired word; or to "the cup" who but uses individual cups to enable the communion of "the cup"; or to sing who but uses the instrument to enable singing, decency, and order; or to the one organization of the New Testament who but uses colleges, missionary organizations, orphan homes, old folks' homes, organized classes, and journalistic organizations to enable orderly obedience to the commands of God--this is false accusation against brethren and divides those who are of the same faith.

     17. The adoption of any test of fellowship not clearly demanded in Scripture is to adopt a condition of salvation--a new and added commandment--unto the perversion of the gospel.