"This Is Me"

By Logan J. Fox

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     The following self-portrait was painted first of all for myself. It may be of interest to others who are seeking an understanding of themselves. It is hoped that sharing of this kind will help us all to grow into the selves which God desires.

     I. I am a Christian, the son of missionaries, an heir of the Restoration Movement, called to fulfill my destiny in the latter half of the 20th century.

     1. In the very center of my life is my faith in the promise I find in Christ. I confess Him to be the Lord of my life and it is my purpose to live as His disciple.

     My ties to Christ are personal and unmediated. I am a Christian not as a matter of claim or boast but as a matter of confession. Therefore I need not defend my position as a Christian nor do I need any man's certification that I am a Christian.

     2. The formative years of my life were spent in Japan as the son of American missionaries. This did several things for me: I came to conceive of Christianity broadly and to see it in contrast to paganism; I came to know the brotherhood of which I am a part intimately and from the inside and early became disillusioned by the many divisions that made our plea for unity so incongruous; I came to feel a sense of mission, a responsibility to do something about the imperfections I felt so keenly.

     3. My parents have their roots in the Restoration Movement (non-instrumental music branch). It is for this reason, more than any other, that I too, am in this movement.

     With reference to this fact, two things can be said: one, I thank God for parents and other teachers who taught me about Christ and imparted to me a knowledge of the Bible; two, my soul belongs to Christ and while I shall be grateful to those who taught me, this gratitude does not obligate me to be loyal to the peculiarities of the people who led me to Christ.

     4. I am alive and must fulfill my destiny in this latter half of the 20th century. I am not living in some other time, but in this, and therefore I must respond with integrity to the problems of this time and place.

     I do not claim any finality for any opinions or thoughts I have. But I must express my opinions and thoughts without hesitation in the faith that God will use this process for leading us to truth.

     I believe with all my heart in the free exchange of ideas as the only way that truth can be effective in our lives.

     II. I am a critic of much that I find in "our brotherhood" today, and I believe that facing these faults honestly is the only way we can save our own souls and be used by God to help others.

     1. I find the most extreme form of sectarianism among us. We have isolated ourselves from other Christians and we pretend to be the entirety of God's People. I find myself at extreme variance from this position. I recognize as Christians all who are a part of the great historic christian church. I desire friendly contact with all who profess faith in Christ, I desire to join others in confessing together our common faith, and I desire to work together with all who share common goals and purposes.

     I know there are many serious differences among Christians, and dreadfully difficult practical barriers prevent a full fellowship. But I do not think that we as a people have found the answer to the problem of unity, and I desire to join with others in confessing our sinful contribution to the divided state of God's people, and to join others in humbly seeking a solution.

     In this connection, I find myself extremely interested in the work of the Ecumenical Movement and feel that instead of brushing it off with prejudiced criticism, we ought to follow its efforts with careful interest.

     While we recognize the difficulties in

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the way of expressing in organization and action the unity of God's people, I feel we should not hesitate to enter into more friendly relationships with people who differ from us greatly in doctrine. While I must continue to confess my faith and to frankly express my judgments, I can allow others the same privilege.

     2. I find a woeful ignorance of the gospel and a proud dedication to a human form of religion which we call "the plan of salvation." Our people are not being adequately fed- -there is a famine for the Word of God even when the Bible is profusely quoted.

     The power of God is ignored and prayer has no real reason back of it and loses its vitality; Jesus becomes only a name to be inserted in a slot in "the plan of salvation"; and the Holy Spirit is virtually ruled out through a conspiracy of silence.

     Some have called this perversion of the gospel "legalism" and I find the name appropriate. It might also be called "Pharisaism" or "Neo-Judaism." At the present time this legalism is the greatest danger in our brotherhood. I do not agree that liberalism or modernism are anything like the threat that legalism is. Worldliness and secularism may be, but I'm not sure even of this. Smug, complacent, proud, blind, insensitive, the legalists continue to stone the prophets and to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

     There are many Pharisees with a fine spirit (like Gamaliel and Nicodemus), but they, too, are legalists and cannot save us from legalism. For twenty years I thought that some gradual, moderate approach might effectively counteract legalism. I am now convinced that it will not. Only a radical break with legalism which unhesitatingly brands it for what it is Will be effective at all.

     3. Sectarianism (isolation) and legalism (complacency) have effectively stifled all creativity among us, whether it be evangelical, charitable, intellectual, or artistic. Our record on mission work is too well known to need repeating. What mission work we are doing is motivated too much by a party spirit and a desire to proselyte. Instead of a few gestures in the field of benevolence we ought to be vigorously pursuing such work as medical missions, education for the illiterate, help for social outcasts, etc. Academically we are producing practically nothing worth reading and at the rate we are going we will not write anything worth reading in the foreseeable future. We are afraid to be free intellectually and only freedom can lead to creativity. We are equally failing in the realm of the arts. We do not encourage Christian artists, musicians, poets or composers to contribute creatively to the life of the church. Surely in this we are "stifling the Spirit."

     In all of these areas I want to encourage far more freedom for the growth and expression of our devotion to Christ in a wide variety of ways. Either the crust that imprisons us will be broken by a new life springing from within or we will be broken in judgment by the wrath of God.

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