At the Crossroads

By F. L. Lemley

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     Everyone is familiar with the significance of a crossroad. It is a place where a decision must be made as to the direction of travel. The destination depends upon the choice made at the crossroad. Many are now at this point in the search for unity among those congregations originating from the restoration movement. In a single issue of one of the brotherhood papers recently, there were reports of four efforts being made over the United States to get together to improve communications and to promote unity. Many other such efforts have gone unreported, but are just as significant. The desire to heal the rifts in the body is growing and this will force many congregations and individuals to make a decision. There must be some appropriate response to these efforts to communicate and to begin to undo some of the damage that has been done.

     Those congregations having their origin in a movement to restore New Testament

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Christianity have many things in common. It is tragic that this movement has been divided again and again into factions and parties, each of which has believed that it alone is loyal and true to the New Testament pattern. Such factions exhibit a sectarian attitude toward others originating in the same restoration movement and with whom they used to admit brotherhood.

     The movement originally intended to unite the Christians in all denominations has been fractured into parties each believing there are no Christians save in its own segment. Some even "re-baptize" those applying to them for fellowship. Many non-instrument brethren advocate "re-baptizing" those coming to them from the brethren who use the instrument to (quote) "just be on the safe side!" Conditions prevailing in our brotherhoods evoke some questions which must be answered. We are at the crossroad. Study the following queries.

     1. Does the new birth by which we become sons of God require a doctrinal accuracy on all of the issues? If yes, who then is a child? If no, then which doctrines are essential, and which are optional? We cannot reasonably require more of a person to become a brother than God requires of him to become a child.

     2. How do we propose to account for those of other segments or factions manifesting more of the fruits of the Spirit than do we? Can those who are not children manifest the fruits of the Spirit? Is there more validity in doctrinal accuracy than in producing fruits? Jesus said that by their fruits ye shall know them. Can non-Christians bear Christian fruits?

     3. How is it that many outside of our fellowship get more positive answers to prayer than we do. Do sinners, who are not children, have more access to the power of prayer than do we?

     4. At what point in our spiritual development do we enter into the domain of God's grace? Do we enter it at the point of vital faith which sets us to actively implementing that faith, or do we enter this domain after we have completed our obedience? If we cannot become subjects of God's grace until we have obeyed to perfection part or all of God's commandments, then we are in danger of being without grace completely. If the grace of God does not protect us while we are in the act of obeying, then we had as well give up, for salvation then becomes a matter of making a passing grade in works. No man can be justified by a perfect performance of the law's demands.

     Obedience depends upon two things: our knowledge and our ability. If either is short of perfection, then our obedience falls short of perfection. Can only those who render perfect obedience be saved? Or, does God's grace cover our deficiencies? If God extends grace to me in overlooking my shortcomings, then he will surely do the same for my brother.

     5. We must decide once and for all if the unity for which Christ prayed is to be achieved by agreeing upon our inferences and deductions from the Book, or if it is to be achieved through faith in the Man, Jesus Christ. Is our unity in the plan, derived by human inference and deduction, or in the man, divinely appointed as our Saviour?

     6. The time has come for us either to "put up or shut up" about Christian unity. If we cannot make our plan work among ourselves, we have no message for the divided world. God pity the bigot who believes that Christian unity depends upon converting the whole world to his view, and who believes he has brought about unity when he ignores the fact of division and converts a brother to his faction. Moving sheep from one pasture to another does not unite either the pasture or the shepherds.

     If we recognize the facts and admit that those in the divergent segments of the restoration movement are brethren, these obligations are brought upon us.

     1. If one in another faction is my brother, I must recognize him as such and treat him as a brother instead of as a pious heathen. By this I mean that when my brother comes into our assembly I must recognize him by sharing with him those activities upon which we do agree. I can

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and must allow him to lead in prayer, speak from the platform, participate in lectures, etc., provided of course that he does not demonstrate a heretical attitude. To do otherwise than acknowledge him is to demonstrate a heretical attitude upon my part. I cannot call one my brother and treat him as a heathen!

     2. If we recognize those in other segments as brethren, we are obligated to make our formula for unity work.

     3. We must admit freely our own defects. We must recognize that in maintaining separation from our brethren we are guilty of denominationalism. There is nothing that "turns on" church of Christ preachers like hinting that the "Church of Christ" is a denomination. All know full well that the Body of Christ is not a denomination, but it is obvious to all not blinded by self-righteousness, that every faction of the church of Christ is a denomination in every sense of the word. If Jesus were speaking to us today, he might say something like this, "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the denominationalism in thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly how to cast out the sectarianism from thy brother's eye."

     Who is my brother? I must find him and own him. To say that you are my brother and treat you like a heathen is being hypocritical. If you are my brother, we can and must share together in prayer, teaching, meetings and in writing for our papers. The decision each one makes at these crossroads will determine whether he has a vital Christianity or an empty shell of pretence. We cannot depart from a place where we have never been. We have not yet reached the ideal of Christ, nor have we restored the church of the first century. Until we change our concepts there was not a single congregation of the first century which we would recognize today if we found it reproduced in our communities. This is especially true of Jerusalem. Read the description of this congregation in Acts 21.

     Editor's Note. F. L. Lemley labors with the Church of Christ, 10 Riverside Avenue, Red Bank, New Jersey 07701.