The Death of a Dream

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     In the art gallery at Bergano, in Italy, hangs a picture by Raphael, with an aura of romance about it. It is a painting of the Virgin and the Child. When Napoleon invaded Italy, and Milan and Bergano fell into his hands, he gave orders to collect the priceless art treasures to be sent away as spoils to the Louvre in Paris. An unknown painter in Bergano swiftly painted a rough, crude landscape over the canvas of Raphael. The captors, regarding it as worthless, left it behind.

     In the years of turmoil which followed the picture became lost. No one recognized its true value. It was in the year 1868 that the hastily-daubed paint began to peel and flake off. Men who were adept at restoring ancient paintings were given the task of removing the accretions until finally the original could again be seen in all of the glory conveyed to it by the master artist.

     In the summer of 1809, in the simple frontier home of a Dr. Welch, near the village of Washington, Pennsylvania, a humble Irish immigrant sat down at a small table in an upstairs room. He had recently been unfrocked as a Presbyterian minister because of his charitable heart which refused to confine the grace of God within the pale of a small segment of his sect. Now, at the age of forty-six, he was free in Christ to explore those means by which peace might be restored to a church militant against herself. Dipping a quill into the inkpot he began to inscribe upon foolscap the words which flowed from a heart burdened with grief over the schisms which had rent the family of God into warring tribes.

     When he had finished writing, and dried his feathered quill, he called the document he held in his hand, "A Declaration and Address." When he read it to friends and neighbors gathered to hear it on September 7, they gave it their unanimous approval, and ordered it to be printed and distributed. One-hundred-and-sixty-two years have now come and gone and have faded into the blue haze which we call history, since Mr. Campbell stood up to read his production to backwoods neighbors, yet I have no hesitancy in saying to you that I regard it as one of the greatest uninspired documents written by human hand.

     Like the famous charter signed by King John on the field of Runnymede, June 15,

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1215, and which became the basis of English constitutional liberties, the declaration of Thomas Campbell became the Magna Charta of all those who respect the lordship of Jesus, leading the way to freedom from clericalism, creedism and ecclesiastical tyranny. Its purpose was probably best stated by Alexander Campbell, a son of the author, some twenty-six years after its inception.

     "A deep and abiding impression that the power, the consolation and joys--the holiness and happiness--of Christ's religion were lost in the forms and ceremonies, in the speculations and conjectures, the feuds and bickerings of sects and schisms, originated a project many years ago for uniting the sects, or rather the Christians in all the sects, upon a clear and scriptural bond of union,--upon having a 'thus saith the Lord,' either in express terms or in approved precedent, 'for every article of faith, and item of religious practice.' This was offered in the year 1809, in the 'Declaration and Address' of the Washington Association, Pennsylvania."

     Mr. Campbell further called it "the first effort known to us to abandon the whole controversy about creeds and reformations, and to restore primitive Christianity, or to build alone upon the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner."

     Some facts are immediately obvious. This was to be a work of recovery. It was dedicated to recovering the power, consolations, joys, holiness and happiness of the religion of Christ. It was to be a work of renewal. It sought to renew the faith and sentiments which made the Way so invincible in its primal era. It was to be a work of restoration. It was devoted to restoring the ancient order in practice and ordinances. It was to be a work of reformation. It was directed toward correcting the diction, purifying the language, and thus recapturing the vocabulary of the Holy Spirit. And this meant not just speaking where the Bible speaks, but speaking as the Bible speaks.

     The goal was the union, peace and harmonious co-operation of all of the children of God. This was the glorious dream, the majestic vision, and the magnificent obsession. How was it to be accomplished? How was it to differ from the enfeebled sectarian thrusts of the past. What thoughts pulsated through the mind of Thomas Campbell as he wrote? Listen, as I detail for you a few of the noble concepts penned by this humble Irish Presbyterian.

     1. At the outset it was to be recognized that the Church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally and constitutionally one, consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him in all things according to the Scriptures, and that manifest the same by their tempers and conduct. It begins with a recognition and affirmation of unity, not as something to be achieved by Christians, but as something accruing to Christians. Unity in Christ is not a goal, but a gift. It is a state in which to share, not a status for which to strive.

     Every believer who is in Jesus is in Jesus with every other believer who is in him. Every person who is joined to Jesus as head is joined to every other member who is joined to Jesus. And it makes no difference what else he may be in through ignorance, tradition or early conditioning. We become one body in him by the action of God and not through a faction of men. The church on earth is essentially one! It is intentionally one! It is constitutionally one! And this unity is beyond the power of man to affect.

     2. The articles of faith and the terms of communion are divinely stated and must never be abridged, augmented or amended by men. Nothing ought to be inculcated upon Christians as an article of faith, nor required of them as terms of communion, but what is expressly taught and enjoined upon them in the word of God.

     3. With respect to commands and ordinances of our Lord Jesus Christ, where the Scriptures are silent as to the express time, manner of performance, if any such there be, no human authority has power to interfere in order to supply the supposed deficiency by making laws for the

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Church, nor can anything more be required of Christians in such cases, but only that they so observe the commandments and ordinances as will evidently answer the declared and obvious ends of their institution.

     4. That although inferences and deductions from Scripture premises, when fairly inferred, may be truly called the doctrine of God's holy word, yet are they not formally binding upon the consciences of Christians further than they perceive the connection, and evidently see that they are so, for their faith must not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power and veracity of God. Therefore, no such deductions can be made terms of communion, but properly do belong to the after and progressive education of the church. Hence it is evident that no such deductions or inferential truths ought to have any place in the Church's confession.

     5. That although doctrinal exhibitions of the great system of Divine truths and defensive testimonies, in opposition to prevailing errors, be highly expedient, and the more full and explicit they be for these purposes the better; yet as these must be, in a great measure the effect of human reasoning, and of course must contain many inferential truths, they ought not to be made terms of Christian communion, unless we suppose, what is contrary to fact, that none have a right to the communion of the church, but such as possess a very clear and decisive judgment or are come to a very high degree of doctrinal information; whereas the Church from the beginning did, and ever will consist of little children and young men, as well as fathers.

     What we have cited is sufficient to demonstrate that it was radical and revolutionary in the very best sense of those terms. It begins with a predication of the inherent oneness of the church, and defines the constituency thereof upon the basis of personal profession, validated by conduct and character. It proposes to maintain this oneness inviolate by excluding from articles of faith and terms of fellowship that which the word of God does not positively specify. It forbids legislation and binding of laws in areas of silence by any human authority, denying to any person or persons the prerogative of filling in the blanks for God.

     But of especial importance is the safeguard erected around that hallowed watchword of the Reformation led by Martin Luther, "the right of private interpretation of the sacred scriptures." No inference or deduction from Scriptural premises, even if it may truly be called the doctrine of God's holy Word, is formally binding upon the conscience of any Christian further than he can personally see the connection or plainly perceive that it is so. Therefore, no such deductions can ever be made terms or conditions of fellowship, but belong rather to the gradual growth and maturity of the saints.

     It was further provided that doctrinal exhibitions, explanations and interpretations of the great system of divine truths, even in opposition to prevailing errors, were not to be made tests of fellowship. In such reasonings it is obvious that inferential truths will be found, and not everyone has the degree of doctrinal information, or the clear and decisive judgment essential to determining for himself the truth and validity of such matters. If these things are made terms of communion, many will be admitted to the fellowship upon a second-hand or borrowed faith which they can neither understand nor explain. Their confidence will not rest in the Christ but be imposed in a preacher or presbyter.

     This completely removed fellowship in Christ Jesus from the sphere of the extent of knowledge or the degree of comprehension of apostolic doctrine, and centered it in the gospel, the good news of Jesus. It made fellowship contingent upon acceptance of him who is our hope and salvation. By making our creed a person instead of a code, and our sharing in life dependent upon faith rather than upon knowledge of a system of doctrines, all of the controversies over creeds and formulae were forever rendered obsolete and irrelevant.

     Was this grand design effective? Would it work? History shows that it kindled

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fresh hope in the humble hearts of hardened frontiersmen. They carried the torch and spread the glowing flame across the land. The citadels of sectarianism shook and trembled as if in a mighty wind. Party walls were breached and crumbled. Those who had been shackled by sectarian chains threw off their cruel fetters. Factional loyalties were forgotten. Prejudices were laid aside and banished from the heart. Wherever opposition reared its ugly head, the victory was hastened and augmented.

     Early in the history of the noble experiment a severe test was made to determine whether men could be united by faith in Christ Jesus, while at the same time holding divergent opinions in regard to speculative matters, and whether fellowship could be sustained on such a basis. Aylett Raines was a prominent preacher in a religious sect which promoted the tenet that no one would be eternally and irretrievably lost, but that ultimate salvation would be the lot of every man. The sect was built around this as its cardinal dogma.

     Mr. Raines went to hear Walter Scott and became convinced that he had never obeyed the gospel. He engaged in discussion with a Mr. Williams, another preacher in the sect of which he was a member, and he also agreed that Mr. Scott was correct. The two went down into the waters of the river, and in turn baptized one another for the remission of sins.

     When Mr. Raines presented himself for reception into the Mahoning Association, objections were made by some to receiving him while he clung to his views about ultimate universal salvation. But Thomas Campbell arose and deplored the fact that such a question would even be introduced in a congregation of brethren. He said, "Brother Raines has been with me during the last several months and we have fully unbosomed ourselves to each other. He is philosophically a Restorationist and I am a Calvinist, but notwithstanding this difference of opinion between us, I would put my right hand into the fire and have it burned off, before I would hold up my hands against him. And from all I know of Brother Raines, if I were Paul, I would have him in preference to any young man of my acquaintance, to be my Timothy."

     After Alexander Campbell and Walter Scott spoke and showed the difference between preaching the everlasting gospel and holding an opinion about some point of doctrine, Mr. Raines was received by an overwhelming majority. A historian who personally knew and worked with Aylett Raines wrote: "A practical demonstration was thus given that the disciples of Christ could unite on the plain and express teaching of the New Testament, in spite of conflicting opinions in regard to questions of doubtful and speculative nature. It was clearly shown by this transaction and its results, that the divisions of the Christian world over matters of a purely philosophical nature, are useless, as the Scriptures show them to be sinful. The two extremes of Calvinism and Universalism met and shook hands in fraternal fellowship upon the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ--a fellowship that human opinions could not break."

     It was in the early part of 1832, however, that the genius and nature of the restoration ideal to effect the unity of believers, was most forcefully demonstrated. At Lexington, Kentucky, some of the followers of Barton W. Stone, known as Christians, and some of those who shared the views of Alexander Campbell, known as Disciples, met to pray and labor for possible union. Hitherto, the movements had gone their separate ways, with only individual fraternization in certain communities. Now they seemed to be drawn toward one another by one Spirit.

     John Smith closed an impassioned address with these words: "Let us, then, my brethren, be no longer Campbellites, or Stonites, or New Lights or Old Lights, or any other kind of lights, but let us come to the Bible, and to the Bible alone, as the only book in the world that can give us all the light that we need."

     When he had finished his message, Barton W. Stone arose, spoke a few words, and publicly extended his hand to Smith as a token of fellowship. As the two men

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stood with clasped hands, the audience arose, weeping and singing and praising God. For the first time in the history of the Christian era, two separate bodies were joined into one through love of truth, and despite their differences. Those differences were many and to lesser men would have seemed insuperable. They embraced the nature of the Godhood, the nature of atonement, the name to be worn, the polity of the church, the work of the Spirit, and the design of baptism.

     But all of them believed there was one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father who is over all, through all, and in all. This constituted the unity of the Spirit, and this they held and resolved to maintain in the bond of peace. From now on they would discuss all of their differences, but they would do so as brethren and not as members of warring tribes. They had demonstrated to a watching world that unity in diversity could be real, vibrant and powerful.

     Men could be one in Christ who were of varied opinions, interpretations and understanding. The dream in the hearts of fervent pioneers had climbed to a soul in answer to the prayer of God's precious Son. And it was into the movement born of that dream that I came from the toils of sectarianism as a simple country lad.

     Then, what of that vision in our generation? How have the heirs dealt with this servant sent unto them in the vineyard? It is with a deep sense of regret and shame that I confess that the magnificent project inaugurated to unite the Christians in all of the sects has fallen from its high estate. Even as I speak to you it is one of the most splintered and fragmented movements on the American scene. With the sharp darts of partisan prejudice its members have attacked one another publicly through the press and over the air waves. Rival segments have jostled and jockeyed one another for prestige and position while the sword of the Spirit has been driven into the quivering hearts of brethren and fratricidal gore has marked the sands of the arena of debate and dissension.

     We have divided and formed antagonistic cliques over everything from how to take the Good News to the world, to how to pass the Lord's Supper to the congregation. Our only approach to differences has been division, and our only approach to division has been sectarian debate. In spite of the fact that every time the Spirit mentions division in the family of God it is condemned, we could not be more divided if the word of God commanded and enjoined it.

     We are divided over missionary societies, instrumental music, centralized control, colleges, orphan homes, national radio and television programs, the right to own television sets, leavened bread, unleavened bread, the manner of breaking the bread, fermented wine, individual cups, Bible classes, uninspired literature, evangelists, the hiring of ministers, the pastor system, marriage of divorced persons, speaking in tongues, divine healing, foot-washing, the hour of meeting to eat the Lord's Supper, and a host of other things. And every division has been brought about by someone esteeming an opinion of greater value than the blood of Christ. Those who stand together one week and sing "Blest Be the Tie that Binds," sever it the following week over some trivial concept.

     It is with a sense of sadness and remorse that I acknowledge that, in my earlier days, motivated by a false sense of loyalty, and impelled by ignorance, I felt that one faction constituted the kingdom of God upon earth. I refused to call upon God's children in other parties to even petition our common Father in my meetings. In my bigotry I felt that all others on earth were brethren in error, and to be held in contempt, while our group alone basked in the sunlight of divine favor. The blatant inconsistency of the sectarian attitude never entered my mind, until the grace of God reached out one day and touched me as never before, and the love of God was poured out abundantly in my poor shriveled heart.

     Now, having been set free by the grace of God, I am irrevocably opposed to all sectarianism, even our own. And I am

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unconditionally opposed to that spirit of narrow exclusivism which separates and segregates brethren in Christ Jesus, and erects artificial walls--paper curtains--to keep them apart from and constantly suspicious of one another. I shall never again become the champion of any clan, the front man for any faction, or the proponent for any party. I shall belong only to the Lord Jesus Christ, body, soul and spirit. I will carry no factional banner and wave no factional flag. I shall flaunt no factional badge and no factional tag.

     I will cross over every barrier, break through every wall, and ignore every fence which men have erected in Christ Jesus my Lord. I will labor with all of my brethren who permit me to do so, and love those who will not. My only creed is Christ, and while I respect every rock of truth scattered over God's revelational landscape, I will build upon none of them. My hope of heaven depends not so much upon propagating a party to defend a truth as it does in personally casting myself in absolute dependence upon him who is the truth. And while every truth is precious to me, and will be included as discovered in my rock garden for meditation and enjoyment, I will plant my trust only upon him whom God planted his community, the Rock of Ages! For other foundation can no man lay!

     This means that every child of God is my brother. And I have no half-brothers or step-brothers in the Lord. I accept you where you are and as you are. I accept you as God accepted me, in my weakness, frailty and failures. If you are good enough to be his son or daughter you are not too bad to be my brother or sister. And I receive you, and receive you now. We can stop this silly march into oblivion. We can halt the cancerous growth of division which is slowly consuming the body. We do not need to wait until we have debated every action of every faction. We can be one in Christ Jesus now! All we need to do is to extend the hand of fellowship in spite of differences, as did the brethren in Lexington, almost a century-and-a-half ago, and we can walk out of this hall tonight blessed as peacemakers and deserving to be called the children of God.

     I have brethren who, in good conscience, can accompany their praise service to God, with instruments of music; I have brethren whose consciences will not allow them to do so. I have brethren who give money to support Herald of Truth and never look at it; I have brethren who refuse to support it and never miss seeing it. I have brethren who teach in Sunday Schools with classes for all ages, and others who gather in undivided assemblies to study the sacred pages. I have brethren who remember the shedding of the blood while drinking from individual cups; I have brethren who pass one container to the body of saints. They are all my brethren. I love them all.

     I refuse any longer to play God with any of their lives and thoughts. To their own master they must stand or fall. I will not set at nought my brother. I will not destroy him for whom Jesus died because of my personal conviction about things. The blood of Jesus which makes us one is more important to me than the things about which we dispute inside the family. Our differences are occasions for discussion, but not for division.

     If one of my brethren testifies to an experience with the Spirit of God which I have neither had nor sought, I shall not call him a liar, nor shall I drive him forth from the family circle. I shall spread about him the warmth and compassion which all of us need so much, and will cherish him although I may not condone his experience. We are not one because we have had the same experience in the flesh but because we are in One who experienced the same thing in the flesh for all of us. To him be all our praise!

     For decades the dream that we might be one has been sleeping in the hidden sepulcher of forgotten hopes. Betrayed in the house of its friends, stabbed to death by the hands of those it had cradled at birth, laid to rest in a grave above which its own offspring has continued to wage intestine war, its memory has all but faded from the field of theological encounter.

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     But now another fulness of the times has come! The spiritual womb of hope cries out to be delivered. We must roll away the stone of contention with which our fathers sealed the mouth of the tomb. We must see the glorious ideal which they laid away, resurrected, to come forth clad not in the garb of the nineteenth century, but in the shining armor essential to meet the challenge of a twentieth century secular age, and an ecumenical era.

     It is high time to arouse out of sleep. Our salvation is now nearer than when we believed. Let us direct the dynamic of the love of God against the walls which have been opaque, and see them become transparent so that we can envision our brethren on both sides of them. Let us forget the fear of what men may do unto us, and reach out our hands to those we once spurned. Let us learn to love those who differ with us, and find that peace that passes understanding. Let us not wait. Let us do it now!

     I have steadfastly set my face in the direction of the unity of all believers in Christ Jesus my Lord. I shall pray for it, plead for it, and proclaim it. I shall never be deterred. I shall never become discouraged. I will never be satisfied until all of us regard one another as God regards all of us. And when the time comes that the pen drops from my nerveless fingers, and my tongue cleaves to the roof of my mouth, I shall rest content, if on the gray marble above my head can be chiseled the words, "He preached peace to them that are afar off and to them that are nigh!"