Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 20
January 2, 1969
NUMBER 34, PAGE 6b

Dr. Harrell's "Peculiar People" — A Review

George Earle Owen

(Editorial note: Dr. Owen is chairman of the Commission on Cooperative Policy and Practice. He has served in the United Christian Missionary Society for over twenty-five years, and is now Executive Chairman of its Division of General Departments. In the Discipliana of October, 1967, he gave a review of all three lectures in the Reed Lectures For 1966; but since our interest is chiefly in the Harrell lecture, we omit his review of the other two, and give only his reaction to Brother Harrell's paper.)

Path To A Dead End

In some respects the most interesting lecture and one of the clearest is the one by Dr. David Edwin Harrell, Jr. This is the "absolute" restorationist approach to Christian unity, namely, the duplication of the ancient order of the Church. The assumptions are — the Church was given a blueprint of what it was to be like, to be reduplicated by every succeeding generation; that one can sweep away nineteen centuries of history and development and literally restore the model New Testament Church; and this model can be discerned clearly in the New Testament.

Dr. Harrell explains his point of view. He accepts the "double truth" concept, clearly separating reason from revelation and the pragmatic from the spiritual. There is a literal approach to the Bible:

I mean by that simply that I believe in a literal and narrow interpretation of the Bible as the Word of God. My aim is the exact restoration of the ancient order of things. It is an article of my faith that the Bible should be, can be, and is literally understandable and that it should lead all men to the same conclusions.

One appreciates the candor of Dr. Harrell, but certain questions arise. How can one who has been exposed to the historical research approach and to Biblical scholarship accept a literal interpretation of the Bible? How can one who claims objectivity in research study Church history and seemingly be oblivious to the historical nature and development of the Christian Church?

The writer speaks of the cult of humility central in the thought of the modem conservative. Most people find this cult exclusive, sectarian, insulated, literal, and arrogant — ("I am right and you are wrong") rather than humble. Lest the reviewer be misunderstood let Dr. Harrell speak:

I believe that the individual who rejects the truth which is clear to me will be lost. That is where my faith leads me and I would not try to avoid the conclusion.

There are a number of vulnerable aspects to this lecture. There is the fear of exposure to what others think. The peculiar people want to be "peculiar people." The way to Christian unity is to become peculiar like they are. In the quest for a United Church this is a dead end approach. The Churches of Christ are obviously separatists which say to all the rest of the Christian world — if you want Christian unity come and join us. Such an approach lacks the kind of love, tolerance, understanding, humility, brotherhood and mutuality which are essential elements in the quest for Christian unity, the unity of all Christians into the Body of Christ. The contribution of the Churches of Christ to the ecumenical movement and toward the Church universal, Dr. Harrell is frank to say, is nothing.