What Shall The End Be?
Every great system grows out of a root-idea. Christianity grew out of the question: Is Christ divine ? If so, Christianity is true. If not, it is a falsehood.
The great system of Catholicism today is based on the idea of an infallible Pope. Is the Pope infallible? If so, the system is true. If not, it is false.
There is now sweeping over the churches of the Lord a great disturbance. Controversy is intense and wide spread. This marks a period in the history of the church of far greater import than many have yet realized. When some historian in future years records the things now happening, this period will plainly be seen to be one of the most significant great epochs in the church between the day of its establishment in Jerusalem and the day when the Lord shall return for its final redemption.
Brethren who are engaged in this present controversy are playing a far greater role than some of them seem to understand or realize. The weight of responsibility is over-powering. The word of the Lord alone should be the guide of each as to the course he takes. By the word of the Lord we shall be judged in the last day — not by the former practices of any one, it matters not how wise and pious such may have been.
Many questions are being raised and evaluated. Practices, methods, organizations are being defended and opposed. Many are confused as to what is involved, whether the controversy is over some "method", or some harmless organization, or an organization destructive of God's order. Undoubtedly many sincerely desire to do that which will be pleasing to the Lord. Two courses are now open plainly before us. Every person must choose which of these two courses he will follow; for there is no middle ground!
What do you want the church to be ? Do you want it to be just as it was when established by the apostles? If so, then we must build strictly according to the New Testament model. The first congregations had a plurality of elders and deacons. Individual Christians and the church, as a group, preached the gospel, cared for the needy, edified the saints. There were no other organizations or associations through which many congregations functioned. When a church was unavoidably burdened with more needy than it alone could care for, other churches sent aid. This aid was sent directly to the place where the need was Aid was never sent through some intermediate church or eldership, but went directly from the sender to the congregation in need. This is all so simple and uncomplicated that any one can easily understand it. If this is what we want the church to be, we can learn from the word of the Lord not only what the Lord wants us to do, but how to do it. To deny this is simply to deny that God has "given us all things that pertain to life and godliness", or that we are "complete in him who is head of all things to the church."
There is a second alternative, a second question: Do you want the church to be like the United Christian Missionary Society ? If so, there is a "pattern" made to order by the denominations and the Christian Church for creating this kind of church. "Good men" started this kind of organization, in a very small way. They undoubtedly believed that their "methods" were so near like the New Testament pattern that the Lord would approve such. Yes, they believed that such things could be held within the bounds regarded as safe. But human "methods" never remain static. They always move further and further from the New Testament order of things. Just seventy years from the organization of the first Missionary Society of national scope we find the vast complex organization of the U.C.M.S. coming into being. The six great organizations of national range and a great number of lesser organizations were all merged into one giant overall organization. The constitution and by-laws for this body were drawn up by a group of seven lawyers. I have their written history (110 pages of it) explaining how all the organizations were merged into this one great corporation. I have searched diligently to find the basic principle on which the U.C.M.S. is founded. One would have supposed there were surely some Scripture quotations somewhere that would have been cited. But not even an indirect reference is made to the word of the Lord. Here is what I did find:
"If mistakes are made, they are unavoidable mistakes of democracy. But we still believe that that form of expression is the best for us in things of both church and state. It is only ours to enter more fully into the privileges of that democracy open to us."
The U.C.M.S. is governed by 120 people, of whom 60 must be women. They accept into the membership of Christian Churches those who have had no semblance of baptism at all, not only those not immersed, but those who have had neither sprinkling or pouring either.
If brethren among the Churches of Christ want something similar to the U.C.M.S, all we need to do is to continue to add institutions: church camps, area-wide youth rallies, sponsoring church combines, banqueting and fellowship halls, cooperative arrangements such as the Herald of Truth, etc. This is the "pattern" that finally produced the U.C.M.S. Just seventy years (1849 to 1919) was necessary to mature the most unscriptural organizations of modern times, and to bring forth the full grown U.C.M.S. Many who were swept away into that digression did not know whither they were being led. But their leaders knew what they wanted — and how to attain it. Thousands of members of the Lord's church right now are being swept along the same path, and neither do they know whither they are going. But their leaders know!
Make your choice, brethren!