Just Browsing
While browsing around among some church history books in the library of the University of Florida I ran across a rather interesting statement concerning a group of "conservative sons" admired and respected by all Christians.... admired and respected because they contended for the faith and opposed all error.
The book: A History of the Ecumenical Movement, 1517-1948, edited by Ruth Rouse and Stephen Charles Neill. Published on behalf of the Ecumenical Institute, Chateau De Bossey, by S.P.C.K., London, 1954.
The Chapter: "Christian Unity in Nineteenth-Century America" (chapter five) by Donald Herbert Yoder.
The heading: "The Unitive Contribution of the Disciples of Christ".
The quotation: "In the 20th century there has arisen a younger generation of liberal Disciples leaders, who have exalted Church union as the greatest of Disciples contributions to American Church life. A conservative wing, emphasizing the Restoration principle, has since 1906 been separated. These Churches of Christ, as they call themselves, are popularly known as 'the Antis', from the fact that they oppose the use of musical instruments in worship, evidently not on Old Testament but on New Testament grounds. These conservative sons of the founding fathers oppose exalting agencies for union, such as the National Council, with the same vehemence as do Southern Baptists." (page 238.)
Perhaps there are more 'Antis" among us today than some have claimed. After all, every gospel preacher is an "Anti". There is nothing disgraceful or wrong with being an "Anti"; that is, so long as we are against everything not taught in God's word — every corruption, both in worship and organization of the church, or in our daily living as Christian individuals. Beware of these "gospel" preachers who go about advertising the fact that they are not "Antis". If they are not "Antis", then you may rest assured that something is seriously wrong with them.
Christ and the apostles were "Antis". They were against error in any shape or form. Therefore, I feel that the "conservative sons" of today who are "popularly known as 'the Antis' " (among the followers of unfair and dishonest religious papers) are in pretty good company!!!
Some more browsing resulted in the following discovery found in the 1959 edition of the Yearbook of American Churches, published by the Office of Publication and Distribution, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U. S. A.:
This body is made up of a large group of churches, formerly reported with the Disciples of Christ, but since the Religious Census of 1906 reported separately. They are strictly congregational and have no organization larger than the local congregation. (Emphasis mine, RH).
That was under the heading "Churches of Christ" on page 42. 'Tis a shame that some members of denominational sects understand more about the organization of the church than do some "gospel" preachers.