Beyond The Horizons
U. S Hierarchy On Freedom And Peace
The Roman Catholic bishops of the United States of America met in an ecclesiastical assembly in our national capital recently, and issued the "Bishop's statement for 1959". The subjects of the bishop's statement were freedom and peace. The general drift of the pronouncement involved criticism of communistic restraints on freedom and peace.
It is ironical that those who represent a hierarchy which has drunk the wine of coercion for so many centuries are so bold and public in their condemnation of a system which has become addicted to the drink within the last 100 years. Roman Catholic hierarchy speaks aggressively against the tactics of communism, but its own restrictions on human freedom run strikingly parallel with the prohibitions of communism. While today Communism appears to want tolerance and coexistence, Catholicism reaches out to woo its neighbors into unity conferences. From forbidden literature to political purging, Communism and Catholicism can match item for item.
The following expression on freedom and coercion is offered by the bishop's statement: "The choice that men and nations must make today is between freedom and coercion." Then in the way of defining Communistic usage of certain terms the bishops state: "By 'peace' the Communist means submission to his program. By 'friendship' he means the acceptance on the part of others of his formula for coexistence."
By the very nature of Catholicism men are likewise faced with a choice between freedom and coercion in the face of the hierarchy's activities. Nearly every charge made along these lines by Catholics against Communists can be transposed to the Catholic system. Both systems, as Paul Blanshard points out, stand for the control of the Catholic and the Communist worlds by the same methods of thought control, authority, discipline and coercion. Where the Catholics are somewhat milder or more tolerant today, we need but to turn back the pages of history to that time when the methods of the Roman Catholic hierarchy were equally as coercive and drastic as modem Communistic methods have been.
In the same Catholic paper from which I take the bishop's statement (Our Sunday Visitor, November 29, 1959) there appears an article on the disunity existing between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. This particular article illustrates the truth that Communist imperialism and Catholic aggressiveness are based on the same principle calling for the "acceptance on the part of others of his formula for coexistence." The Catholic hierarchy is wooing the Eastern Orthodox branch, but there will be no unity between the two unless the Eastern Orthodox hierarchy capitulates and bows in humble submission to the Roman vicar.
It is true that "the choice that men and nations must make today is between freedom and coercion.". If they make the choice for Catholicism it will be a submission to coercion. To give a 'non-vigilant ear" to either Premier Khrushchev's overtures or to Pope John's offers is to take the first sip of a bitter cup.
The Church Manager
The apostolic instructions to Timothy and Titus seem to be out of date for many churches of Christ. Today it would be hard for Paul to find the kind of preacher he described in his epistles to Timothy and Titus. Though we rebel against the preacher-pastor idea, and would accept the New Testament idea, preachers have indeed become church managers. It is not that we are opposed to the "located preacher system", for the New Testament is not opposed to it, but we are opposed to the church-manager system which is quite prevalent. The following article from the bulletin of the Seminary Extension Department of the Southern Baptist Seminaries deals with the problem with denominational terminology.
Recent articles, as well as the Neibuhr studies of the ministry, point out that the work of the pastor has evolved into a new thing: the pastor-manager of the church. He no longer functions as teacher, the educational director has become the leader of the teaching function; his duties do not consist mainly in the care of souls, the associate pastor is really the associate in charge of pastoral ministries. The many other intimate services of the church are committed to others while the pastor develops the finesse of administration, management, and public relations. Each year adds to his burden — none are ever removed.
I would not exaggerate when I say that at least 50 pastors have complained to me in words similar to the following: "Not ten per cent of my time goes to doing what I was called to do. God laid his hands on me to preach Christ. This is not even secondary in our relationship, it is no better than tertiary." The big thing is to make the institution succeed according to the business standards. Salesmanship, accounting, and executive responsibilities over-ride the gospel, study, and preparation.
Under our present pressures a pastor's worth is not determined by his capacity to enter emphatically into suffering with his members. It is not determined by his wisdom and level-headedness. Rather it is determined by his capacity for gathering about himself a group whom he can inspire and direct. If Sunday's attendance exceeded last year's averages, if the offerings have been dramatically raised, and if the total additions to the church is an impressive record, he has succeeded.
This is sound administration, everything is in working order, the organization is "clicking." At what expense is this accomplished? The loss of intimate relationship between pastor and people shows up in his message. He may often be so removed that he deals with abstractions and theoretical language. What a loss! — Lee Gallman
The New Testament order of things involves elder-managers, deacon servers, teacher-teachers and preacher-preachers. I used to hear Foy E. Wallace, Jr. say that a working, successful church was made up of elders who elder, deacons who "deac preachers who preach and members who "member". As a writer in the Gospel Advocate recently, stated, we must keep our distinctiveness. Included within the distinctiveness of New Testament Christianity are the local organizational and functional characteristics clearly outlined within the pages of the New Testament. If the elders will do the pastoring if the deacons will help the elders manage the affairs of the congregation. if the preachers will keep busy teaching and preaching, the local congregation will grow successfully as the Lords will directs.