"Boring From Within"
"Boring from within" is not an invidious comparison of the technique employed by the communists to take over free countries and subject them to the domination of outside forces. It is often employed by selfish designing people to secure control of organizations and corporations. This nefarious scheme was used time and again by the missionary societies and the advocates of the use of instrumental music in the worship to gain control of local congregations and foist upon them these unscriptural things.
It is true that elders, leaders and teachers of the local congregations are often lame and dilatory in the oversight of the business and spiritual affairs of the Lord's church allowing loose handling of the church finances and often times permitting false teachers of the kind strongly condemned in all three chapters of Second Peter to get a foothold from which it is impossible to dislodge them without causing a split or division. (See also Jude 4th verse and the first eleven verses of Second John.) These are preachers who take charge of the flock, and the fleece thereof, even the golden fleece, and when the fleecing is completed move on to a place where there is a larger flock and the golden fleece is greater. They are lifted up in their own sight, and being highly educated, cultured, and refined are exalted in the minds of the people and finally reach the point where lucre is no longer filthy in their sight.
Worse still is it when cooperative agencies which profess to respect the autonomy of the local church deliberately allow hired solicitors to distress and disturb among the local congregations peacefully working at the assigned task given them by the Lord and his duly commissioned apostles. The most reprehensible part of it is the bludgeoning and misrepresenting of hundreds of capable preachers, elders, and church workers by thisclan of the devil which ostracizes all who do not agree with them and place "quarantine" cards upon the doors of the faithful.
This is the time for the encouragement and improvement of our church life and effort. Well directed efforts to teach and train local workers and increase their effectiveness in the work of the church should receive warm welcome; for many churches are in need of efficient leadership. This cannot be done by any agency whose main motive is to get the money. Some one has said: "The churches would be in an awful mess today if it had not been for the Bible colleges." To my mind they are now in an awful mess because of some of them.
Soon after Bethany college was founded by Alexander Campbell it began sending preachers, teachers and church leaders to all parts of the country. About 1850 the liberal element obtained control of it and soon the seeds of discord were sown which resulted in the Digressive movement. It espoused missionary societies, use of instrumental music in the worship, and modernism. Some of its leaders even went so far as to accept people who had been sprinkled for baptism into full fellowship as members. Today history is repeating itself and the "Bible colleges" of the church of Christ are seemingly going the way of old Bethany.
Freedom is often exchanged for so-called security. Wise old Benjamin Franklin once wrote: "He who would exchange any measure of freedom for temporary personal security is worthy of neither freedom or security." Young preachers, please ponder the words of this wise man. Don't sell your souls for dollars or pledges of security regardless of how enticing they may be.
The principles enunciated by Franklin applies as well to the free churches of Christ beset on ever side by the insistent appeals of those who would make them collecting agencies for certain unscriptural though legal corporations seeking to do the work of the church. Often promises are made to those seeking new fields — to "take care of them" if they will acceptably serve certain "brotherhood interests." If they do not accept the offer or concur with those making it, they are "quarantined." In this way "boring from within" is accomplished. The officials and hirelings of the United Societies of the Christian Church do these things and interfere in the internal affairs of the local congregations thus destroying their autonomy. The proponents of the Herald of Truth and institutionalism are now trying to project the same tactics into the local congregations of the churches of Christ.
It has been said and be it said again: "All we have as a characteristic possession is the local church, free of all hindering and entangling connections." Brethren, our problem is to preserve the treasure that is characteristically ours and improve it, taking extreme care that the inventions of men be not allowed to destroy, defile or disrupt it and always be on the watch for those who would destroy; by "boring from within." The devil is an expert at using this device.