I appreciate so much what you are saying, but I would like to point out that we need a dialogue. You wrote: “We talk to more people who don't believe like us and show them patience as we try to help them see the light—even if they are Christians who we feel should know better.” Where is the dialogue, discussion in that? We have all the right answers, and we patiently point out their errors? How about our errors? Do we listen to learn?
Yes! Jesus is the center of our faith, or he should be. I often felt growing up that I could relate to God the Father, but Jesus was just an accessory. Sure we “have communion” every Sunday (and pride ourselves on our correct practice), but often it feels like a box we are checking rather than a deep engagement with the one who loves us so utterly that he gave up his entire life for us.
Sometimes I feel that our movement is so empty of life, so focused on “getting to heaven” instead of living the full, abundant life God intends for us even now. Eternity is a lot longer than this life, but what happens here matters, how we love and live in this life.
Anyway, some of my rambling thoughts. I have a lot more 😊.
Great article Jack! I grew up in the Churches of Christ. My Dad was a preacher. I love our people and am still preaching for a small Church of Christ in Washington. Over the years I've come to the same conclusions you have. We must hold to Word, Truth. This is what has convinced me ..
1. The Sermon on the Mount --
2. Studying, Teaching whole counsel of God. The Main Points of each chapter, paragraph.
3. Matthew 28:20: Teaching them to obey ALL that I have commanded.
It is easy for us to feel superior, self-righteous based on a few doctrinal things. But what about ALL of the commandments: loving one another, all the one another commands, anger, lust, honesty, humility, judging others, concern for the poor. If anyone thinks for a moment that he is keeping all the commands all the time, he is deluded and the Truth has not hit him hard enough.
One of the worst features of our brotherhood is the constant "nit-picking" that comes from those who preach "rightness" and only "rightness". There have been times (I do this rarely because of this) I post a thought or take that may not conform to Memphis (or like-minded school of preaching) and here comes the "correction".
I'm glad we can quote the 5 acts of worship, salvation and any other teaching we've narrowed down to a formula, but we must graduate from that at some point...I can "proof-text" as well as the next guy, but faith is more than that!
A couple of decades ago, one of our members fondly reminisced about how the congregation of his youth had at least one sermon a month about instrumental music, baptism, or another of the short list of "distinctives" of the Church of Christ. I thought it sounded terribly repetitious, but I didn't say anything in reply.
As another commenter said, the pendulum has swung in the other direction and I also don't want to never mention these topics at all.
This was the error of the Pharisees. They took portions of the law and created strict rules around them that could never be questioned, and they felt religiously superiror for it.
Jesus points out that while the Pharisees were right to tithe all they had, they had disregarded the "weightier matters" of justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!" - Matthew 23:23-24 ESV
Jesus' criticism was not that tithing is unimportant, but that they had tithed minutae at the cost of the core of God's law.
Many of the matters that we fight over may be of greater weight than tithing small bits of herbs, but Christ's rebuke remains true: we cannot allow ourselves to forget the whole of gospel for a part.
There is so much truth in this article, Jack! The longer I am in ministry, the more I see the error you are addressing here. It is an unfortunate thing that the Church of Christ, as a whole, exalts themselves above all others because of "their rightness" and the "wrongness" of all the others. As I'm sure you have seen more times than you care to remember, the more we emphasize that the Church of Christ is the only "right" church, the more we have made ourselves just like all the other groups in Christendom: a denomination.
I hear you. Consider John 1:1 We cannot exist apart from the Word. Paul did not shun to declare the whole council of God. Where I attend the sermons and classes are such that no one could be possibly offended. All feel good all the time without emphasis on sin. I believe the Word is directly connected to Jesus.
Yes we don't need to continually talk about the milk of the Word but upon the meat of the Word. In our area Baptist are dominate with a smattering of Methodist. We should understand what they believe and be ready always to give an answer for the hope that lies in us.
As mentioned before, the current danger: A total silence on these topics. Members are now, seemingly, added purely based on presence. And yes, I get it: We have visitors who are present more regularly than members. But neither presence nor absence makes one a member...
1. I grew up in the church of Christ, and had this feeling of "rightness" because we sang without instrumental music and believed in baptism. But over the years, I have become uncomfortable in feeling this way, because as you say, it feels like "pride" aka the self-righteousness that the Pharisees had.
2. When I was 30, a friend of mine wanted to know what he needed to do to become a Christian. so we had a Bible study with him for about 6 weeks, with someone who graduated from a CoC preaching school, and the main part of the study was on baptism. So, he was baptized and then he asked "So, what now?" I was SO embarrassed...I didn't know what to tell him!!! I was like umm...uhh...you keep going to church??? well, he stopped coming with me and I was like...is this ALL there is to being a Christian?? just keep going to church?
3. Yes, the top 2 sermons I heard growing up were on instrumental music and baptism. at least once a month or even more, like someone else said. I don't think I had heard many lessons on how to "walk in the light" or obey God or serve God. (part of that is also that I grew up with NIV that replaced "serving" God with "worship", like in Romans 12:1 and Hebrews 12:28.) but now that I understand that the word "worship" isn't even in the Greek or Hebrew, I am now understanding there is more to being a Christian than going to church and "worshiping" God without instruments., I'm looking at what the word worship is replacing and I am learning alot!
4. I had a conversation with my 13 year old niece afew weeks ago. She said she tells her friends that she's a Christian and inevitably the discussion turns toward instrumental music, and she tells her friends that it's wrong. She says she doesn't know why it's wrong though! I explained to her the historical aspect of it, pope Vitalian being the first to introduce an organ into an assembly, and that it didn't catch on in most christian churches until the 1800's, but I wasn't sure if that was helpful to her. I read her some of your article today, and I asked, what if the focus was on "I want to be part of the church in the Bible, the church that Jesus started. Because I love Jesus and I want to be part of his church, not churches that other people started." - do you think that is different? If the focus was on loving Jesus and wanting to be part of his church, does that feel different than thinking everyone around me is wrong because they're not a member of the church of Christ because we do things right? she said yes, and it feels different - better - to me too. if people want to be part of churches that people have founded, then ok, you can do what you want. But if I want to be part of the church that Jesus founded, then I want to be like that church in every way possible.
5. I heard someone on the 700 club the other day say "all you have to do is believe in God, and God will do the rest." and that's what my niece says the people who are christians at her school believe. Of course theres more to Christianity than that, but there also needs to be more to the church of Christ than be baptized and come to church and sing to God without musical instruments. I kind of also address this in my research on Romans 12:1 https://aimeewilliams.substack.com/p/romans-121-worship-service-or-a-way?r=3ox17j
Overall, great points!! and I'm so happy that others feel this way, as there is more restoration to be done if we want to be the church that Jesus started :)
My issue? We are in the process of de-emphasizing God. We are to Christ-focussed, whereby we forget that the reason for Jesus was two-fold: To make known the true God (John 17:3), and to restore the relationship between us and the Father. Jesus did not come to be glorified and over-emphasized.
He came to reconcile us with the Father (2 Cor 4)...
I appreciate so much what you are saying, but I would like to point out that we need a dialogue. You wrote: “We talk to more people who don't believe like us and show them patience as we try to help them see the light—even if they are Christians who we feel should know better.” Where is the dialogue, discussion in that? We have all the right answers, and we patiently point out their errors? How about our errors? Do we listen to learn?
Yes! Jesus is the center of our faith, or he should be. I often felt growing up that I could relate to God the Father, but Jesus was just an accessory. Sure we “have communion” every Sunday (and pride ourselves on our correct practice), but often it feels like a box we are checking rather than a deep engagement with the one who loves us so utterly that he gave up his entire life for us.
Sometimes I feel that our movement is so empty of life, so focused on “getting to heaven” instead of living the full, abundant life God intends for us even now. Eternity is a lot longer than this life, but what happens here matters, how we love and live in this life.
Anyway, some of my rambling thoughts. I have a lot more 😊.
Great article! Love your stuff here and on X.
Thanks, bro!
Great article Jack! I grew up in the Churches of Christ. My Dad was a preacher. I love our people and am still preaching for a small Church of Christ in Washington. Over the years I've come to the same conclusions you have. We must hold to Word, Truth. This is what has convinced me ..
1. The Sermon on the Mount --
2. Studying, Teaching whole counsel of God. The Main Points of each chapter, paragraph.
3. Matthew 28:20: Teaching them to obey ALL that I have commanded.
It is easy for us to feel superior, self-righteous based on a few doctrinal things. But what about ALL of the commandments: loving one another, all the one another commands, anger, lust, honesty, humility, judging others, concern for the poor. If anyone thinks for a moment that he is keeping all the commands all the time, he is deluded and the Truth has not hit him hard enough.
Great article Jack!
One of the worst features of our brotherhood is the constant "nit-picking" that comes from those who preach "rightness" and only "rightness". There have been times (I do this rarely because of this) I post a thought or take that may not conform to Memphis (or like-minded school of preaching) and here comes the "correction".
I'm glad we can quote the 5 acts of worship, salvation and any other teaching we've narrowed down to a formula, but we must graduate from that at some point...I can "proof-text" as well as the next guy, but faith is more than that!
"Counterfeit Gods" might be Keller's best book.
Fantastic piece my friend. Recirculate this every year - the body needs it!
A couple of decades ago, one of our members fondly reminisced about how the congregation of his youth had at least one sermon a month about instrumental music, baptism, or another of the short list of "distinctives" of the Church of Christ. I thought it sounded terribly repetitious, but I didn't say anything in reply.
As another commenter said, the pendulum has swung in the other direction and I also don't want to never mention these topics at all.
This was the error of the Pharisees. They took portions of the law and created strict rules around them that could never be questioned, and they felt religiously superiror for it.
Jesus points out that while the Pharisees were right to tithe all they had, they had disregarded the "weightier matters" of justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!" - Matthew 23:23-24 ESV
Jesus' criticism was not that tithing is unimportant, but that they had tithed minutae at the cost of the core of God's law.
Many of the matters that we fight over may be of greater weight than tithing small bits of herbs, but Christ's rebuke remains true: we cannot allow ourselves to forget the whole of gospel for a part.
There is so much truth in this article, Jack! The longer I am in ministry, the more I see the error you are addressing here. It is an unfortunate thing that the Church of Christ, as a whole, exalts themselves above all others because of "their rightness" and the "wrongness" of all the others. As I'm sure you have seen more times than you care to remember, the more we emphasize that the Church of Christ is the only "right" church, the more we have made ourselves just like all the other groups in Christendom: a denomination.
I hear you. Consider John 1:1 We cannot exist apart from the Word. Paul did not shun to declare the whole council of God. Where I attend the sermons and classes are such that no one could be possibly offended. All feel good all the time without emphasis on sin. I believe the Word is directly connected to Jesus.
Yes we don't need to continually talk about the milk of the Word but upon the meat of the Word. In our area Baptist are dominate with a smattering of Methodist. We should understand what they believe and be ready always to give an answer for the hope that lies in us.
As mentioned before, the current danger: A total silence on these topics. Members are now, seemingly, added purely based on presence. And yes, I get it: We have visitors who are present more regularly than members. But neither presence nor absence makes one a member...
Jack, this is a FANTASTIC article!!!!
1. I grew up in the church of Christ, and had this feeling of "rightness" because we sang without instrumental music and believed in baptism. But over the years, I have become uncomfortable in feeling this way, because as you say, it feels like "pride" aka the self-righteousness that the Pharisees had.
2. When I was 30, a friend of mine wanted to know what he needed to do to become a Christian. so we had a Bible study with him for about 6 weeks, with someone who graduated from a CoC preaching school, and the main part of the study was on baptism. So, he was baptized and then he asked "So, what now?" I was SO embarrassed...I didn't know what to tell him!!! I was like umm...uhh...you keep going to church??? well, he stopped coming with me and I was like...is this ALL there is to being a Christian?? just keep going to church?
3. Yes, the top 2 sermons I heard growing up were on instrumental music and baptism. at least once a month or even more, like someone else said. I don't think I had heard many lessons on how to "walk in the light" or obey God or serve God. (part of that is also that I grew up with NIV that replaced "serving" God with "worship", like in Romans 12:1 and Hebrews 12:28.) but now that I understand that the word "worship" isn't even in the Greek or Hebrew, I am now understanding there is more to being a Christian than going to church and "worshiping" God without instruments., I'm looking at what the word worship is replacing and I am learning alot!
4. I had a conversation with my 13 year old niece afew weeks ago. She said she tells her friends that she's a Christian and inevitably the discussion turns toward instrumental music, and she tells her friends that it's wrong. She says she doesn't know why it's wrong though! I explained to her the historical aspect of it, pope Vitalian being the first to introduce an organ into an assembly, and that it didn't catch on in most christian churches until the 1800's, but I wasn't sure if that was helpful to her. I read her some of your article today, and I asked, what if the focus was on "I want to be part of the church in the Bible, the church that Jesus started. Because I love Jesus and I want to be part of his church, not churches that other people started." - do you think that is different? If the focus was on loving Jesus and wanting to be part of his church, does that feel different than thinking everyone around me is wrong because they're not a member of the church of Christ because we do things right? she said yes, and it feels different - better - to me too. if people want to be part of churches that people have founded, then ok, you can do what you want. But if I want to be part of the church that Jesus founded, then I want to be like that church in every way possible.
5. I heard someone on the 700 club the other day say "all you have to do is believe in God, and God will do the rest." and that's what my niece says the people who are christians at her school believe. Of course theres more to Christianity than that, but there also needs to be more to the church of Christ than be baptized and come to church and sing to God without musical instruments. I kind of also address this in my research on Romans 12:1 https://aimeewilliams.substack.com/p/romans-121-worship-service-or-a-way?r=3ox17j
Overall, great points!! and I'm so happy that others feel this way, as there is more restoration to be done if we want to be the church that Jesus started :)
Thank you so much for this article!
My issue? We are in the process of de-emphasizing God. We are to Christ-focussed, whereby we forget that the reason for Jesus was two-fold: To make known the true God (John 17:3), and to restore the relationship between us and the Father. Jesus did not come to be glorified and over-emphasized.
He came to reconcile us with the Father (2 Cor 4)...
You should take your own advice!
We can all stand to take it and learn from it! Avoid the ditches and keep it on the road!