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.
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...
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!
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.
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.
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!
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...
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.
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.
You should take your own advice!
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.