One of the unfortunate side effects of writing publicly about the churches of Christ is, well, that it’s public.
People outside our circle of fellowship can read and engage, and as I try to provide analysis about things we can do better, they might only see those downsides and not know the foundation of love and appreciation behind my words.
I remain convinced that the churches of Christ and the Restoration spirit are the best option for anyone striving to be a Biblically faithful Christian. Even though some repairs are in order, “the house has good bones,” as they say in real estate.
I’m still going to have plenty of critiques, because I believe our outlook is dire if we don’t change many things.
However, a couple of qualifiers are important…
First, some of the critiques I have of the churches of Christ apply to many other groups just as equally or more.
Maintaining a comfy status quo in the face of decline is happening in many other groups, too. Lack of specific application in preaching and least-common-denominator religion is the default these days.
Secondly, these critiques come from a place of loyalty and love.
Sometimes when I write on a problem in the churches of Christ—say, our issues with teaching grace—I’ll get a comment or two along the lines of, “Exactly, and that’s why I left those Pharisees!” There is a vast difference between saying the churches of Christ have a problem that I want to help solve, and saying the churches of Christ have a problem, and that’s why I’m done with them.
It’s the difference between family scuffles and external barbs. For example, I can call my little brother a doofus, but if you call him one—hang on just a second. You’d better believe I’m going to come to his defense.
That being the case, I want to highlight a few reasons why I still stand firmly behind the churches of Christ despite my critiques.
Biblical literacy
I have often taken for granted just how Word-focused we are. Watching sermons from other nearby churches and talking to folks who attend them, I’m always a little shocked at the lack of Biblical backing for their beliefs.
This lack of Biblical depth is a big factor behind the Reformed momentum in recent years, as many churchgoers were exposed to textual Bible study for the first time ever.
Meanwhile, we’ve been doing that the entire time. If you’re going to say something in the churches of Christ, you had better have Bible to back it up. This leads to more knowledgeable people and an approach to church that strives hard to avoid being driven by man’s whims.
And, we do a pretty good job of taking the Bible at its word. When it says “Baptism now saves you,” we don’t set about doing Olympic-level gymnastics to explain why it doesn’t mean “Baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21). When it says “I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man” (1 Timothy 2:12), we don’t go looking for excuses for why it’s ok for a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. Of course, I argue there’s room for improvement here (Titus 2:5, perhaps?). But the primary positions are sound.
A Capella Worship
Whether you agree with the arguments for singing without instruments or not (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16, Hebrews 13:15), everybody knows there is something beautiful about a group of people blending their voices together as one.
Remember on Inauguration Day when Carrie Underwood’s backing music failed, and the entire audience in the Capitol rotunda joined her to sing ‘America the Beautiful?’ Social media lit up with stunned reactions at the beauty and power of it. We get to do that multiple times every week. Even people who are dedicated to their organs or rock bands know we have something special.
Autonomy
Our structure of church autonomy is not without challenges, but I will take it over the alternative every time. Seeing the Roman Catholics bend over backwards to defend the late Pope Francis’s rogue declarations, or watching the SBC go to war with its own members, or knowing local Presbyterian pastors or Anglicans or Orthodox priests have to perform their own one-man protestant movements against their own woke leadership is something we don’t have to do.
Though ideas spread from church to church and influences can’t be entirely isolated, it’s also easier to contain major doctrinal departures this way. Elders (Acts 20, 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1) and preachers (1-2 Timothy, Titus) who can have face-to-face contact with the sheep they’ve been entrusted with shepherding and teaching just makes more sense.
The list could go on, but I’ll leave it at these three for now. As I continue to write, I’m going to keep pushing for ways we can grow and improve. As Restorationists at heart, isn’t that exactly how it should be? There will always be ways we can be more Biblical, more effective, more in line with what God wants us to be.
But don’t ever take that as reason to look down on the churches of Christ. Don’t take anything I say as meaning “the churches of Christ stink.” This is my family, this is my home, and I love being a part of it. Onward and upward we go.
Notes
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Very well put.
I recall many years ago reading a statement by a more "progressive" writer in our midst. He was talking to his child, who had asked about the United Methodist Church that they were driving past, "Dad, what's the difference between that church and ours?" His answer was that there was nothing different that was important enough to worry about.
My reaction was: Then why not merge with them, to reduce the division in Christianity? Why are you still in a Church of Christ congregation if that is what you truly think? And likewise when I hear scathing criticisms.
My suspicion was that he did not believe what he was saying, that his actions spoke louder than his words, but in progressive circles he was saying what they like to say and hear.