Last updated on 9/10/2000 pretty line

Viewpoint Brief Bible Study #41

JESUS calls US to be
members of His church

hand reaching out
e-mail address

The Christian religion is the worship and service of Jesus Christ. It’s not Mary we worship, but her Son. We worship neither saints, angels, a law code, nor even God’s Spirit. It’s JESUS who is to be honored. The Bible is our guide.

ONE BODY Should Be Our Goal!
(comments about Victor Knowles)

    In the Summer 1997 ONE BODY Magazine, published by P.O.E.M., edited by Victor Knowles are articles reporting Progress at Pepperdine (a happily-shared experience there) and Linkage at Lincoln (discussions seeking ways two groups of Christians can work together).

    Any efforts aimed at helping Christians love one another and work together should be commended by all who realize that the Lord Jesus wants ALL His people in the One Body to which He adds us when we're baptized into His death. The "linkage" effort at Lincoln is a good-faith effort by some men who are in fellowship with "Independent" Churches of Christ/Christian Churches to encourage some dissident Disciples of Christ to realize they don't have to remain in fellowship with an ultra-liberal denomination in order to have association with others who seek to serve Jesus.

    Leaders in the Disciples of Christ denomination make no secret of their lack of any living faith in a living God. They seek association with others whose God is dead. Once part of the undenominational "Restoration Movement" popularized by Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone, the Disciples of Christ leaders opted out in the 1950's when they chose instead to be a full-fledged denomination (apparently) so they could seek union with other like-minded denominationalists in a union effort with the initials of COCU (Consultation on Christian Unity?).

   The denominations working toward church union in this effort could not agree that the Bible is inspired and accurate in the history it presents, nor did they believe that it came from a living God. Their union was not based on the Bible. That was the direction preferred by Disciples leaders.

    Defections continue to occur, since Christians in the Disciples congregations are mostly less liberal than their preachers and denominational leaders. Each more liberal step the leaders take produce additional defectors and a smaller body of supporters.

   The Lincoln meeting was between a few good men who are members of the independent (undenominational) churches who generally wear the name either of Church of Christ or Christian Church, and ones who are now associated with a group who call their organization, Disciple Heritage Fellowship, and whose congregations are generally identified as Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

   The group at Lincoln discussed differing views of Christian baptism. The Disciples now consider anything that was called baptism to actually have been baptism. The Disciple Heritage group lean toward accepting sprinkling as if it were baptism. The non-Disciples do not see that a substitute is just as good as the immersion which is Christian baptism. So they were not totally agreed at the end of the meeting. It's good that they got together and discussed it!

    A proposal offered for consideration was:
We are agreed that baptism is commanded by the Lord Jesus to be practiced by all of His followers. This baptism is to be by the immersion in water of penitent believers. Baptism is symbolic of the atoning death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. By its nature as well as by biblical taching, baptism is involved with forgiveness of sin. We take pains, however, to repudiate any doctrine of baptismal regeneration, holding that forgiveness is wholly a matter of God's grace.

    Who ever said that writing a creed was EASY?

    Another meeting is planned for next year, at which the main discussion topic will be "Hermeneutics and the Covenants." This is to be held in Tulsa at the 41st Street Christian Church building on May 5th and 6th.

    About 50 were said to be present to join in working for unity in the Lincoln meeting. It is suggested that perhaps a larger turnout will take place in Tulsa. I believe it's delegates (self-appointed, since there's no organization from which delegates could be sent by us independents) whose attendance is invited.

    I comment that unity is eagerly desired by all who love Jesus and seek to please Him. We know He wants us united in His service. Any discussions aimed at producing additional members of an undenominational fellowship of Christians shouldn't be faulted. We independents are not going to join any organization which could "represent" local congregations. If the Disciple Heritage Fellowship continues to want to be a denomination, even if separate from the ultra-liberal Disciples, so long as that's their desire, we'll not be able to be in unity with them if that entails accepting any creed or joining any denominational body.

    In exciting days where many are being pushed to a consideration of undenominational Christianity, we look forward to many being added to the roster of free and independent congregations who seek to serve Jesus as free Christians. Some of these newly in fellowship with us should be congregations who do not use musical instruments in their congregational assemblies. I hope some of them also will be former members of the Disciples denomination who now want to be undenominational and faithful, obedient disciples of Christ who are loyal to the Bible which is His Word.


          Brief Bible Study #41 from Ray Downen. To go back to Viewpoint's first page, click < here.   Or here to go on to Viewpoint Study 42. For Ray's concluding remarks, click HERE.