Donnie V. Rader
As a lack of respect for Bible Authority increases among brethren, we are being challenged by the plea for a "new hermeneutics" and a call for change within the church. We are being told that the church much change or else it will die and our children and grandchildren will leave it. The church, we are informed, must get modern to meet the needs of man in this generation. Evidence abounds that some churches are heeding the call for change. We hear of changes in its nature, structure and purpose. Indeed the "winds of change are blowing." Other articles in this special issue define and examine the new hermeneutics. My assignment is to show the avenues through which the "doctrine of change" is being sounded.
The Nashville Jubilee
1. What is the Nashville Jubilee? It is a gathering of thousands (9,500 the first year) of members of the church for "Vacation Inspiration Celebration" (Nashville Jubilee advertisement, 1989). Their advertisement says they have exhibits, classes, lectures, family fun and activities, famous-name gospel groups and singing "with thousands." The first year this three day jubilee "offered 35 workshops or study groups on diverse subjects, including evangelism, AIDS, Latin America, marriage and family, deaf ministry and prison ministry" (The Nashville Banner, July 26, 1989). The next year The Tennessean (June 23, 1990) carried an article that called the Jubilee a "national fair" for Christians "offering preaching, fellowship, singing, programs for young people and more than 200 booths for the display and sale of books, audio tapes and video tapes."
2. Its beginning: The first Jubilee took place July 6-8, 1989 at the Nashville Convention Center. The Madison and Woodman Hills churches were the sponsors the first year. The Antioch church sponsored it the following year.
3. Featured speakers: Some of the names that have been connected with the Jubilee are Rubel Shelly, Landon Saunders, Marvin Phillips, Max Lucado, Mike Cope, Randy Mayeux, Steve Flatt, Lynn Anderson, and Prentice Meador. Those familiar with these names know the kind of liberal thought that would be presented by them.
4. The call being made at the Jubilee: The
call for change in the church is being sounded by some of
the participants at the Jubilee. Some examples: (
a) Randy Mayeux made such statements as
"The day is over when you will expect to stay church of
Christ all your life. . . Does it really make a difference if
a person is a millennial or premillennial?. . . Women need
to be represented in leadership...I think we are losing
them because our music is not today's music..." (July 4,
1991).
(b) Keynote speaker Mike Cope was reported
as saying, that doctrinal differences should be put
aside and we should behave like "porcupines in
November." He said that we "Sometimes don't see eye to eye.
We just have to accept each other. No matter what" (Los
Angeles Times, July 15, 1989, as quoted in Contending For
The Faith, August 1989, p. 1). (
c) Marvin Phillips urged solo singing and
special choruses in congregational services (Ibid., p. 3).
(d) Roy McConnell (an elder of the
Robertson County church) wrote a letter to the editor
saying, "The Jubilee violated the role of women, 1 Timothy
2:1-12, by allowing men in classes taught by women and
allowing a woman to, in effect, lead the assembly in song"
(The Tennessean, July 23, 1990). (
e) McConnell also reported Marvin Phillips as saying that it was scriptural to jump up, shout and clap in worship. He also stated that Landon Saunders said that environmental organizations were as necessary as the church (Contending for the Faith, August 1990).
New Periodicals
1. Image. This bi-monthly magazine began June 1985 under the editorship of Reuel Lemmons. Denny Boulting house is the present editor. The list of staff writers includes such names as Randy Mayeux, Jim McGuiggan, Landon Saunders, Rubel Shelly, Marvin Phillips, and Rick Atchley among others.
The purpose of Image magazine is well
stated by staff writer Randy Mayeux. "
This is an era of
great change in Churches of Christ.
With a solid, biblical
heritage, it is now beginning a new chapter. I
ts history will be set
and evaluated by the ideas shaping us as a movement.
If you love his
movement, you will seek to discern the ideas giving us
rebirth. Read and listen, or you will be left behind. IMAGE
is a key source of these ideas. I commend IMAGE to you as a
loving chronicle of our heritage, a mirror of our present
questioning and accomplishments, and a courageous shaper of
our history" (Image, Vol. 5, No. 9, p. 30).
In this magazine readers are given ideas of a new hermeneutics (Denny Boultinghouse, Image, Vol. 6, No. 2; Bill Swetmon, Image, Vol. 6, No. 4), unity in diversity (Randy Mayeux, Image, Vol. 2, No. 7) and change (Vol. 6, No. 4).
2. Wineskins. This is a monthly magazines that began in May 1992 with a two year commitment. The magazine would continue beyond May 1994 only if interest and support war-rant it. They confirmed by phone (May 11, 1994) that they plan to continue publication. They now have about 10,000 subscriptions.
The co-editors are Mike Cope and Rubel Shelly. Phillip Morrison serves as managing editor.
All three editors wrote "A Purpose Statement" that appeared in the first issue. They said, "WINESKINS is committed to the stimulation of bold but responsible change in the church of God. The very title is taken from Jesus' parable about the ever-fresh gospel and its always-frail containers. He warned against putting `new wine in old skins' lest the skins burst and waste the contents. In his metaphor, the skins are the culturally-conditioned and time-bounded experiences of the people who form the covenant community of God. When those receptacle-carriers of the heavenly message become fixed and inflexible, they no longer serve God's purpose effectively. . . The church is a `communication vehicle' for the gospel, as much as television, printing press, or one-on-one evangelism methods. . . It achieves its end by reading and responding to its environment just as any living organism does.. . The body of Christ must be an elastic wineskin for the gospel wine rather than a brittle liability to it" (Wineskins, Vol. 1, No. 1, May 1992). Simply put: Wineskins is about changing the church.
In this magazine readers will find articles
that (1) question the virginity of Mary and the inspiration
of the New Testament (Nov.1992, as quoted in Spiritual
Sword, Oct. 1993),(2) teach grace covering doctrinal
imperfection (Aug. 1992, as quoted in The Preceptor, July
1993), (3) plea for change (October 1993), and (
4) endorsement of material that advocates women taking on leadership roles including preaching (Sept./ Oct. 1993, p. 18).
Books Which Advocate
The New Hermeneutics
And Promote Change
1. The Second Incarnation A Theology for the 21st Century Church by Rubel Shelly and Randall J. Harris (1992). The book is given its title because the church should take what Jesus was in his incarnation and put it into a second incarnation.
The message of the book is "change" (pp. X,
XII, 19, 35, etc.).
They speak of our
"flawed" at-tempts to understand the scriptures
and suggest that there
is no infallible method of interpretation (pp. XV, 18, 19).
The book rejects the idea of "pattern theology" saying that
there is no absolute blueprint for building the church (pp.
31, 36,65).
THE
ABSOLUTE AND ONLY
PATTERN TO TO QUALIFY AS CHRISTIAN
| Thomas Campbell defined: CHURCH: is A School of Christ WORSHIP: is Reading and Musing the WORD AFTER THE INSTRUMENTAL-TRINITARIAN-PERVERTED "PLAY" AT MOUNT SINA-BEYOND REDEMPTION. Because the Hebrews were condemned to return to Mesopotamia where they had been robbers of caravans, Moses wrote an INVERTED version of the Babylonian Theology and Cosmology. Moses warned them and later gave them Kings to cause them to go into captivity. Genesis.49.Levi.Cursed.Wait.for.Shiloh.html The Synagogue or Church (Ekklesia) in the wilderness is defined and the PATTERN for the Churcch (ekklesia) was little changed. The Lord's Supper confessed the DEATH of Jesus. This should SILENCE everyone but the Elders who READ and "taught that which has been taught." How profane for male or female to TEACH OVER or make up their own songs and sermons!The Last Will and Testament is in effect after Jesus took His blood into the heavenly tabernacle. God sent Apostles and SCRIBES who recorded and later collected their EYE-WITNESS testimony. This Last Will was delivered to the HEIRS and the only function left is to READ IT. THE SYNAGOGUE AFTER SCRIPTURE AND EDERSHEIM The Synagogue by John Calvin No instrumental noise Permitted: who would such mind-altering when Jesus is speaking? synagogue, also spelled synagog, in Judaism, a community house of worship that serves as a place not only for liturgical services but also for assembly and study. Its traditional functions are reflected in three Hebrew synonyms for synagogue: bet ha-tefilla (“house of prayer”), bet ha-kneset (“house of assembly”), and bet ha-midrash (“house of study”). The term synagogue is of Greek origin (synagein, “to bring together”) and means “a place of assembly.” The Yiddish word shul (from German Schule, “school”) is also used to refer to the synagogue, and in modern times the word temple is common among some Reform and Conservative congregations. THE PATTERN FOR THE
SYNAGOGUE-CHURCH IN THE WILDERNESS
FOR GODLY PEOPLE AFTER THE LEADERS FELL INTO
INSTRUMENTAL-TRINITARIAN-PERVERTEDO IDOLATRY.
THE PATTERN OF JESUS.
THE PATTERN OF PAUL.
THE PROPHECY- PATTERN FOR THE "LEADERS" THEN AND NOW.
THE PATTERN IN ROMANS 15
|
|
JUSTIN:
And on the day
called Sunday, all who live in cities
or in the country gather together to
one place, Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. |
Acts
13:15 And after the READING of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of EXHORTATION for the people, say on. \AND IN THE CHURCH: GOD NEEDS NO HELPERS. Eph. 2:20 And are built upon [Educated in the Ekklesia] the foundation of the APOSTLES and PROPHETS, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; |
|
Acts 15:21 For Moses of old time hath SABBATH MEANS REST: QUARANTINED FROM
JERUSALEM |
`Acts
13:27 For they that
dwell at Jerusalem,
and their RULERS,
because they knew him not, nor yet the VOICES of the PROPHETS which are READ every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him |
2. The Cruciform Church by C. Leonard Allen
(2nd Edition, 1990). Allen calls for "careful alterations"
in the church. He says that the church with these changes
(like an altered garment) "can yet serve me well" (p. 10).
The book suggests that our methods of interpretation are flawed (v. 25). Law and keeping the law are ridiculed (pp. 63, 71). Again the message is a new approach to the Bible and thus a change in the church.
3. The Church In Transition by Jim Woodroof. Like the other books discussed in this article, this one pleas for unity in diversity (pp. 16, 17, 20, 117, 128). Woodroof makes a separation in the gospels and Acts and the letters (p. 34). Likewise he separates adherence to Jesus from adherence to his word (p. 35). This book calls for the same changes that the other materials do.
4. The Core Gospel: On Restoring the Crux
of the Matter by Bill Love (1991). F. Furman Kearley, editor
of the Gospel Advocate, reviewed the book saying, "... the
thesis of the author is basiclly threefold:
First, the core of the Gospel is to preach
about the Cross or the suffering, death and atonement made
by Christ. Second, that earlier preachers in the Restoration
Movement did not understand the core Gospel nor preach the
Cross nearly as much as they should. Third, that preachers
today should preach more about the cross and less about
Christian doctrine, the church, its worship, organization
and daily Christian living" (Gospel Advocate, March 1993, p.
36-ff).
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