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Church of Christ

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Alternate meanings: see Church of Christ (disambiguation). The Church of Christ discussed in this article is not related to the United Church of Christ, to Mormonism, or to any Church of Christ within the Latter Day Saint movement.

The Churches of Christ are autonomous Christian congregations. In the United States, for the most part the churches' roots can be traced back to the Restorationist movement championed by American preachers in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, most notably Thomas Campbell and his son Alexander. Individuals in these churches historically have aspired to be members of the one body of Christ described in the New Testament, without denominational affiliation. Traditionally, they have viewed congregational identity not as denominational identity, but rather as the same sort of thing one sees in the New Testament description of various churches (for example, the church in Corinth, the churches of Galatia, etc.). However, there has been substantial debate over this topic in recent years, with some now embracing the view that the Church of Christ is a denomination.

Today Churches of Christ have the following distinctive traits: the refusal to hold to any creeds other than those specifically mentioned in the Bible itself; the practice of adult baptism as a requirement for the remission of sins; autonomous non-denominational congregational church organization, with congregations overseen by a plurality of elders; the weekly observance of The Lord's Supper; and the belief in a cappella congregational singing during worship. The American Restoration Movement of the 19th century promoted returning to the practices of the first century Christian churches. Other churches that grew out of the Restoration Movement include the Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ (often designated "Instrumental" for their acceptance of musical instruments within worship) and the Disciples of Christ. Some Churches of Christ are called non-institutional and may have strong disagreements with other Churches of Christ.

Despite the churches' historical origin as part of a movement started by Baptist and Presbyterian preachers, it should be noted that some members, particularly older members, of this group are apt to object to being referred to as "Protestants", believing that Christ's church was not founded as a protest against anything, other than perhaps the domination of the present world by Satan. The Church of Christ has firm disagreements with the Roman Catholic Church and does not recognize the authority of the episcopal see of Rome. Some, and probably most, members would also object to the categorization of their church as a "denomination", as one of the tenets of this movement is that they are not a denomination and that denominationalism is a sinful departure from the original plan laid down in the Bible for the church.

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Church organization

There is no headquarters for the Church of Christ; each congregation has its own structure, consisting of Elders, Deacons, and one or more Preachers/Ministers/Evangelists. Typically, the churches participate in a loose, informal network of other local Churches of Christ. From the beginning of the Restoration Movement, newspapers and magazines edited by church leaders have been important forces in unifying like-minded churches. Many congregations value the influence of affiliated universities and colleges, while others resist such affiliations.

Elders are spiritually mature Christian men whose religious work may be some specialized capacity of a spiritual nature. They provide moral guidance, and they or their designees approve and establish Bible study curriculum, select Sunday school teachers, and select the Preacher/Evangelist when the position becomes vacant. In some congregations, elders also select the deacons. Elders are also called pastors, shepherds, and bishops (all Biblical terms referring to the same office), but the use of "elder" is the most common by far. Elders are selected by the members of a congregation; the method of doing this varies considerably between congregations, but involves confirming that a potential elder does indeed embody all of the characteristics of elders which are listed in the Bible in 1 Timothy 5:17-20, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, and Titus 1:5-9. In a decreasing number of congregations, the eldership is something of a self-perpetuating board in which its members are the determiners of the qualifications of their successors and announce whom they have selected to join them with little or no congregational input; this practice was at one time fairly widespread but is no longer acceptable to many members of many congregations.

Deacons are recognized special servants of the church and most often take care of specialized needs of the congregation. Typically, the physical building in which services are held is overseen by a Deacon. Like Elders, Deacons are generally selected by the congregations in a manner very similar to that of elders. Qualifications of Deacons are listed in the Bible in 1 Timothy 3:8-12.

The Preacher/Evangelist/Minister prepares and delivers sermons, teaches Bible classes, performs weddings, preaches or evangelizes the gospel, and performs baptisms. This position is typically paid. (People associated with the Churches of Christ do not use the title "pastor" to refer to their pulpit minister, as this term is held to refer to the same position as "elder" or "bishop" in the Bible, which they feel requires a certain set of qualifications outlined above.) Typically these ministers are not 'ordained' as is the tradition of many denominational organizations, and do not use the salutation 'Reverend' or 'Rev.' before their name, professing that only God should be recognized as Reverend.

Many congregations also employ other paid ministers besides the pulpit minister, such as ministers for youth. Some members of the Church of Christ, and some groups within the Churches of Christ, do not believe in paid ministers or youth ministers.

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Hermeneutics

A closer look at the Church of Christ requires an understanding of its historically accepted hermeneutic. This hermeneutic is often summarized in three parts: "Command", "Example", and "Necessary Inference".

  • "Command" refers to a direct command found in the Scriptures (this being further complicated by what some mainstream evangelicals would refer to as the dispensation principle; for example, the command to build an ark was directed to Noah specifically, as opposed to being directed to Christians in general. Additionally, commands are classified as 'Specific' or 'Generic' in nature.)
  • "Example" is sometimes phrased as "an approved Apostolic example." The intent here is that the apostles or 1st century Christians performed some action or engaged in some practice that was approved of (or not condemned).
  • "Necessary inference" refers to some interpretational conclusion that would be necessary in order to obey a command or example.

The principle of silence is also observed by the Churches of Christ, to varying degrees. When the Bible does not specifically or indirectly allow a practice, it is considered forbidden. The disagreements within the Churches of Christ primarily derive from differences in interpretation of the meaning of "necessary inference", and the conclusions which can be rightly drawn from "silence". For example, the non-instrumental chuches of Christ agree that the absence of references to instrumental music in New Testament worship mean that their use is forbidden. (It should be noted, however, that the Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ do use musical instruments and do not see their use as forbidden.)

However, the New Testament is necessarily silent about many other issues, such as orphanages/children's homes, Sunday school, and congregationally-owned houses of worship ("church buildings"). In each case, the "mainstream" group has reasoned that "necessary inference" allows their use as a way of providing for otherwise-homeless children, facilitating study of the Scriptures, and providing for a reasonable and convenient setting for worship services. In each case, a dissident faction, using the "principle of silence", finds these developments to be unwarranted and sinful innovations; the most prominent of these are the non-institutional churches and the non-class churches.

Also, Churches of Christ historically do not use the Old Testament to authorize practices, relying solely on the New Testament for matters of practice. They believe that the commands of the Old Testament were to Jews only and were done away with when Christ died, pointing to verses such as Galatians 3:16-29, Ephesians 2:13-16, Colossians 2:13-14, Hebrews 7:12 and 18-22, and Hebrews 8:6-13. Thus, things used under the Old Testament by Israel in worship (instruments, incense, animal sacrifice, etc.) which are not repeated in the New Testament are not considered authorized for Christians today.

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Specific teachings and prohibitions

Churches of Christ mostly agree with the theology of conservative Evangelical Christian groups, believing in Jesus as the Son of God, the death of Jesus by crucifixion as atonement for sin, and most other basic Christian teachings. However, there are many specific practices that distinguish them from these other bodies.

The Church of Christ believes that the organization and structure of the church was laid down by Jesus Christ himself through his apostles in the form of the New Testament. Since this church has no headquarters and each congregation is independent, the teachings may vary somewhat, but overall there is a remarkable degree of uniformity among Churches of Christ in each region. The common variances are over the institution of Bible classes, the method that the Lord's supper is served (whether the fruit of the vine is served in one cup or many), the role of women in public worship, and whether ministers should be paid professionals or serve on a volunteer basis.

When a "faithful" member dies, he or she does not "go" to heaven or hell. The person is not "sentenced" by Christ to heaven or hell until "Judgement Day". There is no means of earthly or spiritual intercession for the soul of one who has died. There will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous (Acts 24:15).

Political endorsements are highly discouraged, if not condemned, as members are expected to make their own choices for suitable political leaders.

Common beliefs and practices include:

  • The Bible was written by men who were inspired and guided by God the Father through the Holy Spirit. Most believe in "plenary" inspiration, whereby the inspired author is able to use his language to express divine truth, but the ultimate truthfulness is from God; this contrasts with "mechanical" inspiration, where the Biblical author is just a mortal "typewriter" for an immortal God, or a Divine "secretary" merely taking dictation.
  • No instrumental music in services (a cappella). The arguments against it are of two categories. A strong argument that claims that it is false doctrine prohibited by a principle or a law of silence, and a weak argument, similar to that originally held by Alexander Campbell, that such would be materialistic or inappropriate, but not necessarily false doctrine. Many congregations contain members with both positions. Commonly, larger congregations speak so as to not take sides between the weak or strong position. More conservative congregations may still openly call it a sin, and more liberal congregations openly say that it is not a sin, while usually refusing to adopt instruments.
  • No choruses or choirs. Most churches practice only congregational singing with a single song leader. However, many larger churches have adopted "praise teams," small singing groups that sing special songs in worship, help teach new songs, and provide "sing along" assistance to the congregations.
  • The Lord's Supper can be served anywhere members are gathered on Sunday; no particularly "sanctified" location nor specifically "authorized" individual is needed to administer communion (except that those administering communion are almost invariably male as a matter of belief that the Bible teaches that only men are authorized to lead in the worship service). The practice is to partake in the Lord's Supper each Sunday (Acts 20:6). Theologically, some members believe in practicing closed communion, while most participate in open communion. Communion is generally served to participants in their seats (unlike many churches in which participants come to the front to receive it), and a non-member could often participate without disruption. In addition, many members assert based on 1 Corinthians 11:28 that it is up to each participant to "examine himself," not the church.
  • Grape juice is used almost exclusively for "The Lord's Supper" in the United States. However, the original practice within Churches of Christ in the Restoration Movement was using wine exclusively. This practice of the majority changed during the Prohibition Era with much controversy that is now mostly forgotten. The current majority believes the people of Christ's time used either wine watered down to a non-inebriating state, or used "unfermented wine." A significant conservative minority think alcohol should be generally forbidden. Nevertheless, a small remnant of pre-Prohibition influenced conservatives and some progressives advocate literal wine as the "fruit of the vine." Wine is still used in some countries, such as Italy, where the drinking of wine is an accepted part of the culture.
  • Most social dance is condemned as lewd and lascivious behavior. Folk dancing is considered acceptable but not popular dancing, especially dancing with sexual overtones.
  • Children below the age of accountability are considered in a "safe" position in the eyes of God, and would not be condemned to hell if they died before the age of accountability (a denial of the common doctrine of Original Sin). However, members do not claim that this age is fixed; it can vary by maturity and knowledge, and so sometimes the phrase knowledge of accountability is used, referencing James 4:17. Additionally, persons lacking the mental capacity to consciously choose between right or wrong are also saved, as they are incapable of truly choosing wrong.
  • The requirements for salvation are commonly presented in the following steps:
    • Hearing (the Word of God)
    • Believing (said Word)
    • Repenting (of one's sins)
    • Confessing (that Jesus Christ is Lord)
    • Being baptized (by immersion).
    • Continued faithfulness is enjoined because they do not believe in the doctrine of perseverance of the saints.
  • Because of the high value attached to the necessity of a believer's baptism by immersion, Churches of Christ are sometimes said to believe in "baptismal regeneration". Members deny that baptism without faith can bring salvation, but point out that the Bible does command believers to be baptized (Acts 2:38, etc.). In most if not all respects, their teaching on a believer's baptism mirrors that of the Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ.
  • Disfellowship of a member, a form of excommunication, and its basis are announced to the congregation by the elders. Disfellowship is rare because typically those at variance have been alienated from the congregation and remove themselves voluntarily.
  • Celebration of religious holidays (such as Christmas and Easter) as such is often discouraged, although secular observance of such days is usually tolerated. In recent years, this belief is in decline in many churches, and it is not unheard of for a church to have special events for such holidays or even to celebrate them with traditional religious significance. A number of churches, though, continue to practice complete rejection of holidays.
  • Women are not allowed to hold positions of spiritual authority over grown men (e.g., serve as elders, deacons, or preachers) (1 Timothy 2:12). This, however, is sometimes not adhered to in more liberal congregations. Most churches forbid women from leading public worship or teaching a bible study when grown men are present. However, women sometimes serve as coordinators of various ministries, including youth and education.
  • The "lost" will be condemned to an eternity without God. The vast majority believe in a literal hell, while others believe it is a metaphorical eternity outside of the light of God.
  • Worship can take place at any gathering of church members. Baptism can take place in any suitable body of water allowing total immersion, and may be administered by anyone at any time of the day or day of the week. There is disagreement as to whether the person who administers the baptism must also be a church member.
  • There are no clergy and laity; all members are considered to be priests (1 Peter 2:9). Certain male members specialize in the field of teaching. These men are often called "Preachers," "Ministers," or "Evangelists." In mainstream Churches of Christ, ministers are generally paid for their work.
  • Divorce, except for reasons of marital unfaithfulness, is condemned. Remarriage in these cases is considered adultery. Exceptions are sometimes made when severe marital abuse or deception are present, but such interpretations differ between congregations. In addition, some churches (particularly among the non-institutional branch) differ in particulars relating to divorce and remarriage.
  • Abortion in most circumstances is considered to be a sin.
  • Homosexual activity is seen as a sin. Churches generally differentiate homosexual activity from homosexuality itself or homosexual people, often espousing the idea that while mere sexual orientation is not sinful per se, all homosexual acts are a choice. Many, however, claim that homosexual proclivity is not inherent in a person's nature, but a weakness to be overcome.
  • Satan is considered to be a literal being, not just a symbolic or allegorical representation of evil. He is seen as literally tempting Christ's followers away from their chosen path, usually by the use of human agents. His power is considerable, although vastly inferior to that of God, who allows Satan to exist so that God's followers worship and follow Him as a true act of free will, not predestination. There is no standard position over the accuracy of the Lucifer story or Satan as a fallen angel; most churches take no position under the doctrine of silence.
  • Many members of the Churches of Christ practice "closed fellowship" (fellowshipping only fellow members of the Churches of Christ), while others would extend the ties of fellowship to members of evangelical Protestant denominations. The issue of "fellowship" is hotly debated.
  • Generally, a belief that Churches of Christ are not a denomination, or that they are non-denominational. Most believe denominationalism itself is sinful, and hold that Christ established only one church. This doctrine is similar to earlier beliefs of Roman Catholicism.
  • In terms of eschatology, the Church of Christ is generally amillennial.
  • The theology of Churches of Christ is basically Arminian, although probably not often referred to as such. Original Sin and the whole idea of Total Depravity from which it ensues are rejected, although the human predilection to sin due to temptations and the limitations of human nature is affirmed. Election and predestination are functions of the exercise of free will – those who freely choose God's way through Christ are elect and hence saved, others are lost. This decision can be changed based on the believer's behavior – he or she can consciously elect to cease following Christ and hence be lost ("fallen from grace"), but can be restored upon repentance. God's sacrifice of Christ provided sufficient grace to save all persons from their sins, but it is imcumbent upon them to accept Christ's will and follow Him for this grace to save them personally.
  • A small subset of congregations are King James Only in orientation. Other, mostly older congregations use the KJV exclusively as a matter of tradition, but most congregations use - and are open to - a variety of translations of the Bible.
  • Miraculous Gifts – Most members of Churches of Christ do not believe supernatural miraculous events occur in the current times. They believe that these gifts died with those that were given supernatural Spiritual gifts during the time of Jesus and the apostles, being that miracles were only needed to establish authority of teaching. Miracles ceased when "that which is perfect" or the completed inspired teachings of the apostles were complete.(1 Corinthians 13:8-10)
  • Several members of the Churches of Christ have claimed conscientious objector status during wartime. This opinion was mainstream, at least in some circles, in the late 19th century and was the viewpoint frequently published in mainstream Church of Christ publications such as David Lipscomb's Gospel Advocate. This movement lost most of its currency in the Churches of Christ during World War II when 199[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_gingerich] members registered as conscientious objectors and served in Civilian Public Service camps, and has been fairly uncommon since World War II – the contemporary Church of Christ is not a historical peace church, but it is still listed as such by the US military for consideration of conscientious objector status. Most churches in the UK consisted overwhelmingly of objectors. One notable post-WWII American conscientious objector is author William Kay Moser, who served two years in prison rather than serve in the Korean War.
  • Even though it is not specifically commanded in the New Testament, virtually all Church of Christ congregations have an additional "Mid-Week Bible Study," which is most commonly held on Wednesday evenings. Many congregations view this as an expedient to the commands to study the scriptures and evangelize the Christian religion.
  • In the United States, many congregations have "Vacation Bible School," a week-long series of daytime or evening church services geared toward teaching children, which take place during the summer and which include social and recreational activities. Like the Mid-Week Bible Studies, "VBS" (as it is commonly known) is not specifically commanded in the New Testament. However, many congregations view this as an expedient to the commands to study the scriptures and evangelize the Christian religion.
  • Use of specialized vocabulary to circumvent common English usage which is in conflict with accepted doctrine.
    • "church" - The word is often left uncapitalized in the name "Church of Christ" to emphasize that the churches are not a denomination.
    • "member of the church" - Many members of the Churches of Christ believe that only members of the Church of Christ are Christians. However, the English designation of "Christian" generally means anyone who calls himself a Christian. Thus the euphemism, "member of the church."
    • "obey the gospel" - be baptized
    • "religious" - Used instead of the word "Christian." For example, a conservative member of the Church of Christ might say "Religious Book Store," or "Religious Music" instead of "Christian Book Store," or "Christian Music," on the premise that only "real Christians", those found within the fellowship of his group, would actually make "Christian Music" or write truly "Christian" books.
    • "denomination" - Churches other than the Church of Christ, including the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches.
  • Words and phrases common to most evangelical churches are often absent or modified in the Churches of Christ.
    • "Mid-Week Bible Study" - an additional church service, generally held on Wednesday evenings. Generally referred to in Protestant denominations as a "prayer meeting."
    • "Altar call" becomes "invitation."
    • "Sanctuary" becomes "auditorium" because of the belief that there is nothing particularly holy about the building.
    • "Pastor" is never used to mean "minister." The term "preacher," "evangelist," or "minister" is used instead, i.e. "youth pastor" becomes "youth minister." Consequently, the word "pastor" is rarely used to refer to elders.
    • "Minister of Music" is "song leader", or, in more progressive congregations, "worship leader," or "worship minister."
    • "Revival" becomes "gospel meeting" or "lectureship series."

Because of the autonomous nature of Churches of Christ, practices vary greatly within Churches of Christ. As a whole this list reflects practices considered to be standard, with a focus on those beliefs that distinguish the Churches of Christ from Protestant groups.

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Other Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement bodies

The Churches of Christ were advanced during the American Restoration Movement of the 19th century. As in the New Testament, this movement recognized the body as "The Churches of Christ" or "Christian Churches." After the American Civil War, there began to be divisions in this body over the issues of missionary societies and instrumental music in worship which reached a head in 1906 when the two groups formally split, agreeing to be listed separately in the religious census then conducted by the Bureau of the Census. Those holding to the prohibition of instrumental music are the Churches of Christ of today. The first Church to use the name was Knob Creek Church of Christ in Dukedom, Kentucky, which was founded in 1834 and still exists today.

The Independant Christian Churches/ Church of Christ (Instrumental) congregations began to divide from the Disciples of Christ in the 20th century during the fundamentalist response to modernism which solidified in the 1960s with two groups: the Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ and the Disciples of Christ.

Other groups related to the Restoration Movement were the Christian Connexion and The Christian Church, both of which merged into the Congregational Church during the 1930s and thus eventually became part of the United Church of Christ, a group now part of the Protestant Mainstream and unrelated to the Churches of Christ.

Some of the more progressive churches have associated themselves with an "emergent conversation/movement". It is unclear at present how significant this ideology is or what its impact will be in the future.

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Disputes within the Church

Institutions

A major disagreement over the establishment of "institutions" at a level over that of the local congregations in order to serve works such as children's homes came to a head in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, those who disagree with this idea are referred to as the non-institutional or often by the pejoratives "anti-cooperation" or "anti." They represent approximately 15% of U.S. membership and are also represented by missionaries in other countries as well.

Rebaptism controversy

The validity of believer baptisms performed by other religious groups such as Baptists is sometimes questioned. The debate is centered on whether or not a person must understand that baptism is in order to be saved rather than the response of one already saved. Many within the Churches of Christ consider such an understanding to be essential, although whether this position currently is or historically was held by the majority of members is hard to determine. The Gospel Advocate publishing house out of Tennessee, as well as its founder David Lipscomb and all the Church of Christ and Restoration Movement leaders before him considered it not essential, and that a voluntary baptism done to obey the command to be baptized was valid whether further beliefs about the point of salvation were correct or incorrect. The Firm Foundation, an influential publishing house out of Texas, was founded by Austin McGary in part to promote the opposite position, that a baptism without prior belief that baptism was the point of salvation was not valid at all. Many congregations have and continue to fully support rebaptism as argued by McGary, though very few make such a belief a test of fellowship. The issue was not resolved per se, as both opinions still exist within the mainstream churches. The issue generally opens when a Baptist or related Evangelical converts to the Church of Christ, and their particular congregation reflects more than one opinion on whether rebaptism is needed.

Liberalism and conservatism

Use of the terms "liberal" to describe those churches and members that are more progressive and more willing to accept doctrines of the mainline Protestant denominations, and the term "conservative" to describe those churches who hold to the more traditional teachings of the Church of Christ, is common but sometimes controversial. In some circles one or both of these labels may be offensive. In other religious contexts, "liberal" carries the connotation of a rejection of traditional Christian doctrines, such as the Incarnation. When used within the Church of Christ it generally does not carry that meaning, but it can be offensive because of that association. Some members reject all of these labels, either because in their opinion it confuses issues of right and wrong with matters of preference or because of the perception that it contributes to division within the church. Others within the church may be proud of their conservative or liberal labels. Some may use alternate terms to show their point of view of the factions: "progressive," "faithful," "unfaithful," "old fashioned."

Within the non-institutional churches, the term "conservative" is generally taken to refer only to those churches that hold the non-institutional conviction, while the term "liberal" is often applied to all mainline churches of Christ that do not, even those that otherwise consider themselves to be "conservative."

ICOC

What was called the International Churches of Christ (sometimes called "The Boston Movement" which was grounded in the Church of Christ "Crossroads Movement"), was often labeled a cult by mainstream congregations, had its origins in certain congregations of the Church of Christ. Since the late 1980s, however, some Church of Christ leaders had repudiated the ICOC as an apostatized, schismatic cult; the ICOC in turn declared itself to be a faithful remnant being called out of a dead or dying church, namely the mainstream Churches of Christ. The ICOC saw tremendous percentage growth in comparison to the congregations led by the mainstream Churches of Christ, reaching approximately 134,000 members (compared to the several million members of mainstream churches of Christ). ICOC subsequently suffered a series of internal debates on matters ranging from the central authority claimed by founder Kip McKean to financial impropriety. ICOC is in a period of change that may not end for several years. (See the Paden article[1] for a fairly impartial examination of this subject.) Representatives of the ICOC and the mainstream Churches of Christ attended reconciliation meetings at the 2004 Abilene Christian University lectureships.

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See also

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Notes

  1. ^ Gingerich, Melvin (1949), Service for Peace, A History of Mennonite Civilian Public Service, p. 452, Mennonite Central Committee.
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External links

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