The Restoration Movement has given us great motivation as well as direction. When I was converted the very nature of such a movement wowed me and continues to do so. I feel, though, we may have allowed the movement to jump its orgininal tracks into a zone open to great human error. The Restoration Movement is not the Word, it is not God, it is not the rule book for the church. It is a man-created society with respectable principles....and that's all.
Some view the Restoration Movement as providing the criteria for what the church should believe and how it should behave. We don't call our preacher pastor even if he does shepherd the flock. We don't call our meeting room sanctuary (but auditorium) even-though such is the only room in the building where we can't take food and drink because it is sanctified.
It is probable that every leader in the church of Christ has hit a fork in the road as to whether to remain committed to the Movement or to the Word. If to the former, the paradigm has no shift. It's cut and dried---some believe---as to what God thinks. Yet, these remain divided and re-divided over exactly what Campbell or Nichols or others concluded we should believe. The latter (the Word) will call for our devotion to both unchange and much change. Jesus will always be the Son and methodology will always be subject to shift. Word study will necessitate perpetual adjustment.
The Restoration Movement set the boundaries and several locked the Holy Spirit out. The Word insists He's in. The Restoration Movement set the parameters for worship......referred to the Word of "decent and in order".....an virtually shut out emotion and expression. The Word authorizes "decent and in order" without curbing the celebrative excitement of praising the Lord.
The ideal of the Restoration Movement may need to slip back onto the tracks of holy writ. Restoration does not mean petrified. We are not a people locked down; but rather, opened up. I see it as it was originally designed; to call us back to the Creed of Jesus the Lamb. Will such include change? Of course. Who would be against changing the number of souls we are winning each year? Who would be against changing the numbers gathering for corporate worship each week? Who would be against learning more of the Word......even if the Word disagrees with our policy to this point? Who would like to see more interest in Jesus by our teens. Who would like to see fewer leaving the church distressed over bickering and arguing? Who would like to see more of the homeless homed and more of the rejected accepted? Who would like to see the church change from rote meetings three times a week to meeting daily....as in the Word? Who would like to see more effective praying....more members praying?
There is so much I am eager to learn. I believe I know about 1% of 1/2% of what He intends for me and I'll not discover as much of it by dragging along my man-created rules. I suggest only two areas the churches of Christ---in general---does not address: prophecy and the occult. I believe we unintentionally have dampened our members' enthusiasm for the Second Coming having ignored the study of Prophecy. Too, I believe we have set the church and her families up for unnecessary struggle due to the disinterest in the spiritualism. These are just two areas that need to change. There must be hundreds more topics we have yet to consider.
Will the Restoration Movement allow change? It's very nature calls for it. Yet fundamentally, our goal is to abide by the Word; not restore the Restoration Movement.
9 comments:
Amen! Preach it!
Reminds me of a sermon I heard one time on Jeremiah 6:16, "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths..." The context of the sermon was about praise styles and how things should be done in order. It all sounded good until I realized the preacher was talking about looking for the ancient paths of 1950. Great verse, but we need to look to David and Abraham, not Campbell or Nichols.
Unfortunately we (in my opinion) have been through an extended period of time where our “movement” ceased to be a movement and became a defensive position. Using most of our energies to define who we were not rather than trying to be “Just Christians but not the only Christians.”
I am encouraged by the “movement” in our movement but it won’t be without a fight I’m sure.
Good post Brother.
Terry - I love how you keep asking the questions as you lead. You're setting the floor for future leaders.
Your ceiling will be our floor. However high you climb and open doors - will determine the floor others stand on.
Regardless of how far the Lord lets you see and navigate - the point of your highest and greatest insight and experience will be the floor that others will stand on when the Lord is through with your physical life.
Thanks for setting the pace in so many ways and for asking the questions.
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My response as a young thinker and leader among many thinkers and leaders is this: The Restoration Movement belongs to nearly the entire Reformation Movement: everyone sought to do things the right way and the Bible way.
This created what is known today as: Churchianity.
The thing about the "restoration" movement that's a bit fuzzy is there's nothing to restore!
We've sought to restore a movement that never reached it's original purpose. I'm absolutely convinced that the process of restoring the first century church is not only a hopeless endeavor - but an unnecessary one.
The thing very unique about our heritage is that there is almost a cookie cutter midset and theology AND personality that exists among Restoration oriented believers.
The mindset is a focus on: the right way to do things.
The Theology is a focus on: what the Bible says the right way is based on how people did it in the first century - in a very unfinished and imperfect setting.
And the Personality is: very analytical and choleric in regards to systematically figuring out and then carrying out the right thing to do without any form of absolute black and white instructions for how to do it accross all times and cultures.
Problem? Yes - huge. The resolution is a simple humble confession that:
1. We're not called to restore anything today in regards to the way it was done in the past
2. We're called to advance the kingdom of God and make disciples of all nations today according to the Spirit within the guidance provided in the Word and person of Jesus
3. It's very difficult to find the "right" way to do it accross all cultures and generational mindsets.
But the reality is - this breed of thinking/ers and worshipers is just not going to change on her own.
The world is falling out of its skin for spirituality - but not restoration.
Wade Hodges posted what I think are some really good ways to approach the wrong questions and the tough questions of the day regarding restoration, missions, and the church.
1. The collapse of the church culture.
Wrong question: How do we “do church” better?
Tough question: How to we deconvert from churchianity to Christianity?
2. The shift from church growth to Kingdom growth.
Wrong question: How do we grow this church?
Tough question: How to we transform our community?
3. The New Reformation: Releasing God’s people
Wrong question: How do we turn members into ministers?
Tough question: How do we turn members into missionaries?
4. The return to Spiritual Formation.
Wrong question: How do we develop church members?
Tough question: How do we develop followers of Jesus?
5. The shift from planning to preparation
Wrong question: How do we plan for the future?
Tough question: How do we prepare for the future?
6. The rise of apostolic leadership
Wrong question: How do we develop leaders for church work?
Tough question: How do we develop leaders for the Christian movement?
Ok - one more thought:
Tim - I was thinking that even going back to Abraham and David would be a start - but then we're restoring other journeymen who never reached the desired place.
What we're actually trying to restore - has never existed in it's fulness...
Eschatology is moving forward with an identity of already being there.
How can you restore something that hasn't existed yet?
It can't be done... we're forward people moving toward something that is our hope and the pathway isn't through anything in the past - but our encouragement and strength are found in Hebrews 13...
"imitating" the FAITH of those before us - not imitating what they did.
Eventually - The restoration movement will have to actually go to the same source as our fathers for the "path" - but that's our fear: we may not have anything tangible to lean on and may have to learn to follow the Spirit with the guidance of the Word.
A NOTE TO EACH RESPONDER
There is something very encouaging in each response and it's multiplied among our people. Those who challenge the Restoration Movement are not doing so out of Good Housekeeping and Reader's Digest weakness to the Word. It's the good, deep part of Restorationists that taught us to think beyond man.....insisted upon it. We are abiding by such cheering. One can tell by the brief or the lengthy responses, genuine thought runs deep in commitment to the true Kingdom of God above all else.
Awesome!
You know - I was thinking...
I'm grateful for the restorationists regardless of how frustrated I get with it all sometimes. I'm grateful
What great words of wisdom. I think sometimes people forget it should be all about the word, not all about a movement. The word has so much to teach us. The word is not a movement, it's God in all His Glory. Great Post!
Challenging post...and a good one. When we say "restoration movement", we think of different things. It appears to me that you and most responders are thinking / writing about what the movement became. There is much to learn from these brothers who were willing to step outside of their humanly constructed religions into a new adventure of faith. Isn't that what many of us are doing? These men who were strong in faith and resolve would have decried the sectarianism that exists today. I do not think that they would cheer those who let culture shape theology, but I think they would stand with those calling us to a renewed Jesus identity. Who cares who they cheer or do not cheer? Our goal is not to make our restoration fathers happy...but ... we can learn much from them as they were on a similar path. We have to be careful, I think, not to poo poo them too quickly.
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