One of the reasons I am STILL a restorationist is that the movement was, can be, and in many cases today, still is a unity movement. We are “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3; “making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit” NRSV).
We call this “harmony” (Romans 12:16; 15:5) sought for in restorationist churches “unity in diversity.” Stemming from the sentiments and principles stated in Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address, restoration churches seek to foster unity, not uniformity.
Campbell described the “Church of Christ” (a term he applied to all Christians in every place, i.e., the universal church). Here are his basic propositions:
- That the Church of Christ on earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one; consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him in all things according to the Scriptures, and that manifest the same by their tempers and conduct, and of none else; as none else can be truly and properly called Christians.
- That although the Church of Christ upon earth must necessarily exist in particular and distinct societies, locally separate from one another, yet there ought to be no schisms, no uncharitable divisions among them. They ought to receive each other as Christ Jesus hath received them, to the glory of God. And for this purpose they ought all to walk by the same rule, to mind and speak the same thing; and to be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment.
- That in order to do this, nothing ought to be inculcated upon Christians as articles of faith; nor required of them as terms of communion, but what is expressly taught and enjoined on them in the word of God….
- That although inferences and deductions from Scripture premises, when fairly inferred, may be truly called the doctrine of God’s holy word, yet are they not formally binding upon the consciences of Christians farther than they perceive the connection, and evidently see that they are so; for their faith must not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power and veracity of God. Therefore no such deductions can be made terms of communion [i.e., terms of fellowship, RC]….
- That division among the Christians is a horrid evil, fraught with many evils. It is antichristian, as it destroys the visible unity of the body of Christ; as if he were divided against himself. It is antiscriptural, as being strictly prohibited by his sovereign authority; a direct violation of his express command. It is antinatural, as it excites Christians to contemn, to hate, and oppose one another; who are bound by the highest and most endearing obligations to love each other as brethren, even as Christ has loved them. In a word, it is productive of confusion and of every evil work.
The standard for unity is the clear, unambiguous statements of the Bible. Campbell puts it this way: “what is expressly taught and enjoined.” Inferences and deductions from Scripture are not set aside as mere opinions, “yet they are not formally binding.” What did Campbell mean by “formally binding”? He explains: “no such deductions can be made terms of communion” (what some call a “test of fellowship”). So, the result of restoration principles is not uniformity, but unity in diversity.
Uniformity among churches would require an unnecessary, unrealistic, and undesirable “sameness.” Since it is impossible that all people will make the same inferences and deductions from Scripture, as Campbell well understood, and since few, if any, people will agree in every matter of opinion, unity will require humility, gentleness, patience and the ability to bear with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2).
Uniformity, unlike unity, focuses on external forms and structures of church practices (i.e., ritualism). Uniformity can never bring people together, since its function is to stamp out, cut off or otherwise exclude any diversity.
The God of creation obviously loves diversity. Variety is the spice of life! Paul would say, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Here, Paul uses a word in the Greek, poema. This word is used only of works of divine creation. We are what we are, divinely created in Christ Jesus to do good works.
I have mixed feelings about the Restoration Movement. On the one hand, the idea of being united only by what the Bible says is commendable. The RM was originally intended to be a movement that brought unity to the church by doing away with manmade creeds that were used as tests of fellowship. I hope that could be said about any church that I am ever a part of. On the other hand, the RM has strayed from its roots. Today, the RM has a reputation for being divisive. Unfortunately, much of the RM has earned that reputation. I am thrilled to see many Restoration churches trying to get back to the ideas of Stone & Campbell. The way I see it, as long as we continue to promote the “Restoration Movement”, we are working to promote an “us vs. them” attitude. It is true that there are plenty of broken fellowships that need restored in the RM, but we must also work on restoring fellowships with those outside the RM. I think we will best accomplish this by working towards some of the original intentions of the RM, but letting the name go.
ReplyDeleteI think you say something important here, John.
ReplyDeleteYou said, "... as long as we continue to promote the 'Restoration Movement,' we are working to promote an 'us vs. them' attitude."
As I read your comment, the key word that popped out at me was "promote." I believe we must promote Jesus far and above any heritage or tradition of the faith. That said, the value in knowing who I am, and the rootedness that my heritage gives me is important, too. I am a Christ follower, first and foremost. But, I am also a follower of Christ who lives in America, in 2011, and has a background in the American Restoration Movement. My posts on "Why I am Still a Restorationist" are a glimpse into my own struggle with being who I am.
If being a restorationist is more important than being a Christ follower, then I have promoted the wrong things. But, if being a restorationist is simply part of the unique way that I am striving to follow Christ, then I'm striking the right balance. The Stone-Campbell (Restoration) Movement brings some important emphases and perspectives on what it means to be Christian. Specifically, we bring an important emphasis on unity, based on a commitment to the clear statements of the Bible along with a willingness to tolerate diversity in our readings of Scripture (inferences and deductions, as Campbell put it). We bring to the table an effective structure for ministry--an independent yet connected structure that can organize and adapt for ministry quickly. And, we bring a certain American flavor to worship and spirituality. All these emphases may be positive and beneficial to the larger church. Of course, as you have pointed out, we must avoid the tendency to allow these emphases to harden and promote them above the basic call to follow Christ and have faith in the gospel.