liberal churches of christ ( “institutional” ) ? conservative churches of christ (...

Liberal Churches of Christ( “Institutional” )

?Conservative Churches of Christ

( “Non-institutional” )

What is the difference?

What do these terms mean?

• These terms have been used since the 1950’s• “Liberal” is in reference to how some brethren

use the scriptures; not strictly following the pattern of the Bible; allowing unauthorized changes to be made (“progressives”)

• “Institutional” refers to human institutions (businesses) built and maintained by some local churches to do the work of the local church


• “Liberal brethren” appeal to scripture but they…– misuse the scriptures– misunderstand expediency– apply passages concerning individuals to local

churches– invent “good works” without authority


• “Conservative” refers to the commitment of some brethren to strictly follow, protect and preserve the Bible pattern without changing its instructions (Col. 3:17; 2 Tim. 1:13; Heb. 8:5; 2 Jn. 9-11; Rev. 22:18-19) (“non-progressives”)

• “Non-institutional” refers to the refusal to build and maintain human institutions (businesses) through which the local church will do its work

• “Anti” is the term “liberal” brethren use to describe “conservative” brethren. We are not “anti” in the way they use it (like “anti-cooperation” or “anti-orphan”). We are against (“anti”) acting without Bible authority!

Liberal brethren

$$ send funds $$

from the

local church

Human InstitutionsMissionary Society (evangelism)

College (edification)

Orphan Home (benevolence)

to do work

Local Church Organization

Conservative brethren$$ use funds $$

from thelocal church

to do workActs 11:26 (edification)

Acts 11:29-30 (benevolence)Acts 13:1-3 (evangelism)

A human institutionis added to the

NT pattern

Local Church Organizationa search for authority

• “Liberal” brethren appeal to…– Expediency: the Bible does not say “how”…

we are not given the exact method of how to do local church work

• Answer– We are not told exactly how, but we are told

who (the local church) is to do the work; we are told the organization which is to do the work (the local church) - it’s who, not how

– The local church, not a human institution, does its own work and uses expediencies to do it’s work


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to…– In loco parentis (the orphan home is “in place

of the parents,” a restored home)• Answer

– a family is a home– a human institution (board of directors) is not

a “home”– a facility or dwelling place is not a “home”


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to James 1:27 and brand the conservative brethren as “anti-orphan” or “anti pure religion”– the church can do what individuals can do– the church is not excluded– the church can practice pure religion


• Answer (James 1:27)– the immediate context applies to the

individual, not the local church collectively (begin in verse 23 and note the singular nouns and pronouns)

– liberal brethren are not consistent … may churches own a business (1 Thess. 4:11-12)?

– the local church is excluded if the passage is silent about the church

– the local church (collectively) must first be given authority to care for orphans

Liberal brethren

$ give church funds $

to needy saints

and to

non-saints2 Corinthians 9:13

Galatians 6:10

Local Church Benevolence

Conservative brethren$ give church funds $

to needy saintsonly

Acts 2:44; 4:32; 6:1ff; 11:29Romans 15:26

1 Corinthians 16:1-22 Corinthians 9:1ff

1 Timothy 5:16

General benevolenceto all people is

added tothe NT pattern

Local Church Benevolencea search for authority

• “Liberal” brethren appeal to 2 Corinthians 9:13• Answer

– the word “men” is italicized and added– the context refers to “all” Christians

(8:2-4; 9:1,12; Rom. 15:26)• “Liberal” brethren appeal to Galatians 6:10• Answer

– the immediate context refers to individuals– was Paul a church?– “good” is defined by God’s word (Eph. 2:10)

Liberal brethren$$ send funds $$

from many local churches

to one sponsoringchurch eldership

Herald of Truth, Foreign Evan.“One Nation Under God”

disaster reliefstart other churches

to do work

Local Church Cooperation

Conservative brethren$$ send funds $$

from onelocal church

directly to do work

A sponsoring churchorganization is added

to the NT patternBenevolenceActs 11:29Rom. 15:25Acts 24:17

Evangelism2 Cor. 11:8Phil. 4:15ff

C C C C

Local Church Cooperationa search for authority

• “Liberal” brethren appeal to the one sponsoring church eldership; i.e. the elders are in control, not a board of directors (human institution)

• Answer– Yes, but the sponsoring church elders have

been placed in an unscriptural role; i.e. overseeing the money and work of many churches instead of one (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2) – this is centralized control


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to the need for cooperation; they brand the conservative brethren as “anti-cooperation” (“anti” brethren don’t want to cooperate; against cooperating in preaching)

• Answer– We “cooperate,” but the NT pattern is

concurrent cooperation (each church sending directly to the need), not collective cooperation (many churches sending to one church who then sends out money to the need)


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20; without some sort of cooperative effort this cannot be carried out

• Answer– Yes, we preach the gospel to every creation,

but we must follow the pattern– No sponsoring church is found in the NT… did

those Christians carry out the great commission? Yes, without a sponsoring church


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to 2 Corinthians 8:19-23• Answer

– The “messengers” took the money from the churches directly to the need

– The “messengers” exercised no centralized control as the sponsoring church elders do


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to Acts 11:29-30; money was sent to the elders who then forwarded it to the needy brethren (from one church, to another church, then distributed to the needy individuals)

• Answer– The elders that received the money were the

elders among the needy brethren


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to no specific directive (an exclusive pattern) for how preachers are to be supported

• Answer– The specific pattern of sending directly to the

preacher is found in scripture; all other arrangements are excluded


• “Liberal” brethren say that they are still in control when they voluntarily turn the money over to the sponsoring church elders

• Answer– Oversight and autonomy is lost– Voluntarily turning over control does not make

the new arrangement authorized (consider parents turning over their children to another, or husband turning over his wife to another)

Liberal brethren

$$ use church funds $$

to build and maintain

“Fellowship Halls”

kitchens

used for social

and recreational use

Local Church Fellowship

Conservative brethren$$ use church funds $$

to build and maintaina place to assemble

for worship

Acts 20:71 Cor. 11:33

Hebrews 10:25

Social andrecreational uses of

the building are added tothe NT pattern

Local Church Fellowshipa search for authority

• “Liberal” brethren appeal to Acts 20:7-11; Paul ate a “fellowship meal”

• Answer– Paul ate, but we are not told anything else– Where is the “Fellowship Hall” built and

maintained by the church treasury in this passage?


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to 1 Corinthians 11:22ff and say the problem was selfishness and worldliness during the Lord’s supper; keeping the worship spiritual

• Answer– Liberal brethren do not eat a common meal

during the Lord’s supper; this is not the issue– The assembly in the building is for spiritual

worship purposes; this excludes social purposes


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to “love feasts” (2 Pet. 2:13; Jude 12); these “love feasts” are the same as “fellowship meals” today

• Answer– The “love feasts” were meals, but there is no

evidence concerning (1) what the meals were, (2) who ate the meals, or (3) whether a church, from its treasury, planned and purchased the meal and the place to eat it


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to “fellowship;” meals are one way Christians have “fellowship” together

• Answer– The word “fellowship” (Gr. koinonia), when

used of churches, always refers to spiritual communion or join-participation in spiritual activities

– If Christians want to eat together fine; they do it at home (Acts 2:46; 1 Cor. 11:22,34)

– The “fellowship meal” is the Lord’s supper (1 Cor. 10:16), and the “fellowship hall” is the auditorium where we worship (1 John 1:6-7)


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to early Christians meeting in homes; they also ate in those homes

• Answer– There is no evidence that these early

Christians took money from the church treasury to buy a social meal for the church or build a “fellowship hall” onto the house that they were meeting in


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to the church building not being holy or “sacred”

• Answer– Yes, the building is not holy or sacred (the

materials), but its use must be limited to the purpose authorized in the NT (Col. 3:17)

– The time spent in the assembly for spiritual purposes is a sacred occasion


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to the water fountain; if you can’t eat in the building, you can’t drink in it either

• Answer– The building may contain anything necessary

to carry out the command to assemble for spiritual worship (water fountain, restrooms, heating/cooling, lights, etc.)


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to the preacher’s house; anti brethren say you can eat in the preacher’s house bought by the church, but not the building; anti brethren are “silly” and “ridiculous”

• Answer– the preacher, supported by the church, may do

what is right to do in his own home including eating

Liberal brethren

$$ use church funds $$

to do social and

recreational works

social reform

recreational activities

business operations

secular education

domestic services

Local Church Work

Conservative brethren$$ use church funds $$

for authorizedworks only

* * *Evangelism

(Matthew 28:19-20)

Edification(Ephesians 4:11-16)

Benevolence(Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35; 6:1-6)

Social andrecreational works

are added tothe NT pattern

Local Church Worka search for authority

• “Liberal” brethren appeal to individual action; what the individual Christian can do, the local church can do

• Answer– the individual and the local church can do only

what each one is authorized to do– the individual and the local church do not

always do the same things (1 Tim. 5:16)– may churches vote, start a business?


• “Liberal” brethren social and recreational activities are used to reach people for evangelism and edification

• Answer– the gospel is used for evangelism (2 Tim. 4:2,5)– the gospel is used to edify people (Acts 20:32)– Jesus did not use social and recreational

activities to draw people (Jn. 6:27,44-45); neither did the first NT church (Acts 2:14ff); neither should we!


• “Liberal” brethren appeal to the “good works” they are doing

• Answer– “good works” are defined by God in His word,

not by man (Eph. 2:10)– a work can be “good,” but not authorized for the

local church

What is next?

Mid-1800’s to Present Day (digression)

MissionarySociety

CollegesOrphanHomes

GeneralBenevolence

andSponsoring

Church

Mid-1800’s toearly 1900’s 1950’s and 60’s

FellowshipHallsSocial

RecreationalActivities

1960’s and 70’s

InstrumentalMusic

Baptism Not E.Unity with

Denominations

1980’s and 90’s

“Some shall fall away from the faith” … 1 Timothy 4:1-2Acting without Bible authority leads to further

digression…What’s next? How far will you go?

What do we need today?

A Plea For Honest Study• Respect Bible

Authority• Handle Aright the Bible• Keep an Open Mind• Resolve to Follow

Truth• Stand for Truth without

Carnal Fighting & Bitterness

Teach on Authority• Generic and Specific

Authority• Proper use of

Expediencies• Respect the Silence

of the Scriptures• NT Commands,

Approved Examples and Inferences

• Follow the Pattern

liberal churches of christ ( “institutional” ) ? conservative churches of christ (...

Documents