THE PRIMARY MINISTRY
OF THE CHURCH
Editorial
September/ October, 1978
Volume 13, Number 5
The 1978 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren
held at Indianapolis is now history. More than one thousand delegates met
to discuss the business of the Brotherhood under the moderatorship of Brother
Ira Peters.
Those who attended Conference had an opportunity to participate
in a wide variety of experiences including attending Bible Study sessions,
viewing exhibits, feeding in on business sessions, doing informal visiting,
observing the installation of Robert W. Neff as the new General Secretary
of the Church of the Brethren, and noting that for the first time the ballot
carried only the names of women for the office of moderator-elect.
Substantive matters such as Human Sexuality (Homosexuality)
and Biblical Authority and Inspiration and World Missions With
a Primary Objectiue of Saving Souls will become items for decision
at next year's Annual Meeting in Seattle. The Conference this year entered
into discussion on items of less significance such as gun control, disarmament,
the frequency of Conference, etc. The singing was good; the general spirit
of the meeting was good; but the differences between the evangelical and
the liberal understandings of the faith were frequently evident.
One can clearly sense that there are two different kinds
of faith advocated by the Brethren. There are differences in style and
language and approach and presuppositions and affirmations. Some of the
differences are disguised because many of the older theological words
have
been given new and secularized meanings. For example, the grand
old word "salvation," for many, has no eternal, spiritual dimension. "Salvation"
is a thisworld-only deliverance in social, economic, and political terms.
The word "salvation" now means "God's intervention in world events which
turns world-history into salvation-history by overcoming evil political
powers."
The concern on the part of many members within the Brotherhood,
for increased spiritual nurture, apparently has not reached the General
Board. The emphasis now is on "Salvation and Justice" which is defined
not in biblical terms, but as a call to bring an end to the manufacture
of nuclear arms, to promote world disarmament, and to establish a new international
economic order. It is disappointing that Annual Conference (which deals
with many issues related to human need in today's world), devotes very
little time to promoting programs that share the simple message of the
saving Gospel (liberation from sin's guilt through the blood of Jesus Christ).
This is the liberation message that people everywhere need most.
--H.S.M.
The Primary Ministry of the Church
by Harold S. Martin
The primary mission of the Church is to confront people with the message
of salvation. The "message" is the good news that Jesus Christ shed His
blood for our sins (Revelation 1:5-6), and that those who respond with
"repentance toward God and faith toward Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21) are
freed from the guilt of sin and are brought into a right relationship with
God. Another important ministry of the Church is the task of nurturing
believers in the faith (Ephesians 4:12-14), and teaching them to observe
the commandments given in the Scriptures (Matthew 28:18-20).
A new kind of activity has appeared in our generation. The goal of many
churchmen today is to bring about a reconstruction of society primarily
through political action. Many clergymen and theologians and other persons
of good will, seem to be obsessed with the idea that the church should
become a base for promoting change in the social institutions, and that
if the world were operated by persons who adhered to their ideals, the
Millennium would come relatively soon. Wars would be eliminated, troubles
would be dissolved, and there would be an abundance for all.
The church's primary ministry is to share the message of Jesus Christ
as the One who was "wounded for our transgressions" and purchased our eternal
redemption - but this does not mean that God's people are anti-socially
minded. It is absurd to discuss whether or not the Christian has any social
responsibility. Evangelical Christians have always helped alleviate suffering,
established educational institutions, and promoted good health and sanitation
practices. But these activities fall under the label of "social service,"
not "social action." Social "service" speaks of bringing relief for the
victims of war, providing disaster aid, retirement and nursing homes, drug
rehabilitation programs, and so forth. Christian love compels us to minister
to the whole person - to be concerned with temporal as well as eternal
needs. However, sometimes in our denominations, we place priority on
"service" projects, whereas they really should be secondary.
On the other hand, social "action" speaks of bringing political reform
through the power of the state. It emphasizes antipoverty legislation,
laws for open housing, anti-war measures, a reduction in armaments, supporting
organized boycotts, and paying legal defense for political revolutionaries.
Even some of the "new" evangelicals are saying that the church must become
an action group that speaks out on political issues and lobbies for legislative
action, in order to bring reform in society. For many church leaders, these
enterprises become the primary ministry of the church. They are so preoccupied
with civil affairs that there is little time for leading people to a personal
faith in Jesus Christ.
Many theological seminaries now teach students how to Analyze bills
that are introduced in legislative bodies, and how to lobby for the passage
of particular bills. Nearly every mainline denomination maintains lobbyists
in our nation's capitol and in some state capitols. Most denominations
issue numerous materials on a vast array of social issues. These materials
are often known as "guides to legislation," and are intended to instruct
clergy in the dynamics of planned social change. This activity is fast
becoming the primary work of the churches and is consuming an increasing
proportion of staff time and of financial resources. The gospel of social
revolution is superceding the New Testament Gospel of redemption.
There are some real problems with all this social action activity. Those
who say the primary ministry of the church should be in the arena of social
and political and economic change - are promoting a cause which
often relies upon some basic fallacies.
1. IT DEALS WITH THE MASSES INSTEAD OF THE INDIVIDUAL
Throughout His ministry, Jesus placed emphasis on the lone individual.
Nicodemus came alone by night, and Jesus talked with him (and the conversation
was not about political change either). When Jesus met the woman at Jacob's
Well, He spoke to her about personal morality. Zaccheus, the man in need
of salvation, was counseled alone. The rich young ruler came running to
Jesus and he was dealt with on an individual basis. Jesus ministered to
the centurion (who had a servant that was dying), not as a soldier in the
hated Roman army, but as another pathetic individual with a human need.
Jesus listened to the cry of the individual. He was not a revolutionary
trying to change the system, but a compassionate Saviour ministering to
individual persons.
Those who preach the Gospel work personally on a man-to-man and family-to-family
basis, and do not urge some far off government agency to do the work for
them. Those who engage in political activism deal with the masses of men
through the action of the state. But people in our society already are
mere numbers, and when the church pursues political action rather than
personal evangelism, it becomes just one more agency that depersonalizes
people.
In Luke 10:33-37, the Good Samaritan was ,'moved with pity," and took
the wounded man "to the inn." The Samaritan bound up the man's wounds;
he didn't push for legislation to make the Jericho road safe for travel.
Our Lord's whole teaching has to do with each person's relationship to
God and to his neighbors, friends, family, and enemies. Christianity teaches
a message of personal faith, personal charity, and personal purity.
2. IT DOESN'T TAKE SERIOUSLY THE FALL OF MAN
Every human being is basically at enmity with God. He is separated from
God by sin. The problems raging throughout the world are the product of
man's sinful nature.
Social actionists are usually concerned with the symptoms of
personal and social disorder, and ignore the cause of man's distress.
The root of our problems is not simply capitalism or bureaucracy. The root
of our great social problems is man's alienation from God. Political revolutions
produce new social institutions, but they are without power to change human
nature.
What scrap of historical evidence is there to show that the basic quality
of life has been radically changed by merely changing the social institutions?
We can move people from one part of town to another, and provide better
housing for the poor, but they will still be sinners. No miracle is going
to take place in a moving van! Men can alter the economy from capitalism
to socialism, but corruption and boredom and social ills continue to be
rampant even in socialist countries.
We all know that to try and get rid of cavities in the teeth by brushing
the teeth vigorously for fifteen minutes before going to the dentist -
is fruitless. One can get rid of some surface dirt, but lie doesn't get
to the root of the problem. So it is with those who let political reform
take priority over spiritual transformation. Man's inherent tendencies
to do wrong are usually ignored.
3. IT USUALLY DOESN'T PRESENT THE GOSPEL AT ALL
The essence of the true Gospel centers around the death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:1-4). His death as the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world is a key doctrine. The true Gospel affects
our relationships with other people. The closing chapters of nearly all
the Now Testament Epistles are filled with exhortations concerning Christian
conduct in the home, in the church, and in our daily occupation.
Before the writers of the New Testament Epistles begin to apply the
Gospel to these practical settings however, they nearly always give a thorough
exposition telling what the Gospel is. The social action advocates (by
way of contrast) say practically nothing about personal salvation and the
morality of the individual. One church leader said that the personal habits
of individuals (such as smoking, drinking, gambling, and sleeping with
another man's wife), are not nearly as serious as the great social issues
of poverty and racism.
Ilion Jones tells about one seminary professor who was advocating social
action and who constantly urged that his students "apply the Gospel to
social situations" - when one of the students (a third-year student at
the school) said, "But would you please tell us precisely what the Gospel
is; just what is this Gospel that we are supposed to apply?"
Jesus did more to improve the conditions under which people live than
any other person. He did it not by setting up welfare programs and redistributing
money and pressuring legislators, but by regenerating the souls of men
and women. In this way, He gave men and women spiritual vision and faith,
and made them persons of integrity. He gave them ideals for which to live.
4. IT DOESN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE LIFE TO COME
The "Life and Work Conference" held in Sweden in August, 1925 issued
a report that defines the issue. The report says that throughout the first
eighteen centuries of church history, "the vast majority of pastors and
church members regarded religion as dealing with the welfare of men in
the next world." The report says that the dominant question during those
years was "What must I do to be saved?" And a customary answer was "Repent,
believe the Gospel, receive Christian baptism, and obey the commandments."
The primary concern of Christianity was "a correct belief about God and
Jesus Christ and the future life - and living a proper personal life."
The 1925 document continues, "Beginning however with the middle of the
nineteenth century, a change began to take place in the interpretation
of Christianity. Emphasis began to be placed on Christianity as having
to do with this world ... and that the real aim of Jesus was to
establish a brotherhood which should transform society, and beget a Kingdom
of God on earth."
J. B. Phillips (translator of the New Testament) is not an evangelical
by an y means. But in his preface to Letters to Young Churches he
says, "To the writers of the New Testament, this world and
this
present life were only minor incidents. They refused to conform to
this world's values, remembering they were only temporary residents. Their
real citizenship was in the eternal world beyond."
The "gospel" being advanced by those who stress the social action activity
of the church, is a preoccupation with getting a fair deal in this life.
They generally say very little about the world to come. Yet the message
which the world needs above all is a message that will bring an answer
to the ultimate concerns of the human heart:
-
"What is the meaning of life?"
-
"What about this human nature that I must contend with?"
-
"What about the immortality of the soul?"
These are the ultimate concerns that every person faces sometime or other
in his life - and none of the programs of social action can answer these
basic questions.
According to the New Testament, the Christian Church has a double task.
Its first task is to proclaim the Gospel to the world; its second task
is to edify and nurture believers. The church has no commission to deal
with the economic problems of human society, nor with politics and international
affairs.
The whole thrust of Jesus and the Apostles was toward inner change within
individuals - a process that would of course ultimately have its effect
on institutions, Jesus and the Apostles did not concern themselves with
the social structure of Judea, nor with the political structure of the
Roman world. They did not attempt a dual ministry, directed partly toward
the reform of institutions and partly toward the salvation of souls. The
Apostle Paul never organized sit-ins at the Colosseum, but he did preach
about morality and personal salvation to Agrippa.
When the church sought political power in the past, it was always disastrous
for the faith. During the Middle Ages, the political activism of the church
was at its height. Bishops ruled as nobles, and the church had the power
to humble kings, No one would contend that these were times for which the
church should be proud. If a local congregation forces its will on a city
council, or if a national church body is able to dominate a country - the
church buys its power by selling its faith.
If the church continues its defection from proclaiming the message of
redemption through Jesus Christ, and elects to center its activities on
the physical plane - it will rapidly become an increasingly secularized
institution, and will more and more lose its power to become a beneficial
force in society.