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A JOINT STATEMENT OF CONCERN FOR
THE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
A number of members of the Church of
the Brethren from a variety of backgrounds met an April 3-4, 1990 to explore
ways to express their commonly held deep biblical convictions related to
trends in theology, missions, morality, and lifestyles. All who participated
in the two days of deliberation, came With a deep sense of urgency, concerned
about the fact that there are multitudes of "broken people" in the world
and in our churches, many of whom are not hearing the answers given in
the Bible. The participants included lay persons, Church of the Brethren
pastors and "free" ministers, an associate district executive, and representatives
from the Brethren Peace Fellowship, the Brethren Renewal Services, and
the Brethren Revival Fellowship. Each person who shared in the meeting
holds an evangelical faith, espouses the Bible as the trustworthy Word
of God, accepts the core doctrines of historic Christianity, advocates
soul-saving evangelism, and supports renewal within the Church of the Brethren.
The JOINT STATEMENT OF CONCERN FOR
THE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN calls upon Brethren leaders and all Church of
the Brethren members to reaffirm belief in the glory and power of the triune
God, to repent of tendencies to conform to the pagan world, and to take
a clear biblical stand an moral issues such as divorce and remarriage,
homosexual practice, materialism and affluence, etc. The STATEMENT is not
intended to be a complete commentary on every issue facing the Church,
but it highlights some matters that thousands of Brethren should be able
to affirm with much enthusiasm.
A Joint Statement of Concern
For the Church of the Brethren
It is out of obedience to Christ and the gentle but
persistent promptings of the Holy Spirit that we raise our voices to the
church and its leadership. We speak in love and with deep concern for the
church we serve. There is pain, brokenness, decline, decay, and a gospel
barrenness that is eroding the very foundation of our church.
Christ is the head of the Church (Colossians 1:
18), the Cornerstone (Matthew 22:42; Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:67), the Foundation
(1 Corinthians 3:11). Yet submission to Christ's Lordship is too little
called for or embraced as dear and necessary to the life of the church.
Widely in the church Jesus is no longer seen as eternal Son of God the
Father, as the Word become flesh, nor is his death seen as sacrifice and
atonement for the sins of all human beings.
The Holy Spirit is given as promise and power
to the church (Acts 1:4,8), a gift to believers (Acts 2:38). Yet a reliance
on the Holy Spirit is often replaced by a knowledge of and reliance on
the promise and power of political action, proper social structures, better
counseling techniques, and improved communication skills. Therefore, we
harvest with the tools of the world rather than multiply through the promise
of, by the gift of, and with the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Word of God, the Scriptures, are the inspired
rule and standard for our faith (Luke 24:27,44; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter
1:20-21). Yet a lack of authority for the Scriptures has betrayed our heritage
as a people of the Book and made us dangerously vulnerable to the subtle
influence and power of the "prince of this world."
God is holy (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8); God
is righteous (Psalm 145:17); Revelation 16:5,7). God's people are called
to live in the uniqueness of that holiness. The church is called to be
the light in the world (Matthew 5:14), a chosen race, God's own people
(1 Peter 2:9), not conformed to the pagan world (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians
6:17). Yet in our time the church as never before is subjected to the molding
sway of the mass media, and apart from God's shielding and transforming
grace, the church inevitably becomes more and more like the fallen world.
Morality is gauged by whatever is germane to the cultural climate. Brokenness
through divorce and remarriage has riddled the once strong Brethren family
ethic and mocks our peace witness. Pressure for personal rights has seen
the church take a weakened stand on abortion. An unwillingness to lovingly
confront homosexual practice as sin has left the church not only "in dialogue"
over this issue, but "in confusion." Attitudes about lifestyles and affluence,
about the nation and military "defense," and about the marginalized in
this country and around the planet are so widely shaped, not by the word
of Christ, but by the dominant thinking promoted in the larger society.
The salt has lost so much of its savor.
We are troubled by these observations and trends
in the church. We address these issues with a spirit of humility and repentance,
knowing that we too have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We
do not claim to possess the whole truth. However, we believe that if the
church is to regain the fervor, growth, and power of her youth, she must
return to her first love, her relationship with and submission to Jesus
Christ, her Bridegroom and Master.
If this is to be done:
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Christ must be again revered as Head of His Church.
A personal relationship to Christ as Savior and Lord, and sharing the salvation
message with others, are the basic elements of our life together and witness.
Our sins when repented of are taken away by the blood of Christ (1 Peter
1:19).
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The Holy Spirit must be free to convict, teach, lead,
and empower for ministry.
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We must embrace once more the authority of Scripture
and become a people of the Book.
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God's holiness and righteousness demands our break
with embracing cultural ethics and adopting popular perspectives, which
confuse the body of Christ concerning God's revealed standard. We must
again become God's own people.
In sharing these observations and trends in the church,
we are not suggesting an abandonment of our unique Anabaptist/ Pietist
heritage and perspective-our witness as a called-out people. Social justice
and lifestyle concerns must not be abandoned, tabled, or lost. However,
these concerns must freely flow from the Headship of Christ, the power
of the Spirit, the authority of God's Word, and the heartfelt response
to a holy and just God. Anything less than this free flow of obedience,
removes what is most essential from any attempt to do good and makes of
the attempt a mere human effort rather than a submission to the gentle
and persistent persuasion (and in many cases unwavering insistence) of
the Holy Spirit.
As followers of Christ we are not our own; we
are members of one body, the church, accountable to one another and dependent
on one another. May we repent together, returning not simply to our heritage
but to the righteous and holy God, to Christ the Head, to the guidance
and power of the Holy Spirit, and to the Scriptures.
The STATEMENT was formulated
and signed by Dale Aukerman, Jim & Sue Eikenberry, Don & Shirley
Fike, Paul & Dorothy Grout, Bob Kettering, Bob Krouse, Harold &
Priscilla Martin, Gene & Sarah Miller, Jim & Faye Myer, Lucretia
Ritchey, David & Laura Jean Rittenhouse, and Craig & Vicki Smith.
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