An Interview with a Concerned Member of the Madison Church of Christ

AN INTERVIEW WITH A CONCERNED MEMBER
OF THE MADISON CHURCH OF CHRIST

Gary McDade

Dear Mr. McDade,
        I am a concerned member of the Madison Church of Christ. As you may well know, we are in a struggle now with those that have aligned themselves with the way of Saddleback and the “Community Church” movement.
        Please, take this as a sincere “thank you” for your writings and web articles in reference to these things.
        We are trying through our web site at http://www.network54.com/forum/150389 and other methods to let our members know what is going on.
        One of the reasons for my email this morning is to ask you to participate in an email interview that could be posted to our web site for the knowledge of our visitors.
        The interview is as simple as forwarding this email back to me intact with your answers to the below questions. It would then be posted in its entirety at www.network54.com/forum/150389.
Thank you, for your consideration,
David Rhoades

Mr. McDade would you tell us a little about yourself and the Getwell Church of Christ?

Certainly, but first may I say that following the reports of trouble at Madison in the Nashville Tennessean we have been greatly concerned, and the congregation has been in our prayers.
I am a native of Memphis and have preached here since 1982 for three congregations. I am a graduate of Freed-Hardeman University and Southern Christian University. In December of 1999, the elders at Getwell invited me to consider the work with them. I was honored to accept. Getwell is perhaps best known as the publishers of The Spiritual Sword, which enjoys a readership of about 30,000 and has subscribers in all fifty states and 87 foreign countries. Alan E. Highers, preacher at Getwell from about 1959 to 1969, has edited the quarterly journal since 1989. I serve as the annual lectureship director. We just completed the twenty-sixth annual lectureship on “The Glory of Preaching” this past October. Getwell also hosts one of the longest continually running radio programs in the Mid-South and perhaps the country called “The Truth In Love” which airs over WHBQ 56 AM each Sunday morning at eight o’clock. I am also a weekly participant on a cable television program called “Friend of Truth” with Mike Hixson and John Shannon, Sr. The Getwell Church of Christ began meeting in July of 1950 and presently is overseen by our three elders, Ed Hagstrom, W.T. Hardwick, and Dewey Murray.

How and when did you first become aware of the “Community Church” movement?

        In August of 1995, the Harding Alumni magazine featured an article on the Downtown Church in Memphis that credited Evertt Huffard, professor of missions at HUGSR, with being the impetus behind the new church. The article presented some of the now classic indications of the Community Church movement, i.e., hand clapping in worship, praise team to replace a song leader, testimonials, the use of art as expressing devotion to God (they had created a twenty-five foot modern art mural of the crucifixion which still dominates the interior of the meeting place), and a casual, come-as-you-are dress code.
        Subsequent to that time friends of ours that worship with an area congregation of the Lord’s people became concerned when one of their elders stood before the congregation and raised a copy of Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Church, and proclaimed that it would be used as their pattern for future growth. They asked me if I was familiar with the book. I was not. They asked me to obtain a copy and give them my impression of it. I found it on the best seller shelf featured in the entryway of the Baptist bookstore. Aware that it had been suggested reading in a local church of Christ, I was shocked to read the names recommending it in the flyleaf: “Bill Bright, Founder, Campus Crusade for Christ International…Jim Henry, President, Southern Baptist Convention…Jerry Falwell, Chancellor, Liberty University…Robert H. Schuller, Pastor, The Crystal Cathedral, Garden Grove, California…Adrian Rogers, Pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee…Jerry Sutton, Pastor, Two Rivers Baptist Church, Nashville, Tennessee….” (It is a very sad commentary that our friends were unsuccessful in staving off the course charted by the elders and found it necessary to worship elsewhere).
        About this time, reports of a new church in the Cordova area, a suburb of Memphis, calling itself Cordova Community Church began to appear in the Commercial Appeal. Gary Ealy from the Highland Street Church of Christ and John Mark Hicks, professor at Harding University Graduate School of Religion, reported that this would be a different kind of church “loosely affiliated with the church of Christ.” (Initially, they located in the Harding Academy facilities in Cordova about a mile and a half from the Cordova Church of Christ to the west and about a mile and a half from the Woodland Hills Church of Christ to the east all on the same road. They commenced a series of mail-outs as suggested in The Purpose Driven Church, chapter 11, pp. 185-203. These mail-outs also went to those who were members of the church of Christ in that area). Currently, they meet in a rented facility in the Arlington/Eads area.
        Locally the movement had and still enjoys the strong financial backing and support of several congregations including Highland Street and Harding Graduate School of Religion.
        In March of 1999, I was invited to speak on the subject during the Memphis School of Preaching Lectureship. Material from that lecture was updated and put into a tract entitled “The Community Church” published by the Getwell Church of Christ. In October 2000, “The Community Church Movement” was the theme of The Spiritual Sword (32:1).

The takeover at Madison Church of Christ appears to have been going on secretly and covertly for at least 7 or 8 years. Some of these people involved are not very nice. Sometimes we feel we are dealing with root evil rather than other Christians. Any Comment?

      Sadly, Paul found himself “in perils among false brethren” (II Cor. 11:26). His reminder always is appropriate, and under the circumstances described is particularly needed: “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21). One significant source that contributes to the kind of approach mentioned is Lynn Anderson’s book, Navigating the Winds of Change. It put the brotherhood on notice regarding the methodology preferred by the “change-agents.” In the book he suggests pressing for change to the breaking point and before the group blows apart back up a bit and let things die down then press again. In this way a group gradually can be ratcheted into an entirely new venue over a period of time. What has become obvious by now is that the change desired simply is to turn the church into a modern denomination. It was Anderson who years ago made the odious statement, “The church is a big, sick denomination.” Since that time his writings bear out the point that his efforts consistently have been to transform the church into a big, healthy denomination.
      A member at Madison gave me an example of what you mention. He said those who oppose hand clapping and praise team presentations are being referred to as “Zenos.” Zeno was a Greek philosopher who lived in the fourth century BC and is the founder of the Stoics. Stoics were taught to be without passion or feeling. This offensive labeling is an attempt to sidestep the critical issue of HOW a worshiper’s passion for God and depth of feeling for him appropriately are to be expressed in worship. Let these insensitive brethren show from sacred scripture where true worship that includes passion and feeling for God is expressed through clapping of hands and dramatic skits presented by the so-called praise team. Paul taught that the actions displayed in worship are subject to the spirit of the worshiper and that God is a God of order and does not create confusion (I Cor. 14:32-33, 40). A true and faithful presentation of the Bible’s teaching on HOW to worship yields five avenues or channels through which the worshiper expresses his passion and feelings toward God. They are praying (I Thess. 5:17), singing (Eph. 5:19), preaching (II Tim. 4:2), the Lord’s supper (Acts 20:7), and giving (I Cor. 16:2). These authorized avenues of adoration are far in advance of raucous, unregulated hand clapping and playacting that vainly struggles to convey some axiom of actuality.
      In all walks of life those effective in promoting harmony even when disagreements arise demonstrate the ability to disagree without becoming disagreeable. A great biblical principle is stated by the apostle Peter on this point: “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful [full of pity or ‘tenderhearted,’ ASV], be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it” (I Pet. 3:8-11). One brother recently observed, “A man who rebels at the simple commands of God, such as baptism, giving, the Lord’s Supper, etc., will never rise to the higher commands, such as the love of enemies” (Howard Winters, “Don’t Lose Your Love” in the bulletin of The Highland Church of Christ, Dalton, GA, Barry Gilreath, Jr. editor, 2:37, p. 2).

I’m not sure I’m qualified to ask all the right questions this morning. If you would, please use this space to inform the concerned members at Madison, and other concerned members around the country, with any message that will help us in reference to the take over of the “Community Churches.”

We now know the source/sources from which erring brethren are drawing their pattern for this movement. Recently a Baptist paper in Dallas interviewed the highly popular writer Max Lucado who is a preacher from San Antonio, Texas. In the review, among other compromising statements, he said he would make a good Baptist. Lucado told the reporter that he had been invited to come to Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois in 1988 but was advised to stay put for the time being. Willow Creek Community Church with its founder Bill Hybels is the current model others such as Rick Warren from Saddleback in Orange County, California are imitating. The obvious motivation for this imitation is the rapid growth of Willow Creek Community Church. However, people ought to be aware that Willow Creek and Saddleback are both located at the epicenter of areas experiencing a population explosion. Rick Warren states this as the reason he chose the Saddleback area (p. 34). In addition, both Hybels and Warren state in their writings that they believe they were and are being directly led by God (cf. e.g., p. 26 of Warren’s book). Such a view is false doctrine (II Pet. 1:3; Jude 3; Rev. 22:18-19). Now that these sources have been exposed brethren may apply Romans 16:17-18 in resolving the issue: “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

Among all the concerns we worry about, one in particular is troubling. According to one of your articles, magazines have published information about the embracing of the “Community Church” movement by many of the Christian Colleges. Before we send our children off to school, are there any specific questions that we could ask of those college presidents? I’m talking about questions they can’t dodge, that would let us know the truth of whether their school embraces this?

      First, endeavor to establish the commitment to and conviction about the Bible being the inspired, infallible, all-sufficient will of God because leaders in the Community Church movement believe they are being led directly by God in addition to his will as revealed in the Bible. The question must not only include the vital points of the plenary (full), verbal (word for word) inspiration of the Bible as is taught in II Timothy 3:16-17, but the point of the Bible constituting the complete will of God must be addressed today. The Crux of the Matter written by three professors from ACU serves as an example of why this point must be covered. These professors state that they believe they are continuing to be “guided into all truth” (cf. pp. 164, 193; cf. also the October 2001 issue of The Spiritual Sword, 33:1, which provides a critical review of this book). If so, the Bible does not represent “all truth.” DLU in Nashville has as a Bible teacher a man who preached in Memphis before being hired that published an article stating, “God communicates primarily through his word but not exclusively through his word. God does speak to us directly.” I challenged him on this point and to my knowledge he has never changed his position. (The article was titled “God Is Alive” by Scott McDowell. I will be happy to furnish a copy to anyone who requests it). The Bible is being rejected as a pattern on the basis that God currently is guiding selected men into unrevealed areas of truth. A prayerful, diligent study of Hebrews 8:5 and 9:23 is needed today. Additionally, Michael Moss at DLU is on record as holding the view that the Bible was not written to us but was preserved for us. Therefore, a pointed question would be: “Do you and your Bible faculty believe and teach that the Bible is written to us today and is the fully and verbally inspired word of God which is authoritative, all-sufficient, and complete?” I kindly emphasize: It is not enough to ask, “Do you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God?”
      Second, “Do you and your Bible faculty believe that the name ‘church of Christ’ and the teaching about the church as it appears in the New Testament represents the exclusive body of the saved on earth today?” Again, the question needs to be asked so as to disallow the opportunity to dodge or hedge. For example, if the question was “Do you believe that all the saved are in the body of Christ?” A “yes” answer may mean that at least certain denominational churches may harbor saved people in them because the view is widespread that holds that all the denominations together constitute the body of Christ. A study of I Corinthians 12:13 and Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:4, and 5:23 should prove helpful in this connection. Although the Bible says, “The churches of Christ salute you” an emphasis exists to be embarrassed by and to get away from the name church of Christ (cf. Mark 8:38). See, for example, Flavil Yeakley’s comments in The Christian Chronicle, 53:7 (March 2000), p. 18. He is a Bible professor at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas.
      Third, ask about the worship services your child will be engaged in on campus and on the Lord’s day. If he or she cannot worship “in spirit and in truth,” a serious danger exits (Heb. 10:26). Therefore, a pointed question in this regard would be “Do you allow hand clapping, skits, praise teams, instrumental music-type sounds created vocally, and testifying in worship and devotional services?”
      Fourth, are the members on your board of directors/advisory board/board of regents/and trustees sound in the faith? How would they answer the aforementioned questions? Are any of them known to have made compromises with denominationalism? Are their names and addresses publicly posted and accessible, for example, on the school’s web site, in addition to appearing in the college catalogue? Would you hire a Bible teacher who attends a Community Church? Would you dismiss a Bible teacher who attends a Community Church?
      Finally, the duty and right to ask questions about those “tutors and governors” entrusted with the nurturing and developing of our precious children must not be relinquished without impunity (Gal. 4:2). Only those schools as serious about the spiritual welfare of our children as are we should be considered deserving of our respect and support. A Bible college or university should deepen the faith and strengthen the resolve of students under its influence to live a faithful Christian life. It should exalt Christ and the church of Christ (Eph. 3:21).

Conclusion

Christ died in order to bring the church into existence (Eph. 5:25). It represents the strait and narrow way that leads to eternal life (Matt. 7:13-14; Acts 9:1-2). The wise man knew that a way could exist that had the potential to seem like the right way yet lead to destruction. He wrote, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Prov. 14:12). Jeremiah knew that man inherently does not have within him the ability to successfully direct his own way to God. He wrote, “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jer. 10:23). We need now more than ever to redouble our resolve to “seek the old paths” contained in the Bible, for it is “the good way” (Jer. 6:16).

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