Over the last few years it seems there has been a change in the church community to which I belong. Years ago an emphasis was placed on seeking and following what was given through Scripture. This was good and kept the focus upon God and what He desired. As an example, the question was asked, “What name should we give a body of believers?” The answer was, “What does God call His people in Scripture? Any of those would be good.” In all things the Bible was brought to bear on every question.
Sometime this emphasis has been changing. I don’t know when it happened – probably because it’s been gradual. Now I hear people talking about teaching “what the church of Christ believes” instead of Scripture. Going back to the name to describe ourselves, it’s no longer “what does God say,” but now “the name has to be and can only be ‘church of Christ.’” Somewhere along the way Scripture was abandoned for a list of specified beliefs.
Maybe this is a result of what has been taught from Scripture over the years. Now we are seeing fruit borne of the methods of the past. I overheard a conversation between two men who teach Bible classes for teens. They were aghast that the teens didn’t hold to a certain belief. What was the solution offered? A special class or classes focusing on this one topic. What was wrong with this? This topic was not one that came directly out of Scripture – it was a belief that came out of an inference from two verses. Wouldn’t it have been better for the teens to help them learn how to study Scripture so they can come to understand what God desires instead of focusing on a specific list of conclusions they should believe? If the point is true and right they will come to the same conclusion from studying Scripture (if they know how to study Scripture). Unless we begin to emphasize Scripture over lists the future looks cloudy.
