Vol. 26, No. 2 A Publication of the Memphis School of Preaching Feb. 15, 1999
Mike Hixson
In Phil. 3, Paul said he wept over those who
were enemies of the cross of Christ. One would have expected this kind of
emotional behavior from Paul, a man who bore in his body the marks of the Lord
Jesus (Gal. 6:17). Paul understood the tremendous sacrifice Christ paid
for the body (Acts 20:28). He understood Christ loved the church and gave
Himself up for it (Eph. 5:25). Thus, he loved the church of Christ (Rom.
16:16), the true Israel of God (Gal. 6:16), and his tears were merely an expression
of his affection.
Paul's immense love and loyalty for the body
of Christ prompted him to defend the gospel and the church he so dearly loved
(Phil. 1:15). Therefore, Paul commanded the saints in Rome to mark those
causing divisions in the body of Christ (Rom. 16:17-18). Did Paul
practice what he wrote by inspiration? The names of Hymenaeus, Alexander,
Philetus, Demas, and Alexander the coppersmith attest to this fact (I Tim.
1:19-20; II Tim. 2:17-18; 4:10, 14-15). Faithful brethren who love the
Lord will emulate the actions of Paul in defending the gospel and the beautiful
bride of Christ. And yes, this will necessitate marking those troubling
the body of Christ through a perverted gospel.
Recently, attention was called to the efforts
of John Mark Hicks, professor at Harding Graduate School, and Gary Ealy with
the planting of the new community church in east Memphis, TN. This church
meets in the new Harding Academy building on Macon Road. We have striven
to show they are parroting other change-agents associated with churches of
Christ. Their plea is far from restorative, rather it is denigrative to
the cause of Christ and is disrupting fellowship in Memphis.
While the effort of brethren Ealy and Hicks
has met some resistance, they do have a base of support. Sadly, Harding
Academy, a "church of Christ" affiliated school, is providing them a
level of support through the use of their facilities on Macon Road in Cordova
(east Memphis). When pressed about the unscriptural nature of the
community church venture, Ralph Lawrence, Chairman of the Board at Harding
Academy, said in a letter to Aaron C. Ivey, dated Dec. 14, 1998, "We do
not know anything they are doing that is not consistent with the teachings of
the Bible."
In light of the Chairman of the Board's
statement, a few questions are in order to the Board Members at Harding
Academy.
Number one, where is your authority for
supporting the name "community church?" It is certainly not in
the Bible (I Cor. 1:2; Rom. 16:16; I Tim. 3:15; etc.)
Number two, brethren Ealy and Hicks maintain
in their Theological and Strategic Statement for a New Church Planting,
"God has revealed his pattern for his people in Scripture. This
pattern is theological and christological in character. It is not a
blueprint of specific details but a call to image God in this world though
imitating the life of Jesus Christ as the people of God" (p.4). Are
we to understand that Harding Academy dismisses the "specific
details" of the pattern? Faithful brethren anxiously await the
Board's interpretation of II Tim. 1:13; Titus 2:1; I Tim. 4:16; Matt.
7:20-23. Are we to assume Harding Academy would teach their students to
dismiss the "specific details" of the pattern?
Number three, brethren Ealy and Hicks espouse
"The Holy Spirit works powerfully in the lives of believers to produce his
fruit and while he no longer distributes miraculous gifts to believers in the
post-apostolic period (e.g., investing the gift of healing in specific
individuals), he is not limited from acting in miraculous ways according to
God's good pleasure" (p.6). Do the board members, faculty, and
administration really believe God is still performing miracles today? And
are you teaching this in your classes? It would be interesting to hear
your response to Mark 16:17-20; Heb. 2:1-4; I Cor. 13:8-10.
Number four, brethren Ealy and Hicks state
"The musical worship of this new church plant is a capella (without
instrumental music), not because we believe it should divide the body of Christ
as a matter of salvation or because it is a fundamental gospel issue (as in the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ) but because we believe it is more
consistent with the historic practice of the early church and it more
appropriately embodies the theological principle of worshiping God in the
Spirit out of a renewed heart (Ephesians 5:18-19)" (pp. 6-7). Do the
board members at Harding Academy view instrumental music as a matter of
opinion? Are the students taught that instrumental music is not a salvation
issue? We await your response to Matt. 28:18; 17:5; Col. 3:16-17; Eph.
5:19).
Since John Mark Hicks is a professor at
Harding Graduate School, we pose these same questions to Dean Flatt and the
Board of Harding University. After all, brother Hicks is directly
responsible for teaching "our" preachers. Is it any wonder the
church is adrift in many sectors of our brotherhood? And should it really
be a surprise to see people in the pew hearing uncertain sounds when the man in
the pulpit has not been properly taught the fundamentals of the faith?
Brethren, the time is now for God's people to voice concern over the division and divisive tactics being employed by change agents in Memphis. Furthermore, faithful brethren cannot maintain fellowship and voice support for erring brethren (II John 9-11). And make no mistake, Harding Academy and Harding Graduate School are right in the middle of the division permeating Memphis. Our desire and plea to these institutions is to come back to "the old paths and walk therein." The stakes are serious, and so there will be no misunderstandings, those who love restoration Christianity do not intend to remain passive, rather we will "contend earnestly for the faith" (Jude 3)!
YOKEFELLOW is published monthly by the Forest Hill Church of Christ,
3950 Forest Hill Irene Road, Memphis, TN 38125-2560