When I finished reading Todd Deaver's Facing Our Failure: The Fellowship Dilemma in Conservative Churches of Christ I was reminded of three statements, had one hope, and expressed one thanksgiving. The first two statements come from the pen of David Edwin Harrell in his The Churches of Christ in the 20th Century. He noted the great irony that the Stone-Campbell Unity movement "sparked fractious debates and manufactured a body of arguments that is an almost impenetrable maze to outsiders" (p. xii) and "the American restoration movement [has] always been a case study in controversy" (p. 41). G. C. Brewer observed much the same in his bomb-shell 1934 speech at Abilene Christian College. We have become guilty of the "rankest sort of sectarianism" he said. Here is a lengthy quote:
"This point may have to do with the state of the dead, or the question of what will become of the heathen or the millennium or some other fanciful, far-fetched or untaught question ... It is because some men cannot see things in a sober, calm, considerate, judicial manner that we have hobbyists and fanatics ..."
Brewer wonders if we have been captured by "littleness" and warns that "Phariseeism dwarfs the soul, paralyzes the heart and vitiates sympathy and love." (ACC Lectures (1934), 182, 184)
The hope that came to my mind, honestly, was two pronged. First, I hoped that no one outside the Churches of Christ would read this book. No one would understand the "impenetrable maze" of issues we have divided over. Second, I prayed that many preachers, elders and deacons inside the Churches of Christ would.
My thanksgiving to God was my sheer gratitude that the issues that Todd speaks of in his book are not even on the radar screen in my congregation. Thank you Lord for that.
I do not know Todd Deaver. I do know of the Deaver family of which he comes. My hat is off to Todd first of all for his courage in writing as he has written. In some quarters he will be forever a marked man.
In one way what Todd has done is illustrate the slippery slope of the traditional hermeneutic of the Churches of Christ. If we actually practiced what we preached then where would the division stop? If we really believe "every practice considered to be unauthorized in the New Testament is grounds for breaking fellowship" (p. 18) then where does it end? But our spiritual sense has lead us, rather inconsistently, to simply sweep under the rug massive amounts of disagreement while putting on a charade that we reject "unity in diversity." Todd never says this outright but this is what he demonstrates: we preach unity through conformity but practice unity within diversity ... even among the most conservative among us.
One of the most fascinating chapters is Todd's expose of "Safe Sins." What are those issues that we must divide over disregarding Jesus High Priestly prayer (John 17)? Todd gives us an actual list:
Is it a live issue in our generation?
Is it applicable or inapplicable doctrine?
Is the issue causing a disturbance in the church?
Is the error held but not practiced?
What influence is the person having on others?
How often is it being practiced?
What does the community think about it? (pp. 66-67)
In a manner worthy of Derrida, Todd deconstructs these "safe sins."
As I read through Facing our Failure I was genuinely surprised by some material. I never knew that Wayne Jackson argues that women must have a head covering in public worship (pp. 40f). I never knew that we have leaders among us that actually argue it is sinful to pray to Jesus, that using women translators {what about signing?) in worship is wrong, that omitting an "invitation song" is sinful (see the laundry list on pp. 52-56).
The point that Todd makes is not that we need to divide further over these things. We should not (most are in my view not issues at all). His point is that if our paradigm pushes us to these extremes and then picking and choosing what are safe sins then the paradigm needs either a major overhaul or better yet to die. Because "our theology doesn't allow us the luxury of being wrong" (p. 105, that is our paradigm) some embrace the extreme doctrinal stances noted above but find they simply cannot live with a consistent application of those stances.
So I agree with Todd,"Unless we are willing to live in religious self-contradiction, we must take our theology back to the drawing board" (p. 108). I believe many are already doing that. It is my prayer that Todd can help others see the need for restudy, for rethinking ... there are distant voices that can help us ... and some not so distant.
A final note. I was very thankful for Todd's incredibly respectful tone throughout this small work. It is clear that he has written in and out of love for his church. I am grateful for that. IF you are a member of the Church of Christ then this could be a good book for your preacher or elders. You can order your copy at 1-865-435-9471.
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