Categories: uncategorized
Date: 30 January 2006 13:21:56
This text comes from a book I've started reading, Becoming Orthodox: A Jounrey to the Ancient Christian Faith. It's the story of the journey of several Campus Crusade for Christ staff as they searched for "The New Testament Church." Having moved away from crusades and moved towards planting home churches, these men got together "without much more commonality than their desire to see the emergence of a true New Testament expression of Christianity."
The conversation I just read was had in 1973. Today it could have been me asking the same initial question, although not at clearly.
"Everybody claims to be the New Testament Church" Jack Sparks complained at one of our next gatherings. "The Catholics say they are; the Baptists say they are; the Church of Christ says it is - and nobody else is. We need to find out who's right."...
"What do you mean, 'Who's right?'" someone in the back of the room challenged. "We've got the bible haven't we? The way you learn about the New Testament Church is by reading the New Testament."
"Look you're missing what I'm after." ... "As Protestants we know our way back to A.D. 1517 and the Reformation. As evangelicals - bible people - we know our way up to A.D. 95 or so, when the Apostle John finished writing the Revelation. It's time we fill the gap inbetween."
"He's right," Gordan Walker agreed. "For the life of me, I cannot tell you the details of where that New Testament Church went."
"I'm the same way," Jon Braun added. "What I want to know is, how long did the Church remain true to Christ? In all honesty, I was taught that the minute the Apostle John drew his last breath, the Church began to head downhill. Is that really right? And if it isn't, then where and when did the Church go wrong? How could the Reformation have been avoided anyway?"
More tomorrow. My sight is going fuzzy.