Within each Ecclesia there are certain tensions; tensions between loyalty to the past and openness to the future, between preaching activities and pastoral work, between different generations of Brethren and Sisters and between different interpretations of Biblical teaching. These tensions must be held in balance, collapse the tension and the truth will become destroyed, together with the Brotherhood, its work, witness and worship. Tension is good, without it the instrument will not play a true note but too little or too much will give an uncertain sound. Increase the tension and the strings will break; too much tension in Ecclesial life and conflict with consequent fragmentary will occur. Tensions there must be, but conflicts never, for when a tension is not held in creative balance then conflict ensues and the final outcome will be a devastating destruction.
Tensions must be held in Balance
The tensions which are experienced in the Ecclesia and in the Brotherhood must be held in balance. One or two quotations from the pen of Bro. Islip Collyer may help to establish the principle regarding the importance of balance.
“Balance expresses in a single word the scriptural idea of moderation and sobriety, of avoiding self-righteousness or being righteous over much.
It is the acute sense of balance that informs the individual of his error and, properly used, brings about the poise, the fairness, the judicial and comprehensive view of the good judge.
Even on the physical plane, it is the power to detect a deviation from the normal that enables us to keep our balance.”1
Within an Ecclesia it is necessary to perceive the “deviation from the normal,” not in terms of merely maintaining the status quo but in achieving the right and necessary balance between extremes of belief and practice. There are some in our midst who maintain that every brother and sister must have identical beliefs and live according to precise rules and regulations. However, upon reflection it is patently obvious that as two people rarely think exactly alike on any subject, there is of necessity agreement demanded on that which is essential, for co-existence to take place with subsequent freedom of thought on non-essentials. It is therefore necessary to have agreement on essential beliefs yet at the same time ensure that non-essential beliefs are open to discussion and freedom of thought. The difficulty is maintaining the balance between conformity and nonconformity, between adherence to acceptable belief and practice and freedom to think and act in accordance with individual conscience.
The Best is yet to be
Nowhere is this tension more keenly felt than in the proposition that there must be loyalty to the past and openness to the future. We have a heritage which is significant: our ecclesial organization, our preaching, our fellowship and in particular, our unique blend of specific Biblical beliefs. Yet, we must also have our eyes and minds open to the future, for our faith is unique not antique, our faith is vested in the future in a realization of the Kingdom of God — for the best is yet to be. In particular, we must not be prejudiced regarding the detailed interpretation of prophecy, exciting events are happening, we must be open to their significance. We must be a “people prepared for their Lord,” being stable yet flexible, solid but not stolid, mature but not immobile, that God might use us in his purpose to give glory to his Name. We must not allow the tension between loyalty to the past and openness to the future to become a conflict between backward looking and forward looking members of the same meeting. We must respect and utilize the experience of the past and apply the principles thereby established, to the problems of today and tomorrow. We must use these principles to discriminate between passing fads and genuinely new and important insights, in order to achieve the balance between past and future, between concern about our heritage and the anticipation of future aspirations.
There must be a balance between Preaching and Teaching
A further proposition which I believe is crucial in a consideration of balance in the Ecclesia is; that there should be balance between preaching and teaching. Bible study is good, without it we shall die because we have not learned of God, not eaten of the bread from heaven. However, study without preaching is eating without sharing, we are commanded to share the bread of life for there are millions of hungry souls who will die in their ignorance if we do not preach the gospel. In the New Testament the tension between preaching and teaching was held in a highly creative way; “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation . . . and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine, fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers.2 The New Testament Ecclesia was a preaching and a teaching community. In our Ecclesia the activities of fellowship and study of the Word of God must continue to co-exist with preaching. Preaching which is a proclamation of Christ crucified, of Christ risen from the dead that he might return as King of all the earth. Our preaching must be distinctive and clear-cut, simple yet profound, unique without being antique. For unless Christadelphian preaching is the proclamation of a unique Gospel it has no right to a separate existence. Every lecture, every leaflet, every conversation about the truth must demonstrate a positive belief that others might realize the truth as it is in Jesus. However, we must not stop at the level of simple truths, which during a lifetime of religion become merely superficial religiosity, but rather go on to plumb the depths of the Christlike life, going ever more profoundly into the implications and ramifications of our faith in Christ. Having realized and seen the focus point of the Gospel one must proceed to study the principles which bind the scripture together, the themes of salvation, the life and the work of Jesus and the final fulfillment of all things. Preaching and teaching are separate activities yet like the sowing of the seed and the cure of the crop they are complimentary the one to the other.
There is Tension between our Relationship with God and with People
A further tension within the Ecclesia is the tension between vertical and horizontal dimensions, between our relationship with God and our relationship with people. It is not without significance that the first commandment is to “love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, soul and mind,” yet that is followed by “and our neighbor as ourself.” Love for people without love for God is a weak and sterile humanism yet love for God without the love of men is an irrelevant, other worldly pietism. The vertical and horizontal aspects of our lives are both significant and must be held together. There are pressures within our Ecclesias to extend the commitment to those in need, to the hungry and the homeless and that is right and proper, particularly in respect of the household of faith, “Insomuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”3 Yet, if that activity threatents to erode the life of worship, prayer and Bible Study, the importance of the vertical relationship is being ignored. Our worship must be dynamic and spiritually exciting, our Bible Study should be stimulating and spiritually satisfying. Our prayers should be regular appointments with God in order to stop “the truth” being an academic pietism with attendant indifference and a hopeless apathy toward those in need. We must maintain the balance between our love for God and his Word and our love for mankind — “For God so loved the World that he gave . . .”.
The most difficult area in which to maintain a balance between extremes, to maintain the tensions without producing conflict, is in the area of essential belief. During the past one hundred years, interpretations of passages have been debated, conclusions have been reached and subsequently subsumed into our “heritage of belief.” Unfortunately, many brethren and sisters are only aware of the conclusion and not of the debate of con-Riding views. These conclusions are sometimes put forward with a degree of overt dogmatism which is not wise nor balanced. However, it is necessary to have clear, concise views on the truth, these we have and they are embodied in our statement of faith. The difficulty arises in clarifying and expressing personal understanding of our beliefs in a changing world. The truth does not alter but the ways of understanding the truth are affected by education and experience of life. The tension is expressed beauti
I Believe . . .Help Thou My Unbelief
fully in the phrase — “I believe, help thou my unbelief.”4 In other words there are certain things upon which we have clear and precise beliefs, there are other things upon which we are not sure. There is therefore a degree of tension between affirmation and uncertainty, between commitment and openness, between truth and tolerance. With the Ecclesia we have brethren and sisters who have different capacities for dogmatism and tolerance. To one, everything must be tightly sewn up with no stray ends, to another there are some areas of doubt and uncertainty providing the stimulus for thought and discussion. The balance between these extremes must be maintained, if the one extreme dominates the rigid conformity will destroy our community, on the other hand, openness without control will also destroy our unique faith and fellowship.
Finally, in this survey of the brotherhood and Ecdesial life in particular I wish to comment on the ‘particularism of separation.’ An area of thought which I will express in personal terms, as the way in which this particular tension can exist.
I personally believe certain things, principles of religious belief;
I believe
in God — creator, reveler and the final perfecter of the world.
in man — who failed the divine test. in Jesus — my Saviour, who died
and rose to life who will return
as King of all the earth.
in God’s grace—that aspect of God’s spirit which will save me from death if my faith is alive.
Each of these components of belief can be expanded and propounded in detail into the significance of scriptural teaching, regarding creation, “men who spake as they were moved . . .”, the nature of man, God’s promises of life through Abraham and others, the foretelling of the work of Jesus, his life and teaching, the prophecy of his return and the guidance given by Jesus and his disciples for me to live by faith. The belief in repentance and baptism and with its subsequent life of obedience.
A reasoned Faith that makes Sense
These things are the substance of my convictions, each item has been thought about and established by Biblical research to produce a reasoned faith which makes sense. I worship in accordance with those principles described in the scriptures, in a simple fashion with no minister or priest to officiate, recognizing the priesthood of Christ alone. I meet with others of like-precious faith, recognizing the importance of “the body of Christ” and its singular distinctiveness. For as I look around at other sects and churches, I do not find these particular beliefs and practices demonstrated by others and as I am persuaded that certain things are “the truth.” I therefore cannot worship with others who do not have the beliefs which I am convinced are necessary and acceptable to God. Although there are within the membership of other churches, individuals who agree in part to the truth, as yet I have not discovered a community which embraces the beliefs and fellowship as the Christadelphian community obviously does, I therefore remain a committed and active member of the brotherhood. I am persuaded that our community has a future, a future to prepare a people for the Lord when he returns in Glory.
As soon as I came to the conclusion stated above, I was forced to conclude that there was a “particularism of separation” i.e. because I belonged to a community which had specific beliefs and practices, other beliefs and practices were wrong and I should be separate from them. This separation, I believe should not be in a sense of superiority or isolationism but in terms of positive preaching — “I believe, therefore I do and if that makes me separate (distinctive) from others, then so be it.
An ecclesia is a community of believers, a group of people with similar beliefs who individually have been baptized into Jesus Christ, they have therefore made a vertical relationship with God which subsequently enables a horizontal relationship with other believers, to take place. We must not forget the order of priority; first with God, secondly, with brethren and sisters, nor must we forget that it is our unit of faith which brings us together not our social, cultural or any other ideological attitude. The implications of these thoughts are considerable, they need careful thought and prayerful action.
There are tensions in our fellowship because truth is never simple and unambiguous but always multi-faceted. The life of the ecclesia is always a life of tension but this should not deteriorate into conflict. If it does, the end will be disaster, a fragmentation of the body of Christ and that will be fatal for the “Bride of Christ.” The maintenance of the tensions described in this article are crucial for the survival of the ecclesia — we must revive the tensions without delay by re-establishing the balance of belief and action. A balance within our individual lives and a balance of belief and action within the ecclesia.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One