Faithfulness in Change

 
Editorial
January, 1970
Volume 5, Number 1

The theme of the 1969 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference was “Faithfulness in Change.” This was also the theme of the Third Theological Conference held this past Summer at Bethany Seminary.

No one on earth favors change more than the Christian. Not only does he favor change, but he asserts that all who will not change will perish. Jesus preached a gospel of changed human character, changed for the better in those who receive Him as Saviour and Lord. Where the Christian differs with others on the matter of change, is in his concern that changes must come within the context of God’s Word and in agreement with God’s spiritual laws. This is where faithfulness comes in.

Changes of various kinds and various sorts take place every day everywhere. But irresponsible change merely for the sake of making things different, is unreasonable and uncalled for. The basic needs of men are no different now than they were two thousand years ago. And God’s provisions for those needs have not been changed. Strip off the veneer of our civilization, and there remains a desperate loneliness, a sense of frustration, and a void that remains empty until it is filled with the living Christ.

The old paths which are biblical, are sacred and right, and we cannot afford to forsake: them. We believe in a God whose essential nature does not change; in standards of right and wrong that do not change; in death and judgment which are inescapable; and in truth that is absolute (not relative) which is forever settled in heaven and cannot pass away.

–H.S.M.

Faithfulness in Change

by Harold S. Martin

Change is inevitable. Preserving the status quo is simply not possible. The fact that each day one hundred eighty thousand people are added to the world’s population, means that change is constantly taking place. There are changes in living conditions, and thought patterns, and personal relationships. Man’s scientific advances during the last one hundred years have brought changes that stagger the imagination. And there is no reason not to believe that fifty years from now, people will marvel at what has been accomplished in their lifetime.

It is true in the world of technology that the latest is often the best. We rightly prefer the up-to-date typewriter or the newer automobile. But we must remember that technology advances automatically, building upon the practical lessons of past experimenters. Every engineer begins at the point where the last one left off. Advancement is due not to any improvement in the human brain, but to the mere accumulation of experience. The ancient brains that measured the diameter of the earth and worked out the principles of leverage were just as great brains as our age possesses, but the modern technologist can see farther than they, because he sits on their shoulders. But this is not true in the area of human conduct. Calvin Linton says that here it is not technology, but wisdom that governs. No man becomes virtuous because of the virtue of another. He might be inspired by the wisdom and virtue of another, but he must make that wisdom his own possession. Every human being, as a moral creature, starts from scratch~ The human heart is something that since the Fall has never changed. Every human being has drives, and greeds, and compulsions, and passions that are not eliminated by merely learning about the experiences of others. There is not the slightest evidence (with all of man’s scientific achievements) that there has been a corresponding improvement in his heart. Man does not seem to learn the lessons of history. The sins of our day are but the same old sins with new names. Adultery is the same whether it is committed under “the new morality” or under the old. It is the same kind of hate that kills a man with a revolver as killed him with an arrow. Robbery is the same when the victim is a bank and the escape is by means of a high-powered car, as when the victim was a lonely man on a donkey, and the getaway was by horseback. The basic issues of our day are simply the old issues in a new setting. The setting is the H-bomb, space travel, automation, cybernetics, mass communication, population explosion, and highway slaughter. But the basic issues are the same as in the nineteenth century, in the eighteenth, in the seventeenth, and on back to Adam. In an address to the Royal Society, Australia’s top atomic scientist, Laurence Oliphant, declared: “I can find no evidence whatever that the morality of mankind has improved over the five thousand years or so of recorded history.”

Often churchmen seem impressed with changes that really are only superficial. The notion that all our problems are new, and that we are living in a fresh time of wisdom, that nobody ever had it before, and that “man has come of age,” is actually an almost intolerable conceit. Elton Trueblood tells, that, in speaking to a group of pastors, he advised these men to study Augustine’s Confessions and The Imitation of Christ, and John Woolman’s Journal. Right away one of the leading clergymen said, “Oh, those were all very well for another day. But so much has happened now, that their appeal is utterly undermined. We are in a new world, and these books have nothing to say to our situation at this moment.”

People often say, “What, for example, could Abraham say to us?” After all, he never went faster than a few miles an hour, and any of us can go six hundred miles an hour in our day. Abraham never saw a large university or a really big city or advanced technology. Therefore, they say, his answers are not relevant to our day. There are high officials in the ecclesiastical world who express the view that the Christian message must be altered to make it acceptable to the men and women who, they affirm, live in a wholly new age. They create: the impression that we need to rethink the inspiration of the Scriptures, revamp all our theology, and work out a new code of Christian conduct, in line with the times and acceptable to the nuclear age. They say these older concepts were all right for the little church in the wildwood, but they have no significance for people who live in the rush of the latter half of the twentieth century.

Vance Havner expresses a truth when he says that actually this nuclear age is not essentially different from any other age, except for the increase in gadgets and gimmicks. This is a generation of poor lost sinners, and man needs to be sent to the same old laundry and cleansed in the same old way. For the church to be faithful means that it must proclaim the message that men can be rightly related to God through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24, 25). One who commits his life to Jesus Christ finds peace with God (Romans 5:1), forgiveness of sin (Ephesians 1:7), and receives a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17). This makes an impact on his own life as well as on his horizontal relationships with his fellow men.

It is still true that the great questions of life are answered in the Bible, and specifically in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is “the way, the truth, and the life.”Jesus Christ is the only person who fulfills completely our basic needs. Many lives have been wholly changed by hearing and believing the old Gospel, and by God’s grace we need to continue to preach it because it works.

In every generation, men believe that the problems they face are unique. However, man does not change, and his problems change very little (Ecclesiastes 1:9, 10). Our age is an age of revolution, but there have been revolutionary ages before. Early in the eighteenth century England was in turmoil. Men were demanding political, economic, and spiritual freedom. Moral decay resulted. J. C. Ryle says, “Bribery among all classes was open, unblushing, and profuse. Adultery, fornication, gambling, swearing, Sabbath-breaking, and drunkenness were hardly regarded as vices at all.” It was the preaching of the simple gospel message under Wesley and Whitefield and others that had much to do with a revival of moral standards in England.

We live In a time similar to that of Noah’s day. Sensual immorality, violence, secularism, and crime characterized Noah’s world (Genesis 4:11-24; 6:11). These same things characterize the present age. Noah was a “preacher of righteousness” who went up and down the land preaching repentance and proclaiming judgment to come. He prepared an ark “to the saving of his house.” We need to do the same as Noah did. The person who speaks about a new day and a modern mind, with new processes and a new gospel, is simply a new fool.


This article originally appeared in a collection of essays entitled, Variations on a Theme, and it is used here by permission of the Parish Ministries Commission of the Church of the Brethren General Board. The entire book (paper cover) is a discussion of change from many points of view.

 

THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Captivity… Dreams… Rulers… Fire… Lions… Prayers… Kingdoms. From a dedicated youth to a faithful sage, Daniel’s life stands as an example to follow.  Yet beyond his personal life, God gifted Daniel with a message of future events.  Though difficult to grasp, these events would shape the world for the coming Messiah and the Second Coming of Christ as King.

STUDIES IN LUKE

Luke presents a warmly personal and historically accurate account of Jesus as “the Son of Man.” This course will survey the Third Gospel, with emphasis on the unique events, miracles, and parables of Jesus found in it.

HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

This class will provide a broad overview of general church history. We will then focus on the Anabaptist and Pietist movements, especially as they relate to the formation and development of the Brethren groups. This is a two-part class. Plan to take both parts.

ONE FOUNDATION

This course is intended to lay down a measure in a world where truth is slippery and often subject to interpretation. Where “Christian Values” become a political slogan, and “good people” are our allies despite their faulty core beliefs. Where Facebook “friends” post memes about the power of God, despite a lifestyle that is anything but Godly. In the process we often fight among ourselves, doing Satan’s work for him. The purpose of this course is to lay the measure of Jesus Christ against the cults, religions, and worship in our contemporary world.

THE APOCRYPHA

While Protestant translations of the Bible contain 66 books, the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches recognize additional canonical books as well.  Where did these books, collectively known as the Apocrypha, come from and why aren’t they part of our Bible?  How reliable are they, and what value is there in studying them?

STUDIES IN 1 AND 2 PETER

The goal of this class is to acquire a firm grasp of the teachings and themes of these two general epistles. Peter covers topics from salvation and suffering to spiritual deception and the return of Christ. These letters are packed with warnings and encouragements for Christian living.

THE GREAT I AM’S OF CHRIST

A detailed study of Jesus Christ and His relationship to the “I Am” metaphors in John’s gospel. Why did Jesus describe himself in these terms? How do they relate to each other? We will look at spiritual and practical applications to further our Christian growth.

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES: AN AMERICAN CULT

Have you ever been visited by someone who said they wanted to study the Bible with you so that you might discover the truth together?  Jehovah’s Witnesses claim to have much in common with evangelical Christians, and they seem to be well versed in the scriptures.  But what do they really believe and how can we effectively witness to those who have been ensnared by this false religion?

THE BOOK OF HOSEA

While we may consider Hosea as one of the minor prophets, his message vividly illustrates the major doctrine in all Scriptures.  The theme of God’s unconditional love is magnified and extended beyond those deserving it.  God expresses tender words towards His erring people inviting them to turn from sin to reconciliation with Him.

CHURCH LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION

This course will look at basic principles and polity of leading the local church. We will examine the balance between upholding a spiritually focused organism of ministry and cultivating proper order for effective organization. Practical applications will be emphasized. This is a two-part class. Plan to take both parts.

STATEMENT OF CONDUCT

The Brethren Bible Institute believes in the discipline of the whole person (spirit, soul, and body). We will aim to train students not only about how to study the Bible in a systematic way (2 Timothy 2:15), but also how to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world (Titus 2:12). God calls Christians to the highest of character when He commands us to be holy (1 Peter 1:15), and holiness requires discipline.

Indulgence in the use of tobacco, alcoholic beverages, drugs, profanity, and gambling are forbidden at BBI. Objectionable literature will be prohibited. Students are asked not to use the college pool during the Institute. Each student must be thoughtful, and respect the rights of others at all times, especially during study and rest periods.

A friendly social group intermingling of students between class periods, and at general school activities is encouraged. Each student should enjoy the friendship of the entire group. At all times, highest standards of social conduct between men and women must be maintained. This means that all forms of unbecoming behavior and unseemly familiarities will be forbidden.

Personal appearance and grooming tell much about one's character. Students are expected to be dressed in good taste. In an attempt to maintain Scriptural expressions of simplicity, modesty, and nonconformity, the following regulations shall be observed while attending BBI.

MEN should be neatly attired and groomed at all times. Fashion extremes and the wearing of jewelry should be avoided on campus. The hair should not fall over the shirt-collar when standing, nor should it cover the ears.

WOMEN should wear skirts cut full enough and of sufficient length to at least come to the knees when standing and sitting. Form-fitting, transparent, low-neckline, or sleeveless clothing will not be acceptable. Slacks and culottes are permitted only for recreation and then only when worn under a skirt of sufficient length. Wearing jewelry should be avoided on campus. Long hair for women is encouraged and all Church of the Brethren girls (and others with like convictions) shall be veiled on campus.

The Institute reserves the right to dismiss any student whose attitude and behavior is not in harmony with the ideals of the School, or whose presence undermines the general welfare of the School, even if there is no specific breach of conduct.

The Brethren Bible Institute is intended to provide sound Bible teaching and wholesome Christian fellowship for all who desire it. The Bible School Committee worked hard and long at the task of arriving at standards, which will be pleasing to the Lord. It is not always easy to know just where the line should be drawn and we do not claim perfection. No doubt certain standards seem too strict for some and too loose for others. If you are one who does not share all these convictions, we hope you will agree to adjust to them for the School period, for the sake of those who do. We are confident that the blessings received will far outweigh any sacrifice you may have to make. If you have a special problem or question, please write to us about it. To be accepted as a student at BBI, you will need to sign a statement indicating that you will cooperate with the standards of the School.