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 Remember
the way you felt when your teenager took the family car on his
first solo drive? You wanted him to become an independent
driver; you knew he was big enough to drive, and you felt
his knowledge of the mechanics of driving were sufficient —
but could he handle that powerful machine?
Sometimes
I have the feeling that truly independent congregations are
about like that teenager. In earlier years Big Daddy was by
their side — in the form of policy making papers, influential
preachers, prevailing winds generated in colleges, etc. If some
church had a problem, Big Daddy could answer it, and bring
pressure to see that the answer stuck. Churches used the song
books Big Daddy recommended, and were “Premillennial” if
they did otherwise. They bought the literature Big Daddy sold,
read the books he recommended, and branded as “digressive”
or “anti” those whom Big Daddy reviewed as such. Don’t
blame it all on Daddy! Sincere efforts to preserve soundness
have been misused by immature churches, happy to be babied.
But
developments of the past twenty-five years, resulting in “liberal-conservative”
separation, have established a different clime among
conservative churches. They have been made painfully aware of
the danger of “Big Daddy” to their congregational
independence. Sermons on institutional issues
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have persuaded
them to think for themselves — ”you can drive solo!”
Do
you know of a single project among conservative brethren,
necessitating a form of ”brotherhood” acceptance, but that
is weak or has failed? At this point I am not questioning their
legitimacy. I am simply saying that many conservative brethren
have rejected “Big Daddy” centers of influence, legitimate
or otherwise.
The
results? A lot of bent fenders and some serious wrecks. “Independent
churches” are running amuck in weird self-driving attempts;
and concerned but frustrated former “centers of influence”
are wringing their hands. Would it have been better to have
encouraged a central “brotherhood paper” that (Sort of) kept
brethren in line? Well, preachers have “gone off the deep end,”
country-western music has invaded our singing, and foolish
questions are dividing churches — but we are driving
the road, independently. There are some fine independent
churches, working at home, supporting foreign work, serving the
Lord.
Where
God’s plan seems to have failed, is it not possible that we
are not spiritually mature enough to drive alone? Grow up
brethren!!
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