|
 Institutionalism
is, of course, the upholding of institutions — of the
usefulness, validity, authority and sanctity of institutions.
The dictionary is general in its treatment of the term, as is
expected, but it places emphasis upon the
institution or highly organized society.
Now,
what is the opposite of institutionalism? Use your dictionary,
and determine the contrast to our subject. If something
has been institutionalized, what was it before this
happened? If you do your work well you may get a brand new look
at this longtime clash in ideologies. Is a man's relationship
to God a direct and immediate relationship; or is his direct
relationship with an institution which, in turn, has the direct
relationship with God? Think about it! In current
brotherhood discussions the purely institutional issue may be
buried beneath arguments about the organizational structure or
polity of independent congregations of saints, and their
legitimate work and purpose as independent institutions. Is the
local church the individual's link with God, or is it a
God-given tool for the use of saints whose link with God remains
direct and immediate?
The
historic church concept, developed to maturity by Roman
Catholicism, has the Lord establishing a universal institution
which was then given certain "sacraments" to dispense.
The blessings are inseparably related to the institution; are
not available except as administered by the "Church."
The Catholic Encyclopedia puts it clearly: "The Church
alone dispenses the sacraments. It alone makes known the light
of revealed truth. Outside the Church these gifts cannot
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be obtained. From all this
there is but one conclusion: Union with the Church is not merely
one out of various means by which salvation may be obtained; it
is the only means. (V. 3, p.752.) In this concept the individual
must look to the institution as the means of obtaining
divine approval; but in Scriptures the church is the product,
the result of individuals being saved (Acts 2:47 A.S.). The
basic institutional fallacy remains, whether "church"
is regarded as universal or local.
In
the 14th century, when Wycliff sent out "pore
priests" to teach the Scriptures to the country folk, these
"lollards" were not sanctioned by the church, hence
were an attack upon institutional prerogatives. Teaching the
revolutionary concept of measuring the church by the Scriptures,
rather than the Scriptures by the church meant that individuals
were directly answerable to God, and this was the principle of
Reformation that broke the back of R.C. institutionalism. It
gave a basis of authority for doctrinal reform by Luther,
Zwingli, and others; although their ties to "historic
church" concepts kept many from cutting free, and rebound
their followers with "church" creeds.
The
Swiss AnaBaptist (16th century) took bold steps to
cast off institutional concepts. They "unChristianized"
the world (Schaff), when they taught each individual must obey
from the heart the teaching of Scriptures, and that
"church" sanction could not take the place of this.
(continued next page)
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