DO CHURCHES HAVE A RIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR OWN MEANS AND METHODS FOR THE EVANGELIZATION OF THE WORLD? by J. H. MILBURN.
The proposition just stated, we would answer most emphatically in the negative, that a church or churches of Christ do not have a divine right to choose either the means or methods with which to evangelize the world unless they choose the means and methods which Christ instituted for that purpose. There is no greater fallacy nor one more mischievous than the idea that a church has a divine right to choose whatever means or methods it wishes, in the propagation of the gospel, and the choice, be as it may, is acceptable to God. Away with such an outrageous idea which would justify the adoption of Catholicism or anything else as a means through which Baptist churches carry on their missionary work, if only they so choose, and some Baptist churches, under the influence of designing men have been, and can be, lead into making any kind of choice. Turn to the Index in this book and find article on matters of choice and expediency, and read the same.
Notice 1. All must agree that Christ had a right to a choice in the evangelization of the world. To deny Christ this right would be at once to nullify the evangelization of the world altogether and convert all missionary work and effort into a mere farce.
2. Christ was infinitely wise, he knew what the world needed, then and what the world would need through all the coming ages; he wanted the world evangelized, hence he constituted his church and made choice of it as the only organized medium through which the gospel should go to the nations of the earth.
3. No Apostle nor inspired person ever chose any other organization through which to evangelize the world than the church.
4. The primitive churches themselves never chose any other organization through which to evangelize the world; their choice was simply that of Christ and the Apostles; why should our choice now be otherwise.
5. Baptist churches got along for over seventeen hundred years without choosing any other organization through which to evangelize the world, than the churches of Christ.
6. Christ not only made choice of the church as the organized medium through which the world should be evangelized, but he also commanded the church to “preach the gospel to every creature” to “teach all nations,” and the church cannot evade nor shift the responsibility to humanly invented organizations.
7. To choose any other organization or medium through which to evangelize the world, than the churches, reflects on the wisdom of Christ; such a choice says indirectly that Christ did not choose the best methods, my choice is better than his. The like of this offers an insult to Christ and to the Holy Spirit.
8. From no conceivable point of view is there the least shadow of reason in making any other choice than that which Christ made.
(1) Christ made choice of the church to evangelize the world.
(2) Christ commanded the church to “teach all nations.”
(3) Christ promised the divine presence (the Holy Spirit) to accompany the church. to the end of the age, or world.
(4) Christ gave to the’ church the ministry; he “set some in the church, first Apostles,”
but ministers set themselves in the Conventions. The ministry belongs to the church.
(5) All the money which all the Conventions use comes from the churches.
(6) Were all the Convention blotted out the evangelization of the world would still go on; but should all the churches cease to exist the Conventions would all die within one year, for all those institutions of human origin live off the churches and are dependent upon them.
Copied from The Baptist Waymark Vol. II No. 3 December 1989, originally from his book Missions and Mission Methods, 1909
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