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"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things" (Colossians 3:2).

The title of this article is also the title of a new book by John Mark Hicks and Bobby Valentine. Its subtitle is "Embracing the Spiritual Legacy of David Lipscomb and James Harding" (1). Many of us recognize the last names as two university among the churches of Christ. In addition, both served as editors of various publications, one of which is still published today. Lipscomb was the editor of the Gospel Advocate from 1866 to 1913. This is a rich book both in history and theology and is well worth reading by all.

The book introduces us to two trains of thought in churches of Christ that have been in conflict with each other over the years. Lipscomb and Harding represented by the authors as the Nashville Bible School Tradition (NBST) and is explored in this book. They contrast it with what they call the Texas Tradition found primarily in the pages of the Firm Foundation, started in 1880s.

While Lipscomb and Harding didn’t agree on everything, they had much in common. The first area was how they viewed Christian living in today’s world. They emphasized the importance of practicing living like Christ. How one looks at the poor, sick and oppress were important aspects of their work. Lipscomb in particular was greatly influenced in this during the Civil War (or War of Northern Aggression for some). Nashville was involved in military action of which Lipscomb wanted nothing to do with. He would cross lines taking care of the sick and preaching. One Southern officer attended an assembly where Lipscomb was preaching to see if he was "loyal" to the South. When asked about it he said he had not determined whether he was loyal to the South but that there was no doubt that he was loyal to the Lord. During several epidemics in Nashville over a decade, Lipscomb was involved in taking care of the sick. He believed that the words of Jesus quoting the prophet in Luke 4:18-19 was the Christian way.

Another view of Lipscomb concerned government of which he had little good to say. He believed that all government was of the devil and that Christians should not be involved in it at all. He did not vote. One could understand some of his views given the situation with slavery, the Civil War, and the problems afterwards in the South. This was a pacifist position of both Lipscomb and Harding and was influential in the days leading up to the United States involvement in World War I. It also led to a one of several conflicts with the Texas Tradition that went to labeling and name calling of those who they disagreed with and considered conscientious objectors as disloyal citizens. Lipscomb and Harding emphasized that our citizenship was in heaven and that we are merely pilgrims in this land.

The conflict between NBST and the Texas Tradition began in the 1880s and continues today. Lipscomb and Harding emphasized God’s active role today in the life of the Christian and in the world especially through the Holy Spirit. This conflicted with the rational common sense approached of Campbell that hardened into the Texas Tradition that developed a deistic view of God. In the Texas Tradition, God has given us His word through the Holy Spirit and that is all that we need. They also saw that the New Testament started in Acts 2 and that we do not really need the rest. Unfortunately, this view became the dominant view in churches of Christ and even to this day is prominent. I remember discussing some program with a group of people and suggested that we spend time in prayer waiting to see how God would answer. One person in the group reacted by saying that God gave us a mind to reason with and we could figure it out ourselves.

The second section of the book uses Acts 2:42 as a text to discuss Lipscomb and Harding’s view of reading scripture, serving others including the oppressed, worship, and prayer. John Mark and Bobby compare then to now, making suggestions and showing the importance of active fellowship and building relationships both within the body of Christ and outside. One of the things emphasized by Lipscomb and Harding was how they viewed the coming of the Lord in relation to our current situation or how we live in the light of His coming again. They viewed the kingdom not as the church (2) but as God’s rule, part of His plan to eventually return His creation to His original purpose in Eden (3). How preachers of the second half of the 1800s saw the return of the Lord varied; some were premillennialists and others post-millennialists. One of the followers of Lipscomb and Harding, R.C. Boll, who wrote for the Gospel Advocate, began to emphasize his premillennial views that led to another attack by the Texas Tradition. Boll’s eventually resigned and started his own paper, but if one didn’t follow the Texas Tradition and the editors of the Firm Foundation, one was labeled and rejected.

The final section is rich in thought and material. John Mark and Bobby discuss the role of the Christian and government taking a moderate pacifist view (4). They look at war in the Old Testament and God’s involvement stating that we need to be careful to appeal to that. They emphasize the importance of the Sermon on the Mount. I have some difficulty here because it appears to me that the Sermon is meant to be practiced by individuals, that is, it is for me to do. I think it also should be practice congregationally because of the relationships involved. But if following Lipscomb view of government, that it is from the devil, how do we expect government to practice the Sermon of Jesus? Romans 13 is mentioned in a footnote and I think that doesn’t do much for their argument. They appeal to Gandhi and Martin Luther King and their non-violent protests. King was successful because of his non-violent approach with the help of the national media but his followers either lost control or were overthrown leading to the violence of the middle and late sixties. Gandhi is not the perfect fellow the pacifists like to portray and while pacifist appeal to him, it seems there were other things going on that neither they nor Hollywood likes mention (5). Yet this is a challenging chapter for us to practice, loving our enemy and praying for them, turning the other cheek and so on.

The eleventh chapter really impressed me. Lipscomb would allow people to debate a subject in the Gospel Advocate. Though he did not agree with some, he continued in fellowship with them. He wasn’t perfect, sometimes writing in a strong fashion. But it wasn’t anything like the Firm Foundation. They only allowed the editor’s point of view to be expressed and criticized Lipscomb and Harding extensively. When R.C. Boll began writing about his premillennial views, calls were made for him to be fired by the editor. That was refused for some time. John Mark and Bobby argue that the freedom in Christ allows us to have differing views and yet be one in Christ.

Unfortunately today is very different. The Texas Tradition is the dominant view. The Gospel Advocate no longer allows differing views in its pages and continues to move to the traditionalist and legalistic points of view. Even in congregations, a preacher cannot present ideas that differ from the editor/elders without the danger of risking his job. I speak from experience here. I presented a lesson on Sunday morning and immediately afterward was labeled a false teacher to my face by an elder. That really encourages trust and discussion. It appears, in my mind anyway, that this idea of non-discussion followed by labeling followed by ungodly attitudes and words is becoming stronger (6). It appears that if we do not agree on every point, doctrine and opinion, then we cannot be in fellowship. This has become very destructive over the years and many good people have been hurt by these attitudes.

In 1984, a professor at Harding University left there to move to Boston to be part of what was known then as the Boston Movement (7). Illinois at that time had had major problems with this movement with the exception of Champaign-Urbana. The Philo Road congregation and its campus minister had been able to stand against this movement. But in 1984 they began to establish a congregation there. The leader had worked on another campus and a couple of an elder’s grandchildren were effect negatively by this group, so he wasn’t keen on them at all. They invited Jerry Jones to come to Champaign-Urbana and since there was confusing news about his Harding situation (8), I thought it would be good for him to come to a preachers meeting hosted by me at Philo Road. It was one of the largest turnouts we ever had and very informative. The leader of the Boston Movement asked if he could provide lunch and I said fine. Free meals and preachers go together very well. Well after the meeting this elder was furious thinking that the movement was trying to take over Philo Road. Though he never talked to me about it, that contributed to my "contract" not being renewed.

Jubilee was a workshop in Nashville during the 1990s. It was a great workshop, challenging classes and good speakers. But the Texas Tradition had major disagreements with several of the organizers including Rubel Shelly. And they made their feelings known in their papers misrepresenting a number of things, making it known what they did not like and that it was therefore false teaching, and threatening to take support away from any and all who participated in Jubilee (9). Jubilee died a sad death, financially unable to continue, and a loss for those of us who were edified.

One more. The wife of one of the elders of a congregation I preached for is related to John Mark. The elder said that we need to have John Mark come and speak, and I was all in favor of that. So I made arrangements and he came and spoke on suffering on Sunday and on Chronicles to a preachers meeting on Tuesday, which was one of the best attended in my experience here in Houston. You think I would learn about preacher meetings and speakers, but no. Six months later I resigned and was gone. One of the complaints about me was attending Jubilee though no one talked to me about it. So some bodies were reading or hearing about that and about those "connected" with those in charge of Jubilee, and John Mark was associated with them.

Lest I appear one sided, there are currently no brotherhood publication that present more than one side that I‘m aware of. A recent edition of Leaven, which is a very good publication, presented an important issue on nationalism, patriotism, and was one sided (10). Lee Camp, at this past summer’s Lipscomb Lectures presented a class on pacifism. At the end of the class, the last comment and question came from a former Quaker who had been preaching for over twenty years. He stated that he had grew up in the pacifist tradition and he knew the other side as well. He ask brother Camp if he would be willing to discuss with someone from the other side this important issue. Now not knowing brother Camp, all I can say that it didn’t appear that he was that open to the idea, though I can understand why, what with the judgmental attitude we see in the church today, especially from the Texas Tradition (11).

I’m afraid the Texas Tradition is alive and well. But changes are occurring. Abilene Christian University (ACU) hosted a gay-rights group when they invited themselves to the Campus. They treated them in a Christ-like way even though they did not agree with them. ACU has been a leader in recent years in discussing and understanding those we disagree with, having hosted forms during their lectureships with both the International churches of Christ and the Christian Church. There are congregations now willing to see that not everyone sees everything alike and that that is no reason to break fellowship. When I attended Sunset School of Preaching (12), the teachers there did not agree on everything, yet they never criticized one another. They presented their point of view and allowed us to think for our selves. All of this was said to say that chapter eleven to me is a very important chapter in a very good book.

Chapter twelve deals with the return of the Lord and I have written about that in several other articles. It closes a very impressive book and I would encourage you to read it to understand that not all in churches of Christ over the years have thought the same way. There is a wealth of material in here that will be worth studying.

George B. Mearns

(1) published by Leafwood Publishers, 2006.

(2) The Texas Tradition developed the idea that the church and kingdom was one and the same thing. This ignores the meanings of both words; kingdom meaning the rule or reign of God and church as the assembly of God’s people.

(3) Romans 8:18-25 is the basis of this view. John Mark and Bobby discuss this in chapter 12. See also Jim McGuiggan, Romans, Montex, and N.T. Wright, Simply Christian, Harper, 2006.

(4) There are different views within pacifism and in my mind it isn’t clear exactly which position they take. They are opposed to war and make suggestions concerning that. See also Lee Camp, Mere Discipleship. Both John Mark and Bobby responded to me personally in an email concerning a briefer review of their book, clarifying their position, which I greatly appreciate.

(5) Jim McGuiggan, who agrees with Lipscomb concerning voting at least, and is probably a moderate pacifist, in a personal email concerning Gandhi, stated that there were abuses by Gandhi and he has little respect by many in Britain.

(6) John Mark and Bobby report how the Firm Foundation responded to the pacifist position and some of the words used, so it is probably isn’t all that shocking. The Texas Tradition seems to be very powerful vocally, though not necessarily in practice. Its influence is seen however far beyond Texas.

(7) They now are known as the International churches of Christ, were very evangelistic and legalistic, and almost cult like, and have been criticized about it. However, changes are occurring with this group, and they are moving to a more gracious and loving position.

(8) From Jerry Jones’ perspective, it centered around how the middle class students paid full price, and as you know, the middle class often makes ends meet but has difficulty adding expensive private school tuition to their budgets. He complained about that for some time and was asked to either stop or leave.

(9) The Gospel Advocate Book Store had a booth there until it was told that they would loose many accounts if it continued. It appears that others faced the same problem.

(10)Volume 13, number 4. I reviewed several articles in the bulletins of February 5, 12, 19, 2006.

(11) Lee Camp will be on a panel discussing nationalism at the Abilene Christian University lectures starting tomorrow. I know his view and the view of two of the other six. Will it be one sided or discussing different points of view? Hopefully it will be a worthwhile discussion.

(12) now Sunset International Bible Institute