Birth of a Reformation; Or, The Life and Labors of Daniel S. WarnerByers, A. L. (Andrew L.)
Religion
Birth of a Reformation; Or, The Life and Labors of Daniel S. Warner
Byers, A. L. (Andrew L.)
Church of God (Anderson, Ind.) -- History; Warner, D. S. (Daniel Sidney), 1842-1895
This brings us to the critical point. Would those espousing holiness
dissolve their sect relations? Here is where many in the holiness
movement compromised and would not follow in the onward march of
truth out of all denominational confusion and into complete oneness
in Christ. Instead, holiness associations urged and even required
their members to maintain also a sect membership. They seemed to
believe sects were a necessary evil and they opposed the idea of
coming out of sects. This is as far as the majority in the holiness
movement would go. They deplored sects, but seemed to think that
to be outside of all sects would be to have no church relation at
all. Had they walked in the light they would have comprehended the
true body of Christ and been led out of sectarian entanglements; but
failing to follow the true leading of God, they receded, and their
holiness degenerated into what was mere sect holiness. To this day
they have their holiness associations and their conventions, but
fellowshiping as they do the sects and factions of almost every
description, they are left to grope in their own darkness and
confusion, still making an effort but accomplishing nothing toward
Christian unity.
Their confusion on the church question is illustrated by the
following quotation from the salutary address adopted by the General
Holiness Assembly held in Chicago in May, 1901:
In respect to the matter of church fellowship we observe that the
church is the institution of Christ, having many members in one
body, himself being the living Head. He has redeemed it with his
blood, and engraven it upon the palms of his hands. Membership
therein is a precious privilege, and always to be highly esteemed.
Wherever practical, every saved man and woman should be connected
with some church.
The first two statements are clear in their reference to the true
Christian church as the one body of saved people everywhere, redeemed
by Christ's blood. But when in the next breath they urge that "every
saved man and woman should be connected with some church," as if
such were not already in the church through redemption by Christ's
blood, they are talking about something else, not the body of Christ.
They perhaps do not realize their own blindness; but to the one who
spiritually discerns the true church and its sufficiency for all the
people of God, their confusion is very apparent.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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