As I said in response to Greg's post, I am inclined to say that there is validity in trying to restore something of the NT church, even though that doesn't mean restoring their patterns of practice. I'll admit I'm still a bit fuzzy on what that might be. One reason I'm convinced that it's worth searching for is that God decided to give us Acts and the NT epistles. Our goal of emulating Jesus (and that is our goal, is it not?) does not exclude emulating the early church. If it did, the NT would need only the Gospels. Rather, the example of the NT church helps us to know how to emulate Jesus. It's analogous to 1 Cor. 11:1.
I appreciate Mark's comment to Greg's post. I think he hit the nail on the head. I really have no idea what hermeneutic to aim for. Someone help us out. I know a few things that need to change, but I don't have a coherent understanding of what needs to replace them.
Here are a few thoughts on practicalities. In other words, these thought won't help us arrive at a better hermeneutic, but rather will help us frame it as we seek to put it into practice.
- A Neo-Restoration hermeneutic needs to be packaged simply. A complex ivory tower solution will do little to help real churches, unless we work on a completely top-down denominational hierarchy. The Church of Christ focus on the priesthood of all believers, which I think is largely a healthy focus, demands that this hermeneutic be available to all. Command, example, and inference may have many weaknesses, but one strength is that it is simple to say, simple to understand, and (relatively) simple to execute. The ordinary guy on the pew can use it as a tool to figure out what the Bible means to his situation. Whatever replaces it will have to be similarly accessible.
- We must realize that Churches of Christ are not homogeneous. Rural traditional churches still constitute a majority of the movement, while large suburban churches gain more and more impetus toward general evangelicalism. The middle ground is being stretched dangerously thin. Many progressive congregations have already given up on the old hermeneutic, without thoughtfully replacing it. It will be tempting for us (i.e. future ministers) to lead this left wing of churches to a better hermeneutic, abandoning the right wing in the process. I'm not interested in being a part of that kind of move. Our challenge will be to help the entire movement come to a more solid hermeneutical foundation. Is not unity a key goal in this whole question?
- Speaking of unity, a NR movement is inadequate if it can't see further than the Churches of Christ. Isa. 49:6 is completely appropriate. Salvation to the ends of the earth is vital. But let's realize that restoring Israel and Judah is also no small task - it encompasses many more denominations than just the Churches of Christ. I understand that God has placed us in this fellowship right now, but if our goal is simply to bless the current Churches of Christ, we contribute to a sectarian mindset. I appreciate the example of the earliest RM leaders who strove to win anyone that would listen, even whole congregations, regardless of denominational affiliation.
