100 Years Later

100 years after the division between a cappella churches of Christ and instrumental Christian Churches, several events in 2006 are highlighting what those two groups have in common. From an article by Bobby Ross Jr. in The Christian Chronicle:

To mark the centennial, the Abilene Christian University Lectureship in Texas and the Tulsa International Soul-Winning Workshop in Oklahoma both plan tag-team keynote addresses featuring university presidents or ministers from both groups. In addition, about 40 ministers from a cappella churches of Christ will speak at the largest annual gathering of instrumental Christian Churches - the North American Christian Convention in Louisville, Ky. The ministers of the largest congregations in each fellowship - Rick Atchley of Richland Hills Church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas, and Bob Russell of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville - will appear at all three events. "We're not soft-pedaling the differences. We think they're real and significant," said Mark Love, director of the ACU Lectureship, set for Feb. 19-22. "But they shouldn't stop us from loving each other and talking together and celebrating the things we do agree on." Both fellowships grew out of the Restoration Movement of the 1800s. Disagreements over instruments in worship, missionary societies and what it means when the Bible is silent on an issue caused a split shortly after the Civil War, according to historians. But until 1906, religious almanacs included both groups under one heading: "Christian Churches." That changed when the editors of the Gospel Advocate, unofficially representing the a cappella churches, and the Christian Standard, on behalf of the instrumental churches, asked for separate census figures. In the 1920s, a separate split occurred among the instrumental Christian Churches over issues such as open membership, the ecumenical movement, liberal theology and denominational hierarchy. The people in favor of those changes formed a third group: the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which has about 770,000 members in the U.S. Knowles, who has organized unity forums for more than 20 years, said the two groups share "the same spiritual DNA." "In the essentials, we are one. In non-essentials, we need to allow liberty," Knowles said. "In all things, we need to have more love." Both groups believe in the inspiration of Scriptures, elder-led congregations and world evangelism, church leaders say. But Jack Evans Sr., president of church of Christ-affiliated Southwestern Christian College in Terrell, Texas, said he sees the unity events as "just another ploy of Satan to help change the total identity of the New Testament church." "As it proceeds, I see a complete abandonment by some churches of Christ of the basic principles of the New Testament within the next few years," Evans said. On the other hand, some a cappella church leaders who view instrumental music as doctrinally wrong say they nonetheless consider instrumental church members "their brethren." Flavil Yeakley, director of the Harding Center for Church Growth in Searcy, Ark., said he would not teach that an instrumental church member coming to an a cappella church would need to be re-baptized. "However, I could not in good conscience be a part of a congregation that used instrumental music in the worship assembly," Yeakley said. "I believe that the instrumental brethren are "brethren-in-error" - but brethren-in-error are the only kind of brethren we have."