Statement to the General Conference of the Brethren Church, 2023

Introduction

My fellow Brethren of Elders, Pastors, and Leaders. I stand before you to day as a peer and elder in this cherished body of believers in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I came to you in 2016 and found I had much in common with those who called themselves Brethren. So I am speaking today with the highest of respect for each of you.

I am a man and pastor who is passionate about our Scriptures. I came to faith in 1993 while on a self-destructive path led by worldly ideals. As I embrace biblical Christianity, I determined that I would do everything I can to lead a life guided by the Scriptures. If Jesus is who he says he is, and the Scriptures mean what they say they mean, then I didn’t want to pretentiously enter the faith. As I have grown in the faith, my reliance, passion, and dependance on Scripture - the entirety of Scripture - has grown.

As I entered the Brethren Church, a dear brother, Arden Gilmer, steeped me in the traditions of the Brethren Church. Growing up in the Lutheran Church I understood the nuances of the reformation. Arden was a man of wisdom, but more importantly, he was a man of the Word. Additionally, I came to know men who shared that devotion, like Dale Stoffer and Ron Waters. I will never forget in 2017 Ron leading our conference in foot washing, which was wrought with Scripture and the words of our Lord. There was a reverence then.

I gravitate to our statement of beliefs, “Brethren have held from their beginning that a follower of Jesus must hold correct doctrinal beliefs, but also be able to demonstrate visibly the new life they have received in Christ Jesus. SIMPLY PUT: OUR LIVES MUST BEAR FRUIT. DOCTRINE ISN’T SHOWN JUST THROUGH HEAD KNOWLEDGE, BUT THROUGH AN ENTIRE LIFE THAT TESTIFIES THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. FOR THIS REASON BRETHREN LIFE, LIKE BRETHREN BELIEF, CENTERS ON JESUS CHRIST.”

I found myself relating to Alexander Mack, who was a bit of a rebel in his own rite. Mack was a man who did not see following Christ as a fashionable exercise, but something that was costly and would even lead to suffering. In his own studies of the Bible, he believed that churches were not following it. Although there was a law against leading private Bible studies in the home, he defied it. He did not let the threats of the state church nor the the pressures of culture define him. It was the Word alone.

According to our own statements, Brethren are people of the Word. We boast it. “We affirm Scripture as the rule for our faith and life, we recognize the need to interpret it correctly.” I remember the conversations Arden and I would have regarding Jesus being the Living Word, Scripture Being the outer Word, and the Holy Spirit being the Inner Word - and they are never in conflict. Is that still the case today?

“The attitudes with which people approach Scripture strongly influence what they find there. As Brethren, we approach Scripture believing that we are not to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That is, rather than being conformed to the world, we are to be conformed to the Living Word, Jesus Christ, through obedience to the Outer Word, Scripture.”

The other aspect of our faith as Brethren that sets us apart is our relationship the world. “World” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word “Cosmos” and most often refers to the inhabited earth and the people who live on the earth, which functions apart, and in some cased opposed to God, with Satan as it’s ruler. (John 12:31; 16:11; 1 John 5:19). Believers in Jesus Christ are simply in the world—physically present—but not of it, not part of its values (John 17:14-15) not integrating its agendas or movements. As believers, we should be set apart from the world. This is the meaning of being holy and living a holy, righteous life—to be set apart. We are not to engage in the sinful activities the world promotes.

The reason for this is the gospel stands on its own. It does not needs any worldly agendas, or “isms” to help it along. It has stood the test of time for nearly 2000 years. Meanwhile the world is becoming increasingly divided, deceptive, wicked, and godless. All the more reason for Christ’s Bride to flee from its agendas. When the Church has faltered is when it has attempted to piggyback the world onto the gospel or the gospel onto the world.

This is especially true as the time of the second advent of Lord draws nearer. 2 Timothy draws upon the theme of the church departing from the faith, but also maintaining a godly distinctive: “But understand this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God. They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these.”

Unfortunately, many churches have drifted, and in some cases run, toward the godless agendas of today’s cultures in terms of sexuality, marriage, idolotry, worship, and godliness. The results of these departures of faith are costly in the church, but perhaps the predominant characterization is an increase in divisions.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon us as a governing body of believers to be intentionally clear about our terms. I would be surprised if there is a single person here who doesn’t believe and support the multicultural nature of the Church, nor would we begin to see the value and necessity of woman in ministry in a biblical context. The Gospel has settled that question already and the image of the nations gathered around the throne of God in heaven should assuage any doubts.

The problem arises when we begin to devalue the preeminence of the Word for cultural agendas; when we replace biblical language for cultural language. Words have meaning. Culturally, the meaning of words can change and shift. Biblically speaking the Word of God does not change and it does not shift.

It was Oswald Chambers who said, “There have been prophets and students who handle the Bible like a child’s box of bricks; they explain to us the design and structure and purpose; but as time goes on things do not work out in their way at all. They have mistaken the scaffolding for the structure, while all the time God is working out His purpose with a great and undeterred patience.”

The question before us is not what is our preference, but instead, what is our mandate? In churches There are those who emphasize doctrinal purity, and there are those that emphasize relational unity. These aren’t mutually exclusive, until one abandons the Scriptural Authority for the sake of their cause. When that happens you will find divisions emerging.

Despite these things, people and churches and denominations and even entire periods of history lean one way or the other. We are living in a period of time that does not love the truth and even denies there is truth. The Church, according to the Apostle Paul is to be the pillar and buttress of truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Which means that in today’s cultural we are countercultural and according to culture if you stand for the truth, especially biblical truth, you are arrogant and unloving. Chose today whom you are going to serve, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

I send this statement back to you in opposition, not because I am opposed to what it says, but because of its ambiguity. It is leaving doors open for divisions and it already has divided us. Not because I am opposed to cultural diversity in terms of race and cultures, (as I said before Jesus already answered that question), but because it removes boundaries that could be exploited in the future by those with greater worldly influence.

Secondly, this statement reflects temporal goals without biblical authority. It is based upon cultural trends instead of biblical norms. The guardrails are weak the boundaries are frail. As GK Chesterton once said, “Before you move a fence, you better consider why it was put there in the first place.” Godly men like Arden Gilmer and many others before us stood as guardians overseeing the necessity of the Word to be incarnational through the church. This is not a statement inspired by that Word, it is more inspired by the world.

Lastly, this statement fails to inspire. Like a coach at halftime, a vision statement should unite the team to go the distance and finish game strong or the commander of a unit on the eve of a great battle to bring home the victory. Lest we forget that we too are engaged in a battle for the souls of men, not the applause of the world. This is not the battle for the environment, genders, or equity. We are employed in the great commission. When we put our eyes on other things, we take our eyes of our King.

Thank you.