Recommended Reading: Christ the Great Controversialist
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).
A much-needed and helpful volume came from the annual Contending for the Faith lectureship earlier this year. Many erroneously view Jesus as an individual who loved everybody to the point of never speaking a harsh word or confronting anyone. Although He did love everyone (meaning that he acted in their best interests), He can correctly be called Christ the Great Controversialist. Before discussing the book’s contents, it is worthy of note that the book is dedicated to Lavonne James McClish, who departed from this life just a few weeks before this book was published. The dedication to her serves as a fitting and touching tribute.
The introduction, written by the book’s editor, David Brown, provides a convincing rationale for the bold claim of the title. Many in the religious community, as well as a certain segment of brethren, probably think that we are the only ones who would come up with such an idea, since we have had so many debates with those representing various denominations—not to mention a few amongst ourselves—but the first reference is to a book written by Nathaniel Haynes, a member of the Christian Church. He wrote Jesus as a Controversialist 102 years ago in 1911. Writing the Introduction to that book was B. J. Radford, a preacher, college professor, college president, editor, and poet (also a member of the Christian Church).
Brother Brown decided to reprint that Introduction as part of his for three reasons: 1) Because what Radford wrote is the truth, serving therefore as an appropriate beginning; and 2) “…it shows that the Christian Church and Disciples of Christ have lost the militancy they once taught and to some extent practiced”; 3) It serves as a warning to us (members of the body of Christ) that in a relatively short time people can “lose their concern for the truth,” along with their convictions regarding it (1). However, if there is one thing the past teaches us, it is that we never learn from the past.
Radford writes a thought-provoking introduction—one line of which is often-repeated (and may not have been original with him): “The only antidote for evil is good, and the only antidote for error is truth” (3). The author of the 1911 book, Haynes, published a list of controversies in which Jesus was involved; some are specific events, and some are general references. He divided the Lord’s confrontations into four groups: 1) those with wicked spirits (including Satan); 2) those with His disciples; 3) those with the various parties of the Jews; and 4) those with various other people.
This outline of controversies is useful. Among those with His disciples, twenty are listed, including ones involving their personal ambitions and several with Peter. Jesus’ confrontations with the Sadducees and the Pharisees are quite well known; nineteen are listed. The miscellaneous category includes the woman of Samaria, neighbors in Nazareth, professional mourners, Pilate, and seven others (5-7).
The editor wrote the first chapter, and its title mirrors the title of the book. The material is rich, including such observations as Jesus “is perceived as accepting sinners in their sins, and never demanding that they cease and desist from their sinful conduct” and that He was “not crucified for saying, ‘Consider the lilies of the field’” (11).
Brother Brown takes issue with a book published in 1989 which seeks to encourage members of the church to not challenge either error or false teachers. The title of that book is Among Friends: You Can Make Your Church a Warmer Place by James Hinkle and Tim Woodroof. Some of the false allegations and misrepresentations of Jesus made in that book are refuted with the Scriptures (12-17). Also included is an amusing story of a debate about whether or not debating has any value (21). An interesting quote is given by a denominational figure who laments that those of his own fellowship refuse to fight for (what they believe to be) the truth (23). The material in this opening segment of the book will inspire members to want to study more and speak up more.
Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage
In the past 40 years, many errors have been set forth on this topic. In his analysis of Matthew 19:3-9, Dub McClish sets forth eight points concerning why casual divorce is a violation of God’s law (29). He then deals with several of the false teachings being advocated by some today which contradict or misinterpret what Jesus taught in that text. Below are those errors that are explained and refuted.
- Jesus’ Teaching Applies Only to Christians (31-32).
- Adultery Does Not Refer to a Physical Act of Immorality (32-33).
- Adultery Is a One-time Sinful Act (33-34).
- The Guilty Mate Has the Right to Remarry (34).
- God Recognizes Every Divorce and Marriage Sanctioned by Civil Law (34-37).
All of the above are positions held by some brethren, and every one of them is false. They are soundly refuted by the Scriptures.
Traditions and Hypocrisy
Michael Hatcher provides a thorough analysis of Matthew 15:1-9. After a discussion of the traditions of men versus the traditions of God, he explains what those who were saying, “It is Corban” (cf. Mark 7:11), were actually doing. He concludes that those who used this technique of attempting to circumvent God’s command (“Honor your father and mother”) were guilty of: 1) transgressing God’s command (which should be obvious, since that was their goal); 2) being hypocritical (which Jesus charged them with because they were pretending to uphold God’s law while actually defying it by their tradition); and 3) making their worship vain (which was Jesus’ conclusion concerning their actions) (49). Although Jesus tied false teaching to vain worship in this text, some brethren still do not see any connection and remain blithely unconcerned about what is taught in their congregation.
Danny Douglas deals a little more at length with the subject of hypocrisy, noting that Jesus referred to the Jewish rulers this way in 14 verses of the New Testament (some of which are duplicates) (52). Concerning Matthew 23, where 8 of these are found, Douglas shows how each one of these relates to hypocrisy (55-60). Afterward, he offers a statement that many will understand immediately, while others will not know the application yet accept the truth of it (60).
When men well-known to the brotherhood have rightly preached for years that Christians are to have no fellowship with darkness, and are to refuse false teachers, then neglect this teaching by their own personal practices, it is hypocritical.
Worship
Correct worship was a high priority for Jesus, as already seen in Matthew 15:1-9. Other passages that relate to this subject are Colossians 2:20-23 and John 4, to which Brother Douglas makes reference in this chapter. He also includes some interesting, if not bizarre, material to relate some of the current trends in the country. One reference is to Jamie Foxx ascribing Deity to our current president (68). Another and rather different outlook on worship concerns a program called Nurture 2013, which occurred earlier this year at David Lipscomb University. The leader of the event was the president of a college and seminary “which has its background in The Church of the Nazarene Canada” (72). Seriously? Are there no members of the Lord’s church who could handle such an assignment?
Lipscomb was also offering “A Personal Ignatian Retreat,” based on the “Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola” (72). He was a Roman Catholic who founded the Jesuits. And this is being done by one of “our” schools? If people’s eyes have not been open about Lipscomb before, they should be by now. But, wait! Lipscomb is having a blue light special. For only $1,999, a student can engage in a year-long program that concentrates on the subject of prayer—led by two women! One is an “adjunct professor of spiritual formation at Fuller Theological Seminary…a frequent leader of spiritual retreats…a recurrent speaker at Laity Lodge in Texas…a senior fellow with the Institute for Christian Spirituality at Lipscomb….” As Douglas says: “If this is not the ‘speech of Ashdod,’ what would it be (Num. 13:24-25)?” (72-73).
Who could have imagined such nonsense 50 years ago? As the introduction to this book indicates, it does not take long for people to forget about truth and follow error. Brother Douglas includes more information and details about such things—more than can be included in a brief review. He also includes a valuable section, which is subtitled, “The Lord Refutes Error by Implication.” He lists nine points relating to this heading (76-78).
Civil Government
Terry Hightower includes a wealth of material on the subject of civil government; it could be its own book. He provides several quotes which will delight the reader, one of which was stated by Dallas Willard: “We need to understand that Jesus is a thinker, that this is not a dirty word…” (112). In today’s society, much more emphasis is placed upon “feeling” than “thinking,” yet God gave us the ability to think critically. Hightower examines Jesus’ exchange with Pontius Pilate from a logical viewpoint that makes the familiar passage even more interesting (116-21). This section is followed by the heading: “Is the Devil Really the Acting CEO of All Civil Governments?” In pointing out Jesus’ relationship with the civil government, it is noted that Jesus referred to Herod as “that fox” in Luke 13:31-33, which opens the discussion about our role with political figures.
Is all government evil? Should we pay taxes? How did Jesus deal with such questions? Hightower provides a chart logically dealing with the controversy (131). He further makes a plea for the use of logic, quoting from Geisler and Zukeran:
Since reason and logical arguments were a part of Jesus’s defense, the apologist and all Christians today should make this an area of study as they engage in the battle of ideas (135).
Concerning the area of violence, Hightower examines the pacifist rationale together with Jesus’ overthrowing the tables of the moneychangers. Is violence ever necessary? The last portion of this chapter discusses that question (142-48). In his other chapter that deals with Jesus confronting error about the Father, Hightower provides an interesting defense of the words, beyond the sacred page, in the song, “Break Thou the Bread of Life” (201).
The Holy Spirit
During the past century numerous errors concerning the Holy Spirit have emerged, many of these showing up in the Lord’s church during the past 50 years. Three chapters in the book address Christ’s teachings on this subject. Michael Hatcher’s chapter explains how the promise of baptism in the Holy Spirit in Matthew 3:11 is fulfilled in Acts 1:4-5 (215), how the Holy Spirit accomplishes His work, and the Day of Pentecost (215-18).
Daniel Denham’s first chapter covers the new birth with special attention being given to John 3:5. He deals with the fact that the passive voice used in “be born again” does not indicate “complete inactivity” (322). He also combats the idea that the word water in John 3:5 refers to natural birth (323-25). But most of the chapter is devoted to refuting errors that Mac Deaver has been setting forth in the past few years. Is being born again an exact equivalent to being baptized (325-26)? Also considered is that, if two items are listed, does the second proceed from the first, or does the order matter? Two contrasting examples are Mark 16:16 and John 4:24. The reader needs to consider this section carefully (326-27). How many immersions occur in John 3:5—one or two? These and other questions receive thorough treatment.
Denham’s other chapter deals with miracles, which begins with definitions of five words related to their use in the New Testament (360-63). It includes a discussion of providence, the supernatural, and the miraculous, along with some errors concerning these concepts. What points do all of these have in common, and how are they separate? It is important to remember: “Miracles were not an end in themselves.” They served a purpose, which was that of evidence. The importance of this evidence is treated in the discussion that follows (372-75). Those who claim to be able to do them today do not have the same reason as the Lord and His apostles did.
The Other Chapters
Space prohibits the discussion of the other topics in the book which include many fundamental doctrines. Below is a listing of each one—with an occasional comment. Christ confronted errors concerning:
Materialism and Money (see especially page 86 for an illustration about giving)
Satan (see esp. 91-93 for a section on confronting those taking the part of Satan)
The Kingdom (esp. 106-7 for an analysis of Luke 9:57-62)
Salvation (see esp. 158 for a brief comment about the state of prejudice in the church)
Unity and Fellowship
The Disciples’ Errors
Himself (see esp. 222-23 for Jesus’ attitudes toward challenges that He faced)
Pride
Worry
Faith and Knowledge (see esp. 257-58 for insight into the thinking of the Jews concerning the Law and its principles, as well as their use of expressions)
Truth (see esp. 266-67 for an interesting rebuttal that can be used on an occasion when liberals seek refuge in congregational autonomy as justification for their departures from God’s Word)
Love (see 281-82 for comments about Dr. Eben Alexander’s book, Proof of Heaven)
Repentance (study esp. 289-90, which deals with the issue of faith and repentance from Hiscox’s Standard Manual for Baptist Churches; also note a reason for refusal to pray for someone answering the invitation)
Forgiveness (see esp. 304-5 for an answer to those who try to use David and Bathsheba as a rationale for New Testament marriage and divorce practices; see also 306 for comments on “the sinner’s prayer”)
The End of Time
Heaven and Hell (see esp. 340-41 on the error of the earthly Paradise thinking as it pertains to Muslims)
The Nature of Man (see esp. 351-53 for a thorough definition and explanation of who the Sadducees were)
Women
This volume contains material that is helpful and useful to the Christian in a variety of ways with a number of topics relating to Christianity. The book costs $17.00 plus postage for individual copies and $10.20 plus postage for 5 or more. Churches may want to order at least the minimum amount for their elders, deacons, and other leaders. It may be ordered from Contending for the Faith (281-350-5516).