Institutionalism
The First Human Institution and Its Aftermath (No.2)

From its beginning the ACMS never enjoyed clear sailing. Brother Earl West in his four volume history of the Restoration Movement, "The Search For The Ancient Order," comments, "Scarely had the American Missionary Society been organized when a wave of opposition began sweeping over the brotherhood." (Vol.1, p.196). By the close of 1849, J.B. Feruson, editor of "Christian Magazine," wrote that "the mails of the past week have brought to us letters from some of almost every class of laborers in the Lord's vineyard, and of every variety of talent and acquirement, urging us by appeals to the highest and purest motives, to lift our voices against the present dangerous tendency of the Reformation." (Vol.III, No.7, July, 1850, p.207).

Faithful men still determined to "walk in the Old Paths" (Jer.6:16), and only "speak as the oracles of God," (1.Pet.4:11), said to the proponents of the ACMS, we must speak, "not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth, combining spiritual things with spiritual words." (1.Cor.2:13). Finding no justification in the scriptures for the human institution recently established, they rose up to do battle. They considered the Society not only contrary to Primitive Christianity, but a hateful assumption of power by men.

A hard-fought battle ensued. A period of intense teaching by every possible medium was utilized against the Society. Almost every gospel meeting contained sermons on the evils of the society. Public debates and lenghty discussions were carried on in the periodicals of the day. Thankfully, through the efforts of faithful and uncompromising men, a remnant was saved from the clutches of the ACMS. But, much to the glee of Satan, the Society had scarred the glorious body of Christ. Churches were divided, men were alienated from one another, and the work of restoring the church of Christ had been slowed.

From that day until the present time, unsound brethren have relied upon human institutions to do the work of the church. But, history shows that no human institution has ever advanced the cause of Christ. It has only succeeded in destroying the peace and harmony of God's people by division and strife.

Benjamin Franklin, a respected gospel preacher of yesteryear, at first tried to defend the Society for the sake of unity, even though he was unsure in his own mind that it had a right to exist. Before long he recognized that the Society existed without scriptural precedent, and he could no longer keep silent. I am sure he felt much like Jeremiah, the prophet, who would have liked to say nothing, but felt so keenly his responsibilty to warn the people that he wrote "... His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not." Jer.20:9b). So, in his periodical "The American Christian Review" Franklin wrote, "We are perfectly aware that if we wish to put the Christian communities into the power of men, to control them, wield them, and make them engines to honor man, we need some kind of an organization beyond the simple organization of the New Testament; but the simple, independent church, for keeping the ordinances, religious instruction, and saving the world, is all-sufficient for the good of the saints and the glory of God. Indeed, one of the principal reasons why this question of organization has perplexed the minds of so many is, that they are looking for, and trying to make out of something unknown to the whole New Testament. They overlook the simple, easy and common-sense arrangement of the New Testament, and complain that we have no arrangement." (Vol.I, no.4, April, 1856, p.116). Thus Franklin joined Jacob Creath Jr. who had maintained warfare against the Society from its very inception. These were not the only ones who were fighting the battle against the Society. Men such as David Lipscomb, Benjamin Franklin and countless others who could be named, (space is limited), stood shoulder to shoulder as they fought against the all-consuming tenacles of the octopus seeking to devour and destroy the Lord's church.