As a people or organization among the religious bodies of this age we differ in some essential particulars from all others. It is the necessity of defining these points of difference, and not any assumed superior excellences, nor any spirit of controversy, that leads us to frequent reiteration of our views. Moreover, we need to do this with greater clearness and detail through the press, so that misrepresentations or misunderstandings may be avoided. At the very basis of our peculiar or special views lies our conception of the Church in contradistinction from the views of other bodies of Christians. For while in the main we do not use terms different from those employed by others in the statement of their views, they convey a somewhat different conception to our minds. This fact will become more apparent as we proceed with our remarks. It will also become clearer that our separate existence as a people is mainly dependent upon our views of the Church, and upon certain necessary corollaries.

      Let us glance at,

      The Church had its origin with Christ, the incarnate Logos. He is its author and its head. It is his body, and he sustains to it the relations, implied in these and other kindred terms found in the New Testament. Before the days of Christ the Church, in a very important sense, had no existence. True, there was a "Church in the wilderness," but the differences between the Church then and now are so important as to justify us in holding that according to the New Testament idea of the Church its origin is subsequent to the birth of the world's Redeemer.

      Now, out of this position we justly deduce the inference that the laws of the Church, her ordinances, her officers, and her ministry must be sought for in the New Testament. That whatever, in these respects, is not found in the New Testament cannot be a part of her laws or of her polity. This leads us to reject the law of circumcision as a type of baptism for children, since we find no law in the New Testament directing us to baptize children. It also justifies us in rejecting the notion of a priesthood and a spiritual hierarchy, such as are found in certain modern religious organizations, together with every other order and device of human origin.

      According to our view of the Church, Christ is its supreme and only authoritative lawgiver; and his word, spoken by himself, and spoken and written by his Apostles under divine inspiration, constitutes both the substance of our faith and the rule of social (or churchly) and spiritual life. We can, therefore, accept no creed, or articles of faith, or formulated doctrines, or system of theology other than what we find in the word. We are not, however, thereby restrained from stating what we believe the Bible teaches, but we cannot use anything as a test of fellowship, or as a discipline, or as an authoritative standard of faith and morals, but the word of God.

      So in reference to church organization, officers, etc., we are not at liberty to deviate from the word as found in the New Testament. Hence, we reject all but the two orders of officers prescribed in the word. We have only deacons and elders. There are no such offices known to the New Testament as those filled by primates, archbishops, bishops (except elders), prelates, deans, sub-deans, archdeacons, vicars, legates, beadles, popes, cardinals, confessors, priors, monks, abbots, etc., and hence these cannot be known among us.

      In like manner do we reject all vestments as inconsistent with the supreme law of the Church; and all rites not prescribed by divine authority. We reject rubrics, and litanies, and liturgies, and books of prayer; we regard as human the rites of confirmation, mass, high mass, matins, vespers, christening, auricular confession, the breviary, missals; we refuse to venerate relics, to use the rosary, beads, the crucifix and other human inventions; we reject clerical and other vestments, such as the robe, gown, pallium, surplice, tiara, etc.

      Christ as our lawgiver has given us three simple and perpetual rites which we observe according to his directions. These are, first, the immersion of believers in water; second, the washing of one another's feet; and, third, the communion of the bread and wine. We attend to these, as we conceive, according to the simple manner and form found in the word. We require no special garments in baptism either for the administrator or the candidate. We do not hold the Passover feast, or take a full meal in connection with the communion of the bread and wine, because we are nowhere directed to do so. We wash each other's feet, because Christ washed his disciples' feet, and said unto them as disciples, "I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you."

      The Church, except as it is constituted of (not by) the individual members, exists only in idea or in purpose. It is not something projected and perfected in itself, and into which men are brought by any agency. It is not a thing in and of itself, but has being only objectively in the constituent parts or members which compose it according to a certain order. Hence, when Christ said, "Upon this rock I will build my Church," the Church only existed prospectively and in idea, and it awaited the calling out (ekkaleo, whence ekklessia or church) of individuals from the world to constitute it. Christ, therefore, we regard as the potential author of the Church, not in that he created it and perfected it in his time (except in its institutional sense) and gave it to men, but in that by the word and the Spirit, as preached by his ministers, he calls men from a life of sin and alienation to a life of holiness and communion with him.

      Now, from this position we deduce several important corollaries. We believe that Christ to-day is the author and builder of the Church. We therefore reject the idea of succession as held by some, believing that the true succession consists in the same divine call to life which all the ancient saints received. No Church is Christ's Church by virtue of any series of unbroken succession.

      Neither have we any right to organize or form a Church. We belong to Christ, and are constituent parts of his Church by virtue of such belonging. To organize a Church or denomination is a species of schism discountenanced by the word. When we go out to preach the gospel, we go at Christ's bidding, and to do his work. When we are instrumental in bringing sinners to God, their new birth makes them a part of the heavenly family, of the Church of God. We bring them together in an organized capacity for worship and discipline, and appoint over them such officers as God has directed shall exist in his Church. We have no more right to organize a party, or sect, or denomination, than individual citizens have to form a State within the Union, according to their pleasure. We are simply working for Christ in building his Church upon the rock, and we must abide by his orders.

[The Church Advocate 40 (July 28, 1875): 4.]

      Christian H. Forney's "The Church" was first published in The Church Advocate, Vol. 40, No. 13 (July 28, 1875), p. 4. The electronic version has been transcribed from a copy of the article printed from a microfilmed edition of the newspaper held by the State Library of Pennsylvania. Thanks to Adams Memorial Library for arranging for the interlibrary loan, and to St. Vincent College Library for the use of its microfilm reader/printer.

      In the printed text, an extended quotation is set off by the absence of leading between lines; in the printed text, it is set off as a block quotation. Inconsistencies in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and typography have been retained; however, corrections have been offered for misspellings and other accidental corruptions. Emendations are as follows:

            Printed Text [ Electronic Text
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 p. 4:      important coarollaries. [ important corollaries.
 

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 27 June 1999.
Updated 13 July 2003.