Church Federation Movement
By K. C. Russell
EVERY federation that has been carried on in the name of religion from the earliest history of the professed church of Christ to the present, is claimed to have been for the best interests of society. Good men in every age have longed to see the evils removed which have been a menace to good morals, and hence any movement which has sought to accomplish this end has been eagerly accepted as a possible remedy. The most earnest, devoted, and consecrated of the professed church of Christ to-day are sighing and crying for the abominations that are being done in the land, and are willing to cooperate with those who are desirous of removing these things from our midst. They see the terrible curse of the liquor traffic and every other vice which is lifting its venomous head against the home, the church, and society. Some of the reforms which are sought by many who are engaged in this gigantic movement for federation are commendable, but the end that many are seeking to secure as the result of their course, will ultimately prove disastrous. Every attempt to bring about unity of the diversified sects by resolutions which might be passed by the most thoroly organized society has failed. The only way in which such a union might be obtained is by the removal of that which produces division, and that is sin. Any federation that is formed in the world with sin and selfishness lying at its foundation, will eventually result in ruin. The Master has said, "A house divided against itself can not stand." Let the reader imagine the multiplicity of beliefs which prevail in the various denominations of Christendom and ask himself if, in such a relation, they are not divided against themselves. There is scarcely a uniformity of ideas to-day on great fundamental questions, even as to God Himself. Time and space will not permit me to speak of the conflicting views on theological questions. The Bible plainly teaches that God's people must be of one mind, and all speak the same thing. This sort of federation which means the possession of real unity will prove to be the greatest power the church has ever possessed. It can only be obtained by the renewing of the mind. Religious Federations Never Good.
Federation in the commercial world may be engaged in by those who make no claim to its being religious with some degree of propriety, and even that kind of federation is attended by anything but peace and harmony. But the federation under the name of religion, that seeks the power of the State to further her ends, has never and can never be attended with the blessing of God, or even be accompanied with the success that a worldly federation has. In the first place, the church or churches that enter into such a compact or relation, enter into an agreement that restricts the liberty there is in Christ; in other words, they endeavor to harness the Spirit of the Lord, so that it must operate in certain prescribed limits. Those who do not fall in with the plan are regarded as disloyal to the federation. It matters not that the federating arrangement deprives one of the spirit of freedom that the Lord has given to every one who loves the truth. The Territory Parceled Out.
It will not be questioned that such results will follow when one examines some of the provisions that are to be accepted by those who enter this proposed church federation relation. It is on this wise: One denomination is to have exclusive control of a certain district or territory where it is to operate, and any other denomination or society which transcends its limits which have been fixed by the union is regarded as tho it had encroached upon one's personal possessions. Conceive, if you can, of such a federation being engaged in by Christ and the apostles. If the proposed plan of church federation had been followed out in the days of the apostles, Philip would have been obliged to refuse the call of the Spirit when it bade him join himself to the chariot, wherein sat the Ethiopian of great authority, because it would have been out of his legitimate territory that had been assigned him by the federated body. Paul and Silas might have been out of their field of action when they taught the jailer and his family the Gospel, and so we might cite many other examples. Such a course would only curtail the freedom of the Spirit as far as it would be possible for man to hinder its work. Every person must be left free and untrammeled to work in the sphere to which God calls him. Of course we would not be understood by this that he would not work in harmony with the organized church with which he is associated. This would be in harmony with Christian organization. No Reformation on Such a Plan.
Again, such a scheme as is proposed by this modern church federation would forever preclude the possibility of another reformation. Would there ever have been such a thing as the Reformation of the sixteenth century if Wycliffe, Huss, Martin Luther, Zwingle, and others had been members of a federation movement of this kind in their day? The impracticability of such a movement can be seen when subjected to the slightest analysis. To illustrate: The person who might have been moved by the Holy Spirit to break away from the lifeless forms and ceremonies of a priest-ridden church, would not have dared to attempt it, because he had been bound by the church federation. Where the Spirit of God is, there is liberty. The design of the enemy of the Gospel of Christ, who is the sole promoter of this movement, is to deprive all of their freedom in Christ, the great Head of the church. The outcome can only be that the federated denominations will seek to have a monopoly on the government, a veritable church trust. Rome possesses the very essence of confederacy. This spirit has always characterized her from her earliest history. She is holding her conventions for the purpose of organizing for more aggressive efforts. The recent convention of federated Catholic Societies of America was held in Indianapolis, Ind., behind closed doors, which certainly bears the seal of the Papacy in this particular, for this church itself is but one stupendous secret society. How different from the methods of Him who said, "In secret have I said nothing." Then we have a large per cent of the Protestant denominations united in one great federation, and they are still seeking for a more complete union. It is true there are some features that doubtless will enable their federation to occupy common ground, such as Sunday legislation. Another alarming feature is entering into this great Inter-Church Federation movement, and that is the unity of the great federation of labor organizations with the church federation. One prominent advocate of Sunday laws said that he had interviewed prominent officials in the federated labor organizations, and that they had expressed themselves in perfect accord with the efforts to do away with Sunday labor. When this condition of things comes about, it will be seen how easy it will be to bring about a fulfilment of the words which were spoken by the Seer of Patmos under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, when he said: "He causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads, and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Rev. 13:16, 17. Let the reader take warning from these things, and seek alone for that union with Christ that will enable him to stand regardless of these gigantic movements which are being substituted in these times for the power of the Holy Spirit.