Scott Freeman

Do You Know My Church of Christ?

It seems there has been a lot of publicity recently about my particular tribe of Christians. If you have watched the Nancy Grace show the last couple of evenings, you know that there has been much discussion as to whether or not the Churches of Christ are a cult.

According to last night’s episode it appears that Ms. Grace has made up her mind that we, indeed, are a cult. I have no beef with Nancy Grace. This will not be one of the blogs that hurls stones at her. We benefit no one, including God Himself, if we disparage her. But the mischaracterization of my church family saddens me greatly.

It saddens me that we have not always been the salt and light we need to be. It saddens me that people might actually think this about us. It saddens me that some might have had experiences with us that might have led them to characterize us so harshly.
But it saddens me most of all that it might dampen the potential ministry to people who could be reached by a member of the Church of Christ.

We have our flaws. We are sinners. We don’t have it all figured out. I have my own criticisms and struggles with some of our positions and some of our past.
But we most definitely are not a cult.

So, I ask you, do you know my Church of Christ? Let me tell you:

• Each church is self-governed with no centralized headquarters.
• Each church is different.
• We proclaim to be Christians Only, but NOT THE ONLY Christians.
• We believe that Jesus is the only way to salvation.
• The Church of Christ is dedicated to spreading the Good News of God’s Grace throughout the world employing thousands of missionaries supported by local churches.
• We give millions to disaster relief, children’s homes, inner-city ministry, prison ministries and other charitable institutions.
• The Church of Christ is where I came to love Jesus Christ. It is where I gave my life to Him.
• The Church of Christ is where I have chosen to minister.
• The Church of Christ is where I have chosen to raise my children.
• The Church of Christ is where I met my lovely wife.
• The Church of Christ is where my father has served as an elder for 40 years.
• It is my home, my family, warts and all.
• We have many quality colleges and universities that teach and educate at a level with the finest institutions in America.
• Those colleges do tremendous work. To date, Abilene Christian University is the only Christian College to fully accept Soulforce onto it’s campus in the spirit of Christ.
• Many in the Churches of Christ are working to restore unity in relationships that have been fractured far too long.
• Some of my personal mentors and heroes are members of the Church of Christ: Fred Gray and Rubel Shelly to name just two.
• We preach grace and the love of Christ.
• The Church of Christ allows me to minister and preach and to work out my own salvation.

I could say so much more, but allow this to be just a start. We are not perfect. But praise God, we don’t have to be.

May God shed His grace upon us, the Church of Christ,

May God shed His grace upon the Winkler family.

May God shed His grace upon His precious child, Nancy.

And may He be glorified through the work of this group of people.