GodReflection:
In the last post, A 21st Century Parable, my aim was to help us celebrate our rich traditions that honor God, AND to courageously let go of our hidden traditions that can hide the light of Jesus from others.
Many of these traditions come from religious movements. In my own case, a religious movement plays a significant role in who I am and in my daily allegiance to Jesus. The best I can determine, a huge portion of my DNA not only comes from my birth family but from my church family. I understand who I am is formed from both the Master to whom I am committed and to a movement into which I was born.
I became aware of Holy God, Son, and Spirit from my parents, my family, and my church family as I explored the world of my youth. With orientation from their combined examples and instruction, I placed my allegiance with Jesus as the Master I would follow. Much later, I learned of the movement from which our family faith stream was created. I find it to be a life-long process to reconcile the two allegiances of Master and movement in my own life’s walk. Let me explain.
M
y family church heritage comes from the Stone-Campbell Movement, tied closely to what historians refer to as the Second Great Awakening.
Only twenty-five short years after the signing of our nation’s Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, Presbyterians Barton W. Stone and Thomas Campbell began independently of one another a movement of restoration of the church of the New Testament. Their groups united in 1832 and became known as Christian Churches, Disciples of Christ, or Churches of Christ. I can’t believe it—I have Presbyterian blood in my DNA.
It was a grand vision to unite all believers by discarding human creeds, following scripture only, highlighting the priesthood of all believers, and honoring Jesus as King.
The dream was short lived. By 1906, only seventy-four years later, the Stone-Campbell movement shattered into three distinctive separate groups that continue today their divided past. And even those three continue to splinter and divide.
I owe a lot to Barton and Thomas. Deep within the DNA of the movement, these two men planted the desire to honor Scripture. Their writing and sermons reflect an honest desire to honor God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The nature of any movement is the development of traditions (some true and others false) to sustain the movement’s identity. My movement has great traditions. It also has traditions that are not so great.
Where does this leave me?
First, I honestly love my church movement. I like its original ideals. My formation comes from countless people whom I love within the movement. Like me, they followed God, not always knowing to distinguish truth from tradition.
I admire the fact that in the tradition of the movement we see ourselves as a continuation of the church of Jesus. I regret the fact that the unity of all believers is not prominent on the current agenda of the movement. Human weakness within any movement obscures the good traits.
As much as I love the ideals of my movement and the wonderful Christian people who blazed its trail for the past two hundred years, I want to remember always that my allegiance is to the Master and not to the movement. Movements don’t save. The Master Jesus does.
How about it? Regardless of the movement stream into which we may have been born, isn’t today a good day to reaffirm our primary commitment? Let’s make sure we place our allegiance with Jesus and live within his present kingdom and look forward with great anticipation to the time when all will be new.
Stay tuned.
Dr. Gary J. Sorrells
A GodReflection on Where Do We Place Our Allegiance?
God Reflection 
I couldn’t have said it any better Gary! Thanks for reminding us of who we are and where our first allegiance should lie. God bless you.
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While we all learned our beliefs growing up in the church, it is not without error. Our walk should always lead us back to Jesus, who saves us!
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