River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-01-28
Which one is the
Church OF Christ?


herents to them.
Are they all right?
Is it matter of individual choice
only?
We constantly hear it affirmed
"One church is as good as another. "
Or if this is not SO, how can plain,
busy man, with only a moderate
education, with little time for study,
arrive at anything like a reasonable
certainty as to which one is the
Church of Christ?
We cannot for moment suppose
that God would found a Church at
the cost of the Incarnation, Life,
Sacrifice and Death of His Son, and
then permit it to be a matter of ut.
ter Indifference as to whether men
become members of 1t, or some other
society. This would be to accuse
God of doing at infinite cost some
thing that was unnecessary. The
very thought borders on blasphemy.
On the other hand we cannot but
suppose that He will give a special
blessing and peculiar means of
grace to those who are in the Church
of Christ.
1t will thus be seen that the ques-
ton: Which is the Church of Christ?
is one of vital and vast Importance,
which cannot be lightly set aside.
In order to assist the earnest in
quirer in deciding among SO many
conflicting claims, let US set forth
few universally admitted facts, and
by the elimination of certain guam
titles, simplify the problem.
Every one familiar with the New
Testament will grant: -
l. Christ established a Church.
2. Christ called twelve men
whom He named Apostles, and gave
to them certain powers - COM
mission.
8. TIL Apostles transmitted
these powers, in part at least, to
Others.
4. Christ and His Apostles
taught certain doctrines.
5. Christ and His Apostles COM
manded the Church which He estab-
lished to do certain things.
6. Christ and His Apostles only
founded one Church.
There are, as has been remarked,
over hundred Churches in the
United States; which of them is the
Church of Christ? Let us try them
by these FACTS.
l. DATE = Christ established a
Church.
This no one can deny. The New
Testament is full of reference to the
Church.
But if Christ established Church,
the Church of Christ must be as old
as Christ. If l have volume that
l assert belonged to Abraham Lin
coin, while the title page shows it
was printed in 1875, my claim is abb
surd. No society can be the Church
that Christ founded unless it is at
least more than l 90 years old.
Now when we come to look over the
ground, we. find that among the
many churches in the United States
there are only two that claim to be
that old, viz the Anglo Catholic
| Commonly called the Church of
England, or in this country the
Episcopal) and the Roman Catholic.
All the others, without an exception,
honor and acknowledge a human
founder, and admit recent origin. z
Whether the two named are able to
substantiate their claim or no, is
not now the question, sufficient for
the point at issue is the fact that
they alone make the claim.
1t may be of interest to note
the dates and the founders of some
of the largest religious bodies in
this country.
Lutherans, Martin Luther, 1929
Presbyterians, John Knox, 1520-60
Congregationalists,
Robert Brown, 1868
Baptists. Roger Williams, 1889
Quakers, George Fox, 1913
Universalists, John Murray,
1855
Methodist, John Wesley, 1865
Unitarians, w. E. Charming, 1915
Mormons, Joseph Smith, 1880
Church of Christ,
Mrs. Baker Eddy, 1866
Christian Catholic Oh. in Zion,
John Alexander Dowie, 1893
HOLY TRINITY CHURCH