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What Is a Church of Christ? Silenced

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What Is a Church of Christ? Silenced An international newspaper Our mission: To inform, for Churches of Christ inspire and unite Vol. 75, No. 3 | March 2018 www.christianchronicle.org IMAGE VIA PIXABAY, LETTERING BY LYNDA SHEEHAN Sexual abuse victims ‘fed up’ with silence SOCIAL MEDIA advocacy empowers survivors, molester’s son says. GRAPHIC BY CHELLIE ISON VIA WordcloUDS.com BY BOBBY ROSS JR. | THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE or far too long, victims have been What is a Church of Christ? silenced. Finally, they have an outlet to spot- AS NUMBERS DECLINE in the U.S., Christians ponder a fellowship’s identity light their painful ordeals. FThat’s how Jimmy Hinton character- BY ERIK TRYGGESTAD | THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE leadership, baptism by immersion single cup and an undivided loaf. izes the social media movements — first and a cappella worship. In recent years, other Churches #MeToo and now #ChurchToo — where t should be love.” But in 2018, a clear definition of Christ have added instrumental sexual abuse survivors are recounting That was Jeff Cash’s of those who strive to be simply worship services, ministered their real-life nightmares. answer to the question, Christian is anything but simple. alongside denominational groups “Quite simply, millions “What would you say Survey respon- and changed their name, though of abuse survivors are ‘Idefines a Church of Christ?” dents noted a they still identify with the fellow- fed up with the church Cash, an American missionary widening variety ship of autonomous congregations. protecting abusers while serving in Fort Portal, Uganda, of practices taking The word “autonomy” itself shaming the victims,” was one of more than 640 respon- place in buildings eludes definition, survey respon- said Hinton, minister for dents to a Christian Chronicle that bear the name dents said. Young believers chal- the Somerset Church of survey titled “A closer look at “Church of Christ.” lenge the claim that Churches of Christ in Pennsylvania, who Churches of Christ in the U.S.” Some divisions Christ are non-denominational — reported his own father to Most of the respondents, when have existed for especially as growing movements Hinton Cash police when he learned the asked to define the fellowship, decades. Non- of community churches make the longtime preacher was a child molester. cited the goal of restoring the institutional Churches of Christ same claim. Hinton is a certification specialist with church described in the New oppose support for para-church So what is a Church of Christ in the advocacy organization GRACE (Godly Testament book of Acts and the organizations and mission min- 2018? Bewildered, several respon- Response to Abuse in the Christian epistles written to first century istries. Some Churches of Christ dents answered, “I don’t even Environment). He cites frequent private churches. Many mentioned strict hold fast to the belief that the Lord’s know anymore.” messages he receives “from survivors adherence to Scripture, male Supper should be shared from a See IDENTITY, Page 14 who were either not believed by their church leaders or, worse, were humili- Above: Christian Chronicle readers respond to the question, “What would you say defines a Church of Christ?” ated, shamed and blamed for the abuse. The most frequently used phrases appear in the word cloud. The larger the word, the more often it appeared See #CHURCHTOO, Page 6 among the 640-plus responses. See word clouds for five individual age groups in Currents, Pages 17 to 20. 2 THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE MARCH 2018 SOLAR EVENT PHASE IV e fourth phase of our Solar distribution takes us to the Philippines. Many of those living in the Philippines live in remote areas where electricity is not always available. ese solar players will enable Christians to learn more about God and His Word and to give them the information they need to share it with others. Learn more by using the QR code of visit http://sunset.bible/solar. International Bible Institute Sunset International Bible Institute • 800.658.9553 • www.sunset.bible MARCH 2018 THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE 3 After Kentucky Blessings shooting, teen’s faith amazes in the ashes re you OK?” SISTERS IN CHRIST brought together “Tell me you’re safe.” by massive California wildfire. “Pamela, please ‘Atext me back.” BY BOBBY ROSS JR. | THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE At 7:57 a.m. on a recent Tuesday, a gunman opened VENTURA, Calif. — For the last few years, fire at Marshall County DeLoyce “Dee” Hathway and Crystal High School in Benton, Rabe worshiped together each Sunday. Ky., a rural However, the Ventura Church of Inside Story community Christ members never really connected. Ross 130 miles In a weekly assembly filled with northwest 150 souls, Hathway — who jokes that of Nashville, she’ll celebrate the 50th anniversary Tenn. of her 39th birthday in September — By the sat toward the back. time the Before Edward rampage William Hathway, ended, two Dee’s husband of 69 Bobby Ross Jr. students years, died on Feb. 16, were dead, 2017, he battled lung and 14 were riddled with cancer for years. bullets, police said. Seven “So I had to get him other victims — all teens — out, take care of him Hathway were hurt as students ran PHOTO PROVIDED BY SHANNON WILBURN more,” the World War II for their lives. Shannon Wilburn and Walt Erwin greet each other before Wilburn donated a kidney to Erwin. veteran’s widow said of her quick exits As news of the nation’s after the closing prayer. latest mass shooting Rabe, who lost her own husband, spread, text messages Tom, eight years ago, occupied a flooded 18-year-old Pamela When God wants your kidney pew up front, taking advantage of the Ross’ phone. AN OKLAHOMA CHURCH MEMBER found himself in urgent need of a church’s special technology for the But for half an hour, the hearing impaired. messages to Ross, a senior transplant. A minister’s wife answered the call — eventually. That meant Rabe, who placed at Marshall County High membership in 2014, seldom crossed and a lifelong member of the BY BOBBY ROSS JR. | THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE Thirty-five years earlier, Erwin, paths with Hathway, a Ventura church Benton Church of Christ, now 66, had received a kidney from member since Harry Truman was went unanswered. The texts TULSA, Okla. his older brother, Frank. But he president. became more frantic. t’s you, Shannon.” desperately needed a new one. And Standing to sing, the women recog- “I had an MRI at 8, or I Shannon Wilburn heard the he was having trouble finding a donor. nized each other’s faces from across the would have been there,” said voice in her head. Without a suitable match, he faced auditorium. But they had no idea they Ross, who faces possible What she didn’t know was ongoing dialysis. That would mean a lived 10 houses apart in a neighbor- neck surgery as the result of ‘Iwhether the voice was her own or that decreased quality of life and a short- hood known for “its winding streets and a 2016 car wreck. “I had no of the Holy Spirit. ened life expectancy. sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean,” clue about anything until I Wilburn, whose husband, Mitch, But was Walt Erwin’s health really as the Ventura County Star described it. got out and got dressed. preaches for the 1,700-member Park Shannon Wilburn’s concern? Then came the Thomas Fire, the “My mom (Susan) looked Plaza Church of Christ in Oklahoma’s “What is going on?” she thought largest wildfire in California’s modern at me with tears in her eyes second-largest city, was sitting in as she wrestled with the voice in her history. and said, ‘There’s been a worship one Sunday in September 2016. head. “I barely know this guy, and I Fanned by powerful Santa Ana shooting.’ I said, ‘What?’ I That morning, an announcement don’t need to give him my kidney.” winds, the fast-moving blaze — which couldn’t process it. … Then informed the congregation that Walt Wilburn, now 47, had plenty of ignited Dec. 4 — destroyed hundreds she handed me my phone, Erwin, a member of Park Plaza’s reasons to ignore the voice. of homes in this city of 110,000, about and I opened it, and I had like branch campus in suburban Jenks, For one, she is extremely busy. 65 miles west of Los Angeles. See SHOOTING, Page 4 needed a kidney donor. See KIDNEY, Page 26 See ASHES, Page 8 4 THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE INSIDE STORY MARCH 2018 SHOOTING: God ‘working’ even amid evil, pain FROM PAGE 3 500 messages and missed calls.” The reality of what had happened sank in, and Ross (no relation to me) broke down. “And it hasn’t been the same since,” she told me. “It won’t be the same for a very, very long time.” In an age of 24/7 news, the Kentucky tragedy faded quickly from the national headlines. In fact, another school shooting — this one claiming at least 17 lives at a high school in Parkland, Fla. — flashed across our television screens just as we were going to press. However, for our fellow Christians such as Ross, the Marshall County PHOTO PROVIDED BY BENTON CHURCH OF CHRIST heartache remains fresh. On the The Benton Church of Christ youth group made signs of support after Mason and Christian Cosner were wounded. morning after the shooting, Ross said it still didn’t seem real: “I talk of Christ in Paducah, Ky., posted on Cosner brothers were wounded in “It’s amazing to see the commu- about it to people like I know that it social media about it.
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