In the past few decades few religious groups have gained as much attention from the media and the anticult forces as the International Churches of Christ which include the Philadelphia Church of Christ and the Boston Church of Christ. Controversial recruitment practices, high commitment expectations of members, use of discipleship partners, and teachings on church authority have bought a barrage of criticism from outsiders and ex-members alike.
Boston Church of Christ is the name given to a religious movement that began with a single congregation in Boston, Massachusetts. This movement has been known by a variety of names such as the Crossroads movement and the International Churches of Christ. The term "Boston Movement" should be clarified in order to distinguish between the founding church in Boston and the churches worldwide that affiliate themselves with the Boston Church of Christ.
Although the Boston Church of Christ officially came into existence in 1979, its roots run much deeper. The Boston Movement is born of the traditions of the nineteenth century Restoration movement in America. Leaders of the Restoration movement such as Thomas Campbell and Barton Stone sought a return to first-century Christianity. According to Long (1994), their two main objectives were to do away with denominational division and to return to the Bible as the sole authority for the faith and practices of the church.
Tucker (1989) stated that the Restoration movement pledged itself to the axiom "Where the scriptures speak, we speak; and where the scriptures are silent, we are silent," (p.26) but applying this interpretive rule was problematic. When some Restorationists began using musical instruments in the worship service and instituting missionary societies, a small conservative faction felt that neither had biblical precedence or authority. This faction, which became the traditional or mainline Churches of Christ, separated itself from the remainder of the Restoration movement. Major doctrinal differences developed among Restorationist leaders as early as the 1870s, and the Churches of Christ officially went their separate way in 1906, growing from 160,000 members to 1.2 million in the United States by the 1990s (Long, 1994).
Many of the beliefs and practices of the Boston movement would fit easily within the evangelical tradition in America. A typical Sunday morning service consists of singing, praying, preaching, and the taking of the Lord's Supper. Members of the movement accept the inspiration of the Bible, the virgin birth, the substitutionary atonement, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, the Trinity, and the Second Coming (Interview).
However, the movement is very exclusive, believing that it alone has "rediscovered" numerous first-century Bible doctrines and that it is virtually impossible to be among the elect outside the ranks of the Boston movement (Tucker, 1989). Movement leaders have a vision for converting the whole world by training individual members to be highly evangelistic and very submissive to the leadership of the church.
Part of their commitment to evangelism is seen in their financial practices. Very rarely will a congregation affiliated with the movement own a church building. A congregation will typically rent a facility in which to meet on Sunday morning. The money that would have gone toward a church mortgage is funneled into paid staff, the majority of whom are involved directly or indirectly in evangelistic efforts.
The key to understanding the Boston movement is the concept of discipleship. The movement sees a sharp distinction between "the world's" view of a Christian and a true disciple of Christ. According to Long (1994), the most important characteristic of a disciple, is making other disciples. Part of the process of making a disciple includes the use of discipleship partners, who were always the same sex and were to have daily contact and meet weekly. Bible talks are also held once a week at regular times and places, and attended consistently by an average of six to ten members (interview). Each Bible talk has a leader and assistants who are "given authority over the members of the group by the elders and evangelists of the congregation to see that the leadership's expectations are implemented by the members of the group" (Long, 1994, p. 75). The Bible talk is the main outreach instrument of the local congregation, and members are expected to bring visitors with them. In many ways, the Bible talk is the foundation of the movement, "for if the Bible talks does not grow, the local churches do not grow" (Long, 1994, p. 77).
Tucker (1989) stated that Matthew 28:19-20 is one of the important passages for the Boston Movement. This passage reiterates the movement's commitment to evangelism and it is also a source outlining the proper form of baptism. There are two important things to know about the movement's teachings on baptism: The only acceptable form of baptism is immersion, and that one is saved at the time of baptism. Since salvation is dependent upon a correct and valid baptism, a person who was baptized in any other religious group is almost always rebaptized upon joining the Boston movement. Often, a members who was initially baptized within the Boston movement will decide he or she did not have a proper understanding of baptism or was not a true disciple at the time of the first baptism, and will be rebaptized a second time (Long, 1994).
Based on the interpretation of the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation, the movement adheres to a "one church, one city" concept (Long, 1994, p. 136). They believe it is unscriptural to have more than one congregation per city. Typically, but not always, a church affiliated with the Boston movement will simply take the name of the city as its name.
There is a clear hierarchy in the Boston movement. World Sector Administrators were appointed by Kip McKean, founder of Boston Church of Christ, to oversee the administration and finances of each world sector. Elders and evangelists make up the leadership core of individual congregations. Each church is usually divided geographically into sectors or quadrants with sector or quadrant leaders. The sectors are then further subdivided into zones, oversee by the sector leaders. The zone leaders then oversee the individual Bible talks.
The mainline Churches of Christ disavowed the Boston movement in the mid-1980s and are now ardent opponents of it. Numerous universities around the country either restrict or bar Boston movement activities on their campuses; articulate forces charge the movement with mind control and abusive practices; and many ex-members have taken up personal crusades against the movement. The majority of the controversy surrounding the Boston movement centers on the "commitment level that is expected of church members and the authority the church exercises in members' lives" (Interview). Members are expected to put the church above all else, including job, friends, and family. Each week the average members attends at least four or five meetings for worship or Bible study. Every member is involved with a discipleship partners. In many congregations Saturday night has been set aside as a time when singles are expected to date other singles in the church. Members are expected to contact people with the intention of recruiting. Accountability sheets from some congregations have also included checklists for such things as whether they had sex with their spouses, and how much sleep and exercise they were getting.
Ex-members charge that church leaders dictated to them regarding the use of their money, how they spent their free time, and with whom they associated. Critics believed that the church attempts to isolate members from anyone who might cause them to question the teachings of the Boston movement. Other critics believe the church's teachings on authority, its influence in members' daily lives, and the discipling relationship have all led to emotional abuse. Along with tremendous growth there has been a tremendous drop-out rate as well. Those who leave are often marked as people with whom the members are to have no contact.
Long (!994) concluded that the challenges facing the Boston movement in its second decade is sustaining its tremendous growth. It may be unlikely that critics will become fewer in numbers as the Boston movement expands. The movement will continue to have to deal with the ranks of ex-members, critics, and anticult forces in the upcoming years.
Tucker, R. (1989). Another gospel: alternative religions and the New Age movement. Grand Rapids, Academie Books.
Interview with an ex-member
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