Through a glass, darkly...

I am attempting to explain the history of, the core beliefs of and the diversity among the branches and even congregations affiliated with the restoration movement -- to people for whom the idea of protestantism is even alien. Add to that the fact that I am not exactly a text book c of C'er and this presents quite a challenge: to be clear without being dogmatic, to be concise without ellipsing important information, to be honest in showing the good and the bad while attempting not to paint a tainted picture is possibly more than I am capable of.

I find myself in researching to be somewhat torn. I love my church family, both my current church home and the one of my hometown. I believe in the hermeneutic even while differing in the way it is sometimes applied. I know why I am a member of this body.

But in researching and viewing different items, I am also embarrassed often by our history. As a convert, I have to say that researching the movement, particularly in the earlier days of my Christian walk, I had to ask what I had gotten myself into and whether God had, in fact, led me here as it so seemed.

The congregation in which I worship is full of love, it's open, giving and caring seeking to minister to each other and the world at large. It's not perfect, but then neither is my physical family. But the larger picture of our movement can't convey that. It's filled with factions ripping and tearing at each other, quibbling over semantics, methods, forms and functions - to the point at which I, looking in, can no longer find our love for the gospel. We prefer rather to be "right" than to know grace and admit we haven't got it all sorted out yet. Historically, we have been pacifists in war, yet our appetite for conflict within our own brotherhood seemed (and, indeed, sometimes yet seems) insatiable.

We as members of the body of Christ are meant to represent Christ. We can't do that if we're busy dissecting ourselves in to a bunch of useless, amputated and dead limbs. Amputated limbs are no longer connected with the Head.