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CNN's Attack Upon the Lord's Church

By Lowell Blasingame

If you were listening to CNN Headline News (3/27/06) and heard the Nancy Grace segment of it, you were treated to a travesty of misinformation as Nancy sought information about the church of Christ from Tom Rukala, a Baptist preacher. This came about as a result of the tragedy occurring at Selmer, Tennessee in which a minister's wife has been charged with his death.

Mr. Rukala told Nancy that the church of Christ "is a legalist sect." That's no new charge for when Paul stood trial before Felix, Tertullus, the Jew's lawyer, charged Paul with being "a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes," and Paul confessed "that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the law and written in the prophets," (Acts 24:5,14). Paul didn't acknowledge being a member of a sect but to a group "which they call a sect." Who charged that Paul was a member of a sect? A lawyer who was just as ignorant of what Paul believed and taught as Rukala is of us! Note that Paul said; "believing everything laid down by the law and the prophets." Is this what makes one a part of a "legalistic sect?" If so, the Baptist church surely isn't one because one can follow every New Testament directive and it won't make him a Baptist!

Rukala is just as far off base about church history as he is about Biblical teaching. If Campbell started the church 150 years ago, how did Paul send greeting from "churches of Christ" (Rom. 16:16) to the Roman saints and since the Lord "added the saved to the church" (Acts 2:47) on Pentecost, whose church was it? And as to the validity of baptism depending upon being baptized by one of "their preachers," it may surprise Mr. Rukala to learn that Alexander Campbell was baptized by Mathias Luce, a Baptist preacher!

As to our use of "intimidation and pressure tactics, " we promise to give book, chapter and verse for what we teach and practice in religion (1 Peter 4:11) and call upon others to do the same and that's intimidating to a denominational preacher! He can't do it.