 
In early America, around 1800, Churches were dividing over creeds based on theories, and forming into separated groups, each one believing its teaching was the correct one. The restoration movement went against this, trying to restore the Bible as the only authority in Christianity. It was not a doctrinal proclamation. It was a procedural proclamation. The pioneers wanted to comply with God's command "Turn not to the right hand nor to the left" to displace the various creeds and human interpretations with the pure word of God and lead people to be disciples, members of the body of Christ, not members of a sectarian division. In going that way we had a good thing and we should have stuck with it. But we didn't.
Within a hundred years, in 1889, Daniel Sommer began calling the brotherhood to return to the practice of drawing lines of fellowship on the basis of deductions and conclusions. The movement had stood their ground for nearly a hundred years and had done a lot of good. I still stand on that ground because it is right. That is the reason I am as much opposed to extreme legalism as I am opposed to extreme liberalism. The Bible condemns both. Either of these is a turn off course either to the left or to the right. Sommers condemned Sunday school classes, a church treasury, located preacher, and other things, on the basis of theory. Concerning those who disagreed with
him he said, "We cannot and will not regard them as brethren."
Too many of the brethren bought into that idea and most of the restoration movement reverted back to the very things that had been the original target of the movement, binding deductions and conclusions as terms of fellowship.
Then, in reaction to that the liberal elements were formed. So now we have a large segment of the brotherhood pushing a lawlessness concept and a large segment pushing legalistic theories. Each segment believes they are the genuine article and all who disagree with them are off course.
The schools of preaching have become the most vigorous promoters of legalism. In the mid 1970s I had my first head on encounter with one of these extreme groups. I was preaching at Harriman, TN. in 1976. I had become greatly concerned that most of the churches of Christ had accepted the Roman Catholic sacrament concept in the matter of divorce & remarriage. This resulted in mishandling divorce cases and was destroying many lives, especially spiritually. So I spoke out on the subject and asked the brethren to open their Bibles and recheck that theory. We lived about 30 miles from Karns and the "East Tennessee School of Preaching," now called the "Southeast Inst. of Biblical Studies." The first response I got was a letter from the director of that school (John Waddey) saying that I had better recant what I had said or I would be in a heap of trouble. I replied, "I will recant anything that is shown to be unscriptural. But I will not recant anything just because you don't like it." Then they came at me with both guns blazing, sending men over to order our elders to fire me and when they did not do so they sent out letters to area churches asking them to disfellowship the Harriman church. They blacklisted my name nationwide and called on churches not to hear me. They actually tried to enforce that decree.
Ironically, at the time they were accusing me of "condoning adultery" their director was having adulterous affairs with many women and later this was reported in a local paper. One of their faculty, M.H. Tucker, sent out letters misrepresenting what I had said and then refused to make a correction. I wouldn’t exactly call this "a beacon of righteousness."
The schools of preaching have been the most divisive and inaccurate in promotion of a sectarian concept. In addition to Karns there is Memphis school of preaching, Bear Valley, Florida, Brown Trail, and even one university, Freed Hardeman. Yes, either of these factions will treat you cordially and with respect and honour if you agree with them. But try disagreeing with them and they will try to destroy you.
The great need today is very similar to what it was in 1800. We need to make express Bible statements the only standard of measurement and test of fellowship. As is said in the Declaration and Address, deductions and conclusions may be true but they are the property of the one drawing them and cannot logically be seen as a "term of communion." We need to lay aside our creeds and look carefully at what the Bible actually says, or doesn't say, about the matter of divorce & remarriage, the matter of instrumental music in worship, and several other subjects we had thought not open to question. The solutions offered by liberalism are not accurate either. What the Bible says on any matter is the final word and we need to recognize that.
At the end of the way we will be judged by what is written in the books, not by any group's theories. If we do not line up with that we are simply not ready for the judgment.
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