R ,e - A r m a m e n t (
of lords, and Saviour of the world? His death made possi ble our salvation; His return will mean the deliverance of the entire creation from the bondage of sin and Satan. My own first personal contact with Moral Re-Arma ment, then known as the Oxford Group, occurred a num ber of years ago, when I was pastor of the historic Church of the Open Door in Los Angeles. The Group was meet ing for some kind of conference in the city and their publicity had reached many of my members. They came to me to inquire about the Group teaching, and I prom ised to preach a sermon on the subject, about which I had read over the years. In fact, I had followed its history from the appearance of Begbie’s “More Twice Bom Men” ; had read A. J. Russell’s “ For Sinners Only” and Peter Howard’s “ Innocent Men” and their other writings; had noted their ups and downs. So I asked for an interview with the Group heads and we had a conversation in a downtown hotel. I regretted that Dr. Buchman himself was not in the city, for in such cases I prefer to go to the top. However, the leaders who were present assured me that they had a full knowledge of the teachings and aims of the Group, and I had no reason to doubt their word. One of them told me he was a graduate of Oxford University. Of course, this Group has never had any official connection with the University, which will become evident as we review its history. I wasted no time, but went straight to the heart of the matter, asking why in their writings and teachings (they did not propagandize so much then with plays, musicals and motion pictures as they do now) the Scrip tures were hardly ever referred to; why there was so little of the death and resurrection of Christ; what they meant by the term “ life-changing.” In answer to these three questions they said the Group had never put much stress on doctrine for they believed living to be more im portant than believing; that some of their writers did mention the cross; that they meant a life changed by God. I said that without the Bible, they had no founda tion at all; that to put living the Christian life before becoming a Christian was not only the reverse of what
an unnamed Swiss Red Cross leader, the only really “ effective thing” being accomplished in that troubled, area is by Moral Re-Armament. In fact, the article (like all of the publications from this Group) is so full of claims of what they have done for the good and peace of the world that one must agree with the columnist who wrote: “ If you read Moral Re-Armament literature, you are surprised to see in the headlines of your daily news paper that crime, labor troubles, the cold war, etc. are still going on.” True, they do not state in so many words that the golden age of the Millennium is being ushered in by the Group, but one may infer it from the rosy pic ture of their exploits which they paint. What is Omitted However, these high-flown phrases and absurd pre tensions are not the worst of this Easter message. It is what is not said that is tragic. Frank Buchman does not declare that the Gospel of a crucified and risen Lord and Saviour is the only thing that will bring personal peace to the hearts of men. He does not state that Christ’s re turn to reign and to rule upon this earth is the only thing that will bring permanent peace to the nations, and an end to all spiritual, political, and social problems. We are not directed to God and His Word in this crisis hour. Perhaps some Moral Re-Armament followers may say, “ This is all implied in the word, ‘Re-Armament.’ ” But these advertisements are not for the inner circle of the Group. This message of Dr. Buchman’s was to “Amer ica and the world”-—to what we believe to be a lost and dying world, in need of the redemption of Christ. If Dr. Buchman and his followers believe that Christ is the answer, why doesn’t he say so? Why mislead unsaved men into thinking that any Group—any ideology—apart from the gospel committed by Christ to His own—is the answer to the world’s heart-breaking sin and need? Why miss such a golden opportunity to point to the Lamb of God as the only hope for men and nations? Why should Moral Re-Armament take the credit that alone belongs to the Son of God, Prince of peace, King of kings, Lord
OCTOBER, 1961
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