A Change in Belief
Until the re-union with the Suffolk Street Fellowship in 1957 the Central Ecclesias had always maintained the principle of withdrawal from any ecclesia which harboured wrong teaching or wrong behaviour, and which refused to correct the situation. "A fence around the truth"Bro. Robert Roberts called this principle of withdrawal of fellowship for error, whether from individuals or an ecclesia, as "a fence around the truth". Sadly, this fence has been broken down, and the excuse of ecclesial autonomy is applied even where an ecclesia departs from the Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith — a statement of beliefs which is supposed to be common to all Central ecclesias, and upheld by all the ecclesias within that Fellowship.
The Christadelphian for July 1945 contained the following quotation from Bro. Roberts, who was commenting on Deuteronomy Chapter 13, 'Communities were to be dealt with on the same principle as individuals. If it were reported that any one city had commenced to serve other gods (v. 12, 13Deut. 13:12-13 If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying, 13 Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;) then said Moses, shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you, thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein' (v. 14, 15Deut. 13:14-15 14 Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; 15 Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.). The comparisons drawn in Peters epistle between false teachers in fleshly Israel and spiritual Israel is evidence that this Mosaic enactment contains a lesson for us. The use of sword or anything destructive is out of the question; a practical protest by refusing to fellowship is the full extent of permitted action. The command to enquire is not at variance with the New Testament injunction: it is in harmony with it. When, therefore, it is reported that any brother or ecclesia is following false doctrine, it is not only permitted, but it is obligatory on other brethren and ecclesias, to enquire, and make search, and ask diligently, to see whether it be true, and the thing certain. "Other ecclesias cannot co-operate without complicity"If it is, the responsibility of their position leaves no option but that of repudiating complicity with the evil.
Commenting on this the editor, Bro. John Carter wrote, "If an ecclesia is known to persist in teaching wrong doctrine, or retaining in fellowship those who do, other ecclesias can only avoid being involved by disclaiming association.....other ecclesias cannot co-operate without complicity. Harmony in essentials has ceased to exist, and behind a facade of union there is really disunity." In Deuteronomy 13 no doubt those who were opposed to the men of belial would be given the opportunity and warning to flee from the city before it was destroyed. Yahweh did not say that if there were aged or sick folk in that city, then the city was to be spared for their sakes. If they wished to avoid being destroyed with the men of belial the elderly and sick would have to get out whatever the difficulties — even to be put on ox-carts, or carried bodily out. The innocent members of the city would have to leave their homes in order to survive! Yahweh did not say to the faithful of that city, stay in the city to try to strengthen it against error. The command was "Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein." "If an ecclesia is known to persist in teaching wrong doctrines, or to retain in fellowship those who do, other ecclesias can only avoid being involved by disclaiming fellowship"As Bro. Roberts points out, the city typifies the ecclesia, and the lesson is plain that all faithful brethren and sisters must flee out of an ecclesia which has become corrupted by wrong doctrine or wrong behaviour, and other ecclesias must dissociate themselves from the erring ecclesia.
In 1952 Bro. John Carter was in North America, and helped to draw up an agreement between the Central Ecclesias and many of the Berean Ecclesias as a basis for the Berean Ecclesias to rejoin Central. Clause 3 of that agreement read, "If an ecclesia is known to persist in teaching wrong doctrines, or to retain in fellowship those who do, other ecclesias can only avoid being involved by disclaiming fellowship" (The Christadelphian 1952, page 376). Thus, the Scriptural principle of defilement by contact was still being practised by the Central ecclesias.
In 1953 a Berean ecclesia in U.S.A. wrote to all the Central Ecclesias in Britain requiring them to confirm that they upheld the terms of this agreement. "Should any depart from any elements of the One Faith, withdrawal shall take place after the procedure requited by Titus 3:10, 11 has been followed. If an ecclesia is known to persist in teaching false doctrine, it is the duty of other ecclesias to dissociate themselves from such an ecclesia."In reply, Bro. Carter wrote, "We agree with you that these resolutions clearly set out the established attitude of all ecclesias in the Central fellowship, and there seems to be no point in confirming a position which has been recognised for many years" (The Christadelphian, 1953, pages 216/7).
In 1957 re-union between the Central and Suffolk Street ecclesias took place upon the basis of a Final Statement which included the clause, "Should any depart from any elements of the One Faith, withdrawal shall take place after the procedure requited by Titus 3:10, 11Titus 3:10, 11 10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; 11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself. has been followed. If an ecclesia is known to persist in teaching false doctrine, it is the duty of other ecclesias to dissociate themselves from such an ecclesia." We see that now the principle had been watered down to the effect that ecclesias were not required to "disclaim fellowship", but to "dissociate themselves" — a more ambiguous phrase.
Since 1957 the principle of withdrawal from an erring ecclesia has been eroded by the claim that all ecclesias are autonomous, and this autonomy is now taken to cover doctrine and behaviour, although the very existence of a (supposed) common Statement of Faith denies this.