Community of Christ Makes More Changes

By Richard Price

The 2002 World Conference of the Community of Christ at the Auditorium made some very significant changes during its sessions from April 6 to 14. It chose new officers, voted to join the National Council and the World Council of Churches, voted to abolish regions, stakes, and districts in favor of “mission centers,” and promoted the doctrine of “inclusivism.” All of these changes drew the Community of Christ further away from the original Restoration Gospel of 1830, and closer to being an ultraliberal part of the pro-Communistic World Council of Churches.

Sacrament Service

According to the program issued for the Sacrament service on the first Sunday, two Communion services were conducted—three services less than in former times before the orthodox members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints left who were determined to hold fast to the original gospel. (In earlier days 20,000 attended the opening Sacrament services—three of which were held in the main chamber and two in the lower auditorium—see General Conference Bulletin, April 4, 1960, 3.)

The invocation and benediction this year were given in foreign languages, and the Sacrament prayers were sung by a ‘‘cantor,’’ which the dictionary describes as ‘‘a synagogue official who sings or chants liturgical music and leads the congregation in prayer.” The blessing on the bread was sung in Spanish.

Changes in Leadership

Instead of presenting a revelation such as the Church’s prophets did in previous times, President Grant McMurray issued a “Letter of Counsel Regarding the Presiding Quorums,” which was accepted (WCB,* 196). The letter removed Alex Kahtava and Lawrence Tyree from the Quorum of Twelve; and added David Schaal and a woman, Mary Jacks Dynes, as apostles (see WCB, 192, 196). This makes three women in the Quorum of Twelve. A woman, Stassi D. Cramm, was also ordained to take Orval Fisher’s place in the Presiding Bishopric (ibid.).

Becoming Members without Rebaptism

Resolution A-5 moved that people, who are eight years old or older and have been baptized in another denomination, can become members of the Community of Christ without rebaptism—by simply being confirmed by the laying on of hands (WCB, 56). This is in keeping with the Hierarchy’s belief that other churches have as much authority and are accepted of God the same as the Community of Christ. This resolution was similar to one on the same subject submitted to the World Conference in 2000 (see Vision 34:19).

President McMurray ruled Resolution A-5 out of order. Section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants forbids members of other denominations entering into the Church without rebaptism. He stated that “any new understanding of this section of the Doctrine and Covenants would require the initiative of the president of the church and the consent of the body” (WCB, 245). In other words, it would take a so-called “inspired document” and a vote of a Conference for this new doctrine to replace Section 20.

Open baptism has been discussed by the Liberal Revisionists for some time, so it will no doubt be presented as a “revelation” when it is deemed that the Conference will approve it.

Joining the National Council and the World Council of Churches

Resolutions G-3 and G-6 proposed that the Community of Christ join the National Council of Churches, and G-4 proposed that it join the World Council of Churches (WCB, 62–63). The Quorum of Twelve presented G-10 to replace these three and issued a long list of “whereases” advocating the joining of those ecumenical organizations (WCB,150–151). G-1O passed (WCB, 256), which meant that the Community of Christ will apply for membership in the NCC and WCC—thus ending a forty-year effort to get the Conference’s permission to do so.

It should be remembered that the NCC and WCC are Marxist-Communist organizations. The Communists founded the Federal Council of Churches in 1908, but it was so strongly Communistic that it fell into disfavor. The leaders of that organization then disbanded it and formed the World Council of Churches in 1948 and the National Council in 1950—the same people and organization with the same goals, but with a more subtle approach. (For more information, see The Saints at the Crossroads, 163–172.)

The Question of Homosexuality

Resolution G-5 called for the church to accept homosexuals, and G-7 urged the church to “permit the full participation of homosexual persons in the life of the church, including, without limitation, the option to join same-sex couples in marriage, where local laws permit, and to ordain homosexual persons.” (WCB, 63–64). In his opening address on the first Sunday, President Grant McMurray favored accepting homosexuals, saying:

I have been present in conferences where persons I knew to be in long-term, committed homosexual relationships were approved for priesthood in jurisdictions where their lifestyle was known and their ministry was accepted. The conflict within me was between lawgiver and pastor. To enforce the policy [of the Standing High Council’s statement against homosexuality] would have required me to intervene and prevent the ordination of someone whose call to ministry I could not deny. This I could not do. This I will not do. (WCB, 182)

Though it was apparent that McMurray favored accepting homosexuality, he requested that no action be taken during this conference “so that we can avoid actions that will be divisive” (WCB, 183). As a result of McMurray’s request concerning the homosexual issue, the Conference referred Resolutions G-5 and G-7 to the First Presidency (WCB, 217). This means that the subject will be withheld while a concerted effort is made to soften the membership until homosexuality becomes acceptable to the majority. Then it will be presented to a later Conference which will accept it. (As an example, it should be remembered that the Hierarchy worked continually for forty years until it got the delegates to accept a new name for the Church).

After McMurray asked the Conference to set aside the resolutions on homosexuality, he hastened to appease those who favored it by saying that “some parts of the church may function differently from other parts of the church and there will be distinctions that are occasionally unsettling but representative of the diversity of our body” (WCB, 183). In this way he was implying that since the Community of Christ wants to be “inclusive” (include everyone), congregations may be allowed to be “diverse.” That is, some of them may sponsor homosexuality in the future while others ban it—and yet both would be congregations in good standing.

Some claim that this same system of diversity may also be applied to other doctrinal differences in order to please everyone, and keep more Saints attending and paying tithing. The Community of Christ is failing on many fronts, and congregations in America, England, Canada, and Australia are shrinking (WCB, 209–210). There are some who hope that having diverse congregations will solve the problem.

Abolishing of Regions, Stakes, and Districts

The First Presidency had published an “official” article in the January 2002 Herald (pages 22–30) which proposed a new set of bylaws for the Community of Christ Church. The bylaws advocated extensive changes in the governmental structures. The World Conference approved these new bylaws (WCB, 232) and thereby made the changes which the Hierarchy desired. Regions, stakes, and districts were changed into “mission centers.” Changing these names to “mission centers” makes the Community of Christ more acceptable to the National Council and the World Council of Churches, and separates that church further from the true Church.

The term “stake”should not have been abolished because it is a part of our Restoration heritage, which comes from such scriptures as Isaiah 54:2; Doctrine and Covenants 93:1; 104:33; 122:12; and 3 Nephi 10:10. But since the Revisionists want to discard every term that is unique to the Restoration, it was to be expected that “stakes” would be discontinued.

A “mission center president” is to be appointed for each mission center by the First Presidency, and he or she will be “supervised” directly by the apostle in charge (WCB, 54). Each mission center will have a “financial officer” (WCB, 54). Apparently the mission center may not have a bishop, because the bylaws speak only of a “financial officer.”

Each mission center is to have a “mission center council, a standing body whose primary purpose is to advise mission center officers and staff" (WCB, 54). This body will apparently replace the stake high council as found in the true RLDS Church and mentioned in Doctrine and Covenants 125:10.

The new bylaws do not mention branches—but call the local groups “congregations” (WCB, 52). This is another Protestant-inspired departure from the original Restoration Gospel, for the Doctrine and Covenants and Church history used the term “branches” from the beginning. Formerly the term “mission” was applied to groups which were new and in the process of becoming branches. The name of these groups is now changed to “emerging congregations” (WCB, 53).

These new terms will supplant the well-known and Scripture-based names and lead the Community of Christ members further away from the Church founded in 1830. Already there is a great gulf between them and those who believe the original doctrines—they no longer speak the same language.

Inclusivism—Salvation Can Come through Other Sources than Christ

By far the most damaging part of the 2002 Conference was Resolution H-8 of the “Interfaith Relations Committee” (WCB, 75–78). Its report advanced the doctrine (though it did not say it in plain words) which they called “inclusivism”—that they include all religions in addition to Christianity as being able to provide salvation, and that the Community of Christ wants to make peace and reconcile with all of them by accepting them equally with Christianity.

The concept that salvation can come only through Christ (and the true Restored Church) they call “exclusivism”—for it excludes other churches and religions. Resolution H-8’s purpose is like that of ENCOUNTER, which is to “break down barriers of fear and misunderstanding among religions; provide for a forum for examining religious exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism, and the implications of each for a global community” (WCB, 76). (“ENCOUNTER World Religions Centre is an official peace and justice project of the Community of Christ serving as a resource for interreligious education and dialogue for faith groups, schools, and community organizations,” which is based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada—see WCB, 76.) In other words, the Community of Christ is striving (like other Marxists) to eventually establish a one-world church (“the global community”), which will be a companion to the one-world Marxist-Communist government. Many people think that Communism is dead, but it is not.

The report of the Interfaith Relations Committee contained more than two long pages criticizing the Scriptures for claiming that salvation can come only through Jesus Christ:

Some scriptural texts can be interpreted inappropriately to foster prejudice toward other faith traditions.... Some passages in the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants appear to be grounded in the notion of the “one true church.” (WCB, 76)

The scriptures are true, of course, which say there is only one true Church. But the Community of Christ leaders are determined to follow the World Council of Churches’ theology which wants to include all religions (including paganism). The Community of Christ leaders are hereby saying the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants are wrong and contain false doctrines. This is more evidence of their apostasy.

The Apostle Peter proclaimed in his marvelous sermon at Pentecost that “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). In direct opposition to this, Resolution H-8 declared:

The most troublesome text for the Christian community regarding other religious traditions [non-Christian religions such as Islamism and Buddhism] is to be found in Acts 4:12. This text makes exclusive claims to salvation through Jesus Christ and him alone. This text has tended to foster prejudice toward not only Jews but all other religious claims as well because of its exclusivity. (WCB, 77)

This is astounding! The leaders of the Community of Christ, who are supposed to be special ambassadors for Christ, have actually published this statement criticizing the Holy Scriptures for saying that salvation can come only through Jesus! This they call “exclusivism”—to which they are greatly opposed. The Community of Christ’s whole message is “inclusivism”—that they are trying to make peace among all religions by including them all, and implying that salvation can come through any of them— that non-Christian religions can offer salvation just as well as Christianity!

Resolution H-8 was brought before the Conference and “There was some discussion” (WCB,256). This apparently meant that the resolution was not enacted into law at this Conference. But no doubt the Liberal Revisionists will continue promoting this theme throughout the Community of Christ until they feel it will be accepted by a later Conference.

Reconciliation with Restoration Branches

In his opening address to the Conference, President McMurray stated:

In the past two years a number of our people have been involved in reconciliation efforts with members of Restoration churches. That has been a satisfying process, resulting in much open sharing, several hymn festivals commemorating our common heritage, and the building of bridges of understanding that have blessed all involved. This process is ongoing. (WCB, 182)

The process is not “ongoing” very far, however, for only a few Restoration branches (and no Restoration churches, as far as is known) have been involved in the negotiation process, except for a few hymn sings and one Sacrament service in the Auditorium. Most of those attending Restoration branches know that the only way there can be reconciliation is to surrender their beliefs in the original Restoration Gospel and become Liberalists. McMurray demonstrated this in his opening sermon by saying:

I call the Community of Christ to come home to the fundamental principles of discipleship, to recapture the spirit of the Restoration movement, to walk with me for a few moments on the “old, old path, made strangely new.” (WCB, 179)

But he quickly added these words, which made it obvious that he had no intention of returning to the true Restoration Gospel:

Make no mistake, this is not a call to return to the past. This we could not do even if we willed it. Although we sometimes are nostalgic about them, I would remind you of a much-admired book title I once encountered, Them Good Old Days, They Was Awful. (ibid.)

This illustrates that the Liberal Revisionists, who revised the Church’s doctrines and changed its name, consider the original Restoration Gospel to be “awful.” The Orthodox Saints should remember that the Bible warns “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14), and Joseph was warned that he “must join none of them, for they were all wrong” (RLDS History of the Church 1:9).

Patriarchal Blessings Replaced by “Evangelist Blessings.”

As noted in Vision 28:15 concerning the 1998 conference, there was no reference to patriarchs in this Conference’s publications. Because “patriarch” is a word referring to men (women would be “matriarchs”), the name has been abolished by the Hierarchy and only the name “evangelist” is used for this office. Instead of patriarchal blessings, the “evangelists” give “evangelist blessings.” Some of the evangelists give “family blessings” and “congregational blessings” as well as blessings to individuals. The number of blessings given in the interconference period seems few indeed, when compared to the number of patriarchal blessings given in former years.

One hundred fourteen evangelists joined with 315 people in the sacrament of the evangelist’s blessing in 2000 and reports received to date indicate 159 people in 2001 shared in the sacrament with forty-nine evangelists. (World Conference Report, S–13)

Other Items of Interest

Nearly a thousand fewer people registered for this Conference than the one in 2000, which had 4,794 (see Vision 34:19). Only 3,908 registered by the last Friday of this Conference (WCB, 268), which is about a third of the number who registered before the Liberal Apostasy became apparent.

The music at the Conference had a fast beat, as one would expect in a charismatic or Pentecostal church. Most of the hymns used were new ones with ecumenical and liberal themes.

The Presiding Bishopric reported that the Temple Endowment Fund is about $50,468,627 and the General Fund Endowment is $44,156,298 (WCB, 99). This means that they have that amount in reserve, drawing interest. The bishopric commented that “For the first time all tithes and general offerings are being used for direct field ministry” (WCB, 97), which means the reserves on hand draw enough interest to finance all of the headquarter’s expenses without the use of any tithes or offerings.

The Bishopric also claimed that the church owns “certain property” now for sale, which is valued at over $50 million (WCB, 97). They indicated that 3,500 acres of it are in the Little Blue River Valley east of Independence, and that they plan to begin developing communities on it, beginning this fall or next spring (WCB, 98). (These lands were purchased by the Saints in former times and given to the Church for Zionic purposes only.)

The Community of Christ’s increase in membership was not nearly so successful as its finances, however. The Community of Christ as a whole with 253,836 members had 5,104 baptisms and 2,830 deaths in two years (WCB, 210)—or one baptism per one hundred members per year. That is a 1 percent increase (if deaths are not counted)— while the increase was 5 percent (with deaths being counted) before the Liberal Apostasy began. Most of the baptisms are occurring in third-world countries, which means there is a definite decrease in membership in America and Canada. For instance, the Center Place (now called the Tri-Stake Mission Center) with 17,014 members (in 2001), had only 180 baptisms with 391 deaths in two years (WCB, 209). These figures indicate that the Community of Christ is a dying church.

Also, it should be noted that the Community of Christ does not really have 253,836 members, since an estimated 25,000 of them joined independent Restoration branches without taking their names off the roles, and an equal number became permanently inactive when the Liberal crisis began.

The Deceptive Power of “Peace and Justice.”

While noting the changes which the Hierarchy has made at this Conference and over the years, it is important to point out one of the greatest changes. It is the change of the Church’s mission and purpose from converting souls to Christ and receiving salvation through His Restored Church, to pursuing peace and providing justice. The total emphasis is now on people, and including all of them and loving them in spite of all sins, rather than on Christ and His offer of salvation through obedience to gospel doctrines. This is a subtle and deceptive change—one with devastating results.

In observing the Liberalists at Conference, and reading their signs, posters, and pictures, it is strikingly apparent that “peace’ is more important to them than Christ. One wonders if their obsession with peace is like unto that described in Daniel’s vision in which we read “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king ... shall stand up ... and by peace shall destroy many” (Daniel 8:23–25; italics added). In other words, the emphasis on peace instead of the real gospel, will cause many to miss their opportunity for salvation. They need to also consider the scripture which says, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). And their effort to make peace shall be futile, for as Jeremiah warned:

from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely, ... saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush; therefore they shall fall..., ask for the old paths [the Restoration Gospel], where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest [peace] for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. (Jeremiah 6:13–16; italics added)

If these scriptures apply to them, could it be because they sought after peace instead of Christ, the Son of God?

Peace and justice have been introduced slowly and purposefully, through Liberation Theology and the influence of the World Council of Churches, to take the Saints’ minds away from our Lord and His plan of salvation. In this way Satan has set aside the real purpose of God’s only true Church. But God, in His own due time, shall reverse this trend, revive the true portion of the RLDS Church, and build Zion at last (Vision 40:10–13)!