The Questionaire Creed: Its History and Its Future
by Floyd Chappalear
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 3, September 1994
"If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam. After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, it is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt. The one he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan" (I Kings 12:27-29).
Because of a fear of shifting allegiance, the rebellious king sought to replace the altar and the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem with something similar: the golden calves, which "delivered them from Egypt." Only the most ignorant should have accepted that line, but the majority did (some, like the Rechabites, did not; see Jeremiah 35). Thus, an alternative was given with full justification.
Who would have thought that these simple departures would have led to the sacrifice of children under kings Ahaz and Hoshea (II Kings 16:3; 17:10-17)? Even Manasseh of Judah practiced such wickedness (II Kings 21:1-6). That, of course, is the point. Simple departures lead to greater ones over time.
Where would men obtain the idea for a questionnaire written by men that could be used to determine who is walking in the old paths? To many, this may seem like a rather large first step into creedalism. Well, the kind of thinking that led to such an act of presumptuousness did not begin just yesterday. In fact, it may have begun nearly 40 years ago when the "Articles of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation of the Gospel Guardian Foundation" (now the Guardian of Truth Foundation) were established. Those articles included this line:
"To promote New Testament Christianity by various means, including the publication of papers and tracts pertaining only to and in support of religion, setting forth the tenets of the Churches of Christ..." (filed in the state of Texas, Oct. 2, 1958).
When men believe they can set forth the tenets of the "Churches of Christ," they have taken the first step toward writing a creed that will do that very thing. Some may argue that they simply sought to set forth the teachings of the New Testament, but this will not suffice, because the next line reads: "... to make available to the Churches of Christ everywhere religious literature with which to disseminate New Testament teachings..." It is obvious that setting forth the "tenets of the Churches of Christ" was one thing, while the "New Testament teachings" are something else.
I hasten to add that I do not believe for one minute that the brethren whose names endorsed that statement had in mind what the words declare. I believe they simply didn’t operate from a solid position, and that a small error led to the presumption that a man-prepared set of questions could be used to establish doctrinal soundness. Those who think denominationally, even if only slightly so, will eventually form organizations whose denominational tendencies are more pronounced.
What About the Future of the Questionnaire?
Some of the most arrogant comments I have ever read have been made by those who defended the Questionnaire. One brother, rather than mourning any division that might result, rather gleefully declared this: "Let her rip." He didn’t care if brethren were fragmented over this humanly devised document.
However, will this document unnecessarily alienate brethren? No, I do not believe it will. I believe its future is non-existent at this point. Why? Not because the originators of it, or its defenders, will admit it was sinful or a mistake, but because it will simply be allowed to slip under the table. It is my opinion that those who are the most in favor of this sordid document have too much ambition to be "somewhat in the church" (see III John 9) to allow the paper to limit their "brotherhood" activities. Rather than lose meetings and standing nationally, these men will simply allow the questionnaire to die a quiet death. I say this because the vast majority of saints regard the document with disfavor. Given this condition, those who favor the missive must allow it to die or risk being sought out less often. This will not be permitted. The document will be shelved with minimal fanfare.
