Imagined Characteristics of Reactionaries (Bereans)
7. Radical Individualism
The next characteristic of the "reactionary" brother is listed to be this:
"Reactionary conservatives engage in radical individualism -- but not for personal gratification. Where liberalism's unrestrained individualism is mostly associated with immorality, reactionary conservatism's unrestrained individualism is more of an asceticism. The self-satisfaction of the RC individual is more important than the health of the society. Every area of life is modified for conformance to the standards expected of the pious reactionary conservative (Matt 23:5; Ecc 7:16)."
Essentially, what I think the first point the author is trying to say is that we Bereans like to brag about how holy we are. The author is reflecting back on his arguments about the Berean and "Asceticism" with the added twist that now we take pride in our asceticism, to make large our hems of blue (Matt. 23:5).
And the second point is that Bereans are unwilling to consider the consequences of their actions.
As a Berean, I have been accused of being "holier than thou" by some Central brethren, which I think is the real charge the author is making. The first thought to my mind when that happened was "For your sakes, I hope not" knowing my own failings. But like many Bereans, I was at first very sensitive to this accusation by Central. I certainly didn't want to give the impression that I thought myself inherently holier or more pious than our Central brethren in any aspect of life, except for our keeping the Basis of Fellowship clear, and without reservartion.
So I asked bro. Growcott about this stereotype of the Bereans, and how he would address this. To my surprise, he answered, "I wouldn't." I said, what do you mean you wouldn't. Central brethren generally think this about us, and certainly we should try and clarify the matter, that we don't have some arrogance about us that we believe we are inherently more holy than others, just because we are Bereans.
Bro. Growcott's answer to me went past the general level of conflict, and vain concerns of what others might think of us. For in all that, who really cares? Bro. Growcott pointed out to me that the man making this charge, obviously dislikes holiness. If he is a friend, he should rejoice in any outward holiness, for there is so little of it around us and in the world. If he is an enemy, then he dislikes us because we try to follow the Lord's command of "Be ye Holy, for I am Holy!" Why should that concern us? In fact, why should we expect it to be any different than this?
The terms "radical individualism" and "asceticism" are intended to unnerve the brother or sister seeking after holiness. We are all so well acquainted with our failures, that we know that terms like "holy" and "pious" can never truly fit us, while in these bodies. And when someone says to us "you think you are more pious than we" our natural inclination is to deny this. But really, this misses the point.
The Central "conservative" brother does not make this charge against us because we believe we are pious, but rather, because we do enforce the Basis of Fellowship, in all our ecclesias. He doesn't do this, when he knows he should. And therefore he strikes out.
It is also a misnomer. We are not about individualism, in any form. Fellowship has two aspects to it. We separate from those who involve themselves with error, and we separate to those who do not. This point is made very clear in bro. Roberts' first point in his second series dealing with fellowship.
THE SECOND SERIES
"1. In the accomplishment of its mission among men, the Truth acts by separation and association-
a. It separates men from the world: "Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate" (2 Cor. 6:17).
b. It associates those so separated: "Ye are all one...forsake not the assembling of yourselves together" (Gal. 3:28; Heb. 10:25).
"It produces these results by the creation of scripturally derived ideas in the minds of those operated upon. By these ideas they are dominated and controlled. They become mentally "new creatures," and manifest the change in their altered relations to men and things around them."
The Central "conservative" brother finds himself in a bind on both counts. He refuses to separate from the corrupters of the Truth, and in so doing, he finds himself not in association with those who have. What does bro. Thomas say about this behavior?
Know No Man After the Flesh, by John Thomas "I, for one, know no man in this warfare as a brother and friend who is neutral or not gathering. A man who is neutral stands by with arms folded and sees the enemy crushing me to death! He believes in the cause I am fighting for, but he calmly views my destruction without any sign of help.
"Is such a man my friend and brother? Is he not rather a sympathizer with the enemy? If he helped me, we might prove too strong for the foe; the enemy knowing this cannot look upon neutrals in any other light than his friends."
And again bro. Thomas wrote:
The Christadelphian Magazine, 1870, pg. 16 "If I believe the truth as it is in the Jesus Paul preached, and fellowship the doctrine of an immaculate Jesus Paul did not preach, in celebrating the death of the latter with those who repudiate the maculate body set forth by God for a propitiation, is affirming one thing and practising another. Those who hold Paul’s doctrine, ought not to worship with a body that does not. This is holding with the hare and running with the hounds – a position of extraordinary difficulty. Does not such an one love the hounds better than the hare? When the hounds come upon the hare, where will he be? No; if I agree with you in doctrine, I will forsake the assembling of myself with a body that opposes your doctrine, although it might require me to separate from the nearest and dearest. No good is effected by compromising the principles of the truth; and to deny that Jesus came in sinful flesh, is to destroy the sacrifice of Christ."
Bro. Thomas asks, if I run with the hounds, where will I be when the hounds come upon the hare. The author of this article shows exactly where they will be. They will be condemning and criticizing the attitudes and motives of the hare, to justify their continued running with the corrupt hounds.
