Is Unrestricted Loyalty a Virtue?
 

by Edward O. Bragwell, Sr.

   

To our Country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right, but our country, right or wrong" – a famous toast by Commodore Stephen Decatur.

Loyalty to and support of one’s country, friends, family or brethren can be a noble thing. In fact, there is far too little of it in our "me first" society. It is a wonderful feeling to have someone who will stick with you through thick and thin. One that you can count on being there in hard times as well as good. Over the years, I have been blessed with family, friends and brethren who have demonstrated such loyalty. For this I am eternally grateful.

However, to the Christian, loyalty to any person or institution on earth must have its limitations. Jesus made that crystal clear when he said, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." (Matt. 10:37).

If there is anything that I have learned in over 50 years of preaching, it is that people, institutions and even congregations change. I have also learned that some people are going to be loyal to certain people, schools, papers, and congregations – no matter what. They will standby and support them no matter what they may be teaching or doing. It is "to my (people, school, paper or congregation) . . . may (they) always be right, but my (people, school, paper or congregation), right or wrong."

In the early years of my preaching, I witnessed my alma mater become more and more liberal. It was not long until I had to face reality – we had little in common any more. I saw the content of "old reliable" (Gospel Advocate) become slanted more and more in favor of church supported human institutions without allowing any opposing views to appear on its pages. I vividly remember the "quarantine." I saw congregation after congregation depart from the "old paths." I saw preacher after preacher send in "confessions" to the Gospel Advocate to avoid the quarantine. Many more who did not send in confessions jumped on the more liberal bandwagon. I also saw many brethren, out of a sense of loyalty, continue to encourage and support all of these. Many said, "I do not necessarily agree with their stance, but . . ." Because of this, many of us had to remind ourselves often that our loyalty had to be to the Lord – no matter what anyone said or did.

My generation was not the first, nor will it be the last, that had to remind itself of this basic fact. Misplaced or extreme loyalty to any person or institution is never good. Institutions are made up of people and people are subject to error. Each individual must guard against being a "partaker of other men’s sins." (1 Tim. 5:22).

No person or group of persons (an institution) is perfect. It would be hard to find any with whom we would perfectly agree on every subject. I think we all recognize this. But, sometimes both individuals and institutions adopt practices and policies that are so egregious that we just cannot afford to support and/or encourage their efforts. In such cases a loyal friend would want to do anything that he or she might rightfully do to try to get them to reverse course, but if they will not, they no longer deserve the loyalty of the faithful.

Loyalty to a person or group has caused many, like Saul, to play the fool and err exceedingly (cf. 1 Sam. 26:21). How many have there been that have allowed their loyalty to a family member to cause them to defend the indefensible on various Bible subjects concerning the home? How many are there whose loyalty to a school or paper has led to them to either bury their heads in the sand, or even worse, to defend the institution regardless of what its practices or policies may have become? How many have stayed for years with a congregation that practiced unscriptural innovations, out of loyalty to that congregation, its preacher and its people? Yet, all the while claiming that they do not necessarily agree with the practices that have been introduced?

If I should not be unconditionally loyal to a congregation, how much more should I not be to a human institution, even if it is run by brethren. I read somewhere that the late Foy Wallace, Jr. once remarked, "With some brethren, you can criticize the Lord’s church as much as you please, but woe be unto you if you criticize a school or other institution run by brethren." This may not be the exact quote, but it is the gist of it as I remember it. I think I have seen this to be true for a long time now.

I am persuaded that the heartache and division that my generation experienced in the decades following World War II can be traced to a misplaced and excessive loyalty to men. When beloved preachers, papers, schools and congregations departed from the Lord’s way, many could not bring themselves to break with them – because of strong loyalty and friendship.

My fervent prayer is that this present generation, and generations to follow, will be wiser and understand where their loyalty must be – to the Lord.

   

 

  Other Articles by Edward O. Bragwell, Sr.
A New Dogma
How to Raise a Heartache
The Right Baptism
Standing Alone

 

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