Growing up CoC

What an amazing bunch of comments I got on my last post. I heard from my bff, THREE Episcopal priests (including the one I met briefly at Christ Church last Thursday), two extremely helpful explanations of the meaning of "IHS" (growing up CoC, I was told that it meant "In His Service"), two of my sweet Baytown friends and several who discussed their upbringing/current membership in the Church of Christ.

Although the struggle I mentioned in that post has more to do with this, my post opened an interesting discussion about finding God outside your own church traditions. Having stepped out of the traditional Church of Christ upon moving here in 2006, I carry mixed feelings about things I encountered in my 35 years as a CoC member. I believe my dad's comment shows a beautiful way to come to terms with beliefs with which people are raised with which they eventually grow to disagree.

I'm reposting his comment here:

Deana:

God bless you in your continued search to more like Christ in Spirit and in Truth.
My dad's CoC generation of the early 1900's experienced the aftershocks of what I call the, "early fallout from the Restoration Movement."

My generation dealt with the aftershocks of my dad's aftershocks.

Now, in a like manner, your generation is dealing with the aftershocks of my generation's aftershocks.

Strangely enough, each generation will have aftershocks of previous generations. I call this, "growth." In other words, I believe you are experiencing a continuing Restoration Movement. This is good, but there will be aftershocks. There will be fallout. There will be conflict within your soul. The way you were raised, our traditions, the things you have learned along the way, those things you will encounter on your path to eternity...all of these plus whatever else will accompany you on your journey. I believe that all of this is good.

I think that many in each generation believe that the Restoration Movement (whatever this is) is complete...that there is no more restoring to be done. God forbid.

Growing up in the Church of Christ and being a CoC minister for 28 years brought many experiences. Some beautiful and some bitterful (not sure "bitterful" is a word but if not, it should be.)

Now at age 73, I still am a rather traditional CoC type. But I believe I grew in my Restoration much further than my dad's generation. Yet each generation may have been where it needed to be at the time.

But I graciously accept and condone your Restoration growth which exceeds my Restoration growth.

I see it all as a continuing saga. None of us will ever feel the complete fulfillment of peace, love and joy until that Day when we see Christ face to face and hear those blessed words, "Faithful servant, enter herein..."