A Summary of Roy Mason’s “The Myth of the Universal, Invisible Church Theory Exploded”
In his booklet, The Myth of the Universal, Invisible Church Theory Exploded, Mr. Mason does quite literally what his title suggests in a summary dismissal of this false doctrine. He begins his book by discussing how the doctrine originated with the Catholic – and Reformational Protestant – ecclesiologies and was further systematized and popularized by Mr. Scofield in more recent history. He then defines the word “church” as found in the AV of the Bible and deals with some of the more confusing passages, where the church is spoken of in prospect or in a generic, corporate sense. He also discusses some of the implications of the Church[1] theory, if true, and shows how these implications are impossible to accept. His conclusion proves the identity of the true churches of Christ throughout history and therein identifies the Bride of Christ as taught in Scripture.
In recognizing Scofield as perhaps the greatest modern proponent of the Church, Mr. Mason sheds light on the wholesale acceptance of the theory in modern evangelical Christianity. While most evangelicals would balk at the promulgation of a bonafide Catholic doctrine (the evangelicals of yesteryear, at least), this doctrine, presented as fact by Mr. Scofield, was widely accepted. Mr. Scofield was not some heretical theologian, but rather produced much great material and Biblical thought. The danger in such a man, though, is the vast influence his promotion of a theory wreaks.
Mr. Mason believes that, though the Church theory can, on the surface, be more easily understood, a Scriptural understanding of the word itself removes all doubt as to the correct position. Though for sake of space all cannot be included here, an understanding of the Greek word underlying the English word church, ekklesia, is thus: a called out, necessarily local, assembly. Mr. Mason provides many definitions and examples of the word to prove this point.
Having proved this definition, he deals with many controverted passages, interpreting them Biblically. He deals with passages such as I Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 1:22-23, 3:21, 5:27; Colossians 1:18, 24; and Matthew 16:18. For most of these passages, the explanation is simply that a local, New Testament church was being addressed, removing much of the difficulty. Where this argument doesn’t suffice, he explains how the church can be referred to in an institutional, generalized sense: as marriage being the foundation of the home.
Much time is spent by Mr. Mason on the various implications of the Church theory, if it is true. The first issue he discusses is the beginning of the church. For the Church theory to be protected, its adherents hold to the Pentecost birthday theory, which, among other issues, places the Gospels in the Old Testament era, cleanly dismissing those pesky passages. Perhaps the most notable victim of this birthday-shifting is the stripping from the true church of the Great Commission, as well as the ordinances, since the Last Supper and baptism recorded in the Gospels could not have been performed by the church. One of the most well-known of these implications is the idea of Spirit baptism into the Church. Spirit baptism into the Church effectively destroys the purity of ecclesial constitution, ignoring the Biblical doctrine that church membership (constitution) is gained only after regeneration and subsequent water baptism. Arguing therefore from the implications of the doctrine, Mr. Mason denies the Church.
The author of this summary believes that it is understandable how one gets swept up this theory of the Church, especially those without a real pastor to guide them in Biblical truth. Mr. Mason present the conflation of the church with the Kingdom and Family of God and uses this conflation as an argument against the Church. This author believes this argument to be true, but also realizes that this conflation is the reason why people get swept up in Church nonsense. Though not excusatory, it is a simple error to make, ungrounded as most people are. To return to the subject at hand, a true understanding of the Kingdom of God does refute the Church theory.
In conclusion, Mr. Mason seeks to identify the true church of Christ. He discusses Rome and her harlotry, as well as her illegitimate, Protestant children. He argues that, since they were not started by Christ, they cannot be his churches. He identifies the Baptists – specifically the predecessors of modern Baptists – as the true churches of Christ throughout history and presents a short discussion on the perpetuity of those churches. This identification of the true church then leads him into his final chapter on the identification of the Bride of Christ. He believes the Bride is limited to those saints who have been born again and baptized into the membership of a true, New Testament church, with correct authority and doctrinal purity.
This short booklet provides a very succinct and Biblical view of Biblical ecclesiology. Mr. Mason does not attempt to sound high and mighty, stunning his audience with long theological terms. Rather, he presents the Scripture as it is, in truth, the Word of God. He interprets the Bible with the Bible, and in doing so, does not come to the “private interpretations” of his own fancy, as Church theory adherents are prone.
[1] When capitalized, “the Church” refers to the universal, invisible theory being discussed. The author has undertaken this convention to save some superfluous verbiage.
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