What does it mean that I am a member of Christ’s restored church? To answer that question, we need to explore different definitions for the word restore.
- To replicate. In car restoration, usually the goal is fidelity to the original. In other words, if I restore a 1968 Ford Mustang, my goal is to take the car as it is, and rework it so that it looks and functions exactly as it would have when it first rolled off the assembly line. I will try to find original parts, or maybe buy aftermarket replica parts, and I will rebuild and tune the engine to run exactly as it would have when it was first built in 1986.
- To put something back into its rightful place. In a discussion of national history, we might say that “the previous ruling family returned from exile, and was restored to the throne.” This describes a period where the ruling family was out of place, due to a temporary overthrow of their kingdom.
- To re-establish. When electrical power is knocked out in thunderstorms, we talk about power being restored. It is brought back to availability after being discontinued for a time.
- To restart functioning. Similar to a car or other machine, a computer can be turned off and go unused for a long time. Then, a situation may arise where the owner has a new need for the computer’s functions. When that happens, the owner has decisions to make. The owner needs to assess whether the computer can still perform its functions as-is, or whether software has become too demanding for this computer and it needs to be upgraded in order to function well. In this situation, restoration of the computer’s role and functions might mean that the computer needs new parts or a new configuration in order to fulfill the owner’s purposes.
When we talk about the restored gospel or the restored church, a common pitfall is to assume that we are referring to definition #1. We are creating an exact replica of Christ’s ancient church. The obvious problem with that is, the church descended into apostasy. Therefore, it would not make sense to replicate exactly the way things were, unless we want to also be prone to descending into apostasy. It is also true that the ancient church was more of a loose-knit community due to the lack of modern forms of communication. Plus, ancient Christians had a pre-scientific worldview, believing, for example, that the earth was flat. They also did not have a consistent scriptural canon like we have, or access to electricity.
These are only some of the reasons that the “exact replica” definition of restore is not an entirely good one. In the restoration of Christ’s church, some foundational elements are essential. But the ancient church functioned for an ancient people, and even if we could go back in time and converse with those ancient Christians, any attempts at conversation would be immensely difficult because ancient and modern worldviews are so different. It would be absurd to try to replicate everything about the ancient Christian community.
I suggest that we would best define restored gospel and restored church using some combination of these four definitions. Some aspects restoring the church call for replication, as in definition #1. Other aspects of restoring the church call for a more pragmatic approach as in definition #4, where the priority is reestablishing access to a function (like a computer program) in a way that is appropriate for the present day. We would benefit from defining the term restore in a practical way that reflects its different possible meanings.