From Legalism to Freedom

In 1517, Martin Luther took a stand for justification by faith alone in the finished work of Christ upon Calvary. As a result of his position, he suffered persecution for adhering to the Scriptures alone and not to traditions. This book traces my spiritual journey from legalism to freedom in Christ. In sixteen chapters, I map out my heritage within the Churches of Christ and the motivations that eventually led me out of bondage to liberty. One of the lengthiest chapters in this book is "Where the Scriptures Speak." One objective of this chapter is to help individuals to understand that one may speak where the Bible speaks and not necessarily speak as the Bible speaks. Chapters 11, 12, and 13 represent the very heart of my escape from authoritarianism to my dependence upon God's righteousness, a righteousness from God through faith in Jesus. Chapter 14 focuses on preaching in the early church. Without an understanding of the Gospel that the apostles proclaimed, Christians will never learn the spirit of toleration for differences within the Christian community. Chapters 8, 15, and 16 give attention to the Last Supper. The communion should be a constant reminder of the Cross and true unity among God's children. Chapter 1, 2, and 3 outline my original journey of faith. Dallas Burdette has been a serious student, teacher and preacher of the Bible for fifty-eight years, supporting himself for many years as an agent for AFLAC. He has written numerous articles for religious journals, as well as many essays and sermons which are available on his website. He has developed a keen interest in promoting unity among God's people through a more accurate reading of the Word. He has degrees from Amridge University (formerly Southern Christian University) where he also was Director of Extended Learning for five years. He holds the Doctor of Ministry degree (1999) from Erskine Theological Seminary.