What Does He Want To Debate?
Brother G. C. Brewer has thrown out a challenge to debate with someone—just anyone—none excepted—on the issue of whether or not the schools should be put into the church budgets. He claims that he has been very badly misrepresented in statements that he has been given credit for and quoted as making. It is reported that he said in a speech at Abilene Christian College several years ago that the church in Texas that did not have Abilene Christian College in its budget had the wrong preacher. Several of us have quoted him as saying that because it is reported by several reputable brethren that they heard him say it. Brother Brewer says he didn't say it and moreover declares that he never preached for a church that put Abilene Christian College in its budget. I wonder! I wonder! I wonder! Brother Brewer evidently says and writes a lot of things that he either doesn't choose to remember or that he completely forgets. Compare these statements as an example.
In the Firm Foundation of June 10th, 1947, Brother Brewer wrote:
"I shall once more attempt to make my position clear. I have never advocated supporting the colleges out of the church treasury; I have never even advocated putting colleges in the church budget, and no church for which I have ever preached has ever had a Christian college in its budget, yet it is a known fact that I have preached for some of the largest churches in the brotherhood and these churches have the most liberal budgets that can be found among the saints. Two of the elders of the Lubbock church for which I was preaching at the time I made the Abilene speech were and are members of the Abilene Christian College board. One of the members of the church at Cleburne for which I also preached was a member of the same board. Neither of these churches nor any other church for which I have preached ever put any college in its budget. Yet it has been reported and repeatedly published that I said at Abilene Christian College that any church that did not have the college in its budget had the wrong preacher! The facts given above should convince any reasonable man that I never made any such statement. Would I tell the Lubbock church that it had the wrong preacher when I was its preacher?"
In the Gospel Advocate of August 1, 1935, Brother Brewer wrote:
"At Cleburne and at Sherman also we put Abilene Christian College in our budget for $1,000 a year. We put two orphan homes in our budget at each place for a definite amount. This made it unnecessary for agents to visit us in behalf of either the school or the home or the missionaries. We were supporting all three regularly with a definite amount.
Just think of what the several hundred churches in middle Tennessee could do for David Lipscomb College if they could get a few of them to systematize their work, to utilize their resources, and to place the school in the budget for a definite amount."
Page 730, Same issue he says:
Before the churches everywhere will do the work suggested in this article they are going to have to be convinced on the following points: (1) that the budget system is scriptural; (2) that it is right to have Christian colleges and orphans homes; (3) that it is right for churches as such to contribute to these institutions. The members as a whole would very readily take hold of work of this kind with a little instruction from their elders, but there is where the trouble lies. The elders are either not convinced on these things or else they do not know how to set out such a program. The whole trouble lies with the elders. Give the churches proper leadership and they will all do a hundred times more than they are doing."
Brother Brewer isn't a very good witness by which to prove what he has done and said and what he has not. Which time did he state the above matter correctly? Did the church at Cleburne and Sherman put Abilene Christian College in their budget while G. C. Brewer was preaching there or not? In 1935, Brother Brewer said they did. In 1947 Brother Brewer said they didn't. Which time is he right?
Has he advocated putting "our colleges" in the budget of the churches? In 1935 he did as witnessed by the articles from the Gospel Advocate, August 1, 1935. But in 1947, Brother Brewer said he never had advocated putting the colleges in the budgets of the churches. Which is the truth of the matter?
He raises the question in a recent issue of the Firm Foundation. "Would I tell Lubbock church that it had the wrong preacher when I was its preacher?" My answer is that as long as Brother Brewer thinks as much of himself as he has always done that isn't very likely. But the question is, did Brother Brewer say what he is given credit for saying at Abilene about the church that didn't have Abilene Christian College in its budget having the wrong preacher? "The facts given above should convince any reasonable man—" that he made such a statement. He says almost precisely the same thing about the elders of the churches in the statement taken from the
Gospel Advocate of August 1, 1935. Witness the following:
"The members as a whole would very readily take hold of work of this kind with a little instruction from the elders, but that is where the trouble lies. The elders are either not convinced on these things or else they do not know how to set out such a program. The whole trouble lies with the elders".
But what is the trouble that lies with the elders? They either do not believe (1) that the budget system is scriptural; or (2) that it is right to have Christian colleges and orphan homes; (3)that it is right for churches as such to contribute to these institutions; or they do not know how to set out such a program, according to Brother Brewer. Brother Brewer seemed perfectly confident that if all these middle Tennessee churches were fortunate enough to have the same preacher that "preached for some of the largest churches in the brotherhood" that "have the most liberal budgets that can be found among the saints" viz., G. C. Brewer, they would soon have the matter all straightened out and would have David Lipscomb in their budgets and everything would be all right.
If Brother Brewer will decide which side of what he is on and what he wants to affirm on the issue of putting the schools in the budgets of the churches, and will get any one of the schools to endorse his position, any one of a half dozen of us will be glad to accommodate him with a debate at the proper time and place. That will not be hard to arrange if we can ever find out what Brother Brewer actually said and where he actually stands. Brother Brewer of 1947 model could debate with Brother Brewer of 1935 model. Maybe that is the trouble. Maybe Brother Brewer thinks he is the only one who is capable of debating with Brother Brewer.