News And Views
From Here And There
Please note my new address above. If I failed to send a change of address for your bulletin or paper, it was an oversight, and I hope you will make the change anyway. Keep the bulletins and papers coming.... David E. Koltenbah has moved from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, to Akron, Ohio. — David Tant has moved from Clayton, Oklahoma, to labor with the University Drive church in Portales, N. M.....A new congregation started several weeks ago in Donelson, (just out of Nashville) Tennessee. Harris J. Dark is preaching for this new group.... Brooks Webb is scheduled to move from Indianapolis, Indiana, to Lewisburg, Tennessee, where he will be with the Hickory Heights church.... Barney L. Keith, who has been with the University Heights church in Lexington, Kentucky, for over two years, is scheduled to move to Florence, Alabama, about May 31, where he will work with the East Florence church. Before moving to Lexington, Keith worked with another congregation in Florence for about six years. Until Keith arrives, Robert M. Pressnell, of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, will work with the East Florence church. Pressnell no longer preaches for the First Street church in Lawrenceburg, and has moved to his farm about eleven miles out of the city. He has a dandy farm and an excellent construction business. These demand most of his time, but he will still preach where he can and hold some meetings. He is a good, solid preacher ....Hershal Patton is moving soon to work with the Timberland Drive church in Lufkin, Texas. He is leaving Shelbyville, Tennessee.
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A New Church In Florence, Alabama
As of December 11, a new congregation had its beginning in Florence, Alabama. It is composed of those who have come out of the Poplar Street church. They number about 150 in all, and compose most of the "cream of the crop" of that old church. They were among the ones who attend all the services and are really faithful. In the separation this new church received a large building lot and $40,300 on a new building. However, at present this group is still meeting in the Poplar Street building at different hours from the other group (and by agreement), and will continue to do so until they can build a building. Brother Curtis Flatt, who has been the preacher at Poplar Street for several years, has gone with the new group.
I rejoice in the beginning of this new church. Their future looks bright. This move has been needed for a long time. They will stand solidly for the truth and against all the liberalism of the day. This is but another demonstration of the effect that the truth has and it will be a real boost to the forces of right in this area.
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"Facing Up To The Facts"
In the December 20 issue of the Firm Foundation, Reuel Lemmons, the editor, wrote an editorial under the above heading. He worked up quite a "lather" about the softness in preaching and what he calls the "untaught condition of our people." Reuel really seems to be disturbed and one would gather that he thinks something needs to be done about this dreadful situation. He calls upon all to face up to the facts. Certainly it is time to do so, and no one needs to do this any more than Reuel himself ! Too long he has avoided doing what he calls upon all to do now. Of course, he may write an editorial in the next issue and take back everything he said in this one! At least, he will write some sort of an apology for this outburst of his; that is, if he follows his usual pattern. His article sounds too much like the "antis" or a page from the Gospel Guardian, and this will never do. The editorial is to the point and deals in a good fashion with an important matter.
Lemmons confesses that "In the past few weeks we have undergone a rude awakening relative to the untaught condition of our people relative to the dangers of religious error." I have no idea what all he has seen or heard that contributed to his "rude awakening," and, of course, he dare not spell out the causes of such! That would not be nice! I just wonder where he has been the past few years and why he is just now having this "rude awakening" relative to this fact. Some of us have been aware of this for several years and have been trying to get this fact to others. We have been called some ugly names, such as "alarmists," "extremists," and "cranks," for saying what Lemmons is now saying! And Editor Lemmons is one of the foremost in so charging us. Apparently we were right about it all the time. Lemmons admits to being about the last to discover the fact for he says "this shocking revelation....is generally felt throughout the brotherhood." But at last he has come to realize this situation and after it is all but too late to really do much about it, he gets all excited and demands that something be done about it!
Lemmons boldly and positively charges that "We are failing to teach people the difference between truth and error." How did he arrive at this conclusion? Where is his proof? Why did he not give us his evidence for such a brazen charge against the church in general? This is quite a serious indictment of every preacher and every church! Does he include himself in the number; or, does he think he is the only one who knows how to do the job as it should be done and is the only one who has been doing it?
Note This Severe Indictment Against All:
"We need to face up to the fact that the contrast is not being drawn in the pulpit today between the truth we teach and the error the denominations teach. The spirit of getting along with everybody completely envelops us. We don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. We fire preachers because they are 'too hard' if they insist upon drawing a contrast between the truth and error — anyone's error. Churches have softened and preaching has softened."
Now there you are! Editor Lemmons has spoken and it must be so. He boldly makes this charge just like he can prove it — but he doesn't do it! I don't question the indictment at all, because the evidence is too abundant to prove it. This column has cited proof of such time and time again. Now Editor Lemmons takes up the theme, rushes in and with an air of pontifical finality sets forth all his charges without one positive shred of evidence, unless the election of Kennedy can be called such. The trouble with Lemmons is he has been hearing the wrong preachers and is running with the wrong (liberal) crowd.
He needs to hear some of those he has been calling "antis" and hobby-riders. They are the only ones left who really draw "a contrast between truth and error — anyone's error," even the error of Lemmons' and Company! This "unhealthy softening up," of which Lemmons speaks, is a necessary result and companion of institutionalism, and other forms of digression and liberalism. If Lemmons will really face up to the facts he can see this fact.
Lemmons hints at and gets fairly close to giving an example of the evidence for his serious tirade against the churches, in the following paragraph:
"For a church of Christ to invite a Catholic, or an Episcopalian or a Jew to a love feast would have been unthinkable a few years ago, yet within recent years some of us have been having some of them in our pulpits explaining 'their points of view' to us and 'ohing' and 'ahing' over what fine fellowship the occasion provided...."
Now where has this been done? How wide-spread is such a practice? Why does the editor leave us in the "dark" as to where such things have been practiced?
"Them that sin rebuke before all that others may fear." (1 Tim. 5:21) Why indict all for the guilt of a few?
Lemmons is absolutely correct in his observation and proof has been specifically given in this column and by others in other places. I rejoice to see Lemmons "awakening," even if it was a "rude" one, to the reality of what is actually taking place. It would be wonderful to see him really enter the battle against all such. His could be a potent and influential voice along this line. Here is a fine paragraph from his article that Lemmons himself would do well to ponder — and practice:
"The acknowledgement of differences, and the assessment of their validity is simply facing up to facts without fear. It is not bigotry. It is not prejudice. It is real faith in action." How true this observation is. He had reference to the differences between and among religious people in general, but this observation is equally as forceful and true relative to the church and our differences. We need to face "up to the facts without fear" along this line. This has been the trouble all along. Too few have been willing to do this. Those who have are called "bigots" or some other similar term. Let Lemmons lead the way. Give us a demonstration of such "real faith in action," by "the acknowledgement of differences, and the assessment of their validity" to N T teaching. This kind of action could be of real worth to the cause of Christ.
It Won't Do Any Good
"It won't do any good." How often is this statement heard by members of the church in regard to some phase of church work? It is a favorite alibi for the evasion of duty. At the same time, there is a sense in which the statement is true. If you lay down the yardstick and demand to see immediate and overwhelming results from every effort you will be disappointed.
See the over-all good. No phase of the work of the Lord is revolutionary, isolated from the over-all picture.
(1) Pulpit preaching often seems to bear little fruit, regardless of the effort made.
(2) The church bulletin often may not even be read by some indifferent members.
(3) Visitation work may show small returns.
(4) The Bible study program seems to be making very little progress; members seem indifferent.
(5) Advertising costs don't seem justified.
(6) A relatively small percentage of the tracts we distribute are really studied.
(7) Too few support the evening services.
Would this justify our minimizing of eliminating any of these efforts? No! When given time and when added together, the sum total of these efforts is rewarding and gratifying!
Don't become discouraged because one particular effort does not turn the world upside down. Remember, when a little good is done here and a little there, the sum total is a growing thriving church!
It is better to act in faith and be "steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." We are responsible for effort, not results. "I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." Instead of saying, "It won't do any good," let's take care of the effort. God will take care of the result!
— Via Wendell Ave. church bulletin, Louisville, Ky,
Overheard Between The Preacher Just "Fired" To The Preacher Just "Hired"
"This is a working bunch of members here; willing to cooperate in reaching lost souls providing they are NOT asked to: give anything, give up anything, know anything, study anything, attend anything, visit anyone, or teach anyone. They are anxiously awaiting your arrival so they can re-commence working again."
Brethren, there is more truth than "jesting" in that statement. Many churches look upon the preacher as a man hired to do their work in saving souls, teaching and visiting. Some brethren feel their duty has been discharged when they pay a preacher.
— Harold Spurlock
Forty-Five Billion For Fun
"Changing Times," the Kiplinger Magazine, stated in its May issue that the United States will spend the sum of $45,000,000,000 this year for fun. Last year over two billion dollars were spent on boating, an equal amount on photography. About six hundred million went for swimming pools, while nearly two and one-half billion was spent for overseas travel. Hi-fi and stereo sets cost another three hundred million. The amount that Americans are spending for fun climbs each year at the rate of two billion dollars. Forty-five billion more than the nation is spending on National Defense for the present fiscal year.
How does the spending of Christians stack, up with this national average? Does the average Christian family spend eight or ten times as much for fun as it does for religious and benevolent causes? Are we taking our Christianity seriously when we so allocate our funds?
What we do with our money is one of the best indices of what we really love. Have we denied ourselves and taken up our cross and followed Christ, or are we playing at our religion. Think about this the next time you plan to spend some money for fun! Increase the amount spent for food for the hungry, clothing for the naked, and the gospel for the unsaved!
— M. Norvel Young