The Overflow
R-i-g-h-t!
"It seems to me, after serious thought and self - examination, that the following is very true: If we all would give more heed to James 1:26, and carefully practice what it teaches us, we could get together a great deal sooner, and more easily, on James 1:27."
— Pryde E. Hinton, Dora, Ala.
It happened in Oklahoma
In Oklahoma last year a new congregation organized in one of the state's largest cities. After a time the preaching of the gospel brought forth fruit in the form of a penitent soul who wanted to be baptized into Christ. The new congregation, meeting in a school house, had no baptistry; but, as is customary in such cases, gladly welcomed the penitent believer, and immediately called up a neighboring congregation to ask for the use of the baptistry. Permission was refused! Why? Well, as nearly as we can get the story, it all boils down to the fact that some of the members of the older church are boiling mad because the new congregation does not support institutional orphan homes and the Herald of Truth!
Oklahoma, Again
But don't get Oklahoma wrong! They aren't all that childish. One of the finest congregations to be found anywhere is the Tenth and Francis Streets Church in Oklahoma City. This editor did local work there from 1943 to 1947, and goes back for preaching appointments as opportunity affords. Latest visit there was last month, when we preached on a Wednesday night to a fine audience of faithful Christians — who are supporting evangelists in many parts of the world, following the New Testament pattern of sending directly to the evangelist rather than through some agency or other organization. We have never heard of their refusing baptistry to any faithful congregation that wanted to use it.
Tullahoma, Tennessee
We have a circular letter informing us that the "Tullahoma Youth Crusade Ilor Christ" was going to run a filmed story of Martin Luther in the "New Testament Baptist Church" at Tullahoma, Tennessee, on a recent date. We add this to our "odd names" collection, since we can't think of anything much "odder" than a New Testament Baptist Church!
Fault-Finders
"Fault finders do not improve the world. They only make it seem worse than it really is."
— Impressions Pop-gun Elders
"When I was a boy, we used to cut the branches off an elderberry bush and make pop-guns. But in some places now the brethren have reversed the practice — instead of making
popguns out of elders, they are trying to make elders out of pop-guns." Tant
Schedule
Itinerary for this writer for the next few weeks is as follows: El Cerrito, California, August 25-September 1; Lebanon, Oregon, September 2-11; Tompkinsville, Kentucky, September 22-29; Kankakee, Illinois, September 30-October 9; Nacogdoches, Texas, October 13; Fort Smith, Arkansas, (Park Hill) October 20; Richmond, Virginia, (Forest Hill) October 27-November 3; Fort Deposit, Alabama, November 10-17; Harlingen, Texas, November 24-December 1.
Familiarity with Divinity
We are still unable to reconcile our sensibilities to the jarring, uncouth familiarity with which some of the brethren are wont to address Jehovah in public prayers. Referring to God with the familiar and intimate "you" is, we believe, offensive to the great majority of sincere worshippers. It puts the petitioner on a basis of equality with God such as he would dare to assume in addressing one of the higher courts of our nation. It is almost like addressing God as 'pal' or 'buddy,' or even 'Mac.' What good reason is there for changing the stately and reverential 'thou' for the palsy-walsy intimacy of the familiar 'you?'
"Give God a Boost"
Along that same line was the well-nigh blasphemous exhortation of one of our West Coast promoters and "boosters" a few years ago when he exhorted that all of us ought to "get behind God and give him a boost" in a certain mission field in Colorado.
Concerning "Diplomacy"
"The tendency among preachers — our own — is distressing. I wish that every preacher realized that unless we forget about approach, "diplomacy, "methods and buckle down to preaching the Word, we will degenerate into just another denomination. In respect to diplomacy, I have observed that the more of it used by a preacher, the less gospel he preaches."
— J. M. Powell, Bible Banner, 1939
Parlous Times!
"At this writing Chief Justice Snodgrass of the Supreme Court of Tennessee, is on trial in the Circuit Court at Chattanooga for carrying a pistol and shooting Attorney Beasley, December 16, 1895. The difficulty came up over an article Beasley wrote in the Chattanooga Daily Times reflecting upon Judge Snodgrass as a judge. Later papers say Judge Snodgrass was acquitted." (News note in Gospel Advocate, 1896.) We know a gospel preacher in East Texas who was threatened with a shot-gun by one of the deacons in the church where he was preaching. Why? Well, it seems this deacon didn't like it because the preacher wasn't exactly enthusiastic in his support of Boles Home ... and maybe had had a mild word or two of criticism against the Herald of Truth. Well, that's one way to win an argument.
Typographical Error
One of the wildest of the promotional brethren fills his bulletin (and the Gospel Advocate as often as Goodpasture will let him in) with furious charges and accusations against the Guardian her editor, publisher, associate editors and friends, subscribers, relatives, and acquaintances! His diatribes have become so constant that sincere brethren have long since grown accustomed to shrugging them off as so much "tommy-rot." But now comes a suggestion from a good preacher that brethren have been making a typographical error — that double "m" ought to be a double "t." H-m-m.