Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 22
May 28, 1970
NUMBER 4, PAGE 10-13

Gospel Guardian Tell-Al- Gram

William E. Wallace — News Editor

Debate

A debate will be conducted in the Dallas — Irving area in June of this year — the dates being June 15, 16, 18, 19. The disputants will be Jesse Jenkins, of Denton, Texas and Ronnie Wade of Springfield, Missouri. The propositions for discussion are as follows:

NO. 1 The scriptures teach that an assembly of the church of Christ, for the communion, must use one cup (drinking vessel) in the distribution of the fruit of the vine.

Affirm: Ronnie Wade Deny: Jesse Jenkins

NO. 2 When a local church assembles for the communion it is scriptural to use individual drinking vessels in the distribution of the fruit of the vine.

Affirm: Jesse Jenkins Deny: Ronnie Wade

NO. 3 It is scriptural for a congregation to teach the Bible in systematically arranged classes with women teaching in some of those classes.

Affirm: Jesse Jenkins Deny: Ronnie Wade

NO. 4 The scriptures teach that when the church comes together for the purpose of teaching the Word, this teaching must be done in an undivided assembly, by men only.

Affirm: Ronnie Wade Deny: Jesse Jenkins

The first two nights of the debate will be conducted in the building of the Boulder Drive Church of Christ, 3822 Boulder Dr., Dallas, Texas — The last two nights will be conducted in the building of the West Side Church of Christ, 2300 W. Pioneer Dr., Irving, Texas.

Preacher Available:

Contact: Edgar Furr, % Northside Church of Christ, Del Rio, Texas or C. J. Goodson, Rt. 3, Box 607, Lufkin, Texas 75901 — Phone 632-1042

A. C. Moore

"I will move from Vernon, Alabama and begin work with the Bessemer (5th Avenue) Church, June 1, 1970, following the Frank Andrews family who are now with the Beulah Church in Cullman County (Alabama). I am to begin a series of meetings with the Eastside church in Red Bay, Alabama, June 28 — July 4. New address: 1729 5th Avenue, North, Bessemer 35021."

Otis L. Long

"For several years I have been interested in going to Australia to work with the brethren there. I have corresponded with them and followed their reports in the papers. Of my own means I have been unable to get the necessary money together to get there. I have decided that I can only get there with the help of interested brethren.

"I am married and have 4 children. I will need $3,000 for a travel fund and $3,000 for a down payment on a house. I will need $600 a month support and $100 for a work fund. I would appreciate the help of any congregations interested in furthering the work overseas or of any individuals willing to help me. I will be glad to furnish any references and information they need." — 4733 Dorsey St., Fort Worth, Texas

Jesse C. Franklin

"Would you please place a notice in the Tell-Al-Gram section stating that I have moved from DeKalb, Texas and am at present working with a small group in Santa Cruz, California. We would appreciate any information of Christians living in this area that we might contact. When moving to this area to live or visit we would appreciate it if they would give us a call. The church here is small, but they are very sound and working toward the day that the church will be firmly planted in this resort city. Any contacts would be appreciated and I can assure them that we will call on them to assist them in any way we can to get settled here. The church now meets in the Grange Hall, but have property bought and hope in the near future will be able to build on it." — Live Oak Church of Christ, Santa Cruz, California.

Bob Cannon:

"I was today especially impressed with the article, 'Truth, Error, and The Grace of God,' " by Edward Fudge in the Feb. 12 issue. He and I are in two different camps I suppose, but it seems to me that he really hit the 'truth' on the head with his article. If more of us were in fact really 'gospel' preachers what a difference it would make in the Church we all love. Please have more articles by this brother." Box 1861 Pretoria, South Africa.

Vida Harris:

"Thanks so much for this fine book (Gospel Guardian) which has so many good lessons. I profit from this book and know many, many others do." — Pomona, California.

Last Call For Bible Land Tour:

If you want to go to Rome, Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Palestine with Ellis Crum, you should call him. The tour leaves New York, June 17. Ellis Crum, (219) 347-3758, Kendallville, Indiana.

"MORALS AND DOGMA" by Albert Pike — Used book for sale by Floyd Chappelear, 7222 Graham Road, Hazelwood, Mo. 63042. This is an authoritative book on masonry. $2.50 plus postage. Good condition.

BOOK WANTED: Mrs. Opal Thompson desires to purchase a copy of "How The Disciples Began and Grew." The book is out of print. Write her at 1534 S. Lee, Indianapolis, Indiana 46221.

SPECIAL ISSUE ON FELLOWSHIP COMING SOON! We will have a special 48 page issue on the subject of fellowship. Some of the writers: Franklin T. Puckett, Gordon Wilson, Edward Fudge, Yater Tant, Wm. E. Wallace, Robert Turner, Jesse Kelley, Lloyd Moyer, Jimmy Tuten, Jr., Bryan Vinson, Sr., and others too! The issue will sell for 30 cents each or $25.00 per hundred. Each subscriber will receive one free. It will be a great issue!

Free Material On Eis ("For" In Acts 2:38)

"Many readers of this paper know of the long-standing dispute with certain denominational friends over the use of the Greek preposition eis, translated "for" or "unto" in Acts 2:38. Some may not be aware of a brief exchange which took place on the subject between two scholars of repute during 1951-1952 in the prestigious Journal of Biblical Literature.

"That discussion involved the disputed "causal" (denoting cause) use of eis, a usage which, if established, would lend credence to the translation "because of" in Acts 2:38. Dr. J. R. Mantey of Northern Baptist Theological Seminary and co-author of the Dana and Mantey Greek grammar affirmed in two articles that eis should be translated in certain New Testament passages as "causal," and called on classical and other extra-Biblical Greek authors for illustrations of this usage. Dr. Ralph Marcus of the University of Chicago responded in two articles, examining these illustrations one by one, and charging Dr. Mantey with allowing scholarly judgment to be colored by theological convictions.

"This material is copyrighted, and requests for permission to duplicate it are understandably denied. I have made a short summary of the material, however, along with details on obtaining the complete pertinent issues of the Journal of Biblical Literature. I will be happy to send this material free upon request as a public service, on receipt of a self-addressed, stamped, business-size (No. 10) envelope. Please mention this paper when you write. — Edward Fudge, 944 South Geyer Road, Kirkwood, Missouri, 63122.

SOUTH AFRICA — Helen Williams It is not so large when compared to the United States, but you can find almost all the climates, from tropical to snow on the mountains. Its history in many ways reminds one of the pioneers of the "Old West" in the States — the covered wagons, the trek toward more freedom, Indian massacres (only it was native tribes in South Africa); the war within — the Boer War — so much like the Civil War where brother fought brother; and finally in the emergence of a country all its own with problems peculiar to no other that must be solved by its people.

The extremes in climate mirror other extremes. In the cities you will find streets filled with cars, trucks and busses fenced in on each side by skyscrapers to compare with other large cities of the world. While in the native locations you will find the most primitive way of life where people are still trusting in their witch-doctors and looking to the tribal chief for leadership.

Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa, was built around the gold mines. The mines are still being worked — even one within blocks of the main downtown streets. The "mine dumps" are a familiar sight. They are huge mountains of sand brought up from the mines. They remind one of the statutes and pyramid of Egypt. The labyrinth of mine tunnels under the city, deeper than you can imagine, cause earth tremors from time to time.

On the streets are huge lorries (trucks) seventy-four feet long including the trailer, in contrast to the smallest compact cars which are in abundance. A Valiant here is a medium-sized car. Double-decker and other busses will take you anywhere in the city (if you wait in line long enough). Also there's a train that gives good service and carries hundreds of commuters to and from work daily. Of course, you must drive on the left side of the street.

Each school has its own uniform. In primary school for the boys this will consist of short pants, dress shirt (blue, white or khaki depending on the school), tie, knee socks and blazer with the school emblem on the pocket. High school boys will likely wear about the same only they may wear long pants. The girls have a prescribed dress color and style and a blazer and hat. The school year is from the last of January to the first part of December with ample days off in April and again in June and July. Remember summer is in December and it is coldest in August since South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere. School time is from 8 A.M. to about 2 P.M. But there may be as much as three hours of homework assigned. In addition all children are expected to enter into school sports — cricket, rugby, soccer, tennis, swimming, gymnastics, judo, etc. Chess club is popular, too.

The front gardens are truly beautiful. There are flowers, shrubs, and trees arranged around small lawns. People have summer gardens and winter gardens. Most yards are fenced. This keeps your dog in (theoretically) and other dogs out of your flowers. Many people have large police dogs for watch dogs. Houses have burglar bars on the windows. The newer houses use very artistic burglar bars. Most houses have a small servant's room at the back. It does not cost much to keep a servant girl or boy. Because of the way houses are laid out it is very hard to run a house properly without some help. All floors must be waxed and polished once a week (this includes the front porch). There's more ironing because of the school uniform dress shirts. Real permanent-press shirts are very expensive.

There are super markets, but the quality and price of meat is better at the old-fashioned butchery where the carcasses are hung in a row in full view. The vegetables and fruits are fresher and better-priced at the greengrocer. Therefore shopping can take quite a lot of time. There's a cafe (ka'fee) within walking distance of most homes, where fresh bread is available. The bread is unsliced and may still be warm from the bakery. Some cafes are up-to-date. They put the bread in plastic bags now instead of taping a six-inch wide paper around it.

African women in Johannesburg wear more clothes than the mini-skirted white girls, although in the tribal areas you may see a few going "topless." The African mothers carry their babies tied to their backs with blankets. The babies are quite happy — even the tiny ones. When the girl babies are old enough to walk they wear a little three-inch square apron in front. The boy babies wear nothing unless sometimes they wear a shirt. Parcels are carried on the heads of the African women. It may be a can of milk from the corner cafe or a heavy suitcase. They do it quite gracefully. They often go barefoot, but in town when they dress up they wear shoes with medium heels. Sometimes a woman from a particular tribe will come to town with metal bracelets halfway up her legs and wearing tennis shoes. She will have a large colorful head covering and a bright colored shawl hanging down the back.

Children call all their grown-up friends "Uncle" and "Awnty." They are expected to stand up in class whenever a teacher enters the room. "Canings" are familiar to all the boys. The high school boys keep a record on the back of their ties. If you don't have any caning marks on your tie you must not be normal.

"Tea time" is any-time. Some lucky people have their first cup of tea for the day in bed. Others start at breakfast. In large offices there will be a tea urn. It looks like a coffee urn, but the workers will fill their individual teapots from it and it's tea drunk with milk and sugar. Mid-morning, mid-afternoon, lunch, and supper are all tea times. Whenever company comes, tea is served. At every school function there will be a tea-break.

Wild animals? There are more wild animals in America in similar country than in South Africa. If you would like to see elephants, monkeys, etc. they are in the game reserves in a natural environment (not in pens).

South Africa has two official languages — English and Afrikaans. The Afrikaaners are descendants of the Dutch and German settlers. White students may go to either an English or an Afrikaans school. They must then learn the other language as a second language. In the schools for the blacks the children must learn both these languages as well as the language for whichever tribe they are members. There are about eight African tribes in South Africa — each with its own language, customs, and homelands. Some of them are Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho (Soo-too) northern and southern, Venda and Shangaan.

This is only a glimpse of a country where diamonds are not only "a girl's best friend" but a vast industry equaled nowhere else in the world. Her gold and other minerals also command respect. South Africa has a great potential in years to come and hundreds of immigrants are showing their faith in this "country of contrasts" on the southern tip of Africa.

— 56 Maud Street, Florida, Tvl. Republic of South Africa The church now meeting at the corner of Spring and Blaine Avenues, 3800 Blaine, St. Louis, Missouri, had its beginning in September of 1914. Brother J. C. Glover preached in a meeting in which five families made up the congregation, Brethren J. W. Pruett, M. D. and J. W. Atkinson were appointed elders and Brethren Clouser and J. C. Cramlet — appointed deacons. Dr. J. W. Pruett served as an elder until his retirement and departure from the city in the early '40's.

The location of the original meeting place is uncertain; but the first place on record, was in a hall at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Cherokee Street. The meeting place was in the Eagles' Hall at the corner of Jefferson and Lafayette Avenues in 1919, when the lots were bought where the present building is located. A basement was built in the early 20's in which the church worshipped for a few years. The auditorium was built in 1928 at an approximate cost of $38,000. During its construction, the congregation worshipped in a tent at the corner of Blaine & 39th Streets, the present site of the Kroger Store.

During the depression years of the early 1930's, the congregation had a hard financial struggle to meet expenses. At times, the preacher's salary and the interest on the loan could scarcely be met, and no payments made on the principle. The weekly contribution was often only $60 to $80. Janitor work was done by the members. In the early 1940's however, the indebtedness was liquidated. In 1952-53 major alterations were made at a cost of about $25,000. These included the new entrance on Blaine Avenue, the basement rooms and the nursery.

Preachers who have labored regularly with the church were the following: Tom Bonner, Andy Savage, J. D. Boyer, J. H. Horton, T. T. Carney, Wilson Wallace, John J. Gerrard, Grover Stevens, Ferrell Jenkins and presently Jimmy Tuten, Jr.

I Believe....

I believe in the sun,

even when it is not shining;

I believe in love,

even when I feel it not;

I believe in God,

even when He is silent.

(Words found written on the wall of a cellar in Cologne, Germany, after World War II.)