SOME ATTITUDES AND PROBLEMS OF YOUNG PREACHERS (NO. 3)

The subject I have been discussing in the past twoissues of this paper is sure to evoke some response. Itwill be favorable and unfavorable, depending upon whoreplies and whether a preacher feels guilty or not. Butsince I have not been attacking preachers as persons orpreachers, I have no apology to make, except in someareas where a mistake has been made. I am discussingAttitudes and Problems of young preachers in the hopeto be helpful to them.

We had considered three attitudes that would be hurt-ful to a young man who intends to preach the gospel. Inow continue.

4. Discovery Of New Methods. This is not a new idea. King David created a "New Method" for carrying theark: a new cart (2 Sam. 6). Through the ages man hastried to improve upon what God has required, or he hassearched for some "new thing" under heaven. As muchas we would like to discover something that no otherhas found in the Bible, it will not be so. Young man, justremember that many very intelligent, dedicated, indus-trious and devout men have spent their lives searchingevery page and every sentence in the Bible.

The zealous, ambitious, young preacher whose zeal isfar ahead of his knowledge is very likely to conceive andtry to put into practice schemes and plans of all kinds toincrease the membership where he preaches. To begin,his false standard of growth and accomplishment isonly two things: how large the attendance is (how many baptisms he can get), and the amount of contribution. Ifthis young preacher (and older men) could devise a scaleor graph by which he can show increase in both of theseareas, he would expect the praise and applause of breth-ren in general and preachers in particular for the greatwork he is doing.

In order to achieve these two goals preachers will tryto out-do the denominational values and blunders which they have given up some time ago in setting up schemesand systems by which to achieve these goals. It is quiteeasy for a young man to forget that he has not yet hadthe experience and does not have the knowledge to declare that he has discovered something new under thesun. This is not a criticism of young preachers; it is a fact of life. Everyone of us passed through the period ofinexperience and as time passed experience was ob-tained. Liberalism and digression in various forms in churches of Christ may be traced to this practice justdiscussed.

5. The Problem of Jealousy, Envy and Gossip. This problem does not belong to youth alone. In fact, it ismore likely to be a problem of old preachers. At bestthere is a great amount of professional jealousy andenvy among preachers. I suppose most of them arestruggling for the praise of brethren, for the biggerchurches, for more meetings, and above all for moremoney. Seldom is a class of people found more eager tolisten to and to pass along to others whatever kind ofgossip that will hinder the influence and slow the workof some preacher believed to be more successful thansome others.

In an area where a number of preachers, both old andyoung, may be closely related geographically, we arelikely to find some few cliques existing which spills overinto congregational relationships and in many caseschurches are destroyed and the effectiveness of preachers taken away because of the envy and jealousyexisting among the preachers. The fact that the apostlePaul gave thanks that Christ was preached even ofstrife and envy does not by any stretch of the imagina-tion endorse or approve such attitudes in preachers. Hedid not say he was thankful for preachers of this kind,but that he was thankful that Christ was preached.

6. The Problem of Personal Popularity. Most young

preachers are struggling with some personal goals thatthey may not know at first exactly how to handle. Per-sonal popularity and reputation must be considered asone of the most important goals of young preachers.Vanity is probably the best word to characterize their efforts to look, to act, and to practice living in such away as to promote self-admiration and at the same timeto attract the approval of others. It is in the hope of thepersonal magnetism of a carefully developed personal-ity that some of these young men will "win souls forChrist." The real truth is that all such efforts turn peo-ple away from God and toward a person incapable ofsaving anyone.

The POWER to save is in the gospel (Rom. 1:16), notin the personality of anyone.

7. The Problem of Personal Attitude. All peoplehave some attitude toward other persons: God, thechurch, the Bible, sin, themselves, and just about anything you can name if their lives are influenced atall. The attitude or frame of mind toward a thing orperson helps to form the goals and the means of attaining these goals in the hearts and lives of youngpreachers. Their attitude to-ward sin will determine how they deal with the matter in their preaching. Ifthey are inclined to justify practices that are sinful intheir own lives, they will classify sins, as millions do,into those that are unimportant and those that are veryevil and dangerous.

Their attitude toward the church, whether it be intruth a divinely organized functional entity which isessential to the redemptive plan of God, or whether it isan elective organization in which people may be mem-bers if they wish, but not necessarily so in order to go toheaven, will be determined by their attitude.

The attitude of young men toward the word of Godwill determine how they preach it. If they consider thisrevelation by the Holy Spirit to be a guidebook ratherthan a "thus saith the Lord," which regulates both theheart and the lives of people, their preaching is going tobe far more destructive than any good that may beexpected from it. If they have or entertain questionsregarding fellowship, grace, justification, and otherthoughts along this line, that were formulated manycenturies ago into different theological systems, theyare off the foundation of truth and are headed in the direction of oblivion, so far as preaching the word ofGod is concerned. These matters must be studied in the light of God's truth and without regard to personalfeelings or any specially formulated theological sys-tems. For instance, the idea that all denominations are not wrong cannot come from the Book of God, and whena young preacher begins to propose such ideas, he hasbeen studying the wrong material. His personal atti-tude must be carefully examined by himself.

While I have not made the effort to fully examine all the attitudes and problems of young preachers, I havestated a few that will hopefully give some help to someyoung man. There are others just as important, whichwe will examine at some future time.

As I leave this subject for the present I hasten toreiterate my love and appreciation for all these youngmen who plan to dedicate their lives to the preaching of (EDITOR'S NOTE: The editor wrote this article over 10 years ago, but we believe it bears repeating now, especially in light of the fact that recent discussions on sins of ignorance and weakness are linked with variousaspects of the so-called "Grace-Unity Movement.")

UMBRELLA RELIGION

There is a tendency to take scriptural terms and ex-pand them to include more than the Lord ever intended.It is all too easy to make these terms a giant umbrellato shield whatever we want to put under it.

Sound

Timothy was admonished to "hold fast the form ofsound words" (2 Tim. 1:13). Titus was to rebuke falseteachers that they might be "sound in the faith" (Titus1:13). He was to speak "things which become sounddoctrine" (Tit. 2:1), and to use "sound speech, that can-not be condemned" (Tit. 2:8). A preacher is therefore"sound" when he teaches the wholesome words of life found in the scriptures. He must not only teach sounddoctrine, he must practice it and show himself "a pat-tern of good works" (Tit. 2:7). He is to be "an example ofthe believers" (1 Tim. 4:12). A congregation is sound when it adheres to sound doctrine, both theoreticallyand practically. This means an adherence to all thetruth, not just isolated parts of it. It should permit andrequire the whole counsel of God to be preached.

Over the past twenty-five years the majority of con-gregations in this country took up some practices un-known to the New Testament. The support of humaninstitutions became widespread. Theological defenseswere devised to support this practice, thus doctrinalcorruption resulted. The sponsoring church idea wasrevised to satisfy a desire to activate the universalchurch through a single agent. Along with thesechanges came an increasing demand for church sup-ported entertainment and recreational facilities. Thechurches which began to practice such things becameunsound in so doing because there was no Bible author-ity for them. Those who insisted on holding to the "oldpaths" began to look upon themselves as "sound" churches to distinguish themselves from those whohave accepted "unsound" practices. The preachers whodefended these practices were "unsound" because theywere implicated in that for which no scriptural defensecould be made. So the terms "sound" and "unsound" began to be used with respect to certain issues. Whenused in that frame of reference they are legitimate.

Sadly, there have been some who have decided that

the only test of soundness in a preacher is his opposition

to the above named practices. With some, the term has

become an umbrella wide enough to cover preachers

whose lives are ungodly, whose families live by the

standards of the world and disgrace the name of Christ

and who are to be tolerated because they know how to

give the "liberals" "what for" every now and then.

Never mind that they do not know how to present a

balanced diet of truth. They are "sound." They are

against Herald of Truth! Don't get me wrong, brethren;

soundness in the faith includes opposition to error

whether in or out of the church, but it does not end

there.

Then there are those "sound" congregations which have severed themselves from the "liberals" but have aligned themselves with the Devil on other questions. Achurch which is not doing what it can to spread thegospel in its own community and elsewhere as it hasopportunity is not sound. One which does not practicecorrective discipline and allows the sacred body ofChrist to become a spiritual garbage dump where allmanner of sin is shielded with not so much as a little finger lifted to correct it, is not sound either. One whichknows how to do nothing more than fuss and fight overevery trivial idea or opinion is not sound, even if it isopposed to the college in the budget!

Certainly every congregation has its weaknesses androom for growth and improvement. As long as thewhole counsel of God can be taught there and brethrenare willing to listen to the truth and make correctionswhere they are needed, then that church is committedto soundness. Let's be sound in the faith, but let's not use a scriptural term as an umbrella to cover sin.

Fellowship

Much is said in the New Testament about the spirit-ual partnership of those who serve the one Lord. Such isattained by jointly walking in the light (1 Jno. 1:7).There is to be no fellowship with either moral corruption(Eph. 5:11) or doctrinal error (1 Jno. 2:19; Gal. 1:6-9).

But again, this great spiritual relationship with all itswondrous blessings has been made an umbrella to coverall kinds of doctrinal deviations . . . Premillennialism,instrumental music, institutionalism and you name it. Men like Carl Ketcherside and his devotees will raise their fellowship umbrella to cover it, provided one hasbeen immersed for the remission of sins at some time. All along, the borders of this umbrella are getting widerand some of the "pious unimmersed" who are "brothersin prospect" are now standing under the fringes and indue time can expect full shelter.

Grace

Anyone conversant with the New Testament knowsthat man did nothing to earn the great scheme of hu-man redemption. It was provided out of the riches ofGod's grace (Eph. 2:8-10). The extension of favor may be conditional or unconditional and yet classify asgrace. Some of the brethren are getting excited andthinking that some of us have forgotten all about gracewhen we stress the importance of gospel obedience.

They hint that we have minimized grace and really holdto a concept of salvation by works—that God owes ussalvation. If there is any hint in the word of the Lordthat the grace of God saved a sinner without his believ-ing the Lord to the point of obeying his command-ments, then it has surely escaped my notice. The Lord isstill "the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him" (Heb. 5:8-9). It will be of grace, to be sure,but grace may be rejected. The disobedient reject it andthe obedient receive it. Unless a fellow has been dippinghis bucket too deeply in the well of denominationaltheology, I fail to see the reason for the uproar. You justwatch and see if this grace umbrella does not mergewith the fellowship umbrella before it is all over untilthey have one common handle. Already some who areenamored of Ketchersidism are in virtual ecstasy overtheir discovery of how the grace of God is wide enoughto cover all the doctrinal deviations which have arisen among God's people. Gird on your armor, brethren,there is going to be a battle over this! Don't be caught asleep.

There are other scriptural terms, proper in their cor-rect application, which have become umbrellas to covertoo much. But perhaps enough has been said for now torally friends of truth and to stir up a few enemies.(TRUTH MAGAZINE, March 8, 1973). (Editor's foot-note: We did have a battle, but some were asleep. Somethought it was all just a "paper fight" and decided tosolve the problem by denouncing the papers. Now, ten years later, we have the same problem with a few youngmen and some older sympathizers. They are breaking from the same starting gate as before, making the samearguments and employing the same catch phrases intheir effort to justify a broadening base for fellowshipwith apostates. Sin is somehow made to appear lessoffensive if it is sincerely ignorant. If brethren will becontent to preach the whole counsel of God plainly andpointedly, exposing and opposing sin and error wher-ever either appears, then I promise you that the prob-lem of fellowship will take care of itself. Those who lovetruth will accept it and those who do not love it willoppose you and will want no company with you.

Let us exercise patience with the naive and unin-formed who have honest questions, but let none of ushold our peace and fail to identify and expose those whoare looking one way and trotting another, speaking outof both sides of the mouth and undermining the faithof the unsuspecting. Personal friendships and familyloyalties must not be allowed to cloud judgment. Thepreservation of truth is of far greater importance thansuch human considerations.)

From March 29 until May 3 brethren Harold Trimble,Vernon Love and I preached the gospel throughout thePhilippine Islands. During these five weeks God openeda wonderful door of opportunity to us. From a personalstandpoint this trip opened my eyes and heart to aworld I had never seen and to a people I had neverknown. Now I am in love with both. Allow me to take you on a tour of this oriental country to discover foryourself a nation of fifty million souls, among whom arefound your brothers and sister in Christ. Please, openyour eyes and heart as we retrace our steps through thePhilippines.

Let us begin by telling you about the land andpeople in general. Geographically the land is made up ofover 7100 islands. The two major ones are Luzon on thenorth and Mindanao to the south. In between are the many Visayan islands. The scenes of the large cities arequite a contrast to the pleasant countrysides. For in-stance, in urban areas like Manila and Davao there are wild traffic rides, thousands of street peddlers, multi-tudes of seemingly endless humanity which all combineto form a maze of madness. There are taxis, jeepneys,tricycles and horse-drawn carriages all blowing theirhorns and rushing quickly about, all the while pouringan incredible cloud of diesel fumes into the air. The experience of Manila traffic made the Houston freeway jams seem like child's play. There were peddlers every-where peddling everything imaginable. Peddling, wefound out, is one of the major ways that Filipinos sup-plement the family income. They range in age from theoldest of men down to the five year old children. Leav-ing the city we noticed the rural scenery is strikinglydifferent. Rice paddies stretch for miles, coconut treestower into the sky, banana trees and sugar cane fieldsare abundant. The carabao (water buffalo) is seen every-where. He is used as both a tractor in the fields and a truck to haul grain to granaries and market. While I'm speaking of the land let me insert here what we beheld inMindanao. There was a terrible eight month longdrought then in progress that had left the land scorchedto a deathly brown. It had devastated their crops. Therainy season was to begin in May and last through November. So it would be several months before food could be planted and harvested again.

Inside the homes of the Filipinos you can find happi-ness in the midst of poverty. Whether in large cities orsmall towns you would be hard pressed to find decentplumbing, sewage systems or running water. In manyhomes electricity is either sporadic or non-existent.Most of the families we met were quite large, some numbering as many as 15 or more dependents. Thedaily diet consisted of rice (3 times a day), pork (mainly fat), fish, eggs, a few vegetables, tropical fruits, coffee and water.

To write on the economy in the Philippines would takea volume to explain and describe. In short, abject pov-erty abounds! To give you an idea of the situation itwould take approximately 10 pesos to equal 1 Americandollar. Keeping that in mind, Mr. Mat Defensor, aneconomic journalist for The Metro Manila Times, gave astartling list of statistics in the March 20, 1983 editionof that newspaper. In his article he listed the value ofthe peso and the percentage of increase in basic foodsupplies over a ten year period. From 1972 through 1982 the value of the peso dropped from 1.00 to 0.28.Translated that means if a man made 1000 pesos amonth in 1972 it would be worth only 280 pesos in 1982.While the peso was dropping the inflation of food costssoared an average of 272% in that decade. Rice rose148%, eggs 183%, pork 205%, sugar 230%, along withall other food items. He went on to quote, "according tothe PNCRC (Philippine Normal College Research Cen-ter) a family of six must have an income of 99.39 pesosdaily (about $10) or 2981 pesos monthly (about $300) tomeet the basic requirements for food, clothing, shelter,education, health and medical services. Below that levelone, two or even three basic necessities must be sacri-ficed. This is the poverty line."

Since the vast majority of people make below thequoted poverty line of $300 per month it is necessary for all in the family to work. The head of the home, who isthe chief bread winner, often has to "sideline," that is,work two or three jobs. Vernon Love and I spent someof our free time walking around talking to people abouttheir jobs and salaries. We found for instance that apoliceman often doubles as a taxi cab driver at night.They also get under-the-table money from jeepney andtaxi drivers to avoid paying a traffic fine. Many taxidrivers peddle prostitutes as their "sideline." They alsodo not start the cab meter quite often in order to pocketthe money instead of paying the cab company. Streetcleaners make 23 pesos a day and then peddle odds andends at night. Porters at hotels receive tips from cabdrivers when they whistle for a particular one. We alsofound mothers and daughters, besides the endlesshousehold work, sewed clothes, tablecloths, etc. to sellin the market. Some women sold ice, eggs and otheritems on the side. Even the children get involved insupplementing the income by peddling magazines, trin-kets, and a thousand and one other things. We met aschool teacher who supplemented his salary as a callig-rapher, writing documents for individuals and compan-ies. On and on we could go but you see the point. Sur-vival becomes a struggle which must be met by thefamily uniting with cooperation and hard work. It is theway of life there.

Now, let me introduce you to your brethren in Christwho live in this land. We flew from Tokyo into the capital city of Manila. There we met, visited, ate andpreached in the homes of such faithful preachers asVictorio Tibayan, Sr., Ben Cruz, Noli Villamor, BenCarreon, Vic Tibayan, Jr. and many others. We traveledabout 60 miles northwest to Angeles City to meet Castorio Gamit and the brethren there. Brother Trimble later held a meeting here. I went to Lucena City whereDanny Herrera faithfully works while driving a jeepneyto support his family. Our chief aim on this trip was tocombat the errors of Premillennialism which was mak-ing inroads into some churches. Brother Trimble flewsouth to Pagadian city to lecture on this theme forabout eight days. Vernon and I went to the island of Mindoro to the city of Calapan. The lectureship therewas well attended by some 60 to 75 gospel preacherswho had come at great expense from many miles andfrom many islands. They sat patiently in the rentedschool room on elementary size benches for hours justto listen and learn. While here we were treated royally inthe home of brother Diosdado Menor. This good man is76 years young and has been a great source of spiritualstrength throughout the years in the Philippines. Wetraveled south to Eliseo Sikat's home for a day. I wouldlike to insert here that we met a brother named Gady Castres whom we found to be one of the most capablesong leaders anywhere. His love and ultimate goal is toteach his Filipino brethren how to sing praises to Godfrom both the heart and in harmony.

We returned to Manila and traveled into northern Luzon to the city of Baguio. This is the resort touristtrap of the country. We stayed in the home of AndrewGawe, the faithful evangelist there. We found over 50preachers had come to these lectures from all overnorthern Luzon. Throughout the studies we had livelydiscussions morning, noon and night. Each session wasfollowing by an open forum. We spent the last night here discussing the responsibility of preachers and local churches in regards to support. Next we took a busnorth to Laoag. Here we were "chauffeured" all over Ilocos Norte province by Materno Sibayan. It seemedas if we preached in every nook and cranny throughoutthose mountains! We met brethren in remote placeswho were as the early Christians in Smyrna of who theLord said, " I know thy works, tribulation and poverty(but thou art rich)..." (Rev. 2:9).

Returning to Manila we rendezvoused with brother Trimble and flew south to Davao City in Mindanao. Avery large number of preachers and brethren were gath-ered for the lectureship. Juanito Balbin, Manuel Caaand other evangelists live in or around here. The schoolhouse was packed every day. All three of us felt greatgood was accomplished here. Then off we went west-ward to Kidapawan in North Cotabato. We stayed inthe home of Reuben Agduma while here for four days.Again a large number of preachers had come at greatexpense to be edified by our teaching and by being witheach other. We spoke morning and afternoon and thenspent our nights singing and talking. We caught a jeep-ney back to Davao, stopping at Bansalan to visit withthe Notarte family. Joy, Rudy, Johnny and Benjie arethe sons of the late Reuben Notarte and are all faithfullycarrying on the work of preaching in that area. Afterleaving Bansalan we later heard that there was a gunbattle there between President Marcos' forces and the Moslem guerrillas who seek to overthrow the govern-ment in Mindanao. Seven men were killed in the ex-change. While preaching in Kidapawan we could also hear machine gun fire in the distance.

Returning to Manila we entered upon our last leg ofthe trip. We flew to the remote island of Palawan. Thecapital city of Puerto Princessa was the location of ourlectures. The crowds were not as large here but much ofthat was due to the economic conditions. They justcould not afford to come. We spoke morning, noon and night while there for 4 days.

Our return to Manila found us exhausted but satis-fied. We felt like we had accomplished what we camehere to do. All in all we had preached around 130 ser-mons between us, distributed close to four suitcases ofsermon outlines, tracts, books and song books, and hadhelped as we could with the great expense of mealswhich usually fell upon the local preacher's shoulders. While we did find several preachers who were filledwith jealousy, pride, immaturity and other problems wefound many more who were dedicated, zealous workersfor the Lord. Several years ago there was a great inter-est by American brethren in the Filipino work. Manymen were supported partially or in full by individuals orlocal churches. In the last few years there has beenvirtually a complete severance between American andFilipino brethren. We found only a handful of men still receiving any support at all from U.S. brethren. I do notknow all the reasons why this is so. It is certainly truethat those brethren need to learn to support their ownmen partially or fully as ability permits. We preachedthis very theme nearly everywhere we went. But rightnow that is just not possible. In a general survey I tookof 28 local churches I found the average attendance was27 and the average contribution was $3.70. That mightseen like a petty sum but please remember that many ofthese churches are in remote settings and the vast ma-jority are poverty stricken beyond anything you haveever seen in America. Most of them make a great sacri-fice just to give anything at all. It is not a shame for thepreacher to work and preach as he can, in fact I recom-mended that to many of them, but I also feel there aresome experienced, mature men whose time and talentneed to be used fully.

I sincerely pray that there will be some individualsand local churches who will think seriously about possi-ble support in this part of the world. If you have any questions about the work in the Philippines please feelfree to write. I hope that you have enjoyed this trip with me.

PARENTAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO MORAL AND SPIRITUAL CONDITIONS—NO. VII

Substituting Church Teaching forParental Teaching

At best the role of conscientious parents is very re-warding; at worst it is challenging. Nothing bringswarmer hearts and joy unspeakable to Christian par-ents than the awareness that their children are growinginto God-fearing, Christ-imitating personalities. It isnice to see them develop strong and healthy physicalbodies, to do well in their school work and get along wellwith their peers. It is great to observe them reciprocatedevotion to their parents and grandparents and showrespect to older persons. Nothing should concern par-ents more than to observe a lack of these qualities intheir physically, mentally and socially developing off-spring.

It is not an unusual occurrence to find families where both parents attend and demand that their children attend every church-sponsored Bible study and everypublic worship service yet to find the same childrenresentful of being forced to attend such classes and to"go to church" at all. Particularly do they become in-creasingly resentful, often very bitter, at parental pres-sures in this area of life. I have known many instanceswhere, upon leaving home after high school, these samechildren completely and forever surrendered their once-upon-a-time interest (if they ever really had any) inspiritual values for a life of complete indifference, oftenrebellion, toward religion in any form or sense. Few who read these lines will have failed to observe the same situation and probably many parents who read themcan verify this observation in their own sons and daugh-ters.

Fathers, mothers and prospective parents, please un-derstand. I do not have all the answers to all the ques-tions about these or other family unpleasantries and problems. I am persuaded, however, that there are defi-nite causes for conditions described above. For lack of a better term, again I use the word "substitution" as adoor-opener for the observations made here in connec-tion with this particular unwholesome reality in too many families. The cause for the condition is not singu-lar. There is a plurality of causes.

1. A disposition to substitute church teaching andteaching arrangements for parental moral and spiritual

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teaching and practice is a major cause of the conditionhere discussed. I oppose no rightfully arranged, staffedand faithfully supported congregational teaching pro-gram. This is not my point though I believe a contribut-ing factor to the deplorable condition which has cursedso many families is a failure of persons teaching inchurch meeting houses, pulpits and classrooms un-thoughtedly to fail to make the point I am making here.A major fault is not found in having congregationalteaching programs but a major shortcoming is in manywho fail to teach parents and prospective parents thatparents themselves are specifically addressed in thematter of "nurturing" their own children "in the chas-tening and admonition of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4). Christnever gave his church this command but tells fatherswho are "church members" to "nurture" their children in the Lord's "chastening and admonition"!

1. Too often fathers and mothers erroneously thinkthat getting their children to the church house will solveall moral and spiritual problems. One might concludethat such parents think that all Bible teaching shouldoccur in the meeting house. It is not uncommon forthese same parents to never pray with or have Biblestudy or any other kind of "devotional" period withtheir children except thanksgiving at mealtime. Theydo not even follow up on what happens in their chil-dren's classes in the meeting houses which, again too often, are sessions where teachers cover study books bylecturing on the material for a particular class periodwith little or no response from the pupils. As youngerteenagers become older teenagers less and less responseoccurs to questions asked regarding lesson assign-ments and more and more class discussions become arguments over various social issues or even degener-ate into a sort of forum regarding school and socialactivities which have little or no connection with the scheduled class session and lesson. Simple disciplineand class control by the would-be teacher becomes aserious problem.
2. The class, again too often, carries little motivationfor the pupils to study, learn and know the Bible and itsmeaningfulness to the individual pupil's life. With no home follow-up, the pupil develops a veritable uncon-cern for spiritual values while forced attendance and noinquiry or follow-through by parents builds indifferenceand resentment in their children. When a critical paren-tal attitude towards church leaders is heard by the children the seriousness of the problem is only compli-cated.
3. The preachers and elders, through the preacher,apply the pressure to parents to see that their childrenare "present for every church service" yet, again, the same bishops and preachers fail to put the same typepressure on the parents to do in their own houses whatthey seek to do in the meeting house.
4. Parents "institutionalize" the local church. In many families parents either fail to see or seemingly dono care about their children's attitude toward church activities. They do not begin early and keep up in theirchildren's minds a reverence for God and spiritual val-ues everywhere, with everybody, all the time! They dare

not allow their youngsters to "miss church" at the church house but do nothing to relate what should behappening in the meeting house to what should happenin their own house. Thus they "institutionalize" the church even though that church contends it is muchopposed to "institutionalism"! If not, why not?

If it is wrong for one church or a human benevolenceor teaching society to do another church's assignedwork, why isn't it just as much an "institutionalizedchurch" which allows its own members to load itself with "nurturing" and "admonitional" duties which par-ents gladly surrender to it? I fail to see where one formof "institutionalism" is better or worse than another.

A Solution: Christian parents should be motivated bychurch shepherds to do their "nurturing" work as par-ents in their individual families. When such motivation is properly done there will still be occasion for churcharrangements for study other than "when the whole church is assembled together" on Lord's day. Further-more children will increasingly learn that though thereis a difference between the local church and its teachingwork on the one hand and the parents and their teachingwork, on the other hand, there is nevertheless the sameword of God to be learned and properly applied in both"families".

The nature of the parent-child relationship differsfrom that of the church teacher-child relationship butthe thing taught by each is the same. We need to let thelocal church be the church with its work and the familybe the family with its work while we remember that theword of God is the medium through which Christ who isthe "head of every man" and at the same time "headover all things to the church" is the one who claims allauthority over the Christian in both relationships.

THE LEGITIMATE QUESTION (NO. 2)

This is the second in a series on the legitimate Biblequestion. The basis for our study is Matt. 22, whereJesus had a confrontation with the Pharisees, Saddu-cees and a lawyer. In our first article in Searching The Scriptures, we studied the first two questions in thecontext. The first had to do with paying tribute unto Caesar and the last was about the woman who had married seven husbands and then died. It was noted that the first was a complex, qualified, legitimatequestion whereas the latter was a complex, illegitimate question. It was shown in article one, the basic difference in the two was in the options offered. In the"legitimate" question the correct option is stated, whereas in the "illegitimate" question the correct option is not stated but ASSUMED in the question.

Our third question is unlike the first two in that it isthe complex, legitimate question. The only differencein this one and the first is this one is not "qualified".We will start with verse 36, "Then one of them, whichwas a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, andsaying, Master, which is the great commandment inthe law ?" This introduces us to the complexlegitimate question. It is complex in that a number ofcommands could have been selected as the greatest, andit is legitimate in that Jesus did select one as the greatest. Hear his answer, "Thou shalt love the Lordthy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, andwith all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." Please notice, he did not explain,qualify or modify his answer. It was forthright to thepoint! In question number one, Christ modified hisanswer but not in question three. This is the type ofquestion which could be answered with a direct "yes"or "no." Another example of the complex, legitimatequestion is in John 21. The Lord said unto Peter."Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?" Peter had a legitimate choice between his fishing business and the Lord. He said, "Yes Lord,thou knowest that I love thee." Thus, he made a choice between the two options. In Acts 8:37 we haveanother example of this type. Phillip said to the eunuch,"If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest."The eunuch had one of two options. He could have said, "I do not believe" or he could say, "I believe that JesusChrist is the son of God." Fortunately, he selected thelatter option, was then baptized and went on his way rejoicing.

Now, let us observe how a complex, legitimate question may be turned into a complex qualified, legitimate ques-tion by a slight change in the wording. Sometimes anopponent will ask, "Can any alien sinner be saved with-out water baptism?" This can be answered with a forth-right "no." However, sometimes the wording is changed to this: "Can any person be saved withoutwater baptism?" Now, this question makes it necessary to "qualify" the answer in that babies would be includedin the latter. Since babies are safe, and will be savedwithout water baptism, one must "modify" his answeraccordingly. This is why in public discussions one mustobserve questions very closely. Questions can be "tricky" and get one into great difficulty. Another ques-tion which can be shifted from the complex, legitimate to the qualified, complex, legitimate is: "May a church, from its treasury give to a college?" The answeris "no." However, if one changes the question to: "May achurch give to a college?" The question now demands amodified "no" instead of a forthright "no." The reason being, the word church is sometimes used in the individual or distributive sense (see Acts 5:11; 12:5).Since the word "treasury" was left out of the latter question, one could mean, "Could the church (individuals) give to a college?" The answer would thenbe "yes" instead of "no." Sometimes with a slightchange in the wording of a question, the answer mustbe changed from a direct "yes" or "no" to a qualified"yes" or "no." Another example would be: "May thechurch give money to an alien sinner?" Here again, itwould depend on what the person had in mind by theword church. This question could be answered byeither a "yes" or "no" depending on the meaning of oneword.

Our final question in this series is known as the com-plex, compound, legitimate question. It is "compound"in that it demands a dual answer. Not too many ques-tions fall into this category. This time instead of the Lord answering the question, he steps into the box anddoes the asking. In verse 42, he says, "What think ye ofChrist? Whose son is he?" This question demands notone, but two answers. The Pharisees answered, "Theson of David." This answer was only one-half correct.The Lord knowing these Jews would not admit he wasthe son of God, countered with a second question, "Howthen doth David call him Lord? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?" This question proved to be ashibboleth to the Pharisees. As a matter of fact, the textsays, "No man was able to answer him a word, neitherdurst any man from that time forth ask him any morequestions." This means that Jesus had complete vic-tory in this confrontation. Some may ask, "Did thePharisees admit defeat?" Hardly! They probably wentinto town and told how they had whipped the Lord. The"dual" answer to this final question should have been:"Lord you are both the son of God and the son ofDavid." The Pharisees would admit only one-half of thetruth and thus went down in defeat. Kind friend, re-member that questions serve as a prolific way to teachthe word of God.

NEHEMIAH: LET US RISE UP AND BUILD

The Place of Growth In Spiritual Revival,Part 3—Rejoice In The Lord

Nehemiah's problem in Chapter 11 is to re-populateJerusalem. Too few of the Jews who had returned back to their homeland wanted to live in Jerusalem. Cer-tainly, there were disadvantages to living in Jerusalem,such as the fear of enemies who could overrun the cityand take the citizens captive. They had been through such an experience in the past, and far too many wantedthe freedom of living in the rural regions of Judea sothey could flee to the mountains in the face of an enemyinvasion. Still others did not want to live in Jerusalem because of extra work in guarding the walls as well as paying the taxes they would incur. So Nehemiahfound himself with a Capitol City and no one to livewithin its walls. We of today's generations have alsonoted our problem in the church of today in that too fewin numbers are within the walls of Zion and too manyare in the world. The answer is not in more gimmicks.Nor is it by increased efforts in and of themselves. If weare to see the Kingdom grow in American cities, thoseof us who are God's people must come to know our God.This MUST be the first step to growth if the localcongregation is to develop the hearts of the materialis-tic and worldly-minded citizens into hearts that knowGod. They must spend time with Him in prayer, devo-tion and meditation DAILY! We suggested that therewere at least 4 steps necessary to building growth in thelocal congregation, and that every preacher plus a set ofleaders need to formulate from the Word of God what their objectives are for growth in the local church. Whilethese ideas can only serve as a suggestion, God hasproves that they will work by His power.

III. Rejoice in the Lord

Brethren, if we are to build up the local congregationand see souls come to the Lord, the step which followsgetting to know the Lord is TO BE HAPPY IN JESUSCHRIST! Too many of us are dead to the emotion ofJOY, HAPPINESS and PRAISE! We have no real joy in Jesus Christ, and far too many feel that they are never really going to make it to Heaven anyway, sowhat's the use of really trying. To many religion hasbecome just a drudgery that they go through only be-cause they think they are supposed to do this or that.

You see, Christianity can become a fire plug religion. Itis used only in case of an emergency. Now, nobody everis actually enthused about a fire plug. In fact, fire plugsare always in the way. If you park by one you will get a parking ticket. They are ugly and never make anythinglook more beautiful. So, why should we need to havesuch nuisances anyway? In case of an emergency, ofcourse! So it is with Christianity. We will probably notmake it to heaven because it gets in the way of ourhaving some really good "fun" here on earth. Besides, ittakes too much time and effort. So why do we go tochurch anyway? Because in case of an emergency wemight need to be able to say to the Lord at the end oftime, "Well, I did put in my two cents worth as long as I lived."

When this seems to be the state of our attitude.

Brethren, it is easy to see that we are not going to be too

highly motivated to anything for ourselves or for the

Lord. So what do we preachers do? We blast away week

after week because no one is interested in doing enough

to get themselves to Heaven. All this is to make them

feel guiltier and guiltier; that is, if they still have any

feelings left at all. So, the worse they feel, the less they

do, and the more discouraged they become.

Is it any wonder that these people are not the mosteffective soul winners in the world? What do they haveto give away, guilt? Also, what are they going to sayto some of their neighbors who finally do come to aMonday night personal work class? Could it be: "Wewould like for you to come to our church too, so you canfeel just as guilty and miserable as I do?" We knock on the open door of some poor pagan whom we can seesitting inside drinking a cold beer and watching Mon-day night football and who also seems just as content ascan be, so what do we have to offer this fellow anyway?Well brethren, we have no joy, and you sure cannot giveaway something you do not possess. If we do not havethe joy of Christ in our hearts, will we ever be able togive it to a lost world? You cannot give either one cent ora million dollars away, if you do not have the one cent orthe million dollars. You can't even give someone tuber-culosis if you don't have it yourself, or if you are not acarrier of the disease. WE ARE NOT A HAPPY PEO-PLE!

Walk into the assembly of an average congregation atthe corner of X and Y Streets in most any city in Amer-ica. Observe how we are actually bored to tears. You cantell it by the expression on our faces as we watch theclock! Our singing drags. Our prayers repeat the sameold worn out cliches. Yet we complain: "Nobody is inter-ested." Or, "it won't do any good," and also, "we tried itonce and it didn't work," "nobody will come", and "we are not ready for that yet."

We then ask: "Well, how are you doing?" The reply is:"All right, I guess, under the circumstances. Have wenever read the letter of Paul to the brethren in Phillipi? In Chapter One Paul makes it clear that this is anEpistle of JOY! Yet, Paul was a prisoner in a Romancell. But in spite of his circumstances, he still tells us on that: (1) chains, (2) critics, (3) crisis, nor his circum-circumstances will rob him of his joy in Christ Jesus!

Phil. 1:18: "Christ is proclaimed and in this I rejoice yea,

and I will rejoice."

How can we have this attitude of joy? Brethren, we

preach and talk about the fear that God is FOR us and

he LOVES us. Yet, we are not a joyful people because

we do not see God as a God of love. We picture Him as

just waiting to zip down the shoot, or that He delights

in finding all the flaws in our characters. Isaiah saw in

the shadows of prophecy the servant of the God who

was to come, as a God of LOVE. Isa. 42:1-4: "Behold,

my servant... He will not cry out or raise his voice….A

bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning

wick He will not extinguish." Consider the promise in

this beautiful prophecy. A reed was used for measuring.

It was cut for a certain distance and used to measure

that distance. It was much like a yardstick today, be

cause while it was to measure with, it was also handy to

use for many other purposes. While being put to use,

however, it would oftentimes break. The reed was so

common that when it broke, it was quickly thrown

away. BUT NOT BY MY LORD! HE WOULD NOT

CAST ASIDE A BROKEN REED! To the world it was

of no value but to Him who loved UNCONDITION

ALLY, it would not be cast aside. The same is true as to

the smoking flax. It was a very common and disposable

item around the house. The oil would burn out of the

lamp and the flax or the wick would smoke and cause

irritation of the eyes. When this happened, the owner of

the house quickly snuffed out the wick. Not so with our

Lord! HE CARES. HE LOVES. HE WILL BRING

BACK LIFE TO THAT SMOKING WICK OR FLAX!

Isaiah again makes this theme clear to us in Isa. 40:9,as he says; "BEHOLD YOUR GOD! "LIKE A SHEP-HERD He will tend HIS FLOCK, in His arm He willgather the lambs and CARRY THEM IN HIS BOSOMand He will gently LEAD THE NURSING EWES."Like a shepherd He will carry us to His bosom. OURGOD IS FOR US! If we can ever get all our brethren toreally feel His love for them, they would then become ahappy and enthusiastic people. They would then havesomething to share with a lost world. They would thenhave something to communicate. All of us are only assmoking flax or a broken reed. We are no better. Yet, Hehas unilaterally chosen to love us. He has chosen to loveus without conditions. ALL men are loved by Him.Therefore, when we feel like a loved people we will cer-tainly have something to share. Why are the Pentecos-tals outside telling everybody about their brand of reli-gion? Because they have found something which tothem is SPECIAL. What they have found is not doctri-nally correct, but that doesn't influence or change theway they feel about it. Brethren, doctrinally WE HAVETHE TRUTH! Shouldn't we feel better about havingthe TRUTH than our religious friends feel about error?

In a nice but casual restaurant one evening, a group ofChristians were seated around a table enjoying a deli-cious meal together. There were serious and sober sub-jects discussed, but most of the conversation was thatof JOY. They were laughing together and all clearly felton top of the world. The others in the restaurant were eating and drinking in icy silence all around. Finally awaiter observed: "What makes you people so happytonight when everyone else in here is so glum? Althoughthe answer was not spoken to the waiter, it is this:"Only Christians have the right to laugh about any-thing!"

As Isaiah said: "Behold your God." Just think: Heloves ME!

A REVIEW OF "CHURCH OFCHRIST" (2)

In the June issue of this paper we printed an article by a Catholic priest on the "Church of Christ." It was oneof a series in Our Sunday Visitor on "What ProtestantsBelieve." In our last issue, we reviewed the first sixparagraphs of the article, and we shall now discuss thefinal seven paragraphs.

Paragraph 7: He says, "This church is a reactionagainst much of the Protestant liberalism that is soprevalent today, the believe-what-you-want-to, one-religion-is-as-good-as-another school of Protestant the-ology that has watered down Protestantism so muchthat it is almost impossible to discover what Protestantchurches actually believe and teach."

We do stand in opposition to the teaching that onemay believe whatever he wishes and that one religion isas good as another. It is true that these ideas have so"watered down" or diluted the denominations until they have no power or consistency because they have notruth. But our answer is not, as he contended, that wesay "here is what you must believe and do, because weare the true church ..." What we teach and encouragepeople to do is that which is taught in the word of God, the Bible. One doesn't have to believe or obey anythingbecause "the church of Christ believes it," and the sameis true of the Catholic Church.

Paragraph 8: One characteristic of the Lord's church is that it is truly catholic, the saved of the earth, butthat is not spelled with a capital "c" as they have it. Thechurch is universal in nature, but that's not its name. We believe that "all types of people" are in the universalchurch as described by Paul in Galatians 3:28. Thisincludes all who by faith (their own) have been baptizedinto Christ (Gal. 3:26, 27).

Paragraph 9: We have not been as loud in our opposi-tion to Catholicism as we should have been. Yes, therewas a confrontation between the Catholic Church and the church of Christ in Italy years ago. They even de-faced and removed some of the signs from our meetingplaces. We would probably have the same kind of oppo-sition in America if Catholicism had the power andinfluence here that it has in Italy.

Our opposition to Catholicism is doctrinal and spirit-ual in nature, for "we wrestle not against flesh andblood," but against powers, rulers of darkness and spir-itual wickedness (Eph. 6:12). We do not deny Catholics(or anyone else) the right to erect and maintain places of worship, nor to believe and practice anything they de-sire.

It is easy for us to understand why we would havecontroversy with Catholicism while "protestant denom-inations have lived in peace" with them for years. Prot-estant denominations cannot say that anything or any-one is wrong for they have taught for years that onechurch is as good as another. In addition, they bor-rowed many of their practices from Rome, and "peoplein glass houses should not throw rocks."

We oppose Catholicism (not Catholics) by everymeans and medium available to us. I presented recentlya series of five thirty-minute lessons on "Was Peter Pope?" on a 50,000 watt radio station. We offered freetime to any representative spokesman of the CatholicChurch to reply, but there was no response from them.

Paragraph 10: We vehemently deny that we havedisplayed bitterness toward the Catholic Church — atleast those connected with this paper endorse no suchattitudes. We endeavor to "speak the truth in love"(Eph. 4:15), but when that truth cannot be refuted thenext best thing is to impugn our motives.

It is true that there is no "direct, historical connec-tion" between the church of Christ and the Catholic Church — and for that we are profoundly thankful!

"Rev." Kelly says that the Catholic Church is "a liv-ing, historical refutation of all their claims." We chal-lenge any Catholic to name one thing which we teach orpractice which has been or can be refuted by the Catho-lic Church, using the Bible as the standard.

Paragraph 11: Here he calls attention to division inthe church of Christ over Sunday schools, but such isminimal and of little significance. He says that we em-phasize "congregational character" and have no con-ventions, "although 'Lectureships' take their place."The organization or government of the church is congre-gation rather than universal; but we need to define whatis meant by "conventions" and "lectureships." We nor-mally think of religious conventions as law-makingbodies, and of course the church of Christ has no suchnor is such needed. Christ is our head and lawgiver(James 4:12) and His will is revealed in the New Testa-ment, not some convention. As for "lectureships,"sometimes a series of protracted meetings is called that

— and that's all right. The colleges operated byChristians have annual lessons called "lectureships"but they are separate and apart from the church — or atleast should be.

He says that our popularity with other protestantbodies is not high. That's true, and so long as we preachthe truth we cannot anticipate an increase in ratings.Our brethren of the first century didn't rate too highlywith others and were "the Way which they call a sect"(Acts 24:14 NKJ), and "every where spoken against"(Acts 28:22).

He said that due to our "private interpretation" of theBible we believe that our interpretation is the only cor-rect one. Well, the Bible teaches the principle of privateor individual interpretation and that the average personwho is seeking for truth can understand. "The entranceof Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple" (Psalm 119:130). The correct interpretation ofthe Bible is to believe what it says (e.g., the seven"ones" of Ephesians 4:4-6), and that is where we inviteall others to join us.

Paragraph 12: In this paragraph he accuses us of"picking over small points and ignoring some of the cardinal points of the Christian Faith," but he failed togive an example of those points. By "Christian Faith" we're sure he refers to the Catholic faith, and we pleadguilty to ignoring the cardinal doctrines of that system.But we observe, teach and defend the cardinal doctrinesof the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3).

We regret and resent his sarcastic and blasphemousstatement that we make "religion something buried in abook," meaning the Bible. In speaking of the Bible,Catholics speak with forked tongue. On one hand, theyclaim to have given us the Bible, and on the other handthey deny its authority, challenge its simplicity, andquestion its adequacy.

He charges that we "ignore the authority and tradi-tion of the Catholic Church." We certainly do! Christhas all authority (Matt. 17:5; 28:18) and He has notdelegated any authority even to His own body orchurch, much less the Catholic Church. And traditiondoesn't teach or authorize anything as being the will ofthe Lord (Mark 7:9).

Paragraph 13: He closes by complimenting us on our zeal, learning our doctrine, and winning converts. Manyof us do not deserve these compliments. If we werereally doing these things as we should, there would befewer servants of the pope and more servants of theLord Jesus Christ.

Our Catholic friend closed by saying, "Catholicsshould pray for them that they will find the true'Church of Christ'." If we have not found the "true church of Christ," and should find it, should we then callit the Catholic Church? If so, why?

In our review of this criticism of the church of Christ, we have endeavored to "speak the truth in love" yetplainly so that we are understood. We urge our Catholicfriends to give careful and honest consideration to whathas been said, and "search the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were (are) so" (Acts 17:11).

SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR THE PROPER USE OF TELEVISION

I do not write this article as a novice, for I spent nearlytwenty years of my life in the media. During this time Ibecame familiar with the means and processes used bythe media to influence the buying habits as well as theattitudes of the public. There are several parts of themedia, each doing a most effective job in influencingpublic thinking in various ways. The printed page is amost effective means of producing changes in publicopinion through properly exposed information. Radio,with its built-in ability to cause excitement, is a veryefficient means of changing public views by both imagebuilding and by repetition. And, or course, many othermeans are used by the media to advertise and promotethings as well as ideas. So important is this media-image consideration that the President has a staff com-prised of persons schooled in these various areas ofpromotion with which he seeks to regulate and adver-tise his policies and promote his public image.

I believe, however, that television is the most influen-tial medium ever known to man. Its power is almostbeyond comprehension. It is probably not possible tomeasure the effect it has on our everyday living. It isthe means by which many people plan their lives on a day-to-day basis. It is not only the cause of their buying what they buy, going where they go, doing what theydo, but it has become the means for shaping morality aswell, for what is seen on the television screen has be-come the standard by which many people decide whether or not a thing is right or wrong.

I do not seek to defame television, nor to diminish at all from what I see as a potentially very effective andusable tool for the good of all mankind. The ability oftelevision, especially now in the age of the reflectingsatellite, to bring history into the living room so that wewatch world events as they are taking place, shows usits tremendous educational value. But so little of that kind of thing is being done! So little of its potential toeducate and inform has been explored! It is used almosttotally for entertainment. And even the news has be-come little more than an entertainment package, for thecommentators are most often not qualified broadcastjournalists, but media-hyped stars in their own right.With but few exceptions, I don't know of a qualifiedinterviewer on television today.

But television is having a very bad effect on our coun-try. It has contributed to our immorality; it has brought

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us violence as if it were the acceptable form of living; ithas made pornography an almost everyday experience(things shown on television would not have made the"girlie" magazines three decades ago); it has reducedour language to a series of grunts and groans that makeno sense at all; it has so controlled our lives that we haveactually built our habits for living around it (consider"TV dinners," etc.); it has captured the attention of our children to such an extent that in some homes if the television is not on the children can't go to sleep. And its effect on the styles, particularly on women's cloth-ing, is so obvious that it needs only a casual mention.

I would like to mention just a few things that I believeto be important in our relation to this most powerfulmedium called television. And please be advised that asI write these lines I freely confess to not being an avidtelevision viewer, a fact which may very well disqualifyme from fully understanding the plight and problems of those who are. But I would also point out that Paul saysthat anything that overcomes us becomes our ruler andthat we should be very careful not to be brought underthe control of anything or anybody. "Know ye not thatto whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his ser-vants ye are whom ye obey, whether of obedience untorighteousness or disobedience unto death?" he says inRomans 6:16.

Television and the Little People

We need to consider more carefully the effect of televi-sion on the minds of our children. It is not advisable to turn the influence and education of your child over to|just anyone. We would not go out on the street and justpick some tramp and turn over to him the future of ourchildren. And yet we do precisely that when we allowtelevision to be the dominant force in the educational advancement of our children. Consider this: when we send our children off to school and allow teachers to teach them when we have no idea at all what they are receiving, we are foolish indeed. But add to that the factthat we are also allowing them to be educated andtaught by television without any control over what theyview, and that we are in many instances allowing themto associate with television characters who have had no investigation from us and about whom we know little ornothing, and you have the blueprint for failure. And Iaffirm that this lack of concern is seen in our attitude toward television more than in any of the other areasjust mentioned.

The main consideration in the proper use of televisionfor our youngsters is control. We need to exercise somecontrol over what they watch, over how much theywatch, over whether they watch. The mind of a childneeds various kinds of exercise and television very ef-fectively provides one of them; but it does not by anymeans provide all of them. For instance, it does notprovide the means for the exercise of the imagination. Achild needs to learn to use his imagination. He needs todaydream, to learn to make mental aims on his own, todecide the courses of his own actions. He needs to learn the value of reflection and he even needs to learn to prayin the solitude of his own mind. And none of this will be done very well when he spends all his time in the front of a television screen where the characters do all his think-ing for him, where nothing is left to his own imagina-tion, and where he is never called on to make any sort orkind of decision whatever. We do our children a greatdis-service when we do not control their use of televi-sion.

Television and the Sports Fan

Television has produced a special kind of addict calledthe sports fan. Television's generous exposure of enter-tainment to the homes of millions of Americans is ex-ceeded only by its promotion of its various types ofsports activities. Before one sports season ends, an-other begins. I told someone awhile back that I fullyexpect to see the time come when they cancel theclosing game of the football season because it falls onthe date for the first game of the new season! Sportsevents of various sorts have taken such a hold on some people that most of their weekends are taken up withthe telecasts of whatever is in season at that time. I saw a sign in a shop in Los Angeles recently which is so trueit is disquieting. It said, "We interrupt this marriage tobring you the football season."

I love all kinds of sports. And I suppose that if I letmyself I could be the kind of addict I have just de-scribed. But let me make a suggestion. If you are a loverof sports, get out and get involved in some. Participate!Play golf; play tennis; play croquet; play something inwhich you can participate. It will do you good. It will exercise your body as well as your mind and give you amuch greater appreciation for good sports than justsitting there and getting dull watching others play. Another good thing is to get out and be a spectator. Getthe feel of being there. Instead of watching be a part!

People and Television News

It is sad to me that television producers have thenotion that we, the American public, cannot under-stand plain language. Have you noticed that when thePresident speaks there is always a program to follow it so that several "expert commentators" can tell us whathe said? How sad! Do they not think that we can com-prehend simple English? But then that's television news. They are not just interested in reporting thenews, which should actually be the job of broadcast journalism, but they want to make whatever "slants" init they deem it necessary to make so that the newscomes out meaning what they want it to mean, no mat-ter what is said. And what is saddest of all is that it works!

Television news is not the final authority on anything.In fact its purpose is to report, not teach or promote. Sowhat should we do about that? We should begin by doing some investigation on our own. You don't have to believe everything you hear! There are reputable jour-nalists who are not biased toward some political philo-sophy; there are broadcast specialists who are true tothe obligation of their profession, accurately reportingthings as they happen. Get acquainted with them. Don'tlet just anything find lodging in your mind, but care-fully weigh the reports. And be a library consultant.Read what others have to say on the same subject andthen, for truth's sake, make up your own mind.

Try Some Educational Television

Educational television is available in almost all areas now. It carries not only some of the most educationaland informative programs, but also some of the mostoutstanding entertainment to be found on television today. And there is something for everyone on educa-tional television today. If you are a country and westernfan, there are good clean programs; if you are a jazzbuff, some of the finest concerts with some of the great-est jazz musicians in the world today have been pro-duced for public television; and if you like the moreintellectual entertainments, such as opera, these, too,are available on a regular basis on educational televi-sion. And some of the very best drama, featuring someof the great actors of our time are there, too, includingproductions of Shakespeare's works and others of the classics. It would be a good idea for every Christian toat least take the time to get acquainted with publictelevision broadcasting.

Conclusion

I believe God intended that we have entertainment,recreation, relaxation. But I believe that he intended that it be controlled in precisely the same way that allthe other privileges he gave us should be. I also amfearful about the influence that television has on our lives. I believe Christians everywhere should take thelead in a new movement toward moderation regardingtelevision viewing. I think we should separate ourselvesfrom it occasionally. I am not for selling all the televisionsets, not getting them repaired when they break down,or dumping all of them in the river, but I am for modera-tion in viewing. I am for using some discretion as towhat we watch, how much we watch, and especially asregards what and how much we allow our children towatch. We definitely need a television revolution and itneeds to begin with YOU!

A PRAYER FOR THE DANCE

The usually mild-mannered Barton W. Stone, editorof The Christian Messenger (1826-1844), had little re-spect for dancing church members and congregationsthat retained them in fellowship. He had even less re-spect for dancing teachers whom he denounced in un- flattering terms. He believed that "dancing masters"were "commonly the lowest class of society," men whohad fallen from "better circumstances", but had"learned to step gracefully and caper monkey-like in aballroom". Finding such a man in the church was rare, he said, but not as rare as finding his grave in a churchyard. "No tombstone covers him with the inscription, Here lies a dancing master", he continued, because it"would be thought a burlesque in death". But why then,he asked, should being a dancing teacher "not be soconsidered in life". (Christian Messenger, 1831, p. 71- 72).

In 1844, the year of Stone's death, Samuel Williams ofSangamon, Illinois, complained that "some memberswell informed, and strict in other respects", saw noimpropriety "in young persons attending dancing par-ties, dancing schools, etc," He asked the editor to writeat length "on the evils growing out of professors ofreligion indulging in sin", particular attention to danc-ing parties and dancing schools. (Ibid., 1844, p. 288).

Stone, in reply, made several charges against thethings mentioned, mainly objecting to dancing becauseof its debilitating effect on spiritual life. He said thatafter fifty years of preaching, "I never knew a praying,holy or pious person, old or young, fond of such amuse-ment, engage in them, or contend for them". And headded, "I never saw a church, which tolerated suchthings, exhibit any symptoms of divine life".

Following some other critical observations, he wrote:

Whatever we do must be done to the glory of God,

is a truth acknowledged by all. Then, surely, we

are bound to pray to God for help in all our under

takings. Let the parents when they take their chil

dren to a dancing school engage first in prayer for

Heaven's blessings on the institution. As such

parents, it is well known, are not in the habit of

praying, I will take the liberty of writing down one

for them.

"Lord, in obedience to thy command to bring up

our children in thy nurture, fear, and admonition,

and to instruct them in the way of holiness both by precept and example, we have brought our chil

dren here, that they may learn the art of dancing

gracefully—of walking handsomely, and of sitting

alamode. For thy glory we act in this matter. O

bless our dancing master with wisdom to instruct

these well, and grant our children aptitude to re

ceive his divine instructions... (and) so improve in

these divine exercises, that they may be admired

by all... Amen". (Ibid.).

Later that year Stone again wrote on dancing. Hesaid he had never known of but one prayer actuallyoffered to God before a dance. It was made by a "young,handsome, zealous, pious Presbyterian preacher" of hisacquaintance. The young man had stopped for lodging at an inn where a neighborhood dance was about to getunder way. The innkeeper warned him that he might bedisturbed by the noise of revelry, but could accommodate him with a private room. And so passing through the crowd and nodding politely, thepreacher followed the host to his quarters. The leadersof the dance thought it proper to invite the gentlemanly stranger to join in the merriment and senta young lady, accompanied by the landlord, to hisroom to make the invitation.

The young preacher cheerfully consented, took thegirl by the hand, and led her into the ballroom. Soon allthe partners were arranged on the floor for "a countrydance", with the preacher courteously placed at thehead as leader, while the fiddler tuned his instrument,ready for the festivities to begin. But just before the first tune was struck, the preacher raised his voice tothe crowd, and said: "I have for a few years past, madeit a point never to engage in anything before praying toGod for assistance. If the company will please unitewith me, we will pray before we commence".With that he kneeled on the floor and offered prayer toGod. The dancers stood in stunned silence, trans-fixed as if struck by an electric shock. By the time theprayer ended, they had completely lost "the spirit ofdancing". The preacher than gave "an appropriate ex-hortation, and the party dispersed". (Ibid., p. 314-315).Someone has said, "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of".

When we look at the question above, we note that thequestion says, WHAT must I do to be saved? The"WHAT" suggests that SOMETHING must be done.And what MUST I do to be saved indicates that some-thing "MUST" be done. But it is what must I do to besaved. Not what must father or mother do but what must "I" do. But it says what must I DO to be savedand that suggests that something must be DONE, notseen or heard or felt. Finally what must I do to beSAVED suggests that unless I do it I will not be savedat all.

Having established the foregoing, we now turn to thescriptures to see what I must do to be saved. In 1 John

5:1 we read that, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus isthe Christ is born of God." It should be perfectly clearthat "believeth" is a comprehensive term that IN-CLUDES everything necessary to salvation. If we saythat belief only is the thing indicated, we will be sayingthat one can be saved without repentance! If we saythat believeth includes repentance, we must see whatelse it includes. We see that the one word, believeth, isused to include all things necessary to salvation. Itreally includes obedience unto Christ (Heb. 5:9-10); andobedience of the gospel (2 Thes. 1:8-9).

What is affirmed of "believeth" in the paragraphabove can also be affirmed of "confess" in 1 John 4:15, and of "loveth" in 1 John 4:7. The book of First John also uses other words to more fully indicate what isinvolved in believing, confessing, loving, etc. 1 John

2:29 says "everyone that DOETH RIGHTEOUSNESS is born of him." 1 John 4:24 says "And he that keepethhis commandments dwelleth in him." 1 John 5:2 says"By this we know that we love the children of God,when we love God and KEEP HIS COMMAND-MENTS."

But how do we "do righteousness' and "keep his com-mandments" relative to being saved? Do we not have togo to where Christ discussed the subject of salvationand see exactly what he said concerning it? We see thatChrist used figurative language in John 3:3-5 and saidone must be born of water and of the spirit to get intothe kingdom of heaven. But later on, when Jesus re-ceived all power in heaven and earth (Matt. 28:18) andwhen he had become the author of salvation (Heb. 5:8-9)he used plain and simple language to discuss the mat-ter. He said "Go teach all nations, baptizing them in thename of the Father, and of the Son, and of the HolyGhost" (Matt. 28:19). Mark recorded it thus: "Go yeinto all the world and preach the gospel to every crea-ture, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved"(Mark 16:15-16). When the apostles started doing what the Lord said for them to do, Peter said, "Repent and bebaptized EVERYONE OF YOU in the name of JesusChrist for the remission of sins" (Acts 3:38). Paul de-clared that we are baptized INTO Christ, INTO hisdeath, and that we are raised up from baptism to a newlife (Rom. 6:3-4). Saul was told to "arise and be baptizedand wash away his sins" (Acts 22:16). And Paul evensaid we are quickened (made alive) with Christ IN BAP-TISM (Col. 2:12-13).

To be saved then, one must hear the truth, believethat Jesus Christ is the Christ, repent of his sins, con-fess his faith in Christ, and be baptized. (Rom. 10:17,John 8:24, Luke 13:3, Rom. 10:9-10, and Mark 16:16). Ifone does these things it can be said of him that heBELIEVES. It can be said of him that he CON-FESSES. It can be said of him that he LOVES. It can also be said of him that he DOES RIGHTEOUSNESS and that he KEEPS THE COMMANDMENTS. Friends, won't you do righteousness and keep his com-mandments and be saved?

NUFF SAID

Keith WardRt 2, Box 790bLake Butler, FL 32054

I heard a new variation on how to justify adulterousmarriages the other day. A man quoted 1 Cor 6:17, 20, 24, "Let each man wherein he was called, therein abidewith God." He thought that proved a man should abidewith whichever wife he had when he obeyed the gospel.Regardless of God's "from the beginning" universal law, "What God hath joined together, let not man putasunder," a man should abide with wife 2, 3, or 4 after his baptism even if the previous divorces were not scrip-tural. If true, this may be a valid reason to delayobedience—take time to try out several wives to be sureyou have one that suits before one cements the relation-ship by answering God's call.

By the authority of Proverbs 26:6, I answer as fol-lows. Well, I suppose the thief should abide in his call-ing, the murderer in his, the prostitute in hers. If bap-tism sanctifies the adulterous marriage, why will it not also sanctify the larcenous occupation? Also, should not the homosexual keep the fellow pervert he has at hiscalling? After all, wisdom says to abide in the callingwherein you were called. Is homosexuality the un-forgiveable sin? Cannot baptism wash it away? If thisjustifies adulterous marriages, why will it not justifyhomosexual ones?

Please Renew Promptly!

Send all News Items to: Wilson Adams, 6334 Auburn Ave., Riverdale, MD20737

and small congregations throughout the country came to knowLEO E. DEWITT, JR. him through the active program of preacher support by the Brown(1927-1983) Street church. Approximately 17 years ago, after years ofLEWIS WILLIS, 491 E. Woodsdale Ave., Akron, OH 44301. On manifesting no interest in religion, Leo went to Cecil Willis, whoTuesday, May 31, while at work, brother Leo DeWitt suffered a heartwas then preaching at Brown Street, and was baptized into Christ.attack, dying instantly. He was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia onHe studied hard and grew rapidly in the Lord. His family workedJune 14,1927. His death came just 14 days before his 56th birthday.with him in his development as a Christian and, in time, he wasHe was Director of Personnel at R.C.A. Rubber Company in Akron,honored by this church when it requested that he serve as one ofOhio where he worked for 34 years. He was an elder of the Brownthe elders. It was in this capacity that Leo especially distinguishedStreet church. He is survived by his wife, Mary; a son, Paul, a Deacon at himself. And, aside from the loss realized by his family, it is byBrown St.; daughters, Linda Eidens of Mogadore, Ohio and Gail the church that his loss shall be most keenly felt. No one was Etheridge of Atlanta, Georgia; three brothers, one sister and sevenmore interested in the growth and development of the church andgrandchildren. It seems fitting that this brother's death be noted. no one worked harder to assure it would reach its objective. 1b theMany preachers membership, Leo was our friend, our counsellor and our

confidant. He was the most positive thinking, God trusting

and happy man that I have ever had the privilege to know. Certainly this

gospel preacher has never had a better friend.

It was especially gratifying to see the large number of people whocame to express sympathy to the family. I have never seen so manypeople at a funeral home, actually lined up for a considerable amount oftime, waiting to pass before his lifeless body and say a few words to thefamily. On Friday, June 3, a memorial service was held at the Brown Street building. About 50 Christians beautifully sang some songs,including Leo's favorite, Savior Lead Me Lest I Stray. George LeMasters,a long time friend, spoke affectionately of Leo. I delivered the eulogy andthe closing prayer was lead by Weldon Warnock, who came for the funeral.His body was laid to rest that afternoon awaiting the resurrection. All who knew him held him in high regard. God's people here are thankful that we could know him. He shall be sorely missed. We extend our sympathy tohis family. For those who might be interested, the family address is: 1388 Carnegie Avenue, Akron, OH 44314.

FROM THE FIELD STEVE BOBBITT, 2215 Bonham, Orange, TX 77630. We wish toalert brethren to a man who calls himself James Cooley and claims to be a member of the church at West Orange, Texas. Recently we have had callsfrom three churches from which this man has sought benevolent help. Heidentified the preacher here first as Jim Becker and later as Milton Bradford.James Cooley is not now and, as far as brethren recall, has never been amember of the church at West Orange. There has never been a preacher here by either of these names. Please beware.

CHARLES HOUSE, P.O. Box 1031, Douglas, AZ 85607. During arecent gospel meeting in Delicias Chihuaha (Mexico), there were fifteenbaptisms. Juan Garcia is the preacher there. Santos Gomez, who preachesat Tecate B.C. Mexico reported three baptisms in a meeting he recently heldin Compton, California. Also, Pedro Ramirez reported two baptisms inAgua Prieta, Mexico. In addition, he reports three restorations. And, anew congregation has begun in Esqueda Sonora, Mexico. We are stilllooking for a preacher here at the Douglas-Pirtleville congregation. If interested please write me at the above address.

DAVID PATTERSON, 9018 E. 74th Terrace, Raytown, MO 64133. I am sure that many, like myself, have paid the very high rates for healthcoverage for themselves and their families because insurance companiesconsider preachers self-employed. After paying those ridiculous rates for several years, I did something about it. Working with American InsuranceCompany, we have worked out an agreement and established an association entitling all full or part-time gospel preachers to receive group rates on American Family's best health care policy. There is a small fee to become a member of the association which goes to pay the salary of the one who takes care of the program so that Iwill not be taken away from preaching the gospel. This coverage is topsin the industry and the savings are remarkable. I am 29 and have a family of four. Before the association was formed, my monthly premium was$129. With the group rates, the monthly premium is now $72. That is quite a savings. You can obtain an outline of coverage and a rate quotation bywriting: FWC, P.O. Box 16956, Kansas City, MO 64133. Include yourage and number of dependents with the request. We just wanted to passthis information along in hopes ofbeingable tohelp others.

ROBERT W. TRASK, SR., P.O. Box 178, Cedar Key, FL 32625. I amstill in need of some support. I am receiving only partial support from thechurch here and am in desperate need of about $600 to $800 more permonth. If there is anyone able and willing to help, it would be greatlyappreciated. Please write me at the above address.

CARLOS CAPELLI, Casilla No. 83,1665 Jose C. Paz, Buenos Aires,Argentina. Since May 2nd, a radio program has been going in the Buenos Aires area. The name of the program is "The Bible Speaks." It is a fiveminute program Monday through Friday at 1 P.M. This radio station isheard for about 120 miles. The program is supported by myself and brother Raul Leiva (I baptized him in January). So we have the opportunity to preach the gospel, offer correspondence courses, andanswer listeners questions. Prayer is solicited for the effective use ofthis great evangelistic tool.

THAYER STREET LECTURES

The Thayer Street lectures will be held September 19-22 of this year. Weinvite each of you to be with us. Subjects will be Morality, Training Children, Church History, Indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Poverty, and the Scheme of Redemption. Speakers will be: Bob Dickey, Jim Nicholson,Earl Robertson, Steve Wolfgang, Wayne Walker, and Julian Snell. BillHall will conduct the singing. If you plan to be with us and need a place tostay or have further questions, please call us at (216)376-2818.

PREACHERS NEEDED PERRY, FLORIDA—The Spring Warrior church which meets eight miles south of Perry, is in need of a full time preacher. We have a membership of 100 with two elders and five deacons and are self-supporting. We are a country congregation and have a nice brick home forthe preacher near the building. If interested, please contact Buddy Bethea

(904) 584-6443; or David Gamble, 584-7255.

MEMPHIS, INDIANA—The church in Memphis, Indiana is looking for a full-time preacher. Please contact Robert W. Smith at 320 Triangle Drive,Sellersburg, IN 47172. Any phone calls should come to (812) 246-5433 during the day and 246-5583 in the evenings and weekends.

NEWPORT, NORTH CAROLINA—Full support provided with a nice preacher's house. Our Sunday attendance averages 60. We are a town of about 3,000 on the east coast. We need a mature, experienced worker.Address: P.O. Box I, Newport, NC 28570

HUMBOLDT, TENNESSEE—The church that meets at 2438 East End Drive and Dungan Street in Humboldt, Tennessee is looking for afaithful gospel preacher to work with a small congregation of 32 members. We need one who can bring most of his support with him.Brother Boyd Sellers has been with us for five years and has beenreceiving the bulk of his support from two congregations in the area. Ifinterested, please contact Clarence Spain at 1606 Poplar, Humboldt, TN38343. Or call (901) 784-6595.

IN THE NEWS THIS MONTH BAPTISMS RESTORATIONS (Taken from bulletins and papers received by the editor)

274

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