For a quarter of a century Brother Charles Holt enjoyed the reputation of a faithful gospel preacher. For about four years he has edited a paper named SENTINEL OF TRUTH, in which he has progressively gone further and further from the truth. Probably many of the people who get this paper do not read SENTINEL OF TRUTH, and I would not recommend that you spend your money on it.

Charles no longer works as a full-time preacher, as he did for perhaps 2 5 years. He now spends a good bit of time encouraging preachers to turn to a secular job. In the January, 1969 issue he said that "local ministers" never had it so good. He even has recommended that any preachers who want to quit preaching should get in contact with him, and he would be glad to get them in his business. A fellow-employee of Charles reported he made $25,000 in a recent year. It comes with rather poor grace that he now should complain about the status of preachers who "never had it so good."

If it is now so bad to be a full-time preacher, it must have been as wrong while Charles was doing it. If money paid for preachers is tainted, it would appear that a $25,000 a year man like Charles would be busy paying back all the money he wrongly accepted during the last quarter of a century.

Charles is long gone. He has gone out from us. In the December, 1968 issue, Charles said: "That the modern Church of Christ movement is another denomination, pure and simple, cannot be successfully denied." Then he adds in the January, 1969 issue, "The sooner the so-called 'heirs of the Restoration Movement,' of whatever segment, come to recognize and honestly admit that the 'Church of Christ' is 'simply another human organization,' or denomination, the better it will be for all of us."

I do not know just why Charles quit preaching. But when I come to believe that the Body of Christ is just "another denomination" and is "simply another human organization," I also will be ready to quit preaching and take one of his $25,000 a year jobs. But there are more important works to do so long as I believe that the church is the eternal purpose and design of God, and was bought by the blood of Christ. So Charles, do not hold one of those $25,000 a year positions for me. But while you earn $25,000 a year, please do not mind if your griping about preacher's pay falls on a deaf ear. How much of that tainted preacher-pay money have you refunded? $25,000 a year would enable you to repay your wrongly received preacher-pay in a lot less than 25 years.

TRUTH MAGAZINE XIII: 9, p. 1a
June 1969