No, it isn't mine. It belongs to one Guy N. Woods, the man who has championed the cause of "liberalism" for the past twenty or more years. The hero to thousands who are of "liberal" persuasion, Guy N. Woods, the man who has never changed his position! Guy N. Woods, the antithesis of "anti-ism." The man who decries the "make all things according to the pattern" idea. The man who is of a mind to shy away from a "too strict" interpretation and application of New Testament law.
In the August 13th issue of the Gospel Advocate Guy N. Woods authored an article which he should have written and published twenty years ago. Only, then he was too busy telling the masses among church members that they were allowed to do most anything they wished, in the name of Christianity, whether they had authority or not! A lot of people have believed him and taking him at his word have decided to just do what they feel like doing even if it joins them hard to the Pentecostal people of "miracle-working" fame, or to the "New Morality" group who insist that anything goes ff you like it, and they do like a lot of things, even ugly things!
Now, brother Guy is worried about the "new breed of Sophists" in the church, represented by someone who has expressed himself in a church bulletin to the effect that he no longer believes that "man is a rational being." After having recourse to Isaiah, John Locke and Alexander Campbell, Woods affirms that our Lord and his apostles believed in the "basic implication" and raises the question of a "liberal brother" (of all people) ff he thinks they were deceived also.
Now, I want you to take notice of "WHO" is calling "WHO" a "liberal!" If Brother Woods' opposition is a "liberal," I suppose that would make Guy N. Woods an "anti," and that would be horrible l I do not think Brother Guy would like such designation, and I would resent him displacing me and my colleagues. I rather like the appellation, especially ff it be understood.
Brother Woods makes some good points with reference to a college professor's willingness to teach the kids all about "sex and the ethics of abortion." I doubt, however, that his arguments will have any lasting effect since he is one of the fellows who helped to "set the blaze" that has developed into a full-grown conflagration. This he has done by "shouting from the housetop" that "we have no pattern" to guide us in doing the will of the Lord. The tragic result of this philosophy is that it removes every restraint of New Testament authority and leaves the subject free to flounder in the speculations of a finite mind.
Brother Woods quotes another "liberal brother" who said that he could "go outside and puke after hearing old traditional church of Christ sermons on First Principles, Baptism, the New Testament church, etc," and he further declared that he did not believe in home Bible studies, because, (said he), "I don't believe in trying to convert Christians from one denomination to another."
I join with brother Woods in his rebuke of this man. He stands to be condemned. But, I am wondering ff brother Woods remembers the great battle waged by those whom I style
"liberal," and with whom brother Woods has always been associated as they "sounded their trumpets and beat their drums" to the familiar strains of "WE ARE ON THE MARCH" brethren? Well, they were, and they did march; right through the New Testament and out into the realm of infidelity and the "New Morality" never to be headed. And, now, brother Woods bemoans that tragic end. But, he, and those aligned with him, are responsible for it. I am proud of the fact that I can be named with a host of other brethren who tried desperately to restrain them, all to no avail.
Brother Woods makes a further observation on what this "liberal brother" has to say: "Such characters have, of course, lost their faith in the basic tenets of the Restoration Movement" I agree, and I do remember one of those tenets of the "restoration movement" which sounded like this; "Where the Bible speaks, we speak: where the Bible is silent, we are silent." For twenty, and more, years we have been trying to get brother Woods to apply this "silence of the scriptures" and he has consistently refused. He, and those associated with him in the same belief have rested their case on the plea that "it is a good work."
And, now dear reader, I want you to get a firm hold on your chair because I am about to give you a "breath-taking" and "earth-shocking" quote from brother Woods: "Those who have adopted this philosophy, like the ancients Sophists, operate on the premise that the end justifies the means;" Where have we heard such contention made? Why, in every debate and in every writing of brother Woods that has been their plea; "the end justifies the means." This they have used to justify the HERALD of TRUTH, all BENEVOLENT HOMES, from "orphan" to those for the "aged," homes for "UNWED MOTHERS" and the "SPONSORING CHURCH" and "CAMPAIGN FOR CHRIST" project. It does seem that just about every argument which brother Woods is using to restrain his "liberal brethren" are the ones which we have used in a like effort to restrain our "liberal brother" Guy N. Woods. And, I imagine his "liberal brother" will pay about as much attention to Guy N. as our "liberal brother" has paid to us!
Brother Woods, it sure does look like "your chickens are coming home to roost." You and your liberal brethren have done an excellent job of "brain-washing" your constituents. They haven't known when, or where, to stop. They have just about reached the extremity of apostasy. We could hope that even yet, you can recognize the danger signal and call a halt to the foolishness of the "no pattern" philosophy and return to the security of TRUTH!
TRUTH MAGAZINE XIV; 50, pp. 3-4
October 29, 1970
