Truth Magazine

By Fred A. Shewmaker

Since 1957 I have had in my possession a tract entitled “What Is The Church of Christ”. The following Statement appears on the inside back cover of this tract: “The material in this article was presented in a sermon on January 23, 1955 at the Hillsboro Church of Christ, 2206 Hillsboro Road, Nashville, Tennessee, and heard over radio station WLAC.” Although the overall content of the tract is good it does contain the following ambiguous sentence: “Congregations do cooperate voluntarily in supporting the orphans and the aged, in preaching the gospel in new fields, and similar work.” Since this sentence is given to more than one interpretation, it needed clarification.

The tract begins with an introduction and then proceeds by asking questions that are immediately followed by answers. The portion of the tract from which I have taken the preceding is the answer given to question IV: “Are the churches of Christ organically connected?” The full answer given in this old tract to question IV is as follows:

“Following the plan of organization found in the New Testament, churches of Christ are atonomous. (sic) Their common faith in the Bible and adherence to its teaching are the chief ties which bind them together. There is no central headquarters of the church and no organization superior to the elders of each local congregation. Congregations do cooperate voluntarily in supporting the orphans and the aged, in preaching the gospel in new fields, and in other similar works. There are no conventions, annual meetings, or official publications. The `tie that binds’ is a common loyalty to the principles of the restoration of New Testament Christianity.”

In my estimation this is not a forthright answer to the question. The author of the tract, brother Batsell Barrett Baxter, apparently agrees with this estimation. The evidence that he does is to be found in the change made in answer to question IV in the new issue of his tract.

I have recently come into possession of brother Baxter’s new issue of the tract. On the front cover in addition to the title, “What Is The Church of Christ”; are the words “Revised Edition” printed at about a 30 degree angle. A careful reading of the “Revised Edition” reveals that, other than an addition in the introduction and the updating of statistics, there is only one change to be found. That change is found in the answer given to question IV. In the new issue the author clarifies what he means by the sentence, “Congregations do cooperate voluntarily in supporting the orphans and the aged, in preaching the gospel in new fields, and in other similar works.” In the “Revised Edition”we find the following, entirely new, paragraph inserted, immediately after that sentence:

“Members of the church of Christ conduct forty colleges and secondary schools, as well as seventy-five orphanages and homes for the aged. There are approximately forty magazines and other periodicals published by individual members of the church. A nation-wide radio and television program, known as `The Herald of Truth’ is sponsored by the Highland Avenue church in Abilene, Texas. Much of its annual budget of $1,200,000 is contributed on a free-will basis by other churches of Christ. The radio program is currently heard on more than 800 radio stations, while the television program is now appearing on more than 150 stations. Another extensive radio effort known as `World Radio’ owns a network of 28 stations in Brazil alone, is operating effectively in the United States and a number of foreign nations, and is being produced in fourteen languages. An extensive advertising program in leading national magazines began in November 1955.”

Why did brother Baxter write about all these organizations of human origin in the new issue of his tract? With this in mind look back at the question he is answering. “Are churches of Christ organically connected?” If I were not a member of the church of Christ, would brother Baxter’s answer mean Yes or No, to me?

Brethren who have opposed taking money from the treasury of a local church and supporting the human organizations, mentioned in this new answer to question IV, have long argued that such support constitutes an organic connection of churches. Although brother Baxter may wish to deny it; his answer in the new issue of his tract admits those who so argue were, and are, correct.

How appropriate are the words on the front of the new issue of the tract. This new tract does not tell about the church of Christ as it is revealed in the word of God. This new tract tells about the revisions of the church of Christ that have been wrought by men who were not satisfied with the church described in the Holy Scriptures.

How suggestive of a name are the words on this new issue of the tract. Will the brethren who have organically connected many local churches of Christ soon find that their organization has become popularly known as the Church of Christ Revised? Time will tell!

Truth Magazine, XVIII:19, pp. 9-10
March 14, 1974

By Roland Worth, Jr.

Any person acquainted with the Bible and the history of its transmission realizes that multitudes of minor and insignificant differences exist in the surviving manuscripts. Some people (who should know better!) use this fact to discredit belief in the inspiration of the Bible itself.

R. Laird Harris, in his Inspiration and Canonicity of the Bible (Zondervan: 1957) cites an example of this from near the beginning of this century and rightly remarks, “She holds, strangely enough, that the publication of the Revised Version in England killed the doctrine of verbal inspiration as it revealed variations among the manuscripts. As if this had not been known previously!” (page 300)

It is extremely unjust to hold against an author the mistakes made by those who have preserved his works. J. W. McGarvey wrote in 1899, “If I were charged with all the mistakes which appear in my articles almost every week, and which have appeared in the first editions of all the books that I nave published, I would esteem it a very great hardship; and if I were guilty of them, I think that I would write no more till I could go to school a few more sessions. Why visit upon the heads of the holy men who wrote the Bible a hardship which no modern writer could bear with patience?” (Biblical Criticism, page 322)

Truth Magazine, XVIII:10; p. 12
January 17, 1974

By H. L. Bruce

In order for a preacher to persuade brethren that discipline is right and proper and that it is ordained of God and should be scripturally practiced in a congregation, it should not be necessary for him to fight the members of that congregation. But many times that is exactly what, he has to do. Furthermore, when he has to fight the members, the story does not stop there. Before he gets through, a lot of times he has either been severely hurt himself or winds up being dismissed by the elders of that congregation. Why is it some brethren think that in the tense and unpleasant procedure of corrective discipline that it adds anything at all for them to put the preacher under pressure by dropping an additional hot potato in his lap?

In the twenty-two years that I have been preaching the gospel, I have tried to influence congregations where I preach, among other things to practice corrective discipline as is taught in the New Testament. During that period of time it has been our unpleasant experience to have to withdraw from over 45 unfaithful and delinquent members. It was not pleasant in any sense. But this article does not deal with the mechanics of discipline, even though that would be an interesting and profitable study.

The way that brethren act during the procedure is what disturbs me! Why the additional burdens placed on the preacher when discipline is practiced? Why the implications against the preacher when he begins to ask brethren to do what God says? Why will a congregation that has never practiced discipline, and which has a tremendous backlog of ungodly and unfaithful members, fire their preacher when he tries to get them to practice scriptural discipline?

Why is the preacher the bad guy and the gambler the good guy? What makes the preacher wrong and the reprobate right? What makes illicit sex right and the preacher a church splitter if he wants corrective discipline? Why should a preacher have to sell his house, move away, have his family subjected to a strange territory, his children change schools, leave their friends behind, and experience the emotional strain of a fresh start and multiple adjustments simply because a congregation filled with ungodliness refuses to honor what God authorized with regards to discipline?

Yet some wonder why preachers become soft and relegate their preaching on discipline to either mere lip service or passive complaints. Preachers sometimes become cowards after having their hands burned and reputation wounded by ungodly people who toss them hot potatoes when they try to influence them to do what God says. Some fear their image. Brethren sometimes will ruin them if very much is said in trying to get them to practice discipline.

I have preached on discipline dozens of time and plan to continue to do so. I have influenced brethren to practice discipline and shall continue to do so, if God permits me to live. Some have been out right rebellious. Some have started and changed horses in the middle of the stream. Then there have been those who wanted to practice discipline and would go along with the action, provided they could keep the preacher walking on hot coals along as they went. While practicing discipline, they wanted to burn the preacher some way as if he were responsible for the necessary action. Then, thank God, there are those devout, resolute, Godfearing individuals who respect the word of God, at all costs-and there is a price. They are the ones who please God. They are the ones whom I respect. May their tribe increase. And may the preachers who are cowards increase their faith in God and be courageous.

Truth Magazine, XVIII:10, p. 10-11
January 17, 1974

By Raymond E. Harris

Palm reading, crystal ball gazing and character analysis by Astrologers has become big, big business in America and throughout the world. Despite the fact that America has developed the most sophisticated and intellectual society the world has ever seen, signs are springing up along the streets advertizing the powers of fortune tellers, tea leaf readers and card layers. The variety of methods of “personality analysis” is almost endless. Astrologers feature full page ads in scores of magazines. They claim that with the help of computers and other modern paraphernalia, the stars can reveal the real you. Yes, for a “modest” fee that can run all the way from a few dollars to “highway robbery,” the mystics of the day will tell you what you always wanted to know about yourself????

Recently, Dr. Ross Stagner of Wayne State University has given his own “personality analysis” to a special group of people. More than 90 per cent described his analysis of them as “rather good” to “amazingly accurate.” The subjects were sophisticated personnel managers.

How did he do it? How did he know so much about them? Does he have a crystal ball or is he an astrologist? No. It’s just that he has learned that a great per cent of all people see themselves pretty much the same way. This information came out as a result of having many people evaluate their own personalities. Of all the people tested for personality traits, it was learned that:

1. 85 per cent felt they had a strong need to be liked and admired by others.

2. 82 per cent felt they had a tendency to be self-critical.

3. 73 per cent felt they had a lot of capacity they had not used to their advantage.

 

4. 73 per cent admitted to some personal weaknesses but thought they were generally able to compensate for them.

 

 

4. 91 per cent prefer a certain amount of change and variety and feel dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitation.

 

 

4. 80 per cent pride themselves as independent thinkers.

 

 

4. 68 per cent felt they had to be careful and not reveal too much about themselves to others.

 

8. 61 percent admitted that even though they try to appear self-controlled, they frequently worried and were insecure within themselves.

 

9. 71 per cent felt security was a major goal in life.

 

 

9. 78 per cent felt that even though they were extrovert and sociable at times, there were other times when they were introverted and reserved.

 

Now, what can we conclude from these tests? Simply this: 75 to 80 per cent of all people evaluate themselves pretty much the same. Hence, the palm readers, the crystal ball gazer or the Astrologer could give everyone exactly the same “personality analysis” and about 80 per cent of all the millions that consult these pseudo-psychics would be very impressed that the analysis was very accurate and applied to them distinctly.

So before you accept your next newspaper horoscope as very revealing, keep in mind that the same general statements would also be very acceptable to a high percentage of the people you know.

Dr. Stagner’s findings just add that much more evidence that astrologers and all fortune tellers are frauds. Truly, there are tricks to all trades. Millions of intelligent people are being duped by these charlatans. The mysterious has always had a certain fascination. However, the children of God need to realize that Jehovah through His word has always condemned the witches, astrologers, and diviners of every generation. They deceive the people into looking away from the one true God for guidance. They practice a form of idolatry and they and all who patronize them will be condemned and punished in the day of judgment.

If we would learn what we are, who we are and where we are bound, we must turn to God and His word.

Truth Magazine, XVIII:10, p. 6
January 17, 1974