Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 10
October 23, 1958
NUMBER 25, PAGE 12-13b

The 0Verflow

F. Y. T.

The use of syllogisms

"It is customary to restrict the syllogism to arguments the propositions of which involve only relations of substance and attribute . . . Syllogisms involving other relationships that those of identity or of substance and attribute require very special care." (Encyclopedia Britannica).

The Thompsons Friends of Floyd and Ruth Thompson will be grateful to know that two major operations within a week of each other were not enough to take Sister Thompson off the job for very long. She is recovering quite satisfactorily, and will soon be well again. Meanwhile, if you care to send a card or letter, the address is 429 Eastside Avenue, Santa Ana, California.

Arizona church Recently incorporated in Phoenix, Arizona, was a new church bearing the imposing title "The House Of Prayer Full Gospel Soul Winners For Jesus Christ."

"Peace — it's wonderful!"

For quite some time he had been serving as an elder in one of California's "on the march" churches. Under his eldership this congregation joined just about every promotion that came along — contributions to Christian colleges, youth camps, Herald of Truth, orphan homes, and all the rest. In conversation with some of the more conservative brethren in the congregation who were protesting the head-long rush toward digression he said: "I value the peace of the church above everything. I would not divide it for anything. Why, if the entire congregation wanted to put an organ into the worship, I think it would be wrong to divide the church by opposing it. Christ prayed for unity, and unity is what I want. I think it is a fine thing that we have a little "anti" group here in the city to which the disgruntled and hobby-riders and trouble-makers can go.

"'Bible Colleges — No. 2"

Brother Cecil Willis, 4946 N. Garfield, Kansas City, Missouri, has about fifty copies of Brother W. W. Otey's publication, "Bible Colleges-Number Two" which he will send gratis as long as they last to those who send postage for them. It is well worth your study.

Stationery And now we hear of a new wrinkle in stationery! As long as fifteen years ago one enterprising "Preaching and Singing Evangelist" was advertising his affiliation and his availability by printing on his letterheads two questions: "Do you read the Firm Foundation?" and "Do you have a singer for your next meeting?" At the bottom of the page in capital letters was the quotation: "It Is Better With Baugh!"

"Quoth the raven"

It showed up in one of those "guest books" that many churches have in their vestibules in which visitors sign their names, and whatever comments they wish to make about the service or their visit. Amid a whole string of "complimentary gushes ("fine sermon"; "wonderful singing"; "enjoyed the visit"; "happy to be here", etc.) came the laconic, but revealing words from Edgar Allen Poe: "Quoth the raven"!

The march of modernism It has not been too many months since the Gospel Advocate carried some highly complementary comments about David Lipscomb College and Clay Pullias because they allowed no dancing at Lipscomb College. It must have come as quite a shock to those who still follow that journal recently to see it carrying articles from and editorial endorsement of a man who publicly defends (and practices!) modern ball-room dancing, and who even on the hallowed pages of the Advocate itself attempted an insipid and half-hearted defense of social drinking! When that sort of thing happens who can any longer doubt that we are "on the march" — straight into the camp of the modernists. Apparently the G. A. no longer cares for either doctrinal purity or moral standards; one thing only is essential — that all her writers hate the Guardian,

Brotherhood sisters And now we are having lectureships "by the sisterhood." A California church recently conducted an "area wide sisterhood lectureship", with famous women lecturers (some of them are better preachers than their husbands) delivering their orations to spell-bound audiences. This lectureship was "sponsored by" the ladies' Bible class in that congregation, and the Bible class is "under the oversight" of the elders there. Or is it? We have seen reports from several California "Bible classes" showing that they are selecting their own projects to support by their contributions — Christian colleges, youth camps, benevolent homes, etc.; have their own separate treasuries, and for all practical purposes are completely autonomous organizations "under the oversight" of local elders.

Competition With these "brotherhood sister lecturers" becoming so proficient we may soon be witnessing in the Church of Christ some such sad story as that which happened in the Christian Church at Marshall, Arkansas, a few years ago. A certain Christian Church pastor came to preach a "trial sermon" hoping to be invited as pastor of the church. He brought his wife along, and to show the Digressive brethren what a bargain they would get if they hired him, he let his wife preach that night. Yep! You guessed it. They hired the wife as their pastor, and told her husband they could not use him. We have not heard any report as to that preacher's comment on the unhappy turn of events, but we suspect it was not too far different from that given the newspaper reporter who in interviewing the widow of Abraham Lincoln said, "And other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?"

At the cross-roads He is a California preacher, believing in and fully supporting all kinds of church benevolence societies, youth encampments, Herald of Truth, and such like enterprises. He admits freely and frankly that he has "changed" from what he was five years ago — and also says that he has the feeling that five years from, now he may be much, much more liberal than he is now. And he says it frightens him. Five years ago he was so conservative that he says he would have disfellowshipped a man then who held the position he holds now. He acknowledges frankly that the Bible does not "authorize" the projects and activities he supports; but he now feels that the Bible was never intended to be the kind of book that would furnish a "blue-print" for the church for all ages to come. Its general spirit and teaching must be adapted by each generation to its own use and problems. And so the story goes....the old, old story which happened so often and so tragically a hundred years ago. A soul wrestling with modernism is much the same in every age.