Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 12
March 16, 1961
NUMBER 44, PAGE 5,12b

From A Preacher's Note-Book

James W. Adams, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Seeing Not, She Saw!

One of our Lord's greatest parables contains an explanation in connection with its recitation of the reason why Jesus spoke in parables. He said: "Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not...." Though the Jews had for 1500 years the "Oracles of God," when their Messiah came, they rejected him. Though they had been enlightened by Heaven that they might see, they saw not. This is one of the great enigma's of history. In the Jew of our Lord's day, we see a tragic example of the seeing blind. Sad paradox!

Which thought brings to mind a happy paradox of our time — a great woman who "seeing not, saw!" Many of us lift our voices in worship to God in song Lord's day after Lord's day with little or no thought concerning those who penned the words which are the vehicles of our devotions. Many of our most familiar hymns were written by a woman who, seeing not, saw! Fanny Crosby, as the result of an accident, became blind when she was six weeks old. Despite this tragedy, perhaps even because of it, she became one of the world's most famous song and hymn writers. She composed more than 8,000 hymns and songs. Many of them bear the imprint of her affliction. Her songs and hymns are not famous without reason. Though blind from early baby-hood, it is questionable if any person of our time has had a deeper insight into the needs of the human heart. Her songs are an answer to some of the deepest longings of the soul. Such songs as "Safe in the Arms of Jesus," "All the Way My Saviour Leads Me," "Pass Me Not, 0 Gentle Saviour," "Jesus Is Tenderly Calling Me Home," and "Blessed Assurance" so wonderfully answer our needs in life's experiences that they, second only to the word of God itself, have become an integral part of the warp and woof of our relationship to God. Physical blindness often evokes pity, and quite as often stimulates self-pity in the one thus afflicted. How exhilarating it is in our hours of sorrow and need to realize that the words of the songs which lift us up were born in the heart and mind of a sightless woman who, seeing not, saw! How marvelous it would be if we could but learn God's wonderful law of compensation — when one faculty is impaired, another is enhanced. Do not lean upon your adversity as a crutch, but rather look for the door which opens it! (We are not aware of Miss Crosby's religious affiliations therefore our statements concerning her constitute no endorsement of them. (JWA)

The Veneer Of Much Learning

We believe that we have a healthy respect for true learning. While we are not awed by academic degrees, we respect real scholarship. It is our conviction, however, that real scholars are men of great humility and modesty. There is a type of blatant egotist who has attained to a reasonable degree of recognition in the field of scholarship who imagines himself to be of an elite group of super men. His moderately respectable attainments are mammoth in his eyes. His pride of intellect drives him into many foolish and destructive positions. There used to be an expression among our grandfathers to the effect that certain parties "had just enough learning to make fools of them." It is remarkable how quickly the "faith of his fathers" and the faith of this youth can become arrant nonsense in the thinking of such an individual. Ella Wheeler Wilcox is the author of the following poem which, we believe, penetrates and exposes the veneer of much learning in which some are so well encased:

Philosophy

At morn the wise man walked abroad,

Proud with the learning of great fools.

He laughed and said, "There is no God

`Tis force creates, 'tis reason rules."

Meek with the wisdom of great faith.

At night he knelt while angels smiled,

And wept and cried with anguished breath,

"Jehovah, God, save Thou my child I"

The veneer of the learning of some of our skeptical, pseudo scholars grows thin indeed when faced with some of the great issues of life. How tragic it is that so many young, impatient men sell their birthright of faith for a mess of sod pottage! (JWA)

Idealism

The young are given both to great enthusiasms and lofty idealism. Age and experience often are accompanied by cooling ardor and tarnished principles. However, Age and Experience do not regard themselves. They rather look back from their lofty position with disdain upon the "darical zeal" and "impractical illusions" of their youth. They view the change that has taken place in them as a natural result of growth and enlightenment rather than a compromise with principle and its consequent destruction of fervor.

Institutions and movements, religious and otherwise, partake of the nature of man in this regard. The church of the Lord was launched on a mighty wave of enthusiasm and a platform of rigid divine principles. Men went happily to death by the thousands for its establishment and growth. Soon, however, its youth was past. Philosophy, wealth, power, and enlightened common sense came with maturity, and apostasy set in. John Wesley launched a great movement to reform the Church of England through a restoration of "holiness and zeal." Shouting Methodism was born. Maturity was soon achieved, however, and Methodism settled into the same pattern of ceremonial coldness and worldliness characteristic of the Church of England. The "Restoration Movement" was born with great enthusiasm for and dedication to the great ideal of "speaking where the Bible speaks and remaining silent where the Bible is silent." It too soon gained maturity and with it "sanctified common sense" giving birth to the missionary society and instrumental music in the worship. The disciples of the Lord once more began the heartbreaking task of "restoration."

Now, 100 years later, the battle is on again. Churches built on a firm foundation of a "thus saith the Lord" have fallen into the hands of men who figuratively "knew not Joseph" and the problem of centralization of resources and power is again busy at its divisive and destructive work. Joined with it this time is the "social gospel movement" which has so completely dominated the denominational world for a quarter of a century and more. Gone is the idealism of youth. Sophisticated maturity now prevails adopting with ease and grace from decadent denominationalism the practices that idealistic youth condemned.

In a small Texas town where this writer once preached, there is a practical demonstration of what we are talking about. When we labored there, the Methodist church was given by the conference a young pastor with super zeal and modern ideas to replace the elderly man who had served them for four years. The young man immediately instituted a program of continuing social activities. The brethren whom we served were loud in their condemnation of his efforts. They criticized and sneered at the worldliness of such a program for a body professing to be a church. Today, these brethren have their fellowship hall and their round of entertainment equaling, if not surpassing, that of the young Methodist pastor. Some of the very men who then condemned are now loudest in the defense of this program. The very thought makes us blush with shame. It would appear that it is wholly dependent upon "whose ox is being gored" whether it is good or bad. Does the name "Church of Christ" sanctify that which is reprehensible if the name be "Methodist?" I used to hear Floyd A. Decker, recently deceased, say often when I was a young preacher in East Texas: "Churches of Christ come along 25 years behind the denominations and pick up that which they have cast off and act as though they have made some great discovery." How right he was! May God help us to recapture and preserve the idealism of youth. Give us back the dynamic plea for a "thus saith the Lord." (JWA)