News And Views
News And Notes
Ross Saunders has moved from Plant City, Florida, to work with the church in Lebanon, Kentucky. He follows Donald Townsley there....I see by two Louisville, Kentucky bulletins that the St. Matthews church in that city recently "Christened" a lady. Like A. C. Grider commented: "I don't know what they did to her in the process." Julian Snell, of West End in Louisville, had a fine article in their bulletin (3-5-61) under the caption, "Language of Ashdod," in which he refers to this "Christening." He writes as follows: "In present day acceptance among lovers of truth it (the word, "Christened") conveys primarily an erroneous concept of denominational origin. The desire to impart truth in all its clarity will cause us to refrain from the use of such. It is the garbled language of Ashdod in modern dress and but bespeaks of the dangerous trend of modern though even among our brethren. The simple; language of the New Testament along with a good deal of its teaching is being rapidly overshadowed by the current philosophy of modernism."....This is but another of the many examples of looseness in thought and speech among the brethren.... From The Echo, bulletin of the Red Bluff church in Pasadena, Texas, I lift the following statement about the church. It was written by Luther Blackmon, the able and faithful preacher, not for any bragging or blowing purposes at all, but "lest some of our outside readers, because of my continual urging to greater effort, should get the idea that we are not alive and working...." He then cites some interesting statistics as follow:
"With a membership of less than three hundred, we have consistently more than three hundred at the mid-week service, and nearly four hundred in Sunday morning classes and excellent crowds at the two worship services on Lord's day. In short, I doubt that there is a church anywhere whose attendance record at all the regular services is better than that of Red Bluff. We have a few, of course, who never come to any service except Sunday morning. But our attendance, good as it is at the regular services, leaves much to be desired in meetings such as we have coming up on March 19th."
Frankly, this is one of the very best records in the way of attendance I have ever seen; especially for a congregation of that size. Like brother Blackmon, "I doubt that there is a church anywhere whose attendance record at ALL regular services is better than that of Red Bluff." If so, I should like to know about it. It is a delight to know of such a church and it should serve as an encouragement to all others. What are the factors which account for this fine attendance at ALL regular services? Surely the right kind of teaching is an important part; but is that all? It would be interesting if brother Blackmon would give us further insight into what makes for such a commendable situation. Yet in spite of their fine attendance record as noted above, it appears that even this good church has a problem with attendance during a gospel meeting. This seems to be the situation everywhere. Why? Are people too busy with business, fun and pleasure to attend a meeting? Can poor attendance during a meeting be attributed to the fact that children are in school and this hinders attendance on the part of parents as well as children? This does not seem to affect anything else that they want to do. Perhaps the poor attendance during meetings is the reason that the day of gospel meetings is over. What do YOU have to contribute by way of information or help along this line? Have you seen the "Emergency Report.. For those Who Care," published by the Manhattan church in New York City? Well, they are at it again and this time they are out to raise $500,000 NOW. And when it comes to brass and a feeling of importance concerning their "project" they take second place to none! Reading their propaganda sheet you would think that the salvation of the entire world and the future of the church depends upon their getting this money. They are not at all greedy, for they have already received only $480,793.57! They are still after that "Million for Manhattan." Read the following arrogant claim that they make in regard to their project:
"Defeat! That's a frightful word, but we know no better way to describe the world-wide set-back to the Restoration plea if 23,000 CHURCHES OF CHRIST with 2,000,000 MEMBERS!, either can not or will not erect a meeting house in the Capital of the World,
"Remember, no little mission on the outskirts of the world can take the place of a demonstration where all nations can see it.
' "If we should fail to meet the new deadline, it would be comparable to Dunkirk in World War II. We would go on to win anyway, but irreparable loss and delay would be sustained. Souls dying without the Lord, our whole mission program everywhere compromised, and a psychological set-back that might last a generation — these are the sad prospects if we should fail."
Now that is a pitiful tale if you ever heard one! Try to imagine Paul in Athens or Rome making such an appeal to brethren over the country. It is disgusting to even think of it. According to these brethren, nearly everything depends upon erecting a meeting house in the Capital of the World. None of these "little missions on the outskirts of the world" can compare with this enormous operation. In fact, these brethren are so full of themselves and their fancied place of importance that they even dare to suggest that all these "little missions" will likely fail if a "meeting house" is not soon erected on Manhattan Island. Can you imagine a "meeting house" of any size, cost, or kind being that important? Perhaps the Lord should have sent the apostles into the world to build "meeting houses" since so much seems to depend upon them. Souls will die without the Lord if this group on Manhattan Island do not get their "meeting house" — and some "meeting house" it will be. They must be trying to run a race with the Catholics and impress the world with "our" wealth and awe the world with our magnificent cathedrals. Truly this is the thinking of a modern generation infected with the deceptive philosophy of modernism. Not only will souls die without the Lord unless this "meeting house" is provided, but furthermore "our whole mission program everywhere compromised." What a claim! Moreover, if these egotistical overly-ambitious brethren do not get the $500,000 they are trying to beg and badger from the brethren, the Cause of Christ will suffer "a psychological set-back that might last for a generation." Now that really is the "living end!" No doubt in such a case as that we would have to call in some expert in psychoanalysis, psychology, or some other related field to diagnose the trouble and tell us how to effect a cure! No doubt some of our own experts in "mental health" could serve well in such a case....Well, on and on we go with the subtle and devious effects of modernism leading the church into another apostasy.
Mother
Many of our members are mothers. Some have only one child. Some have two. Others have more. Sometimes I wonder if we ever consider how these mothers work to bring their children to services.
Many times the child feels bad and he squeals and squalls and twists and turns. And many times he feels good and he squeals and squalls and twists and turns. And the mothers patiently endure all of this. They pet and pamper the children then they take them into the nursery and shake and spank them. The mothers are disturbed. They miss part of every sermon. Many times, no doubt, they are embarrassed as others glance in their direction. Yet they have no intention of staying at home with their children. Why? Because they love the children. They love the Lord. And they love the church. If any group ever endures hardness as good soldiers of the cross it is the mothers of the congregation.
As we observe these children first up then down, first in then out, first still then moving, we are likely to forget two things. First, we were once children ourselves. Secondly, these mothers don't bring their children to services to disturb. They bring them because they love them and they love the Lord.
We like to see a lively child in the services, even if he gets as loud as the preacher sometimes. And we like to see a mother go about her almost impossible task of trying to get all the preacher has to say and at the same time trying to keep her child in check.
May God bless our children. You know, Jesus said "of such is the kingdom of heaven." But may God also bless the mothers in their labor of love as they bring their children to services.
So, mothers bring the children on to services. Pet them, pamper them, shake them, or spank them. If anybody says a word, tell him I said he was childish. Yes, if anybody doesn't love children he doesn't love the Lord. And if anybody doesn't appreciate mothers who bring them to services he doesn't appreciate anything. We salute our mothers at Preston Highway. — A. C. Grider, Louisville, Ky.
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Six States Versus The World
The great numerical strength of churches of Christ lies in the South. When members of the church travel in the North, they often have difficulty finding congregations with which to worship. And often when people move from the North, they remark, "I had not heard of the church of Christ until I came to the South." We are aware that our numerical strength lies below the Mason-Dixon line, but are we really conscious of the extent to which this is true?
The Christian Chronicle recently stated that "90 percent of the members of the church in the entire world live in six states....Ala , Ark., Miss., Okla., Tenn., and Texas."
Also, "there are more members of the church in Nashville or Dallas or Abilene, Texas, than in the combined states of ....Mass., N. Y., Nevada, Utah, Neb,. Minn., N. Dakota, and Wis."
Historical Background
The historical background of the "sectionalism" of the church of Christ is not difficult to find. The restoration movement was torn by controversy and finally division in the decades following the Civil War. The issues were instrumental music and the missionary society, though these were but symptomatic of the more basic problem — growing liberalism.
When division finally came, it followed sectional lines rather closely. Churches in the North followed the more liberal path, and today, the Christian Church finds its great strength in the North. But churches in the South remained more conservative in their attitude toward the Scripture, and as a result churches of Christ find their strength today in the "Bible Belt" of the South.
Our Challenge
The concentration of our numbers in such a few states offers one of our great challenges today. Can we be complacent when a single city in the South has more Christians than eight entire states, including the most populous state in the Union?
Where does Kentucky fit into this picture? We are not one of the six states where the church is strongest. Nor are we one of the states where the church is almost unknown. We lie in between the extremes. And where does Wendell Ave. fit into this picture? Just where every congregation does — charged with the great responsibility of preaching the gospel. "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" Jesus said. — Bill J. Humble, Louisville, Ky.