Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 13
March 1, 1962
NUMBER 42, PAGE 4,12b-13a

By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them

Editorial

Claude E. Worley, Beverly Hills, California

In the Gospel Guardian of September 22, 1960, I wrote an article giving some facts about Pepperdine College and its association with the Christian Church in a "Hospital Foundation Plan." The article was titled. "Can Two Walk Together, Except They Be Agreed?" In reply to this article brother T. J. Moon of Ojai, Calif., wrote an article, "In Defense of Pepperdine College," that appeared in the November 24, 1960 issue of The Guardian. In this article he said, "brother Worley evidently received his information from the newspaper article which is never a very accurate source of true facts." Then he goes on in his article and sustains what I had said, and confirms it by setting forth a quotation from the Summer Lectureship of August 11, 1960.

In this association of Pepperdine College with the Christian Church in this Hospital Plan, Pepperdine was to receive some financial benefits; and it was bound to be a good thing, for it looked good and financial gain was in the offing. But here I ask again, can two walk together, except they be agreed? Different from this Hospital Foundation Plan, this time Pepperdine, supported by many who profess to be stalwart defenders of the faith, and doing a good Christian work, is on the donating and helping end. You be the judge of this.

This Time Pepperdine Is Lending Its Support To The Catholics.

It came over the radio, it was printed in the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, January 12, 1962, and confirmed as having taken place again in the Herald-Examiner of January 14, 1962. Quote from Ralph Alexander, columnist:

Loyola, Wave Fives Host Benefit Affair

"Mt. St. Mary's College for girls, ravaged by the recent Brentwood area fire to the amount of $2 million, begins to look toward the future tonight. Three Catholic men's colleges — Loyola U., U. of San Francisco and Santa Clara — and Pepperdine, a Church of Christ operated co-ed college, will donate all net proceeds to it from their West Coast Athletic Conference basketball double header tonight at the Sports Arena."

From time to time Pepperdine's chartered course flagrantly shows the sinfulness of its program and influences; yet people continue to put their trust in it, defend it, and flaunt the teachings of the word of God. This is being written that you might know what your boy and girl are a part of at Pepperdine, and to make those responsible for such realize how far they have drifted away from offering even so-called "Christian influence" at the college. When anyone supports a Catholic school, he supports the Catholic Church. When one supports the Catholic Church, he supports Satan's religious stronghold in America. Or do you believe this? When one supports a thing that is sinful, he becomes a partaker with others that support it in their evil deeds. Do you believe this? Can one support evil that good may come? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. (Rom. 6:1)

Now, any effort on the part of anyone to clarify or justify this action on the part of Pepperdine will be gratefully received. Be that one, some individual, church, Pepperdine Women's Auxiliary Ass'n, Pepperdine teachers, etc. Let us remember, "By their fruits ye shall know them." (Matt. 7:16) So we can see the "fruits" of Pepperdine is in helping the most dangerous and diabolical scheme of religion known in America today.

Editorial Comment. We have noticed with increasing sadness the course of Pepperdine College as she veers ever more and more toward the liberal and corrosive philosophy of those who would use the Lord's church as a "stepping-stone" to some earthly and secular cause. Brother Young and Brother Sanders went to the school to try to "salvage" it from the dead-end into which Pullias and Tiner had taken it (Pullias more than Tiner). But it was an unfortunate day for the cause of truth when the change was made. Under the administration of Pullias and Tiner the school had pretty well demonstrated to most Christian people that it was unworthy of support or patronage. It was being avoided and shunned by all who had any respect for the cause of Christ, and was turning more and more to the world and to denominational sources for its patronage.

But when Young and Sanders came there was a great change in the school-church relationship. By skillful propaganda and in devious ways the new administration started out to remove the "Pullias-Tiner" cloud from the school, and to regain the confidence of brethren in California. Sadly enough, they succeeded to a remarkable degree — and then began to take the school into an even more ominous and threatening posture vis-a-vis the Lord's body than it had ever been!

The studied effort to "line up" congregations as supporters of the college, the organization of Women's Auxiliary Associations in each congregation, the continuing stream of propaganda flooding the churches, the carefully thought out program to build up a favorable "image" of the school in the minds of Christian people — all these factors have but prepared the way for Pepperdine College to spear-head a West Coast movement toward liberalism and compromise between God's people and the denominations around them. Brother Young's membership on the Board of Directors of the Christian Church's "Hospital Foundation Plan" was one open move toward such a compromise. And now comes Pepperdine College's participation in a sports event (basketball game), the total proceeds from which will be donated to a Catholic school!

We have had many reports, through the years, that Catholic students on Pepperdine campus outnumbered Christian students by a considerable margin. During the last years of the Pullias-Tiner administration apparently reliable information was to the effect that only six percent of the Pepperdine student body were members of the Lord's church, the other ninety-four percent being something else, a heavy percentage of them Catholic. Whether that situation still exists or not we do not know; and whether that was a factor of any weight in bringing on the decision for Pepperdine College to participate in this "Catholic benefit" we do not know. But, to say the least, the participation would certainly not make the administration unpopular with the Catholics! And, perhaps, by now the administration felt that they were secure enough in the respect and patronage of their "Church of Christ" backers that they could do this favor to the Catholics without suffering any ill effects from their non-Catholic friends.

It's a sad spectacle.