Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 13
April 12, 1962
NUMBER 48, PAGE 2,14a

A Basic Religious Reference Library --- (No. III.)

Robert H. Parish, Lufkin, Texas

What books should one add to his library after he has a good Bible and a good concordance? In what order, i.e., which book shall be given precedence in the order of buying? That depends upon a number of things and it would require abysmal Ignorance or unbounded conceit to be dogmatic in answering these questions. There is, however, a need for a list of books to provide a general guide for the inexperienced. The average person will find the books listed here to be very helpful to him in understanding the Bible and inspiring him to perform the will of God as revealed in the Bible.

The Gospel Plan Of Salvation By T. W. Brents — $4.50

In the preface of this book the author writes: "When we passed our fiftieth year we engaged the services of the publisher, and now, on our fifty-first anniversary birthday, we are writing a preface, and yet we are not quite sure that we are old enough to publish a book on a theme so transcendently important as the "Gospel Plan of Salvation." Our highest ambition is to honor the name of our Master, and direct sinners to the way of life; hence we would not, for any earthly consideration, publish a sentence known to be untrue. We wish our book to live when we shall be sleeping the years away. Yes, and live it will. This is the frightful thought. Live it will. A mistake from the pulpit may soon be forgotten — should we make a mistake in an article furnished a paper or periodical, It may be lost or worn out and soon pass away; but a book will live on when he who wrote it lives only in the work left behind him. How important it is, then, that every thought penned concerning THE GOSPEL PLAN OF SALVATION should be tried "as by fire" that not a single error should escape the refining crucible of Holy Writ, and make its way into the permanent literature of the age. Had this responsibility been rightly appreciated, surely many of the books now on the market would never have met the public eye."

Further on in this preface the author says: "If we have not spoken as the oracles of God speak, then prove all things, and hold fast that which is good. By the word of God we are ever willing that our teaching may be tried. It alone can build us up and give us an inheritance among them who are sanctified; hence to it we commend our readers in the fear of Him who will judge us all according to our works."

These sentiments are correct and should prevail with reference to any work written by uninspired men. Men's practices should be made to conform to the "oracles of God"; never should the "oracles of God" be manipulated or wrested to make them uniform to "accepted practices." Brother Brents' book is as he wished, it lives while he is "sleeping the years away."

The subjects discussed in the book are; Predestination, Election and Reprobation, Calvinistic Proofs Examined, The Foreknowledge of God, Hereditary Depravity, The Establishment of The Church, The Identity of The Church, The New Birth, Faith, Repentance, The Confession, Baptism, What Is It?, Who Should Be Baptized?, The Design of Baptism, The Holy Spirit.

The New Testament Church By Roy Cogdill — Paper $1.25, Cloth $1.75

The attitude of a writer or preacher toward the Word of God will largely determine whether or not he is a safe teacher. Mistakes can do much harm but if the teacher has the proper respect for the Bible he can set right and will in turn make corrections to the extent of his ability. Brother Brents' attitude toward the Bible was defined in his preface. The attitude of the author of The New Testament Church is also revealed in his preface. Excerpts from the preface are given here.

"In many of the lesson helps which have been so widely relied upon in the past there is not the close use and dependence upon the Bible itself that there should be in such work. Instead of having the tendency to familiarize the student with the texts of the Bible itself, there is the inclination to rely entirely upon the lesson helps and they are frequently studied without recourse to the scriptures themselves. The lessons in this series have been arranged with this need in mind and the student or teacher will find it impossible either to prepare or recite the lessons taught by these outlines without going to the Bible to search out the truths and passages that teach the lessons implied. It is a firm conviction that such should be the case and that an times the Bible itself should be the text and our reliance placed entirely upon it. This book of outlines should serve as but a work or guide book with the Bible as the text."

Most of the opposition that is directed against "lesson helps" or as it was formerly referred to "uninspired literature" is provoked by these abuses which Brother Cogdill has pointed out in this quotation from the preface When Bible school literature comes to occupy the place of a creed in the lives of the teacher and students, I must confess that in those cases I am (excuse the term) "Anti"!

Continuing the quotation from the preface — "They (the churches of Christ) are now confronted with the danger of accepting their place among the religious bodies of the world and becoming merely another denomination. .....Members, both young and old, need to know the difference between the church and denominationalism. Indoctrination along this line is imperative if the members of the churches of Christ are to remain "a people for God's own possession." (1 Peter 2:9)

The following quotations are selected from suggestions To Teacher And Student."

"Make it a point to cover one lesson each class period. There are fifty-two outlines better results will be obtained if too much time is not spent on any one point but the lesson studied as a whole."

"If the teacher will urge the students to bring their Bibles to class and during the class period will have the passages which are cited read aloud, the best impressions will be made and the lesson will proceed more easily. Too, this will do much toward familiarizing the student with the text of the Bible, which today is very much needed. Many of the passages cited can be assigned at the beginning of the lesson and looked up before hand and then at the proper time used to establish and emphasize the point at hand."

"The greatest advantage will come from the emphasizing of what the Bible says on the point rather than permitting a free expression of opinion with reference to it."

All too often Bible classes are converted into a sort of "experience meeting." Everybody has an experience and wants to recite it. Time is often consumed in such vain recitations. Frequently the person who likes to do most of the talking is the person who has given little if any time in preparation of the lesson. As Brother Cogdill points out in this preface — "the greatest advantage will come from emphasizing what the Bible says rather than permitting a free expression of opinion with reference to it."

The book The New Testament Church has been a "best seller" for many years now. Every earnest student of the Bible should have a good copy of this book and study it carefully and familiarize himself with the New Testament church. When one has familiarized himself with the references in this book he knows what the New Testament says about the church and is not dependent upon human wisdom for his guidance.

"The Nature Of The Church, The Origin Of The Church, The Mission Of The Church, Church Membership, Church Government, Unity, The Identity Of The Church, The Worship Of The Church And Churches Of The New Testament Era," are the headings of the sections of the book.

Doctrinal Discourses By R. L. Whiteside — $3.50

Sister Inys Whiteside, the daughter of Brother R. L. Whiteside, rendered a valuable service in collecting, and publishing in book form some of the writings of her father. This book should be among the first dozen books to be placed in the library of a student of the Bible.

The book contains 386 pages. There are about fifty articles on various Bible subjects, A list of some of the subjects discussed will whet the appetite of those who desire to know more about the teaching of God's word. Here are some of the subjects — "Man of God," "Paul's Natural Man," "Reason For Hope," "The Work of the Church," "Opinion - Faith - Knowledge," "Prayers of Aliens And Patriarchy-Apostles in Jerusalem," "The Word Of Truth." At the end of most of the chapters there are some "Anvil Sparks." These are short, pointed comments and observations on human behavior.