Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 19
October 5, 1967
NUMBER 22, PAGE 4-5a

Office Notes

On this page from time to time we hope to have a miscellaneous collection of news, comments, quotations, book reviews, and anything that comes to our attention which we think might be helpful, or interesting, or instructive, or inspiring to our readers. It will be produced on a "hit-or-miss" fashion - hitting some weeks missing some. And there is really no telling what may show up here!


As for instance, have you seen the new publication put out by Roy J. Hearn and Franklin Camp (P. O. Box 18433, Memphis, Tennessee 38118- price $2.00 per year) called First Century Christian. It opines that many brethren "feel there is a place and a need for another (publication), especially of the nature intended for this one." It is obviously a rather nervous reaction to the liberal swing which threatens to engulf many, if not most, of our "on the march churches." Apparently it is going to be somewhat to the right of Lemmons, more to the right of the Gospel Advocate, and clear out of sight to the right of Mission, Leroy Garrett, and Jimmy Lovell. Good luck, fellows. You'll need it!


We have a lengthy article from a brother on "the marriage question." With much of it we are in substantial agreement - but we think he misses the point by a country mile in his definition of marriage "in God's sight." He lists: (1) mutual consent of the contracting parties, observance of all legal requirements of whatever government the couple may be living under, and (3) sexual union. In which case the Mohammendan, legally married to his four wives by the laws of his nation, and cohabiting with all four of them would be married "in God's sight" to all four women. And how about Joseph who "took unto him his wife; and knew her not till she had brought forth a son." (Matt. 1:24) An inspired writer said Mary was his "wife" - before and without sexual union.


We have just received a couple of books from James Bales for review. Haven't had time to read them yet; but Bales usually does a pretty thorough job of research on anything he undertakes. The books are paper-back, and sell for $1.00 each. One is entitled "The God-Killer?" and deals with Dr. Thomas J. J. Altizer and his "Christian Atheism". The other is entitled "The Martin Luther King Story," and purports to be "A Study in Apostasy, Agitation, and Anarchy." Anybody interested in the white atheist or the black agitator? We can supply the books for you.


Then there was this fellow who denied that he was a failure. Said he had simply started at the bottom, liked it there, and decided to stay there. One of the bulletins we received attributed this to Minnie Pearl (you know - Grand Ol' Opry Minnie), but we figure it was pretty hoary with age before Minnie picked it up.


Thanks! We are beginning to get those lists of new subscriptions now in very gratifying numbers - twenty or thirty at a time in some letters. (Wel-l-l, we did get two letters that had thirty new ones each.)


Man was created in the image of God, but all too often he chooses to live like the beasts of the field -or lower. A recent study at the University of Wisconsin made by Dr. Seymore Halleck, director of student psychiatry, revealed that of 300 freshmen and sophomore girls who had become psychiatric patients 86 percent were non virgins, and 72 percent had had relations with more than one person. Apparently it is not easy for "image of God" creatures to live amoral lives without a terrific conflict in the inner man.


Ira has been out of touch. Ira Y. Rice, Jr., is getting hotter than a two-dollar pistol in his alarm at the liberalism that is taking over the brethren with whom he has been most closely associated. The very ones he opposes in the strongest and most scathing terms as liberals, modernists, and rank unbelievers are the Harvard trained teachers whom Abilene Christian College is proud to put in charge of the spiritual and academic life of its young students! James Walter Nichols, Jimmie Lovell, and Reuel Lemmons aren't too blame, really. They simply promoted - and many thousands of "on the march" brethren whooped it up and set the pot to boiling. We doubt that Ira Jr.'s efforts will even create a ripple in the tide of liberalism that is sweeping the land - and of which, until lately, Ira was one of the most vocal supporters.


Current preaching. We see from one of the religious journals that "Scores of conservative preachers last June made hasty changes in announced sermon topics." It was all on account of the Jewish blitz in the Mid-east. Seems like lots of the preachers figured that Biblical prophecies were being fulfilled right before their eyes! The ram's horn sounded again at the Wailing Wall (for the first time in years), and there was frantic scrambling to find verses and predictions that would fit the occasion. That is really "current" preaching; and you can't get much "cur-renter" than that!