Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 19
NEED_DATE
NUMBER 36, PAGE 16b-18a

John T. Lewis - Churches In Birmingham

E.H. Vines, Sr.

"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." (II Tim. 4:6-8.) No doubt, more and more, this passage of Scripture lingered in the mind of Brother John T. Lewis, that noble and devoted man of God, during the last days of his life here on earth.

The following lifted from an article by Brother Earl Kimbrough, relative to the success of John T. Johnson, depicts Brother Lewis' success:

"His great success was owing to his faith in God's word — to prayer — to his devotion — to his unspotted character, and family influence — to his unbounded benevolence- his untiring perseverance — his frankness, sincerity, and inimitable simplicity and goodness of heart." (Elder John T. Johnson, pp. 401-3)

My life has been enriched more than words can tell for having known and associated with such a God fearing man for more than half a century. I shall ever be grateful for the wonderful privilege I had in sitting at the feet of this man, with such a vast Bible knowledge, in so many of his Bible classes. A number of men became gospel preachers as a result of being under his teaching and influence.

During the last few years of Brother Lewis' life, he saw, with great sorrow as I have, the tragic "ship wreck of the faith" of so many fine congregations in Birmingham. However, none of this can be laid to the teaching of Brother John T. Lewis. Some years ago, a no-Sunday School class, so-called "gospel preacher," accused Brother John, as he called him, of dividing the church over the Sunday School class. He said, "After he got a big enough hold on the church, he forced in the Sunday School over the protest of good brethren. The 'antics' of a Pope." Brother Lewis replied: "There is not an honorable man, dead or living, that has ever said, or will say, that John T. Lewis ever divided the church over anything."

Brother Lewis was born, March 10, 1876; baptized into Christ, August 17, 1898; began his first meeting, August 10, 1902, at Elkin school house in Cannon County, Tennessee; came to Birmingham in August 1907, and held a meeting under a tent in Pratt City, now a part of Birmingham. He said: "While in that meeting the brethren meeting in Fox's Hall asked me to come to Birmingham and labor with them. I told them I would not make any promises; but if the invitation was unanimous I would consider the matter; they assured me it was. So, on November 16, 1907, I came and began work with them. In the Fox's Hall congregation there were some of as fine people as ever graced God's earth, I think." Not so very long after this, they moved into a frame building which was erected at Lomb Ave. and 7th St. SW., known as the West End Church of Christ.

When I came to Birmingham in June 1916, West End was the only congregation of the Lord's people meeting in Birmingham, and Brother Lewis was the only full time preacher of the gospel in a radius of approximately 100 miles of Birmingham. When he came here, he began teaching Bible classes and preaching seven days per week. He held meetings under tents, in school houses, under brush arbors, or any place he could have an audience. Due to his untiring efforts, as I now write, I can count more than forty congregations in Birmingham and near surrounding area. Honor to whom honor is due; Brother Lewis was instrumental, either directly or indirectly, in the establishment of most of these churches. However, Brother Lewis confined his full time preaching to only three of these churches — West End, Woodlawn, and Ensley. At the beginning of the Ensley church in 1925 or 1926, he worked with this church until his age and health was such that they considered it best for the Cause for a younger man (Brother A.C. Moore) to take over.

Read your book of Church History and picture the course the church took around the 1850's. 100 years later here in Birmingham, virtually the same course was taken. Much can be said relative to departure many churches here have taken, but the following will suffice: About the year 1950 the Homewood church had its beginning by the special efforts of Brother Lewis. Peace and harmony based upon God's word prevailed among the churches in Birmingham until 1952. In Sept. 1952, Brother Jack Meyer moved to Homewood to work with that church. Not very long after, he began to take and teach the institutional view of the liberal movement, especially the "Herald of Truth." Division began to spread. Bitter opposition was heard from those who stood firm against any human organization in which to centralize their resources to do the work or do any part of the work that the Lord intended the local congregation to do. The wedge that really did the job occurred when the Homewood church secured the service of Brother E.R. Harper to do the preaching in a meeting at Homewood the later part of October 1956.

Here are some excerpts from Brother Meyer's bulletin dated October 25, 1956, concerning the meeting: "Brother Harper did a masterful job in the special Sunday afternoon service, in showing that churches of Christ in cooperating through the national radio broadcast "Herald of Truth" are not violating scriptures; in exposing the inconsistencies of the "Gospel Guardian" party among the churches as they spread their hobbies...showing how the "GG writers are not united on their "patterns"...Playing "hush-hush" with factious movements never saved the church from any false teaching and unity-destroying faction - whether it be that of instrumental music, premillennialism, anti-Bible classes, or the more recent congregational cooperation extremes as now being pushed among us by the "Gospel Guardian" paper and the administration and predominant board of Florida Christian College...a lot of fine brethren and sisters will be ashamed that they allowed some preachers to move in and temporarily lead the churches far afield." (Brothers Meyer and Harper, the guilty, EHV.) In this special Sunday afternoon, almost all the gospel preachers in Birmingham were present.

In the Fourth Ave. West Bulletin, Nov. 18, 1956, I answered, in part, to the above and some things that Brother Harper said that afternoon: "Over forty years ago when I came to Birmingham there was only one congregation — West End. Since that time I have seen congregations planted in different sections of the city district. These congregations, as a whole, have in the past believed and taught, concerning the work and worship of the church, that which was taught from God's word at West End at that time.

"The factious movement false-teaching and unity-destroying faction — divisive movement -recent congregational cooperation extremes as charged in the Homewood Visitor of October 25, has never existed in Birmingham. However, this can be applied to one or more preachers who have moved to or come to Birmingham recently, teaching a centralized and sponsoring — so-called "church method," which was unknown for almost a half century here in Birmingham.

"Almost all the present congregations are still faithful to God's Word, and the present preachers — you boys — are teaching God's truth in regard to these issues. Knowing this to be true, it grieves me very much, after all these peaceful years of scriptural cooperation, good fellowship, and love one for the other, when I hear a man 'who (according to Meyer) is one of our ablest preachers, and none of them better known, because of his preaching on the national broadcast, 'Herald of Truth' (Homewood Visitor, Nov. 8, 1956) stand in the pulpit and ridicule, misrepresent and point his finger at these faithful gospel preachers and say, `you boys ought to be ashamed.' One of these 'you boys' being a preacher of the gospel in Birmingham for fifty years — preaching the New Testament plan of church cooperation. All know of whom I refer to, and honor should be given to whom honor is due."

True churches in Birmingham stand aloof of all those churches which have apostatized and constitute nothing more than "Churches of Christ" denomination.

Brother Lewis had a host of friends over the nation; also a multitude of religious enemies. He was called by some "an old fogy," "Crank," "kingfish," "pope," but he always considered the source from which it came.

"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them."

-820 Fulton Ave. SW., Birmingham, Ala.