Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 20
January 2, 1969
NUMBER 34, PAGE 4

The "Biblical Literalist"

Editorial

We call your particular attention to the front page article this week; we have captioned it, "I Am A Biblical Literalist," but the original title given it by the author was: "Peculiar People: A Rationale for Modern Conservative Disciples."

This is the full text of an address given by David Edwin Harrell, Jr., in the Forrest F. Reed Lectureship under the auspices of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society. The address was delivered in the Thomas W. Phillips Memorial at Nashville, Tennessee, in 1966, and was one of three addresses on the general theme, "Disciples and The Church Universal," the other two being delivered by Dr. Robert O. Fife who is identified with the North American Christian Convention and Dr. Ronald E. Osborn who is associated with the International Convention of Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ.)

The Lectureship Committee (of the Historical Society) felt that while there are many divergent streams of activity connected with or related to what is called "the Restoration Movement," there are three main groups which are easily identifiable today — the Churches of Christ, the churches affiliated with the North American Christian Convention, (Conservative Christian Churches), and those churches affiliated with the International Convention of Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ.) Within each of these main streams, of course, there are many smaller cross currents and identifiable groups, but these are the three major divisions.

The initial invitation to Drs. Fife, Harrell and Osborn, asked each of them "to examine the historic contribution of his group to the Church universal and the current status of his group's relationship to the Church." While there are many able and scholarly men in the "Churches of Christ" — men in the academic world, or occupying pulpits in the largest congregations in the nation, or editors of nationally known religious journals — it was the considered judgment of the Committee that David Edwin Harrell would be the "most desirable" man they could find to set forth the traditional and historic position of the Churches of Christ. That the choice of the Committee was a wise one will surely be recognized by all who read this fine lecture.

Brother Reuel Lemmons in reviewing "Disciples and the Church Universal" said of Brother Harrell's lecture:

"This is a unique book, and one worthy of close reading. We consider the unshaken and unshakable position, boldly taken by Brother Harrell, one of the finest manuscripts we have ever read. In an age of liberal thinking and shaky, uncertain sounds among us, we have a lot of men who could profit from reading Harrell's uncompromising defense of the only thing worth defending in religion — an unfaltering faith in the fact that God said what he meant and meant what he said."

Also in this issue we carry a "review" of Brother Harrell's lecture by George Dale Owen (identified with the Disciples of Christ) and Brother Harrell's response to the review. We believe you will enjoy the entire sequence.

It is refreshing, indeed, to have this fine presentation of the conservative point of view. So far as we are concerned it is the ONLY intelligent approach to the entire subject. It is given without apology or excuse, for it needs neither. If God has spoken to us, then the Bible IS his word, or it is not. If the Bible IS God's revelation, then the "Biblical literalist" is the only one who is even rational (much less intelligent) in his approach to it. We cannot but view as irrational and indefensible the contention that "the Bible is the word of God — but it is not to be treated as any sort of `blue print' for all ages." But, in reality, that is precisely the light in which Jesus viewed man's relationship to God — that of a "builder" who was following a "blue print" in his obedience to Divine instructions: "Everyone therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock." (Matthew 7:24). That is "doing the words" of Christ is like "building a house" on the proper foundation. If a man does not "do" according to "the words" of Christ, he is not following the blue print. It is that simple.

Our readers will be happy to know that Brother Harrell expects to be contributing to the pages of the Gospel Guardian in greater volume this year than he has been able to do in the past. We commend his writings to your earnest study.

— F. Y. T.