Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 4
September 4, 1952
NUMBER 18, PAGE 1,11b

Jakim And Kareah Again

Thomas B. Warren, Galena Park, Texas

(Note: This is another imaginary conversation between two Christians of New Testament times. The fact that references are made to inventions which did not yet exist will not, I think, detract from the principles involved. T.B.W.)

JAKIM: Hello, Kareah, I have not seen you for some time. How are you and the brethren down in Thyatira?

KAREAH: Just fine, thank you, brother Jakim. In fact, things are going better than we had ever hoped that they would. How are things in Jerusalem?

JAKIM: Great! I believe that at least we have a plan which will even pass the plan of Antioch.

KAREAH: To what plan of Antioch do you refer?

JAKIM: Why, Kareah, are you, alone, of all men in Jerusalem and Palestine, ignorant of their plan which has been hailed as the greatest plan since Pentecost? ? ?

KAREAH: I must confess my ignorance, but pray enlighten me!

JAKIM: Why they have obtained exclusive television rights in all the Roman Empire for the Church of Christ. Every Lord's Day they put on a television show which preaches the gospel over 1096 television stations.

KAREAH: But how do they pay for such a tremendous undertaking?

JAKIM: Easy. They thought up the idea, and have made it plain to the brotherhood that if they do not support it they will be ANTI-MISSIONARY! Especially would this be true if anyone spoke a word of criticism against it.

KAREAH: Well, that is certainly a powerful weapon with which to get support, because no one wants to be classified as ANTI-MISSIONARY! But isn't this a dangerous thing — I mean, getting all of the congregations tied up together under the leadership of one congregation?

JAKIM: Kareah, I see that you talk in a way that tends to cause me to classify you with that crowd of critics down at Philippi. Certainly there is no danger. All of those men are sound.

KAREAH: Yes, I do not doubt that they are — but what about the ones who will follow them. What about their children who grow under that kind of a situation? They will come to believe that they are the headquarters of the Lord's church and so expect everyone to follow them whether they follow the word of God or not. And, too, you will admit the possibility of even the elders of the church in Antioch erring from the true and narrow way. When they do, they may drag half of the brotherhood with them. Why not let each congregation have its own television program? Then if one congregation should fall into error, they would likely affect few, if any, congregations besides themselves.

JAKIM: Kareah, I am simply not going to listen to your silly ideas. They are not even worthy of the consideration of progressive Christians who really want to get things done.

KAREAH: But, Jakim, I am merely trying to help you to see that perhaps you should proceed with caution in this matter, and to point out that perhaps another way would be better.

JAKIM: Your words of caution are not worthy of notice. I believe that you have been associating with the wrong bunch again. Why your ideas even throw cold water on the great new plan which we have at Jerusalem!

KAREAH: Perhaps that is just what it needs; tell me about it.

JAKIM: Why, Kareah, this is the greatest thing since Christ ascended. Your "cold water" will never be able to stop it now!

KAREAH: That's the way these super plans get so many times: too big even for their "daddies" to handle. But please tell me what your plan is.

JAKIM: We have decided to take over the publishing affairs of the brotherhood. There is no better way to spread the gospel than by way of the daily newspaper. Statistics will bear me out there.

KAREAH: Even better than television and radio? ? ?

JAKIM: Decidedly yes!! We have already a hook-up with the biggest syndicate in the Roman Empire. We will have a weekly sermon of forty column inches in 607 newspapers, whose total daily circulation will top 130,000,000. This will give a weekly potential of 660,400,000 readers, figuring it on a basis of five readers to the paper.

KAREAH: My! That is a big thing. But how much will such an undertaking cost?

JAKIM: Oh, not so much — roughly $100,000.00 per week. KAREAH: What do you mean, not so much? Where will the Jerusalem congregation get such a tremendous sum? Don't you realize that such a weekly sum would amount to more than $5,000,000.00 in a year?

JAKIM: Didn't I tell you that the brotherhood would be under obligation to support such a plan? Why the man who would oppose such a tremendous force for good would be ANTI-MISSIONARY, and a chronic crank who never does anything constructive but merely points out what is wrong with the other fellow. And, too, since we thought of the plan, by all that is fair and right, we should be the ones who have charge of the whole thing.

KAREAH: You mean that you brethren at Jerusalem would write the newspaper articles for the entire brotherhood?

JAKIM: Why certainly — what's wrong with that?

KAREAH: Well, I just always figured that the Lord's plan for the organization of His church was on a congregational basis, and that each congregation should, except in an emergency, plan such work as it could carry out itself. Why not let each congregation write its own newspaper articles? Certainly that would be according to the plan of our Lord, and would not be fraught with the danger of leading the whole brotherhood under the oversight of one congregation. You know the congregations at Rome and another place or two seem to have that idea already.

JAKIM: Ha! Ha! Kareah, you make me laugh to even entertain the idea that the good brethren at Rome could ever lead the church into a whole apostasy — ha! ha! excuse me, I just cannot stop laughing. But I guess we need you old "moss-back" brethren to provide us with a laugh every now and then. But let me answer your objection — each congregation writing its own articles could not get the cheap rate which we are able to get this way. Besides, the quality of the articles is improved by our having the oversight since most of the better educated brethren are in the congregation at Jerusalem. In addition to the newspaper articles we plan to print all of the tracts for the brotherhood. We get such cheap prices when we print such large quantities that anyone can see that it would be foolish for any single congregation to try to do its work along this line — though of course, we encourage each congregation to do such if it does not interfere with their support to our plan.

KAREAH: But what if some congregation decided that it would rather do its own publication of tracts, etc?

JAKIM: Well, they will be regarded as being more or less non-progressive.

KAREAH: But I do not see that it necessarily follows that a congregation is non-progressive just because it does not support the plan which YOU brethren dream up. Why wouldn't you be under just as much obligation to support us if we dreamed up a plan whereby we took over the oversight of all the gospel meetings which are held throughout the world. By undertaking such a big effort, we no doubt could get a cheaper rate from the railroads for travel, from sign painters for signs, etc.

JAKIM: Just one thing wrong with your idea, Kareah--your congregation is too little for any one to pay any attention to!

KAREAH: Oh!