Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 7
October 20, 1955
NUMBER 24, PAGE 13b-14a

The Overflow

F. Y. T.

Now It Can Be Told

Have you seen those "Church On The March" write-ups which the Gospel Advocate has been featuring of late weeks? Well, a certain brother here in middle Tennessee (where these lines are being written) thought his home congregation was doing great things, and should be "writ up". He enquired as to how to go about the job — and ran head-on into a problem: It seems that regardless of how much "On The March" a church may be, she can not make the Gospel Advocate pages until and unless somebody subscribes to that worthy journal for every family in the congregation! That is the final test as to whether or not a church is "marching" in the right direction.

Julie Ann

Brother Charles A. Holt, Jr. and his good wife are the proud parents of a beautiful new baby daughter, Julie Ann. She was seven months old when she came to live with the Holts, and Charles and Jewel say, "Now, our family is complete." Hm-m-m, those are "famous last words" that many another couple has had to swallow. We'll see how it turns out with the Holts. They now have two sons and two daughters, much hot air under one roof — so they said!

Only The Truth

Brother Reuel Lemmons has declared that he will not publish anything in the Firm Foundation which he does "not believe to be the truth". Does that mean he actually believes those wild statements made in the advertisements that journal has carried for so many years as to the magic "snake oil" cures for everything from acne to piles? Or has the time come when those hilarious ads have disappeared forever from the venerable pages of the F. F.?

Worse Than Division

"Division is the most serious and disastrous thing than can happen to the body of Christ, with one exception; the whole body could apostatize in perfect peace. Total apostasy is worse, of course, than division, when the division is caused by a part of the body refusing to go along with unscriptural doctrines and practices." — Roy H. Lanier

News Reports

Some brethren have called to our attention some of the glowing "reports" with which certain brethren are filling up the columns of some of the papers. One brother in Texas has not missed a single week in the Gospel Advocate "News And Notes" in more weeks than can be remembered. He usually has two reports, and sometimes three in the same issue. In the issue of September 15, he had FOUR reports in the same column! And where does he live! Couldn't you guess? Lubbock!

The Champ

From more than one source we have reports that Brother Cecil N. Wright has modestly let the word slip to intimate friends that he is writing the speeches which E. R. Harper is to use in the forthcoming Abilene debate (November 28-December 1). And Cecil promises that the line of attack at Abilene will be completely new and different. Congratulations to Highland's elders for making this move. Apparently they must agree with the general feeling of those who heard the Lufkin debate that any kind of change in Brother Harper's material will probably be an improvement.

Middle Judea

This page is being written in Franklin, where the editor is presently engaged in a fine meeting with the West End congregation. Other Texas preachers who are, or soon will be, in meetings nearby are: E. R. Harper at Old Hickory, Reuel Lemmons at Madison, Harry W. Pickup, Jr. at Riverside, James D. Willeford at Waverly-Belmont. Other "foreign" preachers scheduled to be in the area are James R. Cope, Harry W. Pickup, Sr., C. L. Overturf, and W. Ray Duncan, all from Florida; James O.Baird from Oklahoma, and Jack Meyer from Birmingham. Somebody thought it would be a nice idea to get us all together for a feed and a visit. But more mature consideration of the proposal brought the realization that it might be hazardous to have that

For The Books

James P. Needham of Haynesville, Louisiana, writes us of a trip to Chicago a few weeks ago, and enroute he saw a church sign: "Christian Church Church of Christ." And Eugene Britnell of Tuckerman, Arkansas, informs us that in the nearby town of Newport there is a small church building with this sign on it: "Eternal Life Christian Spirited Church. Pastor and Founder, Reverend Madam A. Price."

Who Will They Get?

The Madison, Tennessee church, stung to the quick by being outstripped in their race for "Biggest Sunday School Among Churches of Christ Churches In The World" by the Broadway Church in Lubbock, Texas, has set a date in early December when they want to have 3,000 present. Broadway pulled a sort of under-handed trick on them in the last round by getting an internationally famous golfer to teach a Bible Class. Speculation is rife in Nashville as to what personality of screen or stage (or maybe sports or politics) Madison will be able to secure to draw them a crowd and bring back the "title" to Tennessee. Some want to try for Red Foley, the hill-billy singer of country music (after all, his son-in-law is a gospel preacher), but others think George Gobel would be a bigger draw. Well, it is a grave problem; and no doubt the elders will spend many hours in prayer before they make their decision. (Meanwhile many sincere Christians in Nashville — and in Madison — are sickened to the point of nausea by the whole affair.)

Progress In California

Our good friend, Lloyd Moyer, Richmond, California, tells us that four years ago there were not over two churches out of the thirty-five in the San Francisco Bay area who were not either (1) supporting institutional orphan homes, (2) contributing from the church treasury to some Christian college, or (3) participating in some "centralized control" evangelistic work such as the Lubbock Plan or the Herald of Truth. Now there are seventeen churches in that group who have withdrawn from all such activities. And it has been done without a single split in any of the number. Careful, patient, and persistent teaching of the Bible gets the job done. And incidentally, these seventeen churches with possibly one exception are contributing more money, having bigger crowds, baptizing more people, and taking better care of their needy than they ever have before.