Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 7
January 26, 1956
NUMBER 37, PAGE 15

News

J. O.Walter, Rt. 4, Box 369B, New Bern, North Carolina, Dec. 27: "At last I have found a church in North Carolina that admits being built on the SAND — "Sandy Bottom" Baptist Church. One so called Bishop and Apostle S. C. Johnson of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania refuses to meet Brother. Wm. E. Wallace in a fair discussion with equal time being given to each participant at New Bern on the scripturalness of the organization and teaching of the church of Christ in New Bern. Three have been baptized here since November 20."

Roy E. Gulley, Laredo, Texas, Jan. 4: "The Lord has blessed us richly through the past year. The church here completed a new building that was badly needed in our work. We have seating for about 300 and classroom space for eight classes now. It is of concrete block and Monterey stone. Also, we completed a new two bedroom home for the preacher that was needed about as badly due to rent and available houses here. Many of the old problems have been overcome and a fine spirit prevails in the congregation. We anticipate a gradual growth now as we believe we should be in shape to grow."

T. H. TARBET, W-13 Yarraville, Vic., Australia, Nov. 23: "A man and wife have been baptized; another man and wife restored from the Digressives. That makes seven members of the little church in Melbourne now. We are making many contacts by means of our regular Sunday night hall meeting, with sermon followed by question period; and also our newspaper advertising. We are having many opportunities to talk with people of many different faiths. Indifference to religion is much worse here than in America. No doubt it is partly because the churches offer so very, very little. Even the churches of Christ in Australia (so called) no longer teach that baptism is essential. We talked with one of their preachers who came from the Methodists, and said he was saved four years before being baptized. While differing in some ways from the Digressives back home, they are just as definitely departed from New Testament Christianity, and have become a denomination. In this country Sunday school is just for children; and the church buildings are all but empty on Sunday. The people gamble, drink beer and play sports. Horse racing is wide open. Work among our brethren has been very slow in Australia. The field has a reputation for being hard. Knowing this we came here prepared mentally to go a year or more without seeing anyone added to the church, though we hoped for better things. And the Lord has blessed the work very much in its beginning stages. Many brethren in the States have been praying for us; and we have received some funds monthly for advertising and rent of hall, etc. These things help to make the difference between failure and success. And we are made to wonder why brethren ever send a preacher to a far country without supplying him with operational funds. When they do his hands are tied."

I Am Very Happy

Joe R. Hunter, Kermit, Texas With deletion and twisting we herewith present some of the words of Brother Harper in his report on the debate at Abilene, to wit: "I am very happy . . . the Highland Boulevard (in San Antonio, Texas) church has thus far refused to accept our debate there, between me and Brother Tant." Brother Harper says of Brother Tant, "pleasant opponent, clear thinker, able defender of his cause, and that Brother Tant should defend the truth and its cause." Well Brother Tant did defend the truth when he stood in the way of the cause (sponsoring church) of Brother Harper and J. B. Briney. Brother Harper says Tant's argument was weak. The only thing weak about his argument was that he (Brother Tant) didn't argue till he got the BULLETIN of Highland and Fifth in the book to be published. In this Bulletin is her own statement of finances and the list of INSTITUTIONS and individuals to whom she is sending monies, nice sums too. Yet she claims she is a needy church, can't pay for her network time. I suppose no church can be classed as a needy church till she has bitten off more than she can chew, then cry for help, that she is doing a good work, a needed work, this is our desire this is our work, it must be done, we can't pay for it, so it is your bounden duty to pay for it, though it is our own work and ours alone; no one can lay claim to it, NO, NO. Question: Is this the equality of 2 Corinthians 8:13, 14? Furthermore I personally hold Brother Harper in high esteem, and think he "drove his point home" when he not so much as mentioned the timely article of Dr. DeGroot in which he said "there are the first forms of the missionary society emerging in the church of Christ." No doubt Brother Harper realized, that to counter this, he would be at odds with his own cooperating church cause. Without doubt the first four words of 2 Corinthians 11:8 could be used here, "I robbed other churches." Yes the issue was met, that there might be equality, 2 Corinthians 8:13, 14. I have a sneaky feeling that Brother Harper is going to stay very HAPPY if San Antonio refuses the debate. But has he told the truth about that? Has San Antonio really "refused" the debate? It doesn't sound like them!