Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 8
January 3, 1957
NUMBER 34, PAGE 1,9c

Creative Thinking

Connie W. Adams, Decatur, Georgia

Human ingenuity is a wonderful device. It has utilized the abundant provisions made by the Giver of every good and perfect gift, to the profit and comfort of human kind. Webs of steel and concrete across great bodies of water, the transmission of pictures (color and all) through the air, the achieving of fantastic rates of speed, and a thousand other like things constantly keep us in amazement. But, there is one realm in which human ingenuity is out of place. In fact, the injection of it in this particular realm is disastrous. We speak in regard to the "oracles of God." Every human effort to improve upon it has resulted in error. To be sure, men may employ their mental capacities in studying, and teaching it, but they are incapable of augmenting it with their own learning. The "seed of the kingdom" is not to be mingled with the "doctrines and commandments of men." We need constantly to live in sight of the warning "not to be wise above that which is written." Human intellect most assuredly should heed the charge: "rightly dividing the word of truth." Too often it has been asserted that this passage implies the proper division between the covenants. While other passages ably handle that point, such is not the teaching of this passage. Perhaps the Revision better expresses it: "handling aright the word of truth." Whenever we allow human imaginations to run away in teaching on a passage and begin to find proofs which were not intended, we may be certain that the "word of truth" is being mishandled.

A Benevolent Institution In James 1:27

For example, some of our more imaginative (or perhaps we should say creative) thinkers have discovered, very conveniently, that when James 1:27 said to visit the fatherless and the widows, that the term "visit" implies a human institution through which the church may function. Of course, the language is addressed to the individual, but that does not especially matter, because the same creative thinkers had already determined that "whatever the individual can do, the church can do." Presto! It is therefore scriptural for the church to support an institutional orphan's home or an old folks home!

A Healing Institution In Matthew 25:36

This preacher wondered when he first began to read those arguments, how long it would take for someone to creatively imagine a hospital in the statement in Matthew 25:36: "I was sick, and ye visited me." If God loosed the "how" and churches may operate in any way they please under the injunction "visit" in James 1:27, then who can dare to limit the "how" in Matthew 25:36? Does this not authorize a "Church of Christ Hospital"? Apparently, some of the creative minds have pretty well worked that out. We wonder how long before churches will be entreated to put "our" hospital in the budget. After all, we are charged to "visit the sick," and a "Church of Christ Hospital" is just an expedient in fulfilling the command.

A Penal Institution In Matthew 25:36, 43

This leads the writer to ponder about the statement, "I was in prison, and ye came unto me." Verse 43 says, "Sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not." Here the word "visit" is associated both with sickness and imprisonment. It does look like there ought to be some means by which our country's judicial department could be persuaded to cooperate with us so that we could establish our own "Church of Christ Prison." And, after, all, if we do not have enough of our own to fill it, we could take in others that they too might benefit from it. Here, we could teach the Bible every day and these lawbreakers could learn, while paying their debts to society. Remember, we are to visit the imprisoned, and no limit was placed on the "how." That way each congregation could send $10 a month to "our jail," like they do to "our homes," and eventually will to "our hospital," and salve their consciences by creatively imagining that they are fulfilling the requirement "to visit." Then they could fight together against all "anti-jail" brethren who have not enough of the milk of human kindness to "visit" the distressed (and prisoners are) from the church treasury. Now you may be wondering what you can do to help. Perhaps we should begin by writing letters to our Congressman. If that does not work, maybe we could send one of "our" great editors or "promoters" as a lobbyist to Washington until we can get something done.

Summary

Let none think that we take lightly the instructions to visit the fatherless, the widows, the sick and the imprisoned, whether they are imprisoned for righteousness sake or for law infractions. That God intends for His children to accomplish such "visiting" no truth lover will deny. Nor is it our purpose to use the word of God for the purpose of making jokes. We have simply adapted some of the thinking (? ?) that is prevalent in our day among some brethren regarding "visiting" and applied it to some other matters which some of them as yet have not suggested. Without the slightest desire to sound boastful, this writer is persuaded that he can make as good an argument for a "Church of Christ Jail" from Matthew 25:43 as some of our creative thinkers have made or can make for a "Church of Christ Home" from James 1:27. In both cases the issue rests upon the application of the word "visit" which is found in both passages. In either case the individual is considered and not the expenditure of church funds. But if we are going to have one, then let's go "whole hog or none" and have both. What think ye?