Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 9
January 23, 1958
NUMBER 37, PAGE 14a

Price Billingsley: An Old Timer Defects

Wm. E. Wallace, Ft. Smith, Arkansas

In the Gospel Advocate of December 12, 1957 Price Billingsley maneuvers a swath at Yater Tant. After telling how much he thought of the father of Yater Tant, J. D. Tant, Brother Billingsley gets a little closer to the heart of his Nashville sponsors with this little thrust:

To the above I add a grieving word about Brother Tant's boy, Yater. I have a right to speak up against his disturbing the church with a false issue and a silly contention, tearing down and destroying what his father spent his lifetime to build. 1 have no doubt, if Jeff Davis were here, he would sorely rebuke Yater for this. If you say the self-conceited lad has good parts, my reply is that no ability can justify such conduct. And my prayer to God is that he will repent and come back to honor his dad as the Lord commands.

Just four years ago elder Billingsley was quite enthusiastic in his endorsement of Yater Tant. He wrote in the July 16, 1953 Gospel Guardian as follows:

Being the son of the noted J. D. Tant you would hardly expect him to be other than definitely himself, though he is likeable and humble as a child. I knew Brother Tant before Yater was born, lived in his home and came to love and honor him as one of the great men of this or any age. He loved with a consuming passion the simple way of the New Testament and gave his whole life to it. And now behold his son, one who is entirely worthy of a great sire. J. D. Tant hated shame and human forms with a violent scorning, and it may not be wondered at that his son walks somewhat in the steps of so good a father.

Today my heart is set on two things, namely, our fine young preachers and the cause of simple New Testament Christianity making such mighty strides in the earth. Truth to say, are not these two things two sides of the same problem? We have on the one hand so much to boost the heart and be thankful for, but also we have a lot to worry about in our growing church problems. It seems to me that so many of our fine lads preaching the word are bent on making for themselves a fine name. Of course a good name is a fine thing to own. But it has always appeared to me that extra care in this matter of gaining a name is beside the point. I mean that it sort of takes care of itself when one does his duty — he has no call to be exercised too much about it. According to my lights, to be overly concerned as to one's rating with the public smacks of a wrong attitude. I'm not aiming to get personal here, for I have no axe to grind that I know of. But where truth and principle are concerned it seems a sort of pity for a gospel preacher to be leery of speaking out, naming names and rebuking wrong trends in the church which could enslave and pull us from duty's path. It is in this connection that I think of Yater Tant and his forthright outspokenness in the Gospel Guardian. Under my breath I thank God for him. He braces my hope for the Master's cause in the days to come. We stand in need of such men, who will speak up when the occasion for it requires, who withal lives a life of utter blamelessness before men.

I have watched with interest the drift of Price Billingsley, since he wrote that article, into the arms of the Gospel Advocate pressure clique. He has been obviously enticed, pulled and now he is being used to "grind an axe" for his Nashville underwriters. Brother Billingsley is an old man he has preached the gospel to thousands and no doubt has converted thousands. Now in the twilight of his life on earth he allows himself to be used by those who are pushing against principles for which Price Billingsley long fought.

Several years ago I helped Brother Billingsley sell a good many of his books "Springs of Church Might" in Oklahoma City. As we rode around in my "jeep" he encouraged me to stand against all innovation and departure and then when he sold me one of his books he wrote on the inside, "W. E. Wallace, man of God, scion of a great family, son of the greatest gospel preacher, bar none, of this age."

Now Yater Tant is fighting the same kind of battle against the same innovations that the "greatest gospel preacher, bar none, of this age" continues to wage. Four years ago Price Billingsley thought that was a good thing. But now he cannot so think, or at least he cannot outwardly support such activity, so long as he depends on Nashville, Tennessee.