Stuff About Things
Several years back I noticed what I thought was an abnormal number of crickets singing at night. I called it to my wifes attention, but she said she heard nothing. The doctor said it was a chirping within my head (due to sinus stoppage, inner-ear trouble, or something like that) and he sent me to see a specialist.
That specialist irrigated, probed, medicated, steamed, etc., until finally he removed the towels and said, Lets all be quiet, and see if Mr. Turner hears crickets.
I listened —and, sure enough, no more crickets. Now it sounded like tree frogs. The specialist was sympathetic, but insisted on his fee. After all, he had stopped the crickets. He didnt claim to be a tree-frog specialist. I paid through the nose.
Ours is a day of specialists. Expansion of knowledge is so great that one man can not hope to know it all, even in one field. But it does seem we could retain a few all-around men, specializing in common sense and the know-how for every day affairs of life. Todays emphasis upon ecology should teach us the interrelation of all parts to the whole. And nowhere is this relationship of parts more important than in the study of the Bible. It is natural and probably inevitable that some of us will take a special interest in Bible history, some in the church, some in prophecy, etc. We may go, unashamedly, to the works of this or that specialist to draw on his knowledge of some particular field. But unless these special studies are kept in careful tune with the whole, they may lead us far astray. Witness the prophecy specialist (?) who misses the most obvious fulfillments in Christ and His spiritual kingdom.
Some preachers are better suited to one kind of work than another. One may be a debater, in the right sense. Another may be poorly suited for public discussion, but do well in private teaching. But all should stand firmly for the truth; and neither degrees nor country-style debating can excuse ungodly conduct or compromise.
Of course some specialists do fill an over-all need but are misunderstood because their work is not sufficiently explained. One fellow complained about paying $25. to have a tooth filled, saying, . . .And then it warnt moren half full.