In Cullings--Comments And Correspondence

The Lexington Gospel Meeting Versus The "National Unity Meeting"

The publisher of "Christian Ledger," formerly "The New Christian Leader," is showing both his hand and his heart in some personal sidelines incidental to the issues before us.

Below, in parallel columns, is reprinted the Rowe report of the Lexington meeting and the reports of reputable brethren who were there. We want the readers to see the spirit of these men who are waging this campaign of calumny. Brother Rowe has linked himself with them and would hinder the work of a loyal group of Christians for personal spite. It was Brother Rowe who helped promote the unity meeting with the Digressive Christian church and the Boll-Rutherford Premillennial church in Lexington. And it is Brother Rowe who opposes the Gospel meeting held in Lexington and who now seeks to destroy the only loyal church of Christ in that city.

From the true and accurate reports of the Lexington meeting the readers can sum up the blunders in the Rowe-Baumer report as follows.

1. The Rowe "reporter" was not present at any service of the meeting.

2. In stating thaw the building was never more than half full he did not explain that it was held in a public auditorium seating more than 2,000 people.

3. The church he brags on is not, a loyal church - but a Boll-Rutherford church.

4. The meeting "out in the hill country about the same tie" which he commended was held in a Christian Church and instrumental music was used.

5. The "report" on the attitude of the Winchester Church, as seen in the statements of Brethren Dunn and Detherage is wholly untrue.

Brother Rowe is running in the wrong crowd. He is aiding the wrong crowd. He is aiding the wrong cause. If this is to be his course he would serve the cause of truth better to close up his Ledger.-Editor.

F. L. ROWE'S REPORT Foy E. Wallace

At Lexington, Ky.

Some of the brethren at Lexington made great preparations for the Wallace meeting which was held in the auditorium, August 3 to 17. It did not produce results hoped for, as the following from a special reporter indicates. He writes: "The great Lexington meeting is over and was a splendid failure. It cost over $500. Not a single addition and the building was never more than half full. Part of the time the audiences were small and after the first Sunday several of the outside churches quit attending. Winchester had to dig up $25 and are sore about it. All the expenses of the meeting have not been paid. Brother Wallace preached one Sunday morning at Fairfax, Winchester, to a fair sized audience."

In contrast with the above failure by one of our big men, the reporter draws a picture of a small evangelist who was out in the hill country about the same time and baptized 27.

Another fact stands out. That while some of the boosters of the Wallace meeting blamed the failure on the wickedness of Lexington, yet if our memory serves us rightly, in this same Lexington, the churches at Hanover and Cramer, under the preaching of Brother Baumer, in four years increased in membership from 42 to 110.--In Christian Ledger.

C. W. SCOTT'S REPORT Lexington Meeting Closes

C. W. Scott, 414 Locust Street, Danville, Ky., August 23: "The meeting in which Foy E. Wallace, Jr., preached and Austin Taylor led the singing, at Lexington, Ky., closed last Sunday night, at the Woodland Auditorium, which Morton Utley, of Louisville, preaching the last sermon. Many brethren from Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Alabama, West Virginia, Canada, and numerous places in Kentucky attended. Plans were made during the effort for the purchase of a lot or suitable properties for a meeting place for the local church. The premillennial church at Hanover and Cramer (the latter being the site of the 1940 unity meeting), with Homer Rutherford as minister, conducted a tent meeting in Lexington while the Wallace-Taylor meeting was in progress. I wonder why if they do not believe in disfellowshiping? Central Kentucky churches are moving ahead against the evil forces."

-In Gospel Advocate JOE H. MORRIS REPORT Heard Foy E. Wallace, Jr., during the Woodland Auditorium meeting at Lexington, Ky. Churches in central Kentucky were certainly cooperating. That was truly a Christian unity meeting (not a national unity (?) meeting). Only eternity will reveal the good Brother Wallace is doing in his fight for truth against error. I shall begin a meeting at Pleasant Ridge, September 15."-In Gospel Advocate.

E. C. DETHERAGE'S REPORT Lexington Meeting

The meeting conducted here in the Woodland Auditorium closed Sunday August 17th, with perhaps the largest crowd ever assembled in any previous effort ever put forth by the True Church in central Kentucky. The preaching done by brother Wallace was plain, straightforward, and in language understandable by all present, which of course characterizes his manner of presenting the Truth. Personally I like it that way, then no one has to guess at anything. There is no man that I can listen to with greater interest because of his ability to express himself and he has the courage to do it. The meeting was well attended by brethren all over the state and many adjoining states w e r e represented. Preachers from distance, present were E. G. Creacy, Horse Cave, Ky. Cecil B. Douthitt, Louisville, Morton P. Utley. Louisville, E. E. Shoulders, Joe H. Morris, Huntington, W. Va. and others, as well as all central Kentucky preachers who had great part in making the meeting a success. The meeting was attended by many digressive preachers here in the city as well as members both digressive and premillennialist. We predict the meeting will have an effect in time. Let's have more fearless preaching.

-E. C. Detherage.

Jack G. Dunn's Comments

"I suppose you read F. L. Rowe's report of the Lexington meeting in the Ledger. The "special reporter" obviously was M. D. Baumer, who never even attended the meeting. Of course you know the remarks about the meeting were false; and I might add that the statement of the growth of Hanover-Cramer was also false. Asa Babers meeting "with 27 additions" was in a Christian church, and instruments were used in the latter part of meeting on the suggestion of the digressive preacher.

Bro. Scott is writing to Bro. Rowe, and Bro. Creacy is preparing an article. I read Rowe's article at Winchester. Everyone laughed at the idea they were sore about any thing. Couldn't understand why Baumer wrote that."

Jack G. Dunn.

God's Cause Attacked E. G. Creacy

When any man reflects upon the character and integrity of faithful brethren in the Lord, God's cause is attacked. If an apology is necessary for this article, charge it up to the man who has made it necessary that his attacks be met. Bro. F. L. Rowe was "tricked" out of his old Leader by Digressive Clinton Davidson (as per his own published statement) and started another paper he now calls the "Christian Ledger." Since he launched his "Ledger" he has repeatedly hurled ugly insinuations in the direction of Bro. Wallace and the Bible Banner. A very ugly "dig" is published in the September 2nd issue under the caution "Foy E. Wallace at Lexington, Ky." In order that Bible Banner readers may be further informed concerning the evil work that is being done these days, read in full Rowe's "report" of the Lexington meeting on the opposite page.

F. L. Rowe not only reflects upon Bro. Wallace, but upon all the faithful brethren in the Lexington area. I personally know these brethren, and know that they are loyal to the truth and worthy in every respect. Why should Bro. Rowe go out of his way to "dig" Foy E. Wallace as he has in the above false "report" of the worthy effort made to reestablish the ancient order of things in the "blue grass region" of Kentucky? The "special reporter," whose name is withheld by Rowe, is quite well known in central Kentucky as a man who has wavered in action so much that he has no influence as a leader and teacher.

Knowing the brethren as I do who sponsored the Lexington meeting, and having attended the meeting in person, I knew that the "Ledger's" report was false, and evidently intended to smear the name of Foy E. Wallace and give a crumb of comfort to the Premillennialists and their sympathizers. I wrote Bro. E. C. Detherage of Lexington, a man of sterling worth, for a statement concerning the meeting. Here is what Bro. Detherage writes:

It seems that the devil is busy as the report shows. In the first place why did—and Rowe need to report the meeting as a failure as they claim it? It was far from a failure. We had larger crowds than had ever attended any previous effort in this city made by the faithful church or the digressive-premillennial church either. We had practically every Christian Church preacher in the city in attendance during the meeting and many of their members. Also a few of the premillennial group. The Winchester Church gave more than $25.00 and did not complain about it either. Also the expense has been all taken care of and a substantial sum in the treasury. Too Bro. Baumer only labored with the Cramer Avenue Church less than two years and only had around seventy-five members when he left. I was there and I know. He had a few additions during his labors with this congregation. I know I am safe in saying not more than fifteen.

Bro. Rowe should be ashamed of himself and apologize to Brethren Wallace and Taylor, and to all the faithful brethren in central Kentucky for the ugly and false things he has published and circulated. Will he do it?

Bro. Rowe has never taken a forthright stand on the Boll question and many other vital issues before the church. He apparently doesn't know what it is all about and like "Andy," he is always in a jam! Some of us have tried to think he is sincere, and we respect his age, but there is no excuse for a man to continue his wild excursions and hurl ugly insinuations in the direction of faithful men whom he dislikes.

When F. L. Rowe sold out to the Davidson regime, and circularized the "brotherhood" in defense of Davidson, I wrote a short article under the caption "Brother Rowe Joins the Procession." When he read it in the Bible Banner he became "legally minded" and even threatened to prefer "charges" against me before the elders of my home church. I renew my invitation to the Brother to proceed.

If the man is sincere in wishing to publish a clean paper, then he should retract his ugly "digs," and cease printing them. Stand four-square for the truth and against error and the advocates of error, and a charitable "brotherhood" will uphold his hands.

In the language of the man Bro. Rowe dislikes so much, I sincerely say I am "sorry for Bro. Rowe, and devoutly wish that he could have saved himself the humiliation of the blunders he has made. . .It is not too late for him to make a clean breast of it all and square himself with the church."

In a way, the Bible Banner does me an injustice. It matters not how busy I am, or what I am doing, when the Bible Banner arrives, I find it so interesting I simply stop and read it. I often say to myself, "I'll just glance through it, see what is in this issue, and read it later." But the glance is usually fatal! I soon find myself engrossed in the reading of it.

With regard to every gesture proffered by the MurchWitty movement, I feel as Nehemiah did when Saballat and Tobiah invited him to meet them on the plains of Ono.

Charles L. Houser, Fulton, Ky. I watched with interest and open-mindedness the first maneuvers of the Witty-Murch Unity scheme. I heard Bro. Witty, speak in defense of the movement during the Freed-Hardeman lecture series in 1939. He stated in one speech that we had to go. Bro. Early Arceneaux pressed him as to where we must go. That question is as yet unanswered. My sentiment then assumed concrete form, and today I stand unequivocably opposed to the scheme. The fate of the church of the Lord isn't to be bartered across the conference table, for no man can legislate for that body. Unity is possible only when all concerned accept the same standard of faith. A disposition to tolerate error is to be abhorred, but only through such can these unity meetings assume even nominal success. May the Bible Banner serve as a medium to destroy the evil effects of such compromising endeavors. Norman L. Vaughn, Tuckerman, Arkansas.

Brother Wallace, I think you are "doing a great work." Nehemiah 6:3. The work must not cease. I wish every member of the church would read every copy of the "Bible Banner."

Jesse W. Stephens, Honolulu, T. H.