From An Elder In The Church
Little Rock, Ark. December 20, 1944.
Dear Brother Wallace:
Brother Wallace, I am an old man, as some would call me, having lived here in this world almost 74 years. I have been an elder here, at 4th and State, over 30 years and I have seen the church in its growth for over a half century. I have been a member of the church for 50 years and longer. I have seen the fight with Digression in this state and have been a regular reader of the papers and know of the struggle in the church for the past 60 years. I am the same man, except I am much nearer the end. In the agreement that we tried to work out here in Arkansas between the truth as defended by the church here under the leadership of Brother Harper, and Harding College under the leadership of Brother Benson. They had confidence in me then and they were willing to accept my word. Well, I am the same man except I am much nearer the end. I am about as old as Brother Armstrong was and have watched him in Arkansas for over 20 years, and his school, and I know the trouble they have made. I am therefore writing you this asking that you publish it when you have time.
Brother E. R. Harper has been with us for 11 years and he has made the outstanding fight in Arkansas of this generation in defense of the truth and in opposition to error. I feel that I am qualified to write about this situation as but few men are and I am sending this to you. Please publish it. If it is too much for one issue will you please publish part of it now and the rest in your next issue of the paper. I want to say that I appreciate your fight for the truth against this Boll, Davidson, Harding influence that has tried to take the church. Had it not been for a few of you who had the courage to fight it out in the open the fight that we older men have made in the past 50 years would have died. Thank God for the younger men who still love the truth. Too many preachers have sat on the side lines and let a few of you fight the battle, carry all the blame, make all the enemies, and be hurt in your work, while they could carry on with both sides and not be worried because they were losing some of their best friends. Let that group of preachers who have been saying nothing but who have been running with both sides, criticizing you, but never offering any criticism of those guilty of the error, let them come out of their hiding and show us how this thing can be won for the truth. Brother Wallace, just rest assured of the fact that when they try it, that will stop their criticism and their shouting from the tree tops that they do not "like the manner in which it is being carried, on and that it should be done in the spirit of this and that." When they get the job done they will then know what it is to fight sin to its death in any form. You can't stop it, Brother Wallace, without bringing upon you the wrath of those who are guilty and the preachers who cry "persecution," for the group in error, and try to ruin the influence of you men who are fighting for the truth, when they step in to show us how to do it and then "do it," you will see them getting the same abuse that you and Brother Harper are getting. But do not grow "weary in well doing" for at the judgment your efforts will be crowned.
Most Kindly Yours, James H. Brewer, (Elder Church of Christ, Fourth and State Sts., Little Rock, Ark-)
The Article
First, I wish to answer briefly Brother Showalter's article in which he came to the open defense of Clinton Davidson and referred to Brother Harper as having committed such a sinful act in suggesting that Brother Davidson is an "innovationist." Brother Showalter has defended the late Brother J. N. Armstrong, and the school that he has headed all these years, and has given them space to deny the accusations made by Brother Harper but he has refused to publish that which we have in our files here at the church which will prove that Brother Armstrong was a premillennialist. We know in Arkansas that he was.
I have this to say to Brethren Showalter, Otey, and T. B. Thompson, all of whom came to the defense of Brother Armstrong concerning his premillennial views, and also Brother Beeson, of Little Rock, who is defending the soundness of Brother Armstrong, if you brethren will meet us in person, we have the material that proves it. We have his statements in which he says "Christ will be the sole ruler of the earth" after all earthly governments are destroyed from the earth, not even a "vestige of civil government, human government, or any other kind of government save the reign of Christ and his saints," that Christ will then have "re-established the divine rule over all the earth" and this, he says will be after his second coming. In addition to this he brought to the college for almost twenty years such men as Janes, Jorgenson, Blansett, Mullins, Earl Smith, Covey, Merrit, et. al., and tried for years to get the board to have Boll, but with such men as Brother Harper and Brother John T. Hinds being here they were afraid to have him in Arkansas. Remember that Boll went with him from Odessa, Missouri, through Cordell, Oklahoma, Harper, Kansas, and the fight got so hot here that it would have set things afire, so he just had his followers. We opposed his bringing all these men into our state and turning them loose on our people. Brother Harper has made such a fight that they have been forced to stop having them with great show and public announcements of their coming. Not too long back Covey was at Searcy meeting with the young students trying to help them in their work with the New York mission work. You did not know this but we did. Brother Armstrong, just before his death went and preached for the Jorgenson church. You did not know that but we did.
When Brother Benson came to Harding as President of the school he believed men today could "cast out devils" and gave as proof of this that a "Holiness preacher in China cast 7 devils out of a Chinese," and he signed a statement that he, George S. Benson, believed that "the Devil is not bound now and will not be until the millennium which is in the future." We have this in our files. Many of you do not believe this, and it would make no difference to some if he did say it. He has allowed this premillennial group to come to Harding, and he has allowed the Dean of Bible in his school to run with and preach for the Boll group in Louisville. We objected to that kind of a thing being in our school here in the state. The president of the board of Harding college is now an elder in a church in New Orleans that split the church in that city because of this Boll crowd. Why is he trying to force the same thing on us in Arkansas in his school? If he can split a church in his city over it, and disfellowship them, and let his minister write them up, why allow it to happen in his school and force it upon the church in Arkansas? Let Brother Ganus answer this. Why try to kill Brother Harper for writing Harding college up for having all this, and running with that crowd, and at the same time he does the same thing in his city? Let some one answer. If it is all right in Harding college, Brother Ganus, tell us why your group split the church in New Orleans? Why are you not working with the premillennial group in your city? The very same men at Harding are the very same that came to New Orleans. If they are all right for Harding and the church in Arkansas, why are they not all right for you brethren in New Orleans? You will never answer it. But this makes little difference with the church in general, I am afraid. The church is asleep at the switch. Brother Harper has opposed all this being put over on the church in Arkansas. Why haven't all of you done it? If it is all right for Harding's Dean of Bible to go to the Boll crowd in Louisville and preach for them, never going about the others, and if it is all right for the above preachers to come to Harding without us in Arkansas objecting and trying to save ourselves and the youth of the church at Harding from it, then why do you oppose their coming to your place to preach? Why would you not go to the Boll crowd in Louisville and why would it not be all right for Brethren Harper and Wallace to fellowship that group and go preach for them? This their critics will never answer.
Brother Wallace: I am inclosing this article. If it is all right to publish it I will send you a copy of a letter that will show just what happened in connection with Davidson,
Benson and the late J. N. Armstrong. It may be a revelation to the entire public and it is up to the Firm Foundation to carry on as it pleases. I shall also give you the exact writing from the pen of Brother Armstrong that proves that Brother Otey did not represent him correctly in his recent article to the Firm Foundation. These men are wrong who deny that he was a premillennialist. Why will not Harding College meet us in open debate on this? Why will not these men who have come to his defense meet us? Why will not Brother Showalter give Brother Harper space in the paper to answer these men? We have it on file and no man can meet it. Every man who begins his defense of Harding College has to write Brother Harper and tell him that they see no good to come from any further discussion. Brother G. H. P. Showalter does not like the way it is carried on; Brother W. W. Otey refuses to go any further in it; and Brother T. B. Thompson prefers to let it drop since Brother Armstrong is not here to explain himself. Well, if it is to be dropped, Brother E. R. Harper is willing to let Brother Armstrong rest if the men who are defending him will stop denying the things we know to be true, as to his teaching that Brother Harper has the proof for. But we are not going to allow them to come to his defense, now that he is gone, and do it to the destruction of the truth and of Brother Harper, who has told the truth. We shall not let them use such men and their deaths, to destroy the men who have told the truth. If it becomes necessary we shall publish in book form the entire matter, as Brother Harper had started to do but stopped at the death of Brother Armstrong. This book can be finished if it becomes necessary.