A Father's Advice To His Son
(Note: In 1952 I was engaged in taking a survey of the churches of North Carolina. It appeared to my Dad that I was creating sort of a plan to evangelize North Carolina. The following letter written by Dad June 6, 1952 contains a treasure of advice on current issues. Reflecting the wisdom of a great man it is masterful in its thrust. I believe this letter can contribute much to the present campaign for truth — it is for this reason that I make public this letter. I have deleted some personal matters in the letter. — W.E.W.)
6/12/52
Eureka Springs, Arkansas Dear William:
Your letter received several days late, but glad to have it. Pleased to know that you can use the suits, and glad, too, that your school work is rounding out to a finish.
There is no way to create some "plan" for "cooperation" of a "statewide" scale on a scriptural basis. It would call for centralization of funds to be handled and disbursed — as is being done by the groups we are now having to oppose. Such "cooperative plans" call for direction of some kind which means either a general "committee" or a "general eldership," both of which are wrong. When an eldership becomes general, it ceases to be local.
I do not know of anything calculated to do you more immediate potential harm than to be drawn into these "cooperative plans." I'm not at all surprised that from Central in Nashville would give the "plan" moral support, for they are associated with the centralization that we have been fighting, and Central in Nashville is the church that started these liberal movements a few years ago. It would be too bad for you to join in with them, and would please those who have fought us on various issues for you to do so. They will give you a pat on the back, then hold a private jubilee that one of my boys has joined the "cooperative" movement.
Any statewide plan that you and ___________ may devise will result in a sort of missionary society — whether of individuals or of an eldership. When a local eldership becomes a general board of missions, they cease to function as elders and become the same kind of a board as if individuals who are not elders should do it. (Read TORCH No. 2)
The church at____________ or______________ has no scriptural right to "survey" other congregations over the state. They step outside local boundaries when they do so. From Abilene, Texas, and also Lubbock, Texas, a questionnaire was sent out to all the churches for "information" on membership, budget, weekly contributions, etc. No local church has any right to nose into the affairs of another church or to gather, collate and report such data.
Clinton Davidson took a "survey" of the brethren and I still have his printed report. It started the hottest fight of this generation — one that made history — you can read it in the old Gospel Guardian and the old Bible Banner. So — if you take a survey of North Carolina for a "cooperative plan" — you will be on the wrong side with the wrong crowd before all the loyal brethren. Such an article from you would at once line you up with Central in Nashville, Union Avenue in Memphis, Lubbock and Abilene, Texas, et cetera — all of which have made such surveys in Japan, Germany, Italy and the U. S. A. to bolster their "cooperative plans", and you will hurt the North Carolina work, instead of help it. If you will do your own work, William, and let others do the same, you will have more than you can do, without meddling with other preachers and other churches. Such as that has caused all the trouble we are having now on organizational issues. If you want to hold a meeting, or meetings, anywhere in North Carolina and any church or anyone will support you for it, that is fine, but the New Testament does not provide the "plan", or the organization necessary to such plan, for a "spontaneous," 'cooperative," evangelization of a state or nation. Such as that was the exact pattern of the "State Evangelists" of the Christian Church, which your grandfather Wallace fought to a standstill in Texas, along with A. McGary, A. J. McCarty and Whiteside, et cetera. At the same time the Lipscombs and Sewells were opposing the same "plans" in Tennessee. The result is history: The Christian Church and its societies and general boards on one hand and the plain churches of Christ on the other. Now, our brethren are starting out to do the same thing the digressives did, with the same results. Please William, let all these things alone, and be satisfied to do all the preaching you can in your own individual right. It may seem slow, small and not big enough, but when all of us do it, the work will be what God wants, and so will the results. If we work on any other plan, we will have to write another book for it than the New Testament — and had as well adopt a manual of some kind. So as much as I would like to assist in the work in hard places, I cannot use any influence I may have, or permit it to be used, in cooperative plans for state evangelism.
. . .. rather than under the influence of men who will draw you into the orb of centralized and institutionalized "wickedness in high places".
In its local congregational capacity alone can a church of Christ move, and in an individual capacity alone can the preacher of the gospel do his work. Stay in your own yard, do your own work....
Lovingly, Dad