News And Views
Notes
Joe D. Scarborough, 12402 Mylla Lane, Houston 15, Texas, is in need of the following: Nos. 36, 38, 44, Volume I of the GOSPEL GUARDIAN. With these he can complete his files. Can you help him? I see in the current GOSPEL ADVOCATE (Jan. 28, 1960) that the ever-loving "friend" of Florida Christian College is at it again. He takes nearly two pages in his editorial to pour out his "love" for FCC! Cope had rented a class room at FCC for an Episcopal "Rev. Dr." to teach a class for the benefit of some members of that religious group. It was announced in the newspaper as if this high-powered "Dr." was to give these lectures at FCC as a part of the program of the school and as if the teaching was sanctioned by the school. Some "weasel" (an anonymous student) who apparently is not at all in sympathy with the school nor anything for which it stands, sent Goodpasture the newspaper account and also wrote his Judas-opinion of the affair. This was all Goodpasture wanted and needed — another chance to take a "pot shot" at FCC and once more demonstrate his "tender and affectionate feeling" for the school. He did not bother to get the facts. He did not consult Cope nor any of the faculty to appraise the report received. He could not afford to do so — he might find that the facts would "dampen his powder" for his "pot shot". (How a student with such utter contempt for FCC and downright hatred for Cope, can remain in school there is more than I can understand. He must be "planted" there by the opposition, or else in his unrighteous zeal (John 16:2) thinks it is his duty to help deliver FCC over to Goodpasture and the liberals.
Goodpasture takes this newspaper report and the biased opinion of this misfortunate student and makes out his case. With great ease he has Cope and FCC teaching the errors of the Episcopal church and engaged in training priests for them! Goodpasture is too intelligent to be honest in making such malicious charges! Moreover, he is the last fellow on earth who should rebuke another for such a thing. Hardly anyone is more interested in the Almighty Dollar than he is, and he will buy, rent or sell about anything to anybody for money. The GOSPEL ADVOCATE buys and sells books, literature and other material from and to nearly every sectarian source in the Country. They sell the Episcopal prayer book and the creed books of nearly every other group. Are these "financial transactions" only? He needs to apply his own erroneous reasoning to himself. FCC is a human institution and like any such institution they can do business with anyone. If a Christian rents a store to a sectarian group for their use, is he a Judas or a partaker in their evil works? When the GOSPEL ADVOCATE sells material to some sectarian group, and they do, is it different than FCC renting a room to one?
This pontifical tirade from the GOSPEL ADVOCATE editor is but another demonstration of his desire to "rule or ruin!" The first "presiding elder" in the departure of the early church never saw the day that he was the potential threat to being a full-fledged pope that B. C. Goodpasture is today.
Another Digressive Church And Preacher
J. M. Powell, brother-in-law to Goodpasture, now lives in Memphis and is "Minister" for, of, (or all of it) the Jackson Avenue church. For the last several years, Powell has been getting weaker and weaker, and he is in the front ranks of the digression plaguing the church today. About the only thing Powell opposes, positively, that is, is the "Antis" and "the Guardian Heresy." Recent bulletins from the Jackson Avenue church give us an insight into the way things are going — away from the NT truth.
For example in the January 17, 1960 issue we find this:
"BASKETBALL TEAM: We have organized a basket-hall team here at Jackson for all men who would like to play and have fellowship in such an effort. We play at the Harding Academy Gym every Thursday evening. There is a $2.00 fee for all who wish to play, this is to take care of lights and facilities at the gym. All who are interested, please see Lee Miller, come and join us, have fun and get some exercise, have fellowship with other men from the other congregations here in Memphis. Jackson won their first game 50-17 over their opponents."
This Church Seems To Be Doing Real Well At Basketball. In The January 24 Bulletin We Read This:
"BASKETBALL GAME: Jackson Avenue won their second game of the season last Thursday night over McLemore, 50-34. If you would like to participate or watch the games you would be welcome. You are asked, however, not to get on the floor of the gym with street shoes or bring coke bottles into the gym. All who have opportunity please support the team."
So they have won two straight games! Hoorah for this church! Don't you know the Lord is pleased with that accomplishment? Well, maybe not, for they beat MeLemore — another "church of Christ" in Memphis! What a shameful spectacle!
In the same January 24 bulletin, Powell writes this:
"From all reports "The Guardian Heresy" is on the wane. Thank God for this, though in Memphis it is a concern to some of us that it seems to be making considerable progress. If we act quickly, we can rid our city of this false teaching. More later."
In the first part of the statement Powell is trying to bolster his weak Cause. "The Guardian Heresy" is a term used to describe all the following: (1) opposition to the social gospel in the church; (2) opposition to modernism in all its forms; (3) opposition to the practice of putting churches in the recreation and entertainment business; (4) opposition to support of colleges and any other human organization from church treasuries; (5) opposition to any and all efforts to destroy the organization, autonomy, independence and equality of churches, as well as all other such unscriptural matters. The opposition to such things is not on "the wane" and Powell's own statement shows that the very opposite is true.
Powell admits that in Memphis the opposition to such things "seems to be making considerable progress." "Thank God for this!" And such is true — and it is only started. The score has not been added up yet and the game is far from being over. There are yet many in that fair city who have not and will not "bow the knee to Baal." The forces for truth are rallying and the fight against error and digression has only begun there.
Powell tries to comfort and soothe by telling his readers that "if we act quickly, we can rid our city of this false teaching." Don't be deceived, he doesn't believe any such thing. Just how does he think they can accomplish such? He did not say, but promised "more later" on the matter. I can hardly wait to see him go into action! One thing I am sure of — he will not meet an advocate of the so-called "Guardian Heresy" in an honorable debate and thus show from God's word how erroneous such is! No, they won't debate these questions. And since they do not have the power to "rid" by force their city of those who espouse this "Guardian Heresy", just how can he accomplish it? I know J. M. Powell. I was in Franklin, Tennessee for three years while he was there. He refused to take a positive stand against legalized liquor. He was a member of the Ministerial Alliance and the sectarian preachers gave him a farewell party when he left. He is a weakling and moral coward. He will run like mad from an honorable encounter. So pardon me while I give him some personal advice: Marvin, stop spouting off and stay in safe quarters. You know as well as I do that the only way you can "rid" your city of this so-called false teaching is to ignore it out of existence — just play like it doesn't even exist! In this way you can win without even a fight. Sell yourself and others on the deception it is "on the wane," and thus by this mental procedure you can accomplish the task which is impossible otherwise.
Generous Offer To Catholics
In the January, 1959 issue of The Voice of Freedom, a Gospel Advocate publication, and incidentally a very good one for the job it is doing, the following offer was made:
"We are willing to divide space with anyone who can expose our fallacies, if we are guilty of any, and to defend Roman Catholic doctrine."
I suppose that such an offer still stands as far as that publication is concerned. They are willing to share space in their own publication for some Catholic to attempt to show their fallacies or to defend Roman Catholic doctrine, but they certainly will not share space in the GOSPEL ADVOCATE with their own brethren who desire to expose their many fallacies and errors! Why? They are willing to give space for a Catholic to set forth what they (the GA) think is false doctrine, but will not grant their brethren the same privilege. Yet Goodpasture defends his one-sided and unfair practice along this line with the specious plea that they are not going to furnish the medium for false teachers to teach their error. He will to Catholics, probably because he knows they can answer their false teaching. In the other case it is a different story. I wonder if it is any worse to "divide space" in their paper with a Catholic than it is to rent a room to an Episcopal preacher to teach his error? The only difference I can see is that one is free and the other is for a charge.
Before The New Heresy
It has only been two or three years since the erroneous idea that "the church is its own Missionary Society, but it is not its own Benevolent Society", was born. Guy N. Woods "fathered" this piece of subtle folly in his desperate plight to find some defence for the benevolent organizations among us.
Sometime ago, Harold Savely, of Nashville, sent me the following item from the Minister's Monthly, Vol. I No. 4, which is a Gospel Advocate publication:
"The Church is - - -
God's Missionary Society
God's Training School
God's Temperance League
God's Benevolent Society
God's Association for Peace
God's Insurance Company."
This was written by Frank Cox before he had learned from Woods that the church is not God's Benevolent Society. As Reuel Lemmons says, Wood's new heresy is "just plain nuts" and is of very recent invention.
Fancy Success
Two frogs fell into a bucket of cream, And paddled to keep afloat,
But one soon tired, and sank to rest
With a gurgling sigh in his throat.
The other paddled away all night,
And not a croak did he utter,
And with the coming of morning light,
He rode on an island of butter.
The flies came thick to his island home,
And made him a breakfast snappy, The milkmaid shrieked and upset the pail,
And froggy hopped away happy.
The moral that a man finds in this rhyme,
And hastens at once to apply;
Success will come in the most difficult way,
If we paddle and never say die!
— Selected