News And Notes
News And Notes — — —
Harold Spurlock has moved from Ranger, Texas, to Jacksonville, Texas, where he will work with the church .. .. Frank Lawrence has moved to labor with the West Asheville, N. C., church. He was with the Trussville church, just out of Birmingham .... I see by the Christian Chronicle that the "Educational Directors" among us are to have a "Clinic" at Wommack Lodge on Lake Dallas. "This clinic is designed to improve the educational work of the church." Wonder how the church would survive without all these affairs? "The Christian Teacher, Inc., is acting as sponsor by providing the location and the leadership for this meeting." Here is another organization stepping in to help out the church. Wonder how the early disciples ever got along without all this expert help provided by all the human wisdom and human organizations of our day? .... I know of three or four good preachers who desire to change locations. If any church is interested, let me know and I will give the names and addresses .... A tremendous gap has been left in our ranks in the passing of W. Curtis Porter. He was a real Bible student and no one loved the truth more than did he. He was truly a champion "Defender of the Faith" on any front. It will be a long while, if ever, before we see his caliber in this regard. It is too bad that he was never able to complete all of the books he planned. If there is any way to do it, this material should be made available.... I have recently (during the week of August 7-14) had the privilege of hearing Roy E. Cogdill preach several times during a meeting in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. This was his first meeting since the passing of his beloved wife. The loss that is his in this regard is tragic and more than most of us can imagine. Yet he bears the "cross" like the true Christian should. He is back at his station in the battle for truth and against error. He preaches with all the force and power that has always been his. I have heard him thru the years and he is as forceful and effective (if not more so) as ever. Truly he is a great preacher. More important than this is the fact that he is a great and good man. He can only do so much to be sure, but he needs to be widely used over the entire country, for surely none is more able than he to do the teaching necessary to counteract the digression which is upon us and to establish the church in the faith once delivered. He needs to be free to go when and where needed, and with the proper financial support.
Wallace - Holt Debate — — —
By the time this is read, the debate between G. K. Wallace and myself will be published and ready for delivery. This debate was conducted in Florence, Alabama, last December. This is a discussion of "the benevolent organizations" and the Herald of Truth. The printing is in neat, large, clear type and on good paper. If the binding equals the other work, it will make a nice book. There are 247 pages in it. The book will sell for $4 per copy.
I will have the book for sale and take this means of advising all of this fact. I will greatly appreciate your order for the book. It should be read and studied by every member of the church. Send for your copy today. I shall also be glad to supply dealers with the book at the usual trade price in lots of five or more. Send all orders to me at the above address.
Newspaper Clippings-Some Observations
More On Bible Movies: If you want to learn more about what the Bible does not teach than about what it does teach, seeing some of these Bible (I) movies should help you immensely. The latest Hollywood production is entitled, "Solomon and Sheba." The advertisements say, "Behold! The love story of the ages!" Neither the inspired word of God nor uninspired history record anything about a "love story" between Solomon and Sheba, but some unethical writer can invent one and, of all things, make it, not just a love story but "the love story of the ages!"
From many quarters comes influence and pressure to loosen up our social laws. I have a clipping from the "Port Arthur News" of April 24, 1960. It is an Associated Press release written by John Barbour and it concerns the work of the Institute for Sex Research, established by the late Dr. Alfred Kinsey. In the article many statements and quotations are attributed to Dr. Paul H. Gebhard, director of the institute. According to Dr. Gebhard, monogamy (having one wife in marriage — see 1 Cor. 7:2; Gen. 2:18, 24) is unnatural; physically and emotionally humans are not given to taking only one mate; monogamy is "a cultural condition we've chosen to impose on ourselves." (As though God and the Bible had nothing to do with it and as though it were detrimental to man.) The Dr. also says, 'Premarital intercourse, taboo in the United States, is socially acceptable in many European countries and elsewhere." He seems to think that according to his research and conclusions the same should become acceptable in the United States.
It seems that human religious organizations think they have the right to revise or set aside the word of God by majority vote in religious conclaves. The General Conference of The Methodist Church, which met this month in Denver, Colorado, exercised such a "right." Heretofore it has been the policy of the denomination to allow remarriage only to the "innocent" party of a divorce; now the "guilty" party may also remarry. The way for this new ruling had been paved by a previous ruling which allows divorce for other than the cause of adultery. Now would be a good time for you to read Matthew 5:31-32; 19: 3-9; Mark 10:2-12.
— Bill Crews, Orange, Texas
I Don't Want My Daughter To Dance —
I want my daughter to be happy. I want her to be liked by others, especially her school mates, both now and later when she gets into High School and College. I do not believe that she has to learn to dance, however, either to be happy or be liked.
I do NOT want her to learn to dance, for I know if she learns HOW she will WANT to dance. If she dances she will be exposed to other desires that I do not want her subjected to. Petting and fondling and general familiarities are bad for young people anywhere, but to encourage and allow such things, especially to the rhythm of music is to stimulate within young people desires which should belong only to married people. Girls are sometimes not as aware of this as they should be because they are often not as affected as the boys. I believe boys and girls should be together, should play together and should talk together and understand one another. But they must be careful not to do those things which stimulate and encourage lust. Modern philosophy says, "Live! Let yourself go! Have fun!" But the Bible says, "Flee youthful lusts and follow after righteousness." (2 Tim. 2:22).
I want my daughter to be able to present herself to some young Christian man as a Bride that is virtuous, happy and beautiful. I do not want her to have the sense of guilt that goes with improper conduct; I do not want her to enter into marriage feeling ashamed for having been loved and fondled by every eager boy who wants to experiment with every girl available. I do not want my daughter to have the unhappy guilt of sin before God as she stands in his presence to promise to give herself to her husband and to him alone.
"But one can dance without being guilty of these terrible things," someone will say defensively. I reply, I doubt it. The medical doctors and psychologists do not think so. Even the dancing instructors do not think so. There is simply no use in exposing yourself to dangerous temptations to see if you can resist. In the word of the wise man, "Can a man take fire into his bosom and his clothes not be burned?" (Prov. 6:7).
No, I do not want my daughter to dance. I want her to keep herself unspotted from the world for the sake of her Christian marriage, and for the sake of righteousness.
— Wayne Mickey, Spring and Blaine Bulletin, St. Louis, Missouri
The Problem Of Gambling — —
Gambling is swiftly growing into one of the most serious problems of vice. It is legalized gambling which supports the recently run Kentucky Derby and other prominent races, for the horse racing business would die immediately if it were not for the gambling which supports it.
People know that gambling is wrong without having attention called to the teaching of the Scriptures on the subject. This fact is demonstrated in the recent articles and letters in our local papers (Louisville, Ky.) concerning the police raids on some gambling establishments and asking for the closing of others.
It is disgusting, however, to find the civil authorities so strict in combating some gambling while giving encouragement to other forms. Why is it wrong for a man to bet his money on the card or wheel, but right to bet on the horse? Why is the man who bets his money on the dice in a back alley a criminal, while the man who places his money on the horse's nose at the race track is to be considered among the best of citizens? It all depends on how the people want to gamble who make the laws, enforce them, or have the political influence to get the laws passed.
Religions are now encouraging and engaging in gambling! They have leaders who justify it on the grounds that "it is wrong only when carried to excess." And others justify it by saying, "The profits which the church derives from gambling go to good causes." This argument would justify prostitution if the proceeds went for a good cause.
Bingo, raffles, chances on cars are all examples of church-sponsored gambling, engaged in because it is highly lucrative for the church. Gambling under the guise of religion is highly tempting to people. And you certainly expect the people and the clergy who endorse the practice of gambling at church to have no qualms about attending the dog track or race track to place their money on their favorite.
Gambling is not to be confused with the purchase of an insurance policy or an honorable occupation, such as farming, where circumstances may prevent the reaping of a harvest; and when people try to parallel these with gambling, they are grasping at a straw to conceal their own shortcomings. Gambling is opposed to the positive teaching of the Bible on how men should live. "Provide things honest in the sight of all men." (Rom. 12:17) "Study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you." (1 Thess. 4:11).
— Robert C. Welch
Book? Chapter? And Verse! — —
Our fathers before us thundered forth heaven's message, the gospel of Christ, in brush arbors, tents, rented halls, and wherever they could find an audience. They challenged the world to come to grips with them on the polemic platform. They engaged the enemy on every front and he fled, mortally wounded. The sword of the Spirit, God's word, had drawn blood and the enemy was in full retreat. And always the battle cry was, "Book, chapter, and verse," for what they preached. That cry, to pioneer preachers and many who came after, was as potent as "Remember the Alamo" to the Texans at San Jacinto.
But now, alas, the sword has been sheathed and hung up to rust. The enemy has crept out into the open again and has very little to fear from modern-day "gospel" preachers. We are trying to defeat the enemy by compromise and social competition. We think if we can build as fine a building, get as many newspaper headlines, get preachers with as many degrees, set as good a table, provide as much recreation, (fun and frolic) or, in other words, beat the denominations at their own game, then we can come out on top.
Brethren, even if we could beat them at all these things, and gain multitudes, we would still have lost the battle. Truth is the only thing that will make us free from sin. The sword of the Spirit is the only weapon which will prick the heart and cut us loose from the world. We need once again to become a militant people. "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life." And that fight is not compromise, social competition, or just a defensive warfare. It is an aggressive, offensive, challenging fight to the finish. And with BOOK, CHAPTER, AND VERSE at our command, the battle will be won and the victor's crown will be ours. — Bob Craig.