He Wanted The Truth But Looked In The Wrong Place
Brother J. T. Smith, of Cookeville, Tennessee claims he was "misled" about the issues before the church. In the July 7th issue of the Gospel Advocate, he relates the experience he had in finding the truth on these issues. Before I write further regarding brother Smith and his quest for truth, I want you to consider a thing: I thought that every Christian was a truth-seeker. I thought that every Christian knew the one and only source of truth. I thought that every Christian knew that human wisdom could not determine the truth. But knowing all of this hasn't kept brother Smith from defecting from the truth. He knew all of this before he changed and more. He did not bother about looking into the word of God and finding the Bible principles involved — no, he leaned upon the wisdom of the wise among us. That is why I personally charge him (and others like him) with deliberately looking in the wrong place for the truth.
J. T. Smith writes that Basil Overton, well-known institutional devotee and advocate, corrected the "misleadings" he had suffered. He should know by knowing Basil Overton that truth and the teachings of Overton are very different. Basil Overton does not shun to twist Bible passages to serve his purposes in defense of the god of institutionalism. I have a tape recording of a sermon he preached at Whitson's Chapel church of Christ in which he took W. L. Totty's argument on Acts 6:1-6 and put a "board of directors in the very first church on earth!" So you see, Overton doesn't mind perverting the word of God when he is hard pressed for an argument.
Among The Reasons (?) For Changing, Brother Smith Offers This:
"I told him (Overton) that I had been led to believe that if a church gave money to the orphan home such action showed the orphan home would do the work of the church. I found that my conclusion was wrong, because (here is where he should give book, chapter and verse, but did he? DRS) brother Overton pointed out that it is not the 'work of the church' to be a home for children, but that it is the 'work of the church' to support a home in need."
The pitiful part of this all is that Smith knew that the quibble over the "home" and the church's responsibility to a needy one has been ventilated for the past three or four years. These things were not done in a corner, and I am persuaded that he knew of this artful dodge that has been fostered and promulgated through the Gospel Advocate and other institutional papers. He further knows that it is not "a work of the church" to support "a home in need." He is fully aware of all that the Bible teaches regarding the benevolent duties imposed by God on the churches. He knows that in the New Testament, every case of benevolence and all instructions regarding benevolence speak of relieving needy saints — not "homes." The church did benevolence to individuals — not human institutions. Smith knows this, but he let Basil Overton lead him away from what the Bible teaches.
Brother Smith closes his short article with this dashing and pretentious plea: "I want to preach the truth!" Well, if so, the next time, go to the word of God rather than Basil Overton! Jesus says "thy word is truth" (John 17:17) and with Paul, I commend J. T. Smith "to God and the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified." (Acts 20:32)