The "Great Accuser" And His Brethren
It is necessary for a Christian at all times to exercise restraint and self-control. But there are circumstances and events which at times make this most difficult. One such circumstance is the "pious indignation" displayed by Brother B. C. Goodpasture when he seeks to accuse his brethren. He seems to have a cultivated hatred for all who will not flow gently with him into apostasy.
In other articles I have referred to Brother Goodpasture as "the little man with the big breeches" (a different way of following R. L. Whiteside's description of him as a "swelled toad" in a little puddle). I am convinced this is an accurate characterization. In future years when the history of this period of the church is recorded it will show that this man was to the church of our day about what "Boss Tweed" was to the politics of New York in his day. The only real difference being that one was in politics and the other moved in the realm of religion.
Our brother's animosity toward his brethren is rather like Elihu: a wine keg without a bunghole. (Job 18:20.) He has finally become so full that he exploded, and vented his spleen on Brother James Cope and Florida Christian College, and then had the unmitigated gall to say piously, "It should be made clear in this connection that we are not opposed to Florida Christian College as such." (G. A. May 12, 1960) and again, "We are not disposed to misrepresent either FCC or its president."
This article is not to defend either Cope or FCC or any other college, but rather to show that one side of Goodpasture's "big breeches" is considerably bigger than the other. His "righteous indignation" at Cope's action is exactly in the same category as Nikita Khrushchev's unctuous and holy shock in his accusation against the United States in the famous U-2 spy plane incident. Khruschev went wild with accusations against the United States for "spying", and held up his hands before the newspaper reporters and said, "As God is my witness, my hands are clean and my heart is pure!" Russia had done, and is doing no spying at all — says Mr. K. Who believes it? His accusations and Goodpasture's are cut from the same piece of cloth. It was not "righteous indignation" that caused this man to spray his vitriol in the face of Cope and all others who disagree with his digressive ways; it was not "holy shock" at the thought of a sectarian setting foot on the sacred soil of FCC that aroused him. How do I know? Well consider this:
Item: B. C. Goodpasture KNOWS that Brother H. A. Dixon had a Baptist on the faculty at FHC last year. Not one word did he print in condemnation of such.
Item: Goodpasture KNOWS that Brother Dixon had a Mason on his promotional staff last year: and now has a Mason on the Advisory Committee. Again, a long, long silence in the G. A.
Item: Goodpasture KNOWS that for quite a while a Methodist was on the faculty of lbaraki Christian College. He treated this knowledge with — silence.
Item: Goodpasture had every opportunity to know about Baptist preachers in West Tennessee chiding some of the FHC faculty about their ungodly and unchristian conduct. Did he say anything? Not so anybody could hear it.
Item: One of the faculty at FHC openly taught his classes, "Communism is all right if we do not have to go to war to get it. "Bro. Dixon retained this teacher on his staff, knowing that he taught this about Communism. When confronted with his statement the man denied being a Communist himself; but still taught that Communism was "all right".
Item: Pepperdine College had, (and we believe still has) a number of faculty members who are members of denominational churches. Where is Goodpasture's "righteous indignation" about this? Has anybody seen anything in the Advocate condemning such?
You see what we mean by saying that BCG and Khrushchev both affect us in the same way in their "righteous indignation"? May we ask Brother Goodpasture, Is Jim's Episcopalian (renting a room) any worse than Hubert's Baptist, Mason, and Communist sympathizer on the faculty? Why so "indignant" about the one and so "silent" about the other?
While we're on the subject, how about those questions put to Brother Dixon in previous articles: Brother Dixon, you are on record as teaching that churches can scripturally support Christian Colleges such as FHC. Now, if churches can do their teaching through a Christian college, why can they not do their preaching through a missionary society?
To add to the irony of this situation at FHC, along comes Brother E. Claude Gardner and states, "Like teacher, like student, is axiomatic. In a Christian school it is imperative to employ teachers who are faithful Christians." (G. A. April 21, 1960.) Has Brother Dixon repented of his Baptist, his Mason, and his Communist sympathizer? Or does Gardner consider such men as being "faithful Christians"? Or did Gardner oppose hiring such men to shape the lives of the immature students whom trusting brethren put in their care?
Well, there we leave the matter for the present. Maybe Goodpasture will yet have something to say about this. But don't hold your breath till he does.