The Overflow
Endorsements for Dr. Peale The Nashville Banner recently planned to bring Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, well-known denominational preacher, to Nashville for a lecture as a public service feature. Naturally the paper was anxious to get all the denominations in the city to endorse the "Reverend Doctor"—and did, just about. The endorsements were featured regularly in the Banner for several days before the scheduled lecture. Nashville's Baptist denomination endorsed him by a unanimous vote of the Executive Committee; Nashville's Lutheran denomination endorsed him through the pastor of the First Lutheran Church, Dr. I. W. Gernert; the Nashville Churches of Christ were represented in the "endorsements" by a statement from brother Willard Collins, vice president of David Lipscomb College. Brother Collins paid Dr. Peale and the Nashville Banner some nice compliments, and opined "These are times which demand a spiritual revival." Does brother Willard think a denominational preacher (and a modernist at that) is likely to bring the kind of revival that is needed?
—O—
As Srygley said it We've been doing lots of reading lately in back issues of the Gospel Advocate, and we continue to be amazed and admiring at the sparkle and wit (and down to earth truth) in the writings of F. D. Srygley. Here is a sentence taken from him in a little exchange he had with the editor of the Christian Evangelist: "Brother Garrison has a chronic and constitutional weakness for taking the wrong side on vital issues, which keeps his friends constantly on the watch for the breaks he never misses a chance to make."
—O—
Who is in the pig-pen now?
And speaking of pigs, remember a few weeks ago when an elder in the Union Avenue church at Memphis consigned us to the "pig-pen," and opined that so far as he was concerned we'd stay there? Well, comes now a letter from a member of that congregation lamenting the fact of brother Melvin Wise is leaving them because of that elder, and saying, "I'm just wondering if we will ever keep a preacher here that is worth anything in view of the mess we are in."H-M-M-M-M-M, "pig-pen" did he say?
—O—
Dr. Bales' logic Our Arkansas friend and brother, Jimmy Bales, has five columns in the Firm Foundation of January 16, trying to answer one brief paragraph in an editorial of ours about the "Lubbock Plan." As is not unusual with brother Jimmy, he missed the point entirely; and argues at great length (Cled says that is the only kind of length he knows) in defense of that which nobody (including "I") has ever denied — the right of an individual Christian to contribute to any worthy work.
What our editorial did deny, and what brother Bales failed to mention or defend, is the right of the Broadway elders to solicit regular contributions for Broadway's program from members of other congregations. That is what our editorial was about, brother Jimmy, not whether or not some brother has the right to pay off your debts. If you really want to deal with our point, then suppose you write an article affirming the proposition our editorial denied: That the elders of Congregation "A" have a scriptural right to solicit regular contributions from every member of Congregation "B" for support of the work of Congregation "A," such solicitations to be made without the knowledge or consent of the elders of Congregation "B."
—O—
And Dr. Brewer's Latin Dr. Bales' logic and Dr. Brewer's Latin are Siamese twins—and each of them is worse than the other. Comes now the good Dr. Brewer with another of his Latin phrases in the Gospel Advocate of January 11 —"Ignoratio Eleuchi." Could it be that our scholarly brother has in mind the phrase "Ignoratio elenchi," which means "the logical fallacy of arguing the wrong point; ignorance of the point in question?" Is so, we can point him to a prime example of "ignorance of the elench" in the article by Dr. Bales, referred to above. We hesitate to put in this little squib for fear it may discourage our brother from his predilection for Latin. We don't want to do that; we enjoy his Latin. It's almost as good as listening to "Amos 'n' Andy."
—O—
The drunkard and the pig.
One night in late October, When he was far from sober, Returning to his home with manly pride, His feet began to stutter, So he laid down in the gutter, And a pig came near, And laid down by his side.
A lady passing by was heard to say,
"You can tell a man who boozes, By the company he chooses."
And the pig got up—
and slowly walked away!
— Author Unknown
—O—
A chip on the shoulder There are a few brethren who seem to have a chip on their shoulder—particularly so when the Gospel Guardian is mentioned. They are spoiling for a fight, it seems, and take rather violent exception to nearly everything we write. Ah, well, 'tis part of one pays for being an editor or for offering any mild criticism of any of the "sacred cows" among us. We've always understood though that a chip on the shoulder is usually a pretty good indication of wood higher up.
—O—
If they find it out Then there were those preachers discussing the mid-week service. Said one, "How do you manage to get people out Wednesday nights? I simply can't get any attendance at all for that service." Replied his friend, "Oh, I gave that up six months ago, and discontinued all mid-week services." "But what did the elders think about that?" asked the first preacher. "Well," replied the other, "they probably won't like it when they find it out."
—O—
Not in vain If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.
-- Selected