The Road To Digression
Recently a notice appeared about Ralph G. Wilburn, former professor of Bible in George Pepperdine College, moving to teach in the "digressive" University in Oklahoma, maintained by the "First Christian Church" or "Disciples of Christ." Well, he is in Oklahoma. And today is in Frederick!
Imagine my surprise to find in Friday's Frederick Leader the following announcement of services for Sunday:
Prof. Wilburn To Deliver Sermons.
"Prof. R. G. Wilburn of the College of Bible at Phillips University in Enid is to be the guest speaker at morning and evening services of the FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH Sunday, October 14, it has been announced by F. E. Cameron, chairman of the board.
"Prof. Wilburn will speak at the morning service on "The Pattern of Good In An Evil World," and in the evening on "The Sermon On the Mount and What To Do About It."
"The guest speaker is in supply after recent departure of Rev. Ralph Bureman for Alva to take over pastorate of the First Christian Church there."
We have two strong churches of Christ in Frederick, 10th and Gladstone, where J. Haney Dykes preaches, and the 15th and Balsom, or South Side, where I preach. But Ralph Wilburn (there are not TWO R. G. Wilburns at P.U. are there?) comes to Frederick and preaches for the digressive church! Shades of apostasy! Ralph Bureman, mentioned in note, recently asked me about Wilburn? I wonder what the California—George Pepperdine College
—Ernest Beam group will turn up next?
As to the "First Christian Church" I recently preached at Apache, Oklahoma, in a revival on the subject "Why I Left the First Christian Church"; while there I learned of other elements in their departure; there is a large digressive church there. And I am writing another article about my experiences with them while I was preaching for the Lord's church in Killeen, Texas, a few years ago.
I was not a preacher among the digressives. I did grow up in their teaching and was a youth leader in Denison, Texas. At the age of 16 I learned the truth, some 16 years ago, and almost immediately began preaching the right way of the Lord. Part of the time I was going to college and "learning to preach."
(Next time: "Digressives Do Not Fellowship Us.")