More About The Herald Of Truth
By God's providence, we live in a land where by radio and television we may enter millions of homes with the Gospel. In these homes live 160,000,000 people who will be lost forever without Christ. One hundred and seventy of them an hour die without hope. What answer can we give our Lord, if for want of interest in souls, we fail to use our available opportunities to proclaim the Lord to these lost millions?
The elders of the Highland Church in Abilene believe that God's children should use radio and television as media for mass communication in preaching the Gospel. They invite other churches to help preach to ten million people per week, with a 30 minute program of teaching through scripture reading, song, and sermon, on the ABC
The Problem Is — Millions Of Lost Souls
The Highland elders did not CREATE this problem of 160,000,000 lost souls in America, any more than the Jerusalem elders created the poverty in Judea. It is not the fault of Highland Church that 170 lost souls an hour slip from America into eternity.
If, however, they allow this condition to continue without change, and have within their grasp the opportunity to teach and save some of these millions, what shall they tell the Lord in Judgment?
Wide-awake, they are recognizing and facing-up to this problem, and trying to meet the need with the voluntary cooperation of many other congregations, without forming any "super" organization. Other wide-awake elders in Nashville, Tennessee, are likewise preparing television films on a cooperative basis. The response is amazing.
It is small wonder that hundreds of churches are doubling and trebling their contributions to carry on the Herald of Truth broadcast, under the direction of the Highland elders. Other new churches are joining in the enterprise, and it seems assured that this program will soon be on television.
When churches are faced with the prospect of teaching ten thousand persons per week, with an investment of $27.00, they should be interested. The church, as a church, must do this work, as the "pillar and ground of the truth." Such work should be supported and encouraged by the church, sponsored and controlled by the church, directed and supervised by the church as a church, and should not be done by some "free-lance" group.
The church is under much greater obligation to give every soul in America ONE fair chance to accept the Gospel, than to give any other person a second chance. Thousands of Preachers Could Not Otherwise Reach These Without using such mass media as radio and TV — ten thousand preachers will never reach these millions. We CAN, if we care, reach some of them, by helping Highland elders carry on this program. We shall have the guilt of these lost souls forever on our hands, unless we do what we can.
Highland elders welcome any inspection of their operations, including their management of the Herald of Truth program. They welcome criticism and question, and make changes when convinced they should.
They are at times misunderstood and misrepresented. For example, last summer, in a letter from Highland elders to elders of other churches of Christ, they mailed a list of sermon subjects for the broadcast, urging that "You do personal work," in connection with this radio program. At the top of the page, they printed, "The Churches of Christ Salute You With A Herald of Truth." Yet it has been said of this very sheet, "It is impossible to tell what church, if any, is behind the movement."
Highland Church Pays No Commissions
It was recently said of the budget for this network broadcast, that "a percentage of this budget must be paid to a brother in Dallas . . . . ," but such information is false.
The contract with ABC network is in the name of Highland Church, signed by the elders, and the account is handled by the Martin Advertising Company of Chicago, of which Brother Orville McDonald of Dallas is vice president.
National advertising agencies derive their income from commissions paid them by advertising media — i.e., radio and television networks, billboards, national magazines, etc. The Martin agency is paid by the ABC network the standard fee for such agencies, who produce the majority of network programs in America.
The national advertising media do NOT have a special price for those who would circumvent the advertising agencies; they have one price, and the price is the same, whether the client (as the Highland Church), goes through the agency or not.
As a result, the Highland Church has the able services of Brother McDonald, at no cost whatever to the church. He is able to save the church from $500.00 to $1,000.00 per month, in addition to arranging many other free services. Articles to help build the third largest religious network audience in America have appeared in Time Magazine, many newspapers, etc., all at no cost to Highland Church. Nearly $10,000 worth of free television time has been arranged through the agency, at no cost to the church.
Some stations make cheaper rates locally, or directly, than through an advertising agency; when Brother McDonald finds such stations, he gives this information to the Highland elders, who obtain the cheaper rate, as for example in Midland, Texas; in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; in Madison, Wisconsin, and others.
The Herald Of Truth Is Church-Supported
The idea that "a great part of the present budget comes from individuals," is an erroneous idea. Some individual contributions do come in, but only a very small percent of the expense.
The October report from the Highland elders shows $25,030.47 contributed by the churches who had made regular pledges, and $5,290.94 from all other churches and the few individuals who helped. Most of this figure was from church treasuries.
Office Expenses Unusually Low
The overhead for this magnificent undertaking is much lower than that of most other congregations, percentage-wise. However, the monthly reports have been sometimes misunderstood. Someone recently said, "The overall office expense for October was more than $8,000." Such is simply not a fact. The truth is that $1,626.36 of this was for tape recording in Dallas; $1,512.23 was for several weeks supply of stamps; and $265.30 was for the summer's supply of stationary and office supplies. Wages for the month, including salaries for two preachers and one elder, totaled only $3,394.38. The preachers have no house furnished, as local preachers usually do.
Brother Glenn Wallace Writes "Amen"
My good friend, Glenn Wallace who is most complimentary, has aroused some thought by asking questions, that has resulted in certain changes in the operation of the Herald of Truth broadcast, but has also aroused more friends to the program.
Brother Wallace preaches in a building built with contributions from many congregations and individuals. He is a member of the College Church, which is busily engaged in "giving and receiving" contributions to and from other congregations on four continents, doing benevolent and missionary work, including the Herald of Truth.
If the New Testament teaches it, it is right; therefore Brother Wallace does not question the New Testament principle of congregational cooperation, whether in the field of benevolence or in the field of evangelism.
My feelings toward Brother Glenn are sympathetic and friendly, and I intend no reflection on his motives, although I feel him to be seriously misinformed and unduly alarmed about the work of Highland Church.
Let us arise and preach the Gospel to this generation. Let us use these networks. For the present, then, "AMEN and AMEN."