The Overflow
Campbell And The Baptists
Going through some old letters the other day, we ran across one from R. T. Towery of Sinton, Texas, dated April 12, 1943. In it he tells of a meeting at Aransas Pass, Texas, in 1936 in which he led the singing and J. D. Tant did the preaching. A question was put in the question box one night: "Was Alexander Campbell turned out of the Baptist Church for hog-stealing?" To this Tant replied, "I don't know so much about that hog-stealing business; but I do know Campbell wasn't turned out of the Missionary Baptist Church as we know it today. When Campbell lived, the Devil hadn't even yet invented that crowd!"
The Right Word
We were holding a meeting in a Texas town not long ago and had a man ask, 'Have you ever seen Rufus Clifford preach?" "Don't you mean have I ever heard Clifford preach?" "Brother," he replied, "you don't need to answer my question. Because if you'd ever sat under his preaching, you'd know I used the right word!"
Brother Bennett's Article
Elsewhere in this issue is an article from Brother Weldon Bennett. Read it. But as you read it, perhaps it would be well to bear in mind that one of the churches which sent Brother Bennett to Germany originally, three or four years ago, supplying one-half of his support, withdrew all such support at the end of one year — and one major factor in their dropping their help seems to have been their inability to reach a clear, definite understanding with Brother Bennett as to the exact relationship which he seemed to think he ought to have toward Broadway Church in Lubbock. The Tennessee brethren, who were putting up the money to keep him in Europe, could not understand why Brother Bennett should feel himself in any way, or in any degree accountable to the Broadway elders, who were contributing not one cent to his support. A lengthy correspondence on the matter proved so unfruitful that they finally just
dropped the whole business. In view of that incident, we believe Brother Bennett's remarks about "unfounded accusations" and "centralized control" are at least of interest. A more complete review of his article will appear in a later issue.
Mailing Address
For the next few months we'll be getting our mail at our Lufkin address rather than the Abilene address. Keep it in mind, and until further notice send your letters, articles, (and epistolary brick-bats) to the editor at Box 980, Lufkin, Texas. About half our mail has been coming there for the past three or four years, anyhow, and now we'll ask you to send all of it there for a while. Gospel meetings are scheduled in the months ahead for Arkansas, Texas, Alabama, and North Carolina, but mail sent to Lufkin will always be forwarded immediately.
Cleburne And Africa
In our editorial last week we referred to the bitter unhappiness among the workers in Africa over the "centralized, control" the Central Church in Cleburne was exercising in the African field. Since writing those lines we have received word that the tension reached such proportions that it became clear to all that the Central Church must get out (O-U-T) of the African work to prevent its complete collapse. And that has been done. Central Church has given up in toto and irrevocably her "sponsorship" of the African work. Or at least that is the report now reaching us. We assume it is correct, since it originates in Africa itself. We commend Central's example to some of the other congregations in the land. Why continue a system that is without scriptural authority, and at the same time productive of tensions, bitterness, and disillusionment? We believe Miller, Caskey, and others in Africa are mature gospel preachers, faithful to the truth, and they are plenty capable of building loyal New Testament churches on that continent. Those African churches need support, but no "control" by elders ten thousand miles away.
West's Articles
Brother Smith commended the articles of Brother Earl West which are currently being published in the Gospel Advocate. We add our word of commendation to his. In fact, so highly do we regard the articles that we hope to run the entire series in the Gospel Guardian once it has been completed in the other journal.
Brutally Frank
This happened at a college commencement we attended the other day. The President of the Board of Trustees was complimenting a fine old Christian gentleman who had given many thousands of dollars to the school. Said the Board president, "We love and appreciate him for his fine Christian character, for his interest in the young people; we appreciate him for his sterling qualities of leadership, and for the wise counsel he has given. And above all else we appreciate him for his money." Wow! That's saying what the cynical and irreverent might have charged — but we never dreamed we'd hear it from the Board president's own lips. Love that man! He has the naive sort of honesty we can admire and appreciate. To tell a man right to his face that you love him for his money is the sort of brutal and lusty frankness we thought had about disappeared from the earth. Hats off to a Board president at whom we're not above taking a pot-shot now and then, but who really earned our respect in one short and succinct statement. Even if it was (as we suspect) a slip of the tongue.
Houston Meeting
When this reaches you the editor will be in the midst of a short meeting with the Bellaire congregation in Houston, Texas, where Luther Blackmon preaches. J. D. Tant preached the first gospel sermon in the city of Houston and started the church there exactly fifty years ago — in the summer of 1903. There are now about fifty congregations in the Houston area, of which Bellaire is one of the newest and best.
Actions, Brother, Not Words
Our brother editor, of the Gospel Advocate, almost got his feelings hurt because we pointed out some items relative to his refusal to publish both sides of controversial issues. He tries a full page on it this time, rather than two or three short paragraphs as before. And comes off no better. What all fair-minded men would like to see from you, our brother, is less talk and more action. If, as you insist, you WILL publish both sides, then a little demonstration to that effect will be far more appreciated than your verbose explanations. Thus far, to our own certain knowledge, you have REFUSED to publish this writer's correction of a false light in which you placed him with your readers, even when we begged for one short article to set the matter right; you have REFUSED to publish any kind of review of the labored and (in the light of recent developments, ludicrous) articles of Cecil N. Wright; you have REFUSED to permit one short letter from Hugo McCord to correct some false teaching which he had previously published in the Gospel Advocate; you have REFUSED space to W. W. Otey to correct some misrepresentations. Now can you see why many brethren would be much more favorably impressed by less talk and more action in the direction of fair play. How about it?
"Mutual Misery"
There are a few brethren over the country who say it is impossible to "preach" to Christians, and that one can only "teach' 'them. Such teaching is supposedly to be done by all the male members of the congregation. They call this "mutual ministry." But those who have sat under such a program for a while, and then have learned better, have a more descriptive phrase for it; they call it "mutual misery."
When Life Was Sweet
"The greatest poem ever known Is one all poets have outgrown;
The poetry, innate, untold, Of being only four years old."
— Christopher Morley