The Overflow
Echoes from Lexington
"We may be wrong about J. Charles Jessup. Yesterday's events almost convince me that he has some prophetic power. He stated over the radio yesterday morning that he felt the Lord was going to send him a 'special blessing' that afternoon. Sure enough, just after his 'healing service,' along came a very unusual storm and flattened his tent. The two injured were treated at hospitals although the 'Faith Healers' were standing by when the mishap occurred.
"My lessons over the radio are being heard because I'm getting anonymous threatening letters very consistently. Incidentally, one fellow answered my challenges to meet them in any reputable funeral home for a 'dead raising session' by stating that Jessup has the power to raise the dead but he doesn't want to use it for fear of over-populating the world!" — Robert Atkinson, Lexington, Ky.
Anonymous letters Brother Atkinson isn't the only one who gets "anonymous" letters. Some mails bring us almost as many of that variety as they do of the other. Why is it that so many "sweet-spirited" brethren like to write such letters and omit their names? One of our prize "anonymous" letters was sent to us a few years ago by one of the elders of Lubbock's great Broadway Church of Christ. He made a little error however, and it didn't take us long to determine his identity. So we wrote him a nice reply beginning: "Dear Brother __________ Your anonymous letter has been received .. . ."
From Abilene
"Am surprised you would take to anything as modern as the Vacation Bible School. Aren't you afraid they will lead to digression? Or is it that you have literature to sell that makes it OK." This is an anonymous postal card we received from Abilene, Texas. Well, it might surprise this dear sister to know that we were teaching Vacation Bible Schools while she was still nervously giggling over her first date with some pimply-faced Junior High School adolescent. How do we know the writer is a "she"? Elementary, my dear Watson. No man writes anonymous letters.
A prescription This page is being written in Portales, New Mexico, the home of Brother Norman Cooper, a veteran preacher of the gospel of Christ. Brother Cooper wants to send this public greeting to Logan Buchanan who says he has to "spit" before he can ever read a full issue of the ' Guardian: "If you will just take a few gospel pills and get the denominational coating off your tongue, maybe the Gospel Guardian won't salivate you quite so much. You might even get to the point of enjoying it!"
The "church universal"
"The 'church universal' as it is called, exists on earth only in and through the local church. It is addressed only through the local church; it is commanded only through commands given to the local church; it can act only through the local church; it can be approached only through the local church; it is manifested on earth only through the local church. Nothing is done or can be done on earth by the church universal, save as it is done through the local church or churches . . . . Whatever is not done by or through the local church in its legitimate action is not done by the church universal." — David Lipscomb, "Questions Answered," p. 122.
Bargain rate!
One of the delightful stories of J. D. Tant which we heard some time back has to do with a certain Digressive church down Texas way which put on a church bazaar to raise some money. Among many other money-raising projects they used was a series of three booths each festooned with attractive decorations. The sisters of the church took turns in these booths (according to Tant's story) allowing the brethren to come forward, one by one, and kiss them — for a price. The pretty teen-age girls in the first booth were $1.00 each; the comely married sisters in the second booth were 50 cents each. In the third booth were a number of old maids — "Three for a Dime"!
Harper special Our issue next week will contain three lengthy articles by Brother E. R. Harper which have come to us within the last month. As of the date this present issue is sent to the printer (August 24) none of these articles has appeared in any other gospel paper that we've seen. We are happy therefore to give space to them; and assure Brother Harper we will publish whatever he may desire to send us provided he does not try to take an unfair advantage of us by sending the same article to other papers where he knows we will have no chance at all to reply.
Schedule At the time you receive this paper we will be in a gospel meeting with the Belmont Church in Indianapolis (September 5-12). Will preach at Bellaire, Texas, September 26; Cleveland, Texas, September 27 - October 5; Port Arthur, Texas (DeQueen Blvd.) October 10-17. We hope to attend the Holt-Totty debate in Indianapolis October 18-22. Then back to Texas for a meeting with the Garden Oaks (Houston) congregation October 31 - November 7. Haynesville, Louisiana, November 14-24; and Eldorado, Texas, November 28 - December 5.