Totty's Lipscomb Lecture
I drove through the snow a few weeks ago to hear Brother W. L. Totty speak at the David Lipscomb College lectures on the subject: "Current Obstacles To the Spread of the Kingdom." It was just such a speech as I expected to hear from him. To Brother Totty the main "current obstacle" is the Gospel Guardian! Perhaps no man has a greater hatred for the Guardian and the things for which it stands than Brother Totty. Ht has no greater ambition than to destroy the paper and those connected with it. He reckons himself a champion of such a cause. He was selected by Brother Willard Collins, who is in charge of Lipscomb's Winter Lectures each year, to come and thus "work the Guardian over." Brother Collins and Brother Howard White seemed to get quite a "kick" out of the speech. Of course, Brother Collins and the Lipscomb administration have no love for the Guardian either. The paper gets in the way of too many of their schemes and ambitious plans.
It seems the Lipscomb lecturers are selected because they meet the administration's standard and have subscribed to what amounts to an "unwritten creed," and will help to inculcate people with their ideas. No one who differs from the schemes to which the college is committed has a Chinaman's chance of being heard on her programs. The programs are "cut and dried" to promote the college and to foster the peculiar and particular brand of thinking to which the school is committed. I heard the expression of this opinion from many individuals during the series this year. It is a shame such a condition exists. The college could render a real service to the cause of truth by allowing for a fair and honorable study of various issues before the church. This would help to promote brotherly love-- which some Lipscomb men talk so much about.
While the Lipscomb men dislike the Guardian, they are (at least openly) a little more dignified and milder in their opposition than Brother Totty. However, they selected an avowed enemy of the Guardian to come and speak against it. They gave their administration blessing in so doing. They had a "dirty job" they wanted done, so they got an expert in dirty jobs to do it. Neither the speech nor the man reflected any credit to the school.
Brother Totty misrepresented (and that is a charitable way to put it!) the Guardian on at least two major counts. First, he said in so many words that "the Guardian opposes Bible colleges." He desperately sought to put the Guardian in the same class with the Ketcherside - Garrett group. He sought to make what he called "Sommerites" out of all of us. Brother Totty will resort to any means to slur and belittle those with whom he differs, hoping thereby to gain a point. I talked with at least a dozen gospel preachers who deeply resented Brother Totty's deliberate falsehood against the Guardian. No man knows better than Totty that the Guardian does NOT "oppose Bible colleges." The thing to which we object is the teaching of Totty and some others that the churches have a scriptural right (some say duty) to support such schools from their treasuries.
Secondly, Brother Totty misrepresented the Guardian by charging that we believe and teach that the church CANNOT under any circumstances help anyone in a benevolent way who is not a member of the church. This is not now, and never has been, the position of anyone connected with the Guardian. Brother Totty wasted a lot of time in our debate in Indianapolis on this false charge. I told him over and over again that I did not believe such; but it made no difference to him, he kept on charging it anyhow. When a man has to resort to plain lying to help his cause, his cause is in terrible shape, to say nothing of the condition of his soul!
However, such conduct as this has come to be expected from Brother Totty. He is seemingly without honor or fairness in dealing with one from whom he differs. Brethren by the dozens from all over the country warned me of this before my debate with him; but I just could not believe it. I could not believe that any man who had ever been baptized into Christ could stand in a pulpit and deliberately, knowingly, and repeatedly state that which he knew to be false. I must confess that at last I am convinced of this. Brother Totty was practically isolated in Indianapolis because of his unsavory reputation there. Had it not been for the touch of "respectability" given him by having B. C. Goodpasture with him on the first night of the debate, his isolation from all decent people in the city would have been so obvious as to have been embarrassing. Totty is not used by any of the other churches in Indianapolis, and by but very few anywhere else.
In spite of this, however, I am glad that we had the debate. It is the opinion of all who heard it that it did much good. The debate is being published, and should be ready for distribution by the middle of April. Every member of the church should read it.
I talked with Brother Totty after his lecture, and tried to show him that he had misrepresented. I found him neither considerate, fair, or honest; he wasn't even courteous. I ceased trying to convince him. I have found that one can argue with ignorance and conceit, but one cannot reason with such!
I talked with Brother Collins about the matter and sought from him the opportunity to deny or have denied the two vicious and false charges which Totty had made against the Guardian. It seemed that fairness would have allowed the chance to simply respectfully deny the accusations. I asked Brother Collins to read a statement to this effect. He was unwilling to allow such. Thus by his refusal he became a party to wilful and deliberate misrepresentation of his brethren. None of us ever gains anything for his cause by such unfair and dishonorable misrepresentations.
I hate to have to say these things and write an article of this kind. If I did not deem it necessary to the cause of truth and righteousness I certainly would not do so. However, brethren need to know the truth and to be made aware of conditions that exist in the church. Paul thus dealt with Alexander the coppersmith.
Brethren, the church faces trying times. It seems that the black and horrible clouds of division hover over us. Such speeches as Totty made are calculated only to appeal to prejudice, hatred, and ill will. They do not and can not make for peace. We cannot afford to be ignorant concerning our problems; neither can we fail to manifest the proper attitude toward God's word and toward each other. Let us all study the present-day issues in the light of truth. Let us be fair and completely honest in our decisions.