Does Brother Tant Fellowship
John F. Reese, Abilene, Texas On page 6 of the booklet by brother Fanning Yater Tant titled "How New Testament Churches Can and Cannot Cooperate: or, What Is Wrong with Herald of Truth?" distributed at the debate held in Lufkin April 11 through 14, we find the following quotation, note: The Missionary Society is wrong because it exists and functions without authority. It does not come within the scope of the New Testament pattern.
On page 24, "As a 'brotherhood' effort, Herald of Truth is no more nor less than the Missionary Society of the last century revived and put in modern dress."
On page 7, note, "Instrumental music in Christian worship is wrong because it is used without authority. It does not come within the scope of the New Testament pattern."
So says brother Tant in arguing that the Herald of Truth is unscriptural. We call your special attention to the fact that when he writes about the Missionary Society and instrumental music he uses exactly the same words in explaining their scripturalness. Now all throughout the debate brother Tant was very insistent that all thought of division and disfellowship should be banished from the minds of every individual Christian. Brother Tant gave as his reasons repeatedly that he was only "studying" the question? Do the above statements sound like a man who is only "studying" the question? Is Brother Tant still studying the questions of the MISSIONARY SOCIETY AND INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC IN THE WORSHIP? It sounds more to the writer (and he was at the debate) like someone reciting his lesson, than of someone only studying.
If the MISSIONARY SOCIETY and INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC IN THE WORSHIP are both unscriptural for exactly the same reasons and "Herald of Truth is no more nor less than the Missionary Society (see the booklet) revived and put in modern dress, we would like to ask three questions:
Number 1 Does brother Tant fellowship the Christian Church?
Number 2: Why or why not?
Number 3: If answer to number 1 is NO, HOW can he fellowship Highland when she directs the Herald of Truth which "is no more nor less than the Missionary Society of the last century revived and put in modern dress"?
In school we were taught that "things equal to the same thing are equal to each other." Is this no longer true?