That "Approved Example"
There is great need for Christians of our day to do some earnest study on the question, "What constitutes an approved example?" and to clear away the fog, uncertainty, and hazy speculations with which some recent writings have beclouded the matter.
We invite careful study of the series of articles by Brother Robert H. Farish on the question, the first of which appears in this issue. For many years faithful Christians have contended that the will of God for us today is made known in three ways (1) by direct command or precept, (2) by approved example, (3) by necessary inference. Since it has become crystal clear there is no "direct command, approved example, or necessary inference" which would authorize many churches' pooling their resources under the direction of one eldership (either jointly chosen, or, more likely, self-appointed) to perform a work to which all the contributing congregations bear equal responsibility, a few brethren have begun to back up and deny the whole concept of "command, example, inference" which hitherto has been so universally accepted among the faithful. They tacitly acknowledge there is neither command, example, nor inference authorizing the kind of cooperative plan they are promoting — and are now denying the necessity for any such command, example, or inference!! Read the Farish articles.
— F. Y. T.