Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 8
May 24, 1956
NUMBER 4, PAGE 10b

Bible Forum Not Adventist

Grover Stevens, Lubbock, Texas

No, the "BIBLE FORUM" is not a "7th Day Adventist" meeting! Even though the "Church of Christ" is conspicuous by its absence from the advertising, it is never-the-less a "Church of Christ" meeting, being "sponsored" by the Pioneer Park Church of Christ in Lubbock.

Area-Wide

In spite of the fact that it is "sponsored" by a local congregation, the "Forum" is to be "Area-wide in its scope." In just what way its "area-wide scope" differs from any and all other gospel meetings is unknown to me. When any of us conduct meetings, we usually send out notices and invitations of the same to all the brethren and congregations in the area, so, they are area-wide. But, this meeting — the Bible Forum — is to be area-wide in some sense different from an ordinary gospel meeting. That difference can't be in attendance, for all gospel meetings are area-wide in this sense — to some extent, more or less.

If by "area-wide" they mean that all (or many) of the churches in the area are conducting this meeting "by" or "through" the local church at Pioneer Park, then we have one local congregation functioning for many churches, and thus one church doing the work of other churches. 'If this is the meaning of the term "area-wide," then I ask, "How much further to Rome?" If this is not the meaning, then I am at a loss to know what they mean.

Undenominational

One of the members of the Pioneer Park Church reports that the preacher of that church in explaining about the Bible Forum's being "undenominational" said, "A Church of Christ preacher will do the preaching, but he will not preach Church of Christ doctrine, only the Bible." Now, I am sure that Brother Seidmeyer did not mean to be saying that "Church of Christ" is different from the Bible — but what he meant to suggest, no doubt, is that the teaching done in the Bible Forum will not be the kind with which the denominations would disagree, but only the kind that gall denominations will like.

In other words, nothing will be preached that is peculiar to the Church of Christ. Yet, the doctrines which are peculiar to the Church of Christ are the ones that make us the Church of Christ, and that make the difference between salvation and condemnation. That simply means that $5,000.00 is being spent to advertise and conduct a meeting in which no distinctive doctrine will be taught, and the difference between doctrine that saves and doctrine that condemns between truth and error, between true worship and vain worship, will not be made. This is supposed to break down prejudice — that is, make the denominations like us better.

If this is a sample of what it takes to qualify as one of the "faithful" (?) congregations" in Lubbock, then I am glad that Caprock is not one of them.

(From "Caprock Reminder")