New Management, Changing Old Policies
The following article is from the Gospel Advocate, 1889 page 231. No name is signed to the article, but any one familiar with the writings of David Lipscomb, will have no trouble in identifying him as its author. F. G. Allen established the Old Path Guide. When he died, the new managers changed the policy of the Guide in some respects, and refused to publish an article from the pen of M. C. Kurfees, an associate editor of the paper. This finally led to the resignation of Kurfees as an editor of the paper. Here is the Advocate article.
"We give an article from Brother Kurfees in this number in reference to his resignation of position on the Guide. Brother Kurfees has found it hard to resign. We sympathize with him. The management of the Guide may think it none of our business, yet every Christian ought to feel an interest in the influences brought to bear on Christians. The guide was established and fondly cherished by Brother Allen to maintain and defend certain positions. Before his death it had gotten into such position that its future, as Brother McGarvey announced in his obituary notice of Allen, was a source of great anxiety to Allen. He was anxious lest it should fall into hands that would pervert it from the end for which he had established it, and had labored even to the very verge of the grave to maintain. Brother Kurfees has tried to maintain through the Guide, some of the principles and to pursue the end proposed by Allen in its establishment. He was prevented. The positions that Allen maintained cannot now be supported in the Guide. It is now perverted from the purpose for which he established it. Articles maintaining the positions he maintained even when written by an `associate editor' will not be admitted to its columns, and Kurfees is driven from its columns for maintaining the identical positions Allen established it to maintain. These things ought to be clearly understood, and all ought to know what they are maintaining."
M. C. Kurfees, writing under caption: "New Policy of the Apostolic Guide and my Consequent Resignation," gives his reason for resigning as an editor of the Guide, as follows:
"As to my resignation, it was caused by the new policy of the Guide. I resigned because, after a faithful persistence, but finally unsuccessful effort, I could not by any means, get an article published in the Guide, nor any promise that it ever would be published, which discussed the vital principle that a majority of a congregation has no right to vote into congregational use anything not enjoined by the Word of the Lord, when it is known that the act will result in strife, alienation, and division among the children of God. The editor rejected the article because it discussed the organ as one thing thus voted upon, which was closely but only incidentally connected with the great principle underlying my article. He informed me that `the Guide would certainly present a very ludicrous side to the public of fighting a thing which three fourths of its contributors and editors used and without any conscientious scruples.' I further made an effort to get my editorial in as a contribution over my signature, but this also was denied me, consequently, for no personal consideration, but because I could not conscientiously help to edit a paper whose policy would not allow a discussion of this vital principle, I submitted my resignation." (Gospel Advocate, 1889 page 226.)
It seems that new managers of papers refusing to publish a brother's convictions on questions not in harmony with the policies of the new managers, is a disease that is catching. Brother Roy H. Lanier writing under caption; "The Middle of The Road," said:
"The time is passed due for some one to set forth the middle of the road view to satisfy the needs of brethren who cannot conscientiously subscribe to either extreme and to plead for unity of brethren on a position which is both scriptural and workable. I made an effort more than a year ago to do this when I wrote a series on cooperation. Two articles of that series were never published because the editor of the Gospel Advocate, who published the series, refused to publish them on the ground that I took positions not in harmony with the published views and policies of the Gospel Advocate. Since I had been staff writer for that publication for 15 years my writings would be taken by brethren generally as the policy of the paper, and since my position differs from the tradition of the publication, he felt he could not print them. On the other hand, I felt that I could no longer occupy the position of staff writer for a publication through which I was not allowed to express my views on matters which vitally affects the unity of brethren. I would not preach for a church which would not allow me to teach all of what I conceive to be the truth; I could not continue to be associated with a company which would not, or could not for sake of unity among its staff writers, allow me to write all that I hold as truth on an important subject. So I fulfilled my obligation, finished the projects on which I was working, and asked to be relieved of any further duties and that my name be taken from the payroll." (Firm Foundation, 1957 page 103.)
It seems that both Kurfees and Lanier met with the same fate. The former, for trying to maintain the old policy of the Guide. The latter, for trying to uphold the old policy of the Gospel Advocate: namely, publishing both sides of an issue. Lipscomb said: "Kurfees was kicked out." If he was living, he might think that Lanier got out the same way.
New managers of religious journals changing old policies, applies to new managers of our Christian Colleges also. When a set of managers steps out of either, and new ones come in, we may look for some changes in policy. The first change in policy of any of our Bible colleges occurred in Potter Bible College, when James A. Harding resigned as its head, and George Klingman took his place. Founders of religious papers and Christian Colleges, can't operate them from heaven. If they could, probably, we would have no policy changing by new managers.