Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 9
December 5, 1957
NUMBER 31, PAGE 14-15a

The Overflow

F. Y. T.

New Professor

The editor was a visitor in Lexington, Kentucky, the other day when the local papers carried the story of the installation of a new professor of historical theology in the College of the Bible, the liberalistic Seminary of the Disciples of Christ. Item of interest: the new professor was Dr Ralph G. Wilburn. erstwhile Bible teacher at Pepperdine College, concerning whose modernism the Gospel Guardian sounded warnings as much as fifteen years ago. And for which we were roundly castigated in both the Firm Foundation and the Gospel Advocate. No comment.

"Bank Of The Church of Christ"

We can't figure out just what it means, but somebody sends us a card from Modesto, California, with the "birth announcement" of the Bank Of The Church of Christ. Well, why not ? If the "Church of Christ" can operate cotton farms, dairies, oil leases, apartment houses, and other income-producing properties, why not have a bank?

Letters from home

Those who have never been in a foreign field for any length of time can scarcely realize how it helps one's morale to get letters from home. Brother Connie W. Adams has made a fair start in Bergen, Norway, and it would be a real encouragement to him to hear from friends in the States. The address is Post Boks 2, Bergen, Norway. Postage is 8 cents for a letter of one ounce; fifteen cents for an air-mail letter of that weight.

The limits of an eldership

"No eldership of any congregation has any right to voluntarily or involuntarily take over a work for the church universal. The power of an eldership is limited to the resources of the congregation over which they are elders. When you and I begin to take a church (as they did in Texas) and set it up for all churches to contribute through that one church to do their work, you have in principle the same system as that of the Catholic church through the Pope, or that of Protestantism through their centralized control, Missionary Society, etc.

— Earl Irvin West Not bad for the "antis!"

Brother A. Hugh Clark writes from Baytown, Texas, telling of the fine work and future prospects of the Pruett and Lobit Streets Church. They are carrying on a heavy program of evangelistic work, as well as help to the needy; and Brother Clark thinks it will not be long before there will be "four full time evangelists to be supported by this `anti' church which doesn't believe either in mission work or benevolence!"

Can you supply it?

"I would like to purchase a copy of the Teacher's Annual Lesson Commentary, 1946, by Brother Guy N. Woods. Anyone having a copy you would be willing to sell, please write me."

— Thomas G. O'Neal Freed-Hardeman College

Reprints and excerpts

Brother Jere E. Frost, Box 72, Newbern, Tennessee, has printed an exceedingly interesting eight - page tract of articles from back issues of the Gospel Advocate, showing that the fight on "institutionalism" is no new battle. Price of the tract is one copy free on request; 75 cents per dozen. The articles are from David Lipscomb, Jno. W. Fry. F. W. Smith, H. Leo Boles, John T. Hinds, Foy E. Wallace, Jr., James A. Allen, F. B. Srygley, and W. E. Brightwell — and show that for many years "Old Reliable" was fighting against the very thing her present owner upholds and defends! Order the tract from Brother Frost.

Twelve passages

Students at Freed-Hardeman College early last month were widely discussing a meeting at H yresbnode [sic] discussing a meeting at Henderson by Brother A. C. Pullias — particularly the astonishing absence of scripture in the sermons. At the time we were through Henderson, Brother Pullias had preached nine sermons — and during the week had either quoted, paraphrased, or referred to a total of twelve Biblical passages according to a count being made by some of the students. That is one and one-third verses per sermon. "There Is No Pattern" in the New Testament for THAT kind of preaching! (The students were much impressed by Brother Pullias oratorical abilities and his beautiful choice of words.)

Fast thinking

Then there was the male guest at the wedding who was watching the bride and groom come down the church steps together. He turned to a friend to whisper, "There but for the grace of God and some awful fast thinking on a moonlight boat ride one night last July, go I."

The "non-cooperatives"

The charge of being "anti-cooperation" was first used by the digressives (and is still their favorite epithet) in their accusations against those who' opposed the Missionary Societies. Stephen J. Corey, former President of the UCMS, had this solemn statement to make about Brother Hall L. Calhoun after Calhoun had left the digressives: "He (Calhoun) held a number of evangelistic meetings in West Kentucky among rural churches and succeeded in turning most of them to the non-cooperative Churches of Christ." Ha. — Fifty Years of Attack (page 54)

Add another one

While driving through Huntington, West Virginia, last month we saw a neat brick meeting-house with this imposing sign over the front door: "Church Of Jesus Christ Of United Baptist Brethren." We'll add that one to our odd-names collection. The tail in the knot-hole.

Then there were the two city fellows who visited the farm, and wandering out to the cow-lot happened to see a calf which had managed somehow or other to poke its tail through a knot-hole in the wooden fence. One salesman scratched his head and said, "For the life of me I can't figure out how that calf ever crawled through such a little hole in the fence." Said the other, "Neither can I. But if he could get that far, why can't he go on the rest of the way ?" The moral of the story? Well, now that our promotin' brethren have crawled through the knothole and accepted the principle of "universal church action," why not go the rest of the way and accept

the orderly arrangement of such action — the Missionary Society ? About all they have left in that New Testament corral is the tail in the knot-hole!

The "non-cooperatives" again

Not only are the "Churches of Christ" stigmatized as being "anti-cooperation" by the Disciples of Christ, but even their own Digressive brethren are smeared from the same tar-barrel IF they happen to oppose UCMS. Stephen J. Corey's book, "Fifty Years of Attack and Controversy" gives a detailed description of the bitter fight which has resulted in a split within the ranks of our Digressive brethren — a split that is deep, permanent, and completely beyond healing. The "Foreword" of his book says, "Because of the significance of this volume, copies are being made available on a complimentary basis to all of the ministers, cooperative and non-cooperative, who serve our brotherhood congregations." And who are the "non-cooperative" ministers? Why they are the Christian Standard group who support the Restoration Association (Missionary Society) rather than the United Christian Missionary Society! Can't somebody think of a dirtier, nastier word than "non-cooperative?" It gets kind of boresome seeing the same tired old epithet dragged out every time somebody wants to sling a little mud!