Reading The Bulletins
News From Here And There
Bill Long will leave his work with the Park Blvd. church in Louisville, Kentucky around the first of March and move to Atlanta, Georgia to work with the Cascade Heights congregation .... Billy Boyd, who has been with the church in Waukesha, Wisconsin for over two years, will move in February to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he will work with the church . . . . Boyd Fanning will soon begin work with the Pleasant Grove church in Dallas, Texas . . .. Adair Chapman, who has been with the Proctor Street church in Port Arthur, Texas for several years, is moving to Dallas to work with the Garland Road church where Fanning has been . . . . E. Ray Jerkins is now with the Grace Avenue church in Nashville, Tennessee ... You should read THE PRECEPTOR, a monthly religious journal, edited by Bro. Stanley Lovett, of Beaumont, Texas. It is a dandy paper. The next issue will be a SPECIAL of twenty pages and will contain a written debate on premillennialism, between Wesley Jones, of Louisville, Kentucky, and Stanford Chambers, a premillennialist. Premillennialism is NOT a "dead issue" by any means — even in the church! This discussion should be read by all. The paper is $2 per year and this SPECIAL will sell for 15c per copy . . . . William R. Lambert is moving from Charleston, S. C., to Rock Hill, S. C Have you been watching the financial reports put out by Alabama Christian College, in Montgomery, Alabama? With increasing frequency it is noted that they are receiving and accepting contributions from churches. This school is making a desperate bid for its place in the "sun" among "our" schools. It takes money to do this and they are after it. They have some prominent men taking the lead in this effort. The first step taken was a few months ago, when some of more "liberal" views took charge and published a statement to the brotherhood that the school there was not going to be a "center of extremism" any longer on anything! This opened up the way. There was evidently the "selling" of convictions on the part of some, but if conviction (?) gets in the way of getting money, then conviction is often set aside. Do you suppose that there is one man connected with the school or with the great drive to raise money, who would dare affirm the scriptural right of churches to contribute from their treasuries to such schools? Will "Dr." Turner do so? Will Gus Nichols defend such as being in harmony with God's will? Is there a member of the school board who will do it? I am quite certain that there is not and besides they are too busy raising money — even from churches — to be bothered with the question of whether such is right or not. This is not a "dead issue" either and it will never be "dead" as long as we have these schools headed by men who are willing to exploit the treasuries of the churches to build and maintain such human institutions .. . . Kenneth W. Franklin is now working with the Holcombe Avenue church in Mobile, Ala................................. Virgil Jones is moving from Arkansas City, Kansas to Mayfield, Kentucky . . . . Lindsay Allen is now living in Florence, Alabama and preaching for the church in Town Creek, Alabama.
"Reprints And Excerpts From The Gospel Advocate"
"Reprints and Excerpts from the Gospel Advocate" is the title of a new pamphlet published by Jere Frost, of Newbern, Tennessee. As the name suggests it is a reprint of several articles from the Gospel Advocate written by men of a generation or two ago. At least ten men are quoted and the articles are very good and to the point. The purpose of the publication is stated as follows: "The Issues Are Unchanged; Only The Names Are Different." These reprints clearly show that the present opposition to INSTITUTIONALISM is not new. This pamphlet needs and deserves wide circulation. The price is 75c per dozen and $5 per hundred. Order from: Jere Frost, Box 72, Newborn, Tennessee.
Pornography
In the August 25th edition of This Week magazine, distributed by the Arizona Republic, there is an excellent article by J. Edgar Hoover, Director, F.B.I., concerning the evils of pornography.
Pornography might be defined as "lewd pictures" or "illicit sex literature." Mr. Hoover believes that the distribution of pornographic literature is a major factor in the rising rate of sex crime. Mr. Hoover says, "What we do know is that in an overwhelmingly large number of cases sex crime is associated with pornography." He further states that in 1955 there were 54 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants for sex crimes. His cause for alarm is also based on the fact that "Rapes have increased 101 per cent since 1939."
The evil of pornography comes under the same classification as the wearing of shorts, public bathing, and dancing, because all are directly connected with sin and the works of the flesh. Gal. 5:19-21 condemns the works of the flesh and specifically mentioned are lasciviousness and revelings. Anything lascivious is wanton, lewd, or lustful. If pornography, mixed bathing, wearing of shorts and dancing do not fit the description, then nothing can be found that does!
Members of the Lord's church, especially the young people, need to be warned of the evils of pornography as well as other inducements of Satan. The Christian home, not the church, must do what it can to provide good clean recreation for the younger generation and thus help guide them into a more wholesome avenue of thinking than that suggested by pornography.
It is time for God's faithful to speak up in opposition to the present flood of lewd literature and everything else, that causes both young and old to sin.
— Derrel Starling, The Perk-Up, Phoenix, Arizona
They Say It Happened
A man was taken seriously ill of a heart attack, and rushed to the hospital. He could receive little company, and was not to be excited. While in the hospital a rich uncle died and left him a million dollars. His family wondered how to break the news to him with the least amount of excitement. It was decided to ask the preacher if he would go and break the news quietly to the man.
The preacher went, and gradually led up to the question. The preacher asked the patient what he would do if he inherited a million dollars. He said, "I think I would give half of it to the church."
The preacher dropped dead.
— Northside News, Ft. Worth, Texas