Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 9
February 20, 1958
NUMBER 41, PAGE 13a

Fulfilling 1 Peter 3:15 "Institutional" Style

Earl Dale, Harlingen, Texas

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." 1 Peter 3:15)

This simply means that we are to be equipped with a knowledge of the scriptures and be willing at all times to give a "thus saith the Lord" for all that we teach and practice in religion; and that we must do so in the "spirit of meekness" and in the fear of God.

But, here is how it works "Institutional" Style:

A preacher preaches very confidently that one church may plan a work for many churches and that many churches may turn their funds over to that one church for the elders of that one church to oversee and execute the work to which all the contributing churches are equally related. Such a theory would authorize the "Herald of Truth," Sunny Glenn Home, Home For Aged, etc. Over and over the preacher declares that "The Bible Teaches it." About the time he says "The Bible Teaches it," he brings his palm crashing down upon the Bible with such force that a deafening sound is produced and the vibrations cause the rafters to shimmy. The audience is dismissed with the belief that "The Bible Teaches It," although the preacher didn't give the passage in the Bible.

After services a brother approaches the preacher and asks him where "the Bible teaches it." Then and there the fulfillment of 1 Peter 3:15 "Institutional style" takes place.

Below you will find the preacher's "answer with meekness and fear:"

"Well, er ah ... hum ... haw ... you will agree it is a good work . . . are you opposed to good works?... anything that is a good work is not an evil work ... After all ... the end justifies the means ... By the way, where did you go to school? . . . Do you have a degree? . . . I am not going to set my big self up as a target for every two-by-four preacher to shoot at . . . Get some eldership to endorse you and I will debate . . ulp! I mean talk to you . . . I don't care if God DID tell you to 'contend for the faith,' you can't do it unless some eldership endorses you! . .. I assume you don't believe what I taught. How dare you question me. I was 'assistant ministah' to 'Doctor Know-all' for five years .. . you don't believe in caring for the needy! You would let them starve and go to hell while you quibble over the HOW to do it . I heard that you are against preaching the gospel . . . we are not discussing the Missionary Society . . . the principle of it was all right . . . Oh yes! that reminds me .. . you are an anti . . . and, what's more, I don't believe in debating with brethren (the least convincing argument I have ever heard is for one to debate that it is wrong to debate! -E.D.) . . . I hear tell that you are a church-buster . . . someone told me that you are a trouble-maker . . . what right have you to question me? ... do you mean that you would go against the elders? When they decide a thing is right, that makes it right! . . . you don't even believe in having elders .. . some Christian you are! . . . You have backed into the camp of the Sommerites . . . I thought I smelled something when I came in! . . . I refuse to eat a meal with you ... I hereby withdraw fellowship from you . . . I don't have to give you a reason . . . I will say that it is because of 'an eternal principle' and the sum of all the constituent elements or component parts equals the whole, of course without any relation between the component parts . . . You don't believe this `eternal unassailable position' ... best I've heard in twenty-five years ... you stand withdrawn from . . . besides you are a 'Guardian angel,' aren't you? ... Don't you take the Guardian? ... Well, that is grounds enough! ... Wait 'till I get my breath ... puff! ... puff! ... puff ? ... Now, where was I? Oh yes, I don't like your spirit, so I can't talk to you anymore."

A friend of the preacher rebukes him for treating the questioner the way he did. He replies by saying, "What was wrong with that? I was only doing my duty of 'giving an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.' I did just that and gave him the Bible for it."

What was the question? "Where is the scriptural authority for one church planning a work for several churches and receiving funds from the several churches to pay for that work while the one church oversees and executes that work to which all the contributing churches are equally related?"

The above "answer" is about as good an answer as I have read or heard since the controversy over human innovations taking over the work of the church started.