Stuff About Things
When I was a boy in school, if a pupil said, 2 + 2 = 5 he was corrected, and sent to his desk for further study. Now, he might start a student protest, and argue his right to make his own rules of mathematics. I have no desire to restrict personal freedom, but I do not want him building my house with his ruler.
A case in point is a crude mimeographed tract, recently received, in which the writer argues that the use of Oaks—West or even Burnet before Church of Christ denotes ownership of that church, and that this profanes the name. The man is to be pitied. He evidently thinks CHURCH OF CHRIST is THE divinely ordained formal designation for Gods people, and overlooks his own citation of church of God (1 Cor. 1:2). (See household of faith Gal. 6: 10, or most frequent, simply the church.
The genitive of denotes possession in the expression church of Christ and could as well be stated, Christs church. (Incidentally, the word church before Christ does not profane the name of Christ.) And churches of the Gentiles (Rom. 16:4) does not mean the churches belong to the Gentiles, but consist of such. In Rom. 16:1 the church which is at Cenchrea (greek has in- dative) simply denotes location. Neither in the Greek nor English does the before or after position denote possession or profaning — but then, we do not expect the writer of the tract to understand that. He is operating by his own private rules of grammar. (?)
Reminds us of the fellow who petitioned the court for a divorce, and the judge asked, Do you have any grounds? He replied, Just a few acres in the country.
I mean, do you have a grudge? the judge explained.
And the man answered, No, I just have a carport.
I believe in mans freedom and obligation to think for himself; but this does not free him from the absoluteness of truth. He may become a slave to his own ignorance. And, some learn just enough to get confused. We heard of some hogs that were taught to come for food when the farmer beat on a tree with a stick. Came spring, and a family of woodpeckers moved into the woods, and drove them crazy.