DESTINY OF THE CROSSROADS SYSTEM

The Crossroads religious operation has been climbingtoward its summit in popularity and influence for the past few years, but now due to several factors we maysee a decline in that which has been acclaimed as the most zealous church in evangelism in the southeast.The smoke rings will stay up just so long, then they will vanish. Any religious system based upon the philoso-phy of an emotional high of sensational thrills and rit-uals is destined to melt into the cesspool of denomina-tional doctrines and works of men that have long ago been cast aside. The theological and religious systemsof men have risen and fallen throughout the ages, andthey will continue to do so. This is no less true of the Crossroads system.

The question naturally arises: What is the destiny ofthe Crossroads church of Christ and the philosophyespoused by it?

Someone will say, Crossroads is just another congre-gation of "churches of Christ" (Romans 16:16) doing agreat work, and you are jealous.

No, that is not true. Crossroads is no more the churchof Christ than the Christian Church is. It has far too much organization; it has the wrong gospel; it is en-gaged in the wrong work for the church; its worship isnot in truth; its authority is not from Christ; and itseeks the wrong goals. It is another denomination inevery sense of the word.

The Crossroads system actually had its beginning in1967 from the design and work of Charles "Chuck"Lucas who moved from Miami, Florida to become "Campus Minister" at 14th Street church of Christ. Awell defined and smoothly operating organization waswell on its way by 1978 when the name was changed to"Crossroads" because of its philosophy. From there ithas developed a vast network of well trained "campusministers" who are taught to infiltrate churches inwhatever area they go and try to convert members tothe Crossroads movement by perverting the word ofGod. They are skilled in this work.

At the most Lucas has been working on Crossroadsseventeen years: from 1967, when he moved to Gaines-ville, until this present time. But from the time it wasnamed "Crossroads" (1978) to the present time has beensix years. Crossroads continues to spread its dangerousinfluence through propaganda over a larger area, butthe disciples are getting so far from the truth that inmany instances they do not resemble churches of Christat all. Now the Christian Church is not hurting churchesof Christ by their doctrine and influence. There was atime when it did, but it got so far from the truth that itno longer poses a threat of any kind to the church.

I am certainly not saying nor implying that Cross-roads is about dead. To the contrary. The power already generated by the fervent zeal of Chuck Lucas, the eldersand the leading personnel, plus the momentum and popularity of the movement, will keep it afloat for sometime. I am saying, however, that the very nature of thesystem makes it destined to change and decay.

It does not take a prophet to predict that Crossroadswill do much damage to the faith in many parts of thecountry before it runs the course. Already plans aremade for Lucas to infect the churches in the Philippineswith his insidious "soul-talks" and "prayer-partner"type evangelism which he developed from Robert E.Coleman's THE MASTER PLAN OF EVANGELISM. Other activities and training of personnel continue inmany sections of the country and in Gainesville, Flor-ida. We do not predict the immediate demise of thisdangerous operation, but it will go the way of all the works of men because of its nature.

The difference between a religious movement such asCrossroads and the Lord's church, as it was in NewTestament days, is the latter is organized with a simple local organization of "all the saints" with "the bishops and deacons," nothing more. This is what the scripturesteach (Philippians 1:1). Contrast that with the "direc-tors," "ministers," "leaders," "prayer-partners," and other official people who head "campus ministry," "fo-rum," "seminars," Christian Family, Service," "Tape Ministry," "Crossroads Singers," "soul-talks," "confessand prayer sessions" and a dozen other such operations.The "Director of Social Services," for example, is bothan office and a function unknown to the New Testa-ment. All these must continue to change as the needsand demands change. But the spiritual need and func-tion of the New Testament church remain constant through time; there is no need for change in anything. Itwill never pass away because it does not change! It is "akingdom which cannot be moved," (Hebrews 12:28);built upon the foundation that cannot be shaken (Mat-thew 16:16-18; Ephesians 2:19-22).

Since most of the characteristics unique to Cross-roads are based upon material and carnal values, theremust be a constant change to keep up with changingvalues and to hold the appeal of its followers. There is nostopping. The more added the further away from thetruth Crossroads goes. Such interests as the emphasisupon secular business, financial interests, entertain-ment, recreation, observance of religious and other holi-days and education must keep changing both in organi-zation and operation to stay alive. Every business manknows that. When an organization is tied to these inter-ests, that organization is forced to change with thetimely values. That is why Crossroads will not continueas it is.

The Crossroads concept of "bigness" is so con-structed as to produce just so much momentum in therapid growth for which it has become so famous. Afterthat something else must be provided if the operation isto even come near its present and past record.

One reason why Crossroads will change in anothergeneration is its almost exclusive appeal to the youngand their needs. I am by no means opposed to givingattention to young people; to the contrary, I very strongly urge it. But it is not right to build programs ofthe church around youth and ignore others, and thencall upon the young to provide the funds and zeal topromote the programs developed by the creator. TheCrossroads system draws its fuel to feed the sizzlingzeal of the founder and director, Chuck Lucas, from theyoung on campus of University of Florida primarily.When the zeal of these youth cools down, somethingnew and different must be added. For that reason youcan except Crossroads to change over the next decadeand it will keep changing. That is the course of denomi-nations of this type. Just read history!

When the students go home, and when they reflectupon what the Bible teaches about the matters thatthey have been taught, they will either look for some-thing more stable or they will return to what they werebefore Crossroads found them.

Human needs and wants change with seasons andgenerations. Since the Crossroads system is largelybased upon the social Gospel, their programs to meetthe social, emotional, physical and financial needs of the

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MARKS OF A STABLE CHURCH

Paul rejoiced to learn of the stedfastness of the faithof the church at Colosse (Col. 2:5) and charged them tobe "rooted and built up in him, and established in thefaith" (Col. 2:7). "The faith" is that body of teachingwhich came from the coronated Christ by means of theHoly Spirit who guided his ambassadors, the apostles(Jno. 16:7-14; Eph. 3:2-6; 1 Cor. 2:9-16).

"Rooted" in him suggests the support of a great treewith its vast root system. The Psalmist described the blessed man who meditates day and night in God's law."He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf alsoshall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall pros-per" (Psa. 1:3). "Built up" in him changes the figure tothe realm of construction in which properly laid founda-tions are essential to buildings which endure. Paul saidhe laid the foundation in preaching Christ (1 Cor.3:10-11). "And (ye) are built upon the foundation of theapostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being thechief corner stone" (Eph. 2:20).

Notice that they were both rooted and built up "in him." It is interesting in Colossians 2 to observe howmany things are said to be "in him." Of Christ it is said"In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowl-edge" (v. 3'. He is the beginning point for true under-standing and practical application. Paul challengedthem to walk "in him" (v. 6). This required a continuing pattern of life. "In him" dwelt all the fullness of theGodhead bodily (v. 9). Deity was fully manifested in hisbodily form. This was to the end that we might be"complete in him" (v. 10).

Threats to Their Stability

The church at Colosse was threatened by several sys-tems of thought all of which were antagonistic to spirit-ual stability and its resultant growth. First, he dealtwith philosophy (v. 8). World views which come downfrom human tradition are vain and useless. In nature they demonstrate "rudiments of the world" which are"not after Christ." The word "rudiments" was some-times used for astrology and its attempt to read humanfate in the stars. Then it was used for a file of soldiers. It also took on the notion of the A B C's of a philosophy, the basic elements of a system. It is my conviction thatPaul here dealt with early Gnosticism which was laterto have such devastating effect in unsettling those who were influenced by it. In this context Paul cut deeply into the pride of those who subscribed to any suchnotion by contrasting this system to the fullness ofknowledge and understanding we have in Christ. Sinceall the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Christand we are "complete" in him, then such a system as hewarns against was most elementary and devoid of anyreal meaning when placed in contrast. They were of a different order, "vain", unsatisfying and actually weresnares to catch them and rob them of their prize inChrist.

There was the threat of Judaism (v. 11-17). As Chris-tians they had attained to a circumcision of the heart bybeing baptized into Christ in which act there was anoperation of god which cut off sin and brought themforgiveness. The law was nailed to the cross, Christhad triumphed over death and now they were not to bejudged regarding diet laws, annual, monthly or weeklyobservances which belonged to a system of shadows,now that the reality had come in Christ.

They were threatened by mysticism (v. 18-19). Theappeal to boasted angelic visits, privy knowledge tosecret things unrevealed to common people has alwaysintrigued some. It yet does. Paul branded it as false andwarned lest they be "beguiled" by it. If Christ fullysupplies all spiritual nourishment in his body, thenthere is nothing left for this pretentious system to pro-vide.

Asceticism was another threat (v. 20-23). Here was asystem of human commandments of what to touch andtaste and what not to touch and taste which operated on the assumption that there is some spiritual efficacy inpunishing the body. Paul described such as "will wor-ship" and said this "neglecting of the body" was with-out real honor. History has revealed many asceticsthrough the years. This is the spirit which producesmonasteries and promotes the notion of penance.

As the church at Colosse faced these threats to stabil-ity, even so we are endangered by the same things andthose of a similar order. Sectarianism of all sorts, secu-lar humanism, materialism, astrology, immorality—these and more are modern threats to the purity of thelives of God's people and have a devastating effect onthe stability of congregations.

Marks of a Stable Church

In the same chapter which dealt with specific threatsto their stability, Paul also laid down principles which,if followed, would assure their stability as well as that ofany congregation today willing to listen and practice what he said.

First, he said "that their hearts might be comforted"

(v. 2). That means they were to be of courageous hearts.The forces of Satan are strong and well organized. Ittakes courage to be different, to shine light into dark-ness, insist on purity of character in a world intoxicatedwith lust, and to maintain doctrinal soundness before aworld of false teachers.

There can be no stability without unity. They were tobe "knit together in love" (v. 2). One reason the Jerusa-lem church grew so rapidly was because they were ofone accord. There must be a common determination to stand for the truth and a deep sense of concern for oneanother which recognizes the needs of babes in Christand which draws upon the strength of the seasoned Christian. Feuding, fussing and fighting are not rootedin Christ.

A stable church is a well taught church. Paul said "unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding"

(v. 2). Much of the feuding which occurs in localchurches is directly attributable to the fact that foryears there has been no balanced diet in the teaching,either in the pulpit, or the Bible classes, or both. Whatpasses for Bible study in some places is a joke, and not avery funny one. Too many elders give too little time andeffort to planning wisely for the whole truth to betaught to the flock. There are parts of the Bible whichalways are skipped. Teachers arise in too many placesill-prepared. Some think that if they can get everyone to"discussing" then that is great teaching. That all de-pends. If the "discussion" is from those who have seri-ously studied and who have something to say on thesubject, as opposed to those who like to hear themsel-ves talk when they have absolutely nothing to say, thenthat is one thing. Much of what passes for "discussion"is nothing more than a pooling of the ignorance. Com-pounding this problem is the fact that some teachersare not well enough informed to put out the brush firesthat often start, and who leave serious matters hanging in the air.

Stable churches are resistant to error. They are aware that a false teacher might "beguile you with enticing words" (v. 4). They are willing to "try thespirits whether they are of God" (1 Jno. 4:1). They alsostand ready to "mark them which cause offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; andavoid them" and realize that such teachers "by goodwords and fair speeches deceive the hearts of thesimple" (Rom. 16:17-18).

Stable churches follow a divine order. Paul said "joy-ing and beholding your order" (v. 5). The word heremeans that which is drawn up in order. It is used in 1Cor. 14:40 in contrast to confusion in the assembly.Militarily, the term was used to describe a solid phalanxof soldiers, a bulwark of strength. There is a harmonybetween due arrangement, order and stedfastness inthe faith. You can't have one without the other. The haphazard, hit-or-miss operation of some churches indi-cates their instability.

Stable churches are stedfast in faith in Christ (v. 5). "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7).Improper worship, inactivity in evangelism, edificationor benevolence, lack of discipline, all reflect a lack offaith in Christ.

Stable churches are grateful churches. "Aboundingtherein with thanksgiving" (v. 7). God has blessed us allfar beyond what we deserved. We do not hesitate to ask but we are often slow to thank.

Stable churches find their sufficiency in Christ."And ye are complete in him" (v. 10). We do not heed toupdate the gospel of Christ to make it relevant. It isforever relevant. We do not need to augment thegospel with fun, food and frolic. It is already powerfulto save just as it is. We do not need to reorganizethe church to

facilitate its work. God gave us elders, deacons, evan-gelists, teachers and all other saints so that each onemay supply nourishment to the body thereby causing itto be increased in love.

How well does the congregation where you worshipcompare with this check-list of marks of stability fromColossians 2:1-10? Paul said that God proposes "to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable inhis sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and set-tled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gos-pel" (Col. 1:22-23). These are unstable times, but we area part of a kingdom "which cannot be moved" (Heb.12:27).

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ABOUT OUR AUGUST SPECIAL

Once more we remind our readers of our special inAugust dealing with translations, and especially theNew International Version. Donnie V. Rader and his father Dorris V. Rader have done excellent work on this translation which is being increasingly used by mem-bers of the church. There are some serious flaws in this translation as well as in some of the other modern speech translations. Some are substituting what theyconsider easy reading for accuracy in translation. Theresult is that more and more are becoming Biblicallyunlearned while thinking they are studying the Bible.Along with the material on the NIV by the Raders,there will also be articles by the editor and by H.E.Phillips, former editor, on translations. Extra copiesmay be ordered for $40 a hundred, $25 for fifty. Whynot order a bundle and see that each member where youworship receives a copy. You will be doing them a favor.You may order these from: SEARCHING THE SCRIP-TURES, P.O. Box 69, Brooks, KY 40109-0069.

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members, as well as non-members, will have to contin-ually change, together with the organizations to pro-vide the programs. It has developed additional opera-tions and the organizations by which to function, andgradually got into almost every social, domestic, finan-cial, educational and entertainment area a religious op-eration could get into.

Crossroads relies upon "Total Commitment" as a ma-jor tool of discipline on every level. It is built upon a"Total Commitment" of its converts to the system andits leaders. I want it fully understood that I find no faultwith the "Total Commitment" idea; I firmly believe it isrequired in the New Testament. It is like love: there is noquestion but that God requires man to love, but not tolove just ANYTHING and EVERYTHING! The HolySpirit teaches us to "love not the world, neither thethings that are in the world..." (1 John 2:15). As Christ, we must love righteousness, but hate iniquity (Hebrews1:9; 1 Corinthians 13:6). We are not to love money, butwe are to love our enemies (1 Timothy 6:9,10; Matthew5:43-45). We are taught to love some things and hateother things.

With regard to "Total Commitment" we are to be totally committed to Christ and his word without res-ervation, but we are not to be committed to any of thecommandments and works of men. The names, ideas,schemes, doctrines, works and persons of men are not toreceive any commitment from us, total or otherwise,when it is spiritually related.

A coerced psychological inducement to total obedi-ence to the will of man or a select group of men whocommand an organization is far from "Total Commit-ment" to Christ. Whether by use of fear, shame or guilt,people are brought into subjection to a system; or if bydrugs, hypnosis or peer pressure, the result of the "To-tal Commitment" exercise is exactly the same. In timeit will give way because it is not based upon a founda-tion that is enduring. Only the deep faith in the personof Jesus Christ and his word will give the stability fora TOTAL COMMITMENT!

Such an operation as Crossroads must have disci-pline, and strict discipline. The "prayer-partner" func-tion and the "soul-talk" group provide the spy networkand the rigid control of the mind and life of every newconvert to bring them into submission. This method iseffective in keeping "Total Commitment" through in-timidation, guilt and fear from senior prayer-partnersand soul-talk leaders. They also offer a Catholic hierar-chical method of indoctrination through this procedure.This is why Crossroads fell into so much disfavor withso many parents of new converts. Such rigid disciplineand required dedication in a system such as Crossroadsrequires continual supervision and control to keep italive and well. But the very structure of such a systemwill not continue unchanged for long.

Recently I was in Akron, Ohio in a meeting and I wentthrough Grace Cathedral and listened to a woman ex-plain the phenomenal growth of the work of Ernest,Angley since 1955 when he began in a tent. At one timeRex Humbard was far ahead of Ernest Angley in radioand TV popularity as well as financial power, but nowErnest Angley has purchased Humbard's big church.That is what the guide told me as she took me throughthe beautiful and expensive plant Angley owns andcontrols in Akron. She told me Humbard kept his res-taurant, which was connected to his religious organiza-tion. I asked if Angley and Humbard would join forces.She said, No. I inquired what the building would beused for, and she told me it would be used for makingTV commercials for Angley's services and for duplicat-ing his video and audio tapes for broadcast stations.

My point in reciting this is: What happened to Hum-bard? A few years ago most of his followers would havethought he would never lose his place, but he has. Intime the same thing will happen to Ernest Angley.History tells us that this is the course of such move-ments.

Among "churches of Christ" Highland church in Abi-lene, Texas and the Herald of Truth stand out as exam-ples. Those who are old enough to remember the powerof that church in the mid 1950's when it had 12 elders,21 deacons, over 300 teachers and 3 preachers. Over one thousand churches across the land sent regular contri-butions money to Highland to spend on the Herald of Truth Radio and TV programs. This was an operationthat required millions per year. Most people thought it would never die. It is now a much smaller, very liberalgroup. The men who are alive now and worked with theHerald of Truth oppose the ultra-liberalism of thatchurch now as well as what is left of the Herald of Truth. The big unscriptural programs like the Herald of Truthusually last for a relatively short time.

Crossroads would disappear if those involved in itsoperation learned the truth, repented and came to obe-dience to the authority of Christ. It would lose everysingle characteristic that now identifies it as CROSS-ROADS. However, as long as it maintains these charac-teristics and engages in its present functions, it willremain a stranger to the Word of God. My prayer is thatsome, if not all, will come out from among them and beseparate. It takes more than talking about truth to besaved; each of us must OBEY it from the heart.

"It is better to go to a house of mourning thanto a house of feasting, Because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart" (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

I was extremely apprehensive about the trip, beinguncertain of the reaction that the young man wouldhave. We were going to the Wall—the 494 foot V-shapedwall containing the names of the 58,000 American serv

icemen killed in Vietnam. I had been there before. How-ever, this visit was special, for out of those 58,000names so carefully enisled in the polished granite onename, to this young person at least, would be morememorable than all the others—the name of his dad. It was his first trip to the Wall.

We parked our car just a few feet from the PotomacRiver. As an Eastern jet thundered directly overhead I pointed out the 14th Street Bridge and the approximateplace where several people lost their lives in an air disas-ter just two years prior. We walked on, briefly turningour attention to the home of Robert E. Lee which grace-fully sits atop a hill overlooking Arlington Cemetery, aswe continued toward the Lincoln Memorial. There we paused momentarily, commemorating the greatachievements of our 16th President who succeeded in piecing together the broken fragments of our once shat-tered nation. And there, just a few hundred yards to thenortheast was the Memorial Wall.

I went on ahead as my friend lingered behind to findthe name from the alphabetized directory. I searcheduntil there on panel 25E, line 104 was found the reasonfor our trip. As he approached I wondered about histhoughts and reactions. I have seen both young and oldlean against the giant wall and weep in uncontrollablesobs. I have read notes of affection scribbled by a youngwife and left attached to the name of a dead husband. I have observed fellows in their forties wearing worn outfatigues staring teary-eyed as they thought about abuddy, a friend, a name on the wall. So naturally I watched with emotion as he drew near and as I pointedout the name that meant everything to him.

This is not a political statement nor is it intended tobe a reflection of my own feelings toward the Vietnamcampaign. Rather, it is a simple statement about lifeand about how we often take it for granted. At least Iknow I sometimes do.

Sometimes I get real busy, in fact, too busy. Do youhave that problem? I'm often so engrossed in my dailylabors (which never seem to be finished) that I don'thave time to "stop and smell the roses," to enjoy the good things of God and to take into account the manyand varied blessings that He has so graciously be-stowed upon me. That's too busy.

Folks, there never was anybody any busier than Je-sus. There never was anybody sent on a more importantmission than was He. There never was anyone who hadmore to do in less time than the Master. Yet, how manytimes did our Lord take the time to bend down and talk with the little ones, thus showing His affection for chil-dren? Once He even rebuked His followers for implyingthat the youngsters were burdensome, by saving, "Letthe children alone, and do not hinder them fromcoming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these (Matt. 19:14). And obviously Jesus enjoyed the scenery of nature that He Himself hadcreated. He often would leave the urban city centersand the crowds that were constantly pressing near toHim, hoping to see another miracle or possibly hearanother grand declaration of truth from the lips of theMaster Teacher, and escape for a few hours of quietsolitude on the Sea or in the mountains where He could be alone with the Father. He never got too busy to dothat. And... he never was so overly preoccupied thatHe didn't have time for His friends. The hours our Lord spent at Bethany with good friends and good food musthave been some of the rich-est in His short stay herebelow. Little things meant a lot to Jesus. He took nothing for granted. What a lesson for us.

Solomon well said, "Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting; to eat, to drink and enjoyoneself in all one's labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God hasgiven him; for this is his reward" (Ecc. 5:18).Solomon's advice is to never become so busy that wehaven't the time to enjoy the good things in life."Count your many blessings . . . name them one byone. . ." Try sometime to catalogue your blessings.Such is but an exercise in futility, an impossible taskfor God has given us so much. Just the blessing of lifeitself—of being alive, of living, of being created in Hisimage and in possession of an eternal soul that will liveon even when this body wears out is an immeasurablegift. Let us never become so busy that we take life for granted or fail in our appreciation by not living it tothe fullest. And may we always be aware of the factthat the quality life, the rich life, the abundant lifebegins with Jesus Christ.

I watched as he approached. He stared silently at thename savoring the moment and reflecting upon thatwhich only he knows. And, then, a smile broke through—a smile of pride for a father he barely remem-bered and a good feeling of honor for a man his countryappreciated. We took a few pictures then turned andwalked away.

As we walked along in silence I couldn't help butthink about the blessing and opportunities that Godhas so bountifully bestowed upon me and to reflectmomentarily that as great as it is to live here—muchmore advantageous and enjoyable it will be to live withHim in the hereafter. I hope and pray that I never gettoo busy in living that I forget what life is all about. I'm trying hard not to. That day helped.

The title of this article is neither exciting nor exotic,but I trust it will make for easy reference on the part ofthose who may be interested in the subject. The readershould not be bored with too much material on the subject, for thus far I am the only American preacher tomake such a report. I know that there are brethren who are interested in the Lord's work everywhere, and someare especially concerned about the work in the Philip-pines.

I had no intentions whatever of going to the Philip-pines this year, but due to urgent requests on the part ofsome Filipino brethren, along with similar requestsfrom American sources, I suddenly found myself get-ting ready to go about the middle of February. Anyoneremotely acquainted with a preaching trip to the Philip-pine Islands knows that it generally takes severalmonths to finalize plans for such a venture. Withinabout six weeks, I not only obtained a passport and visa, but someone lost them, I acquired new ones, had my plane reservations, and was on my way withouteven time to receive answers from the letters and tele-grams which I had sent to Filipino brethren. In spite ofsuch hastily made plans, I was able to accomplish farmore than I expected. Credit is due those congregationswho instantly came to my support, including Cedar Avenue in Moundsville, as well as my family, Connieand Wilson Adams, brethren Tibayan and Carino in thePhilippines, and others, including my travel agency.

I mention these things by way of introduction for tworeasons: (1) some American brethren may wonder whythey weren't notified of my plans, and (2) some Filipinobrethren may wonder why they did not have advancenotice of my coming. For the most part, everyone hasbeen more than considerate when they learned of the circumstances affecting my trip.

No other American brethren accompanied me, andwhile I would not recommend this procedure for all, ithad its advantages in my particular case. Some planshad to be made or changed while on the go, and I had noone to worry about except myself. Sometimes I traveledalone, even in the Islands, but most of the time someFilipino brethren were with me, I was confident theLord was with me, and I knew that hundreds of prayerswere being offered on ray behalf on both sides of theocean. With such assurance, I could not feel completelyalone, at least not for long.

The Church in the Philippines—An Appraisal

I left home on April 5, and returned May 17. I was able to preach in thirty-two different locations, and tra-vel some 3500 miles in the Philippines. I traveled by air,boat, bus, taxi, jeep, jeepney, tricycle, motorcycle, andwhen some of those vehicles on land had flat tires or ran out of fuel, I walked several miles. I was able to preachabout sixty-four sermons, hold half as many "questionand answer" sessions, preach three times on the radio,make a tape of songs for brethren to learn, and conductone class in the rudiments of music. Thirty-one soulswere baptized, mostly due to the efforts of Filipinopreachers. My travels took me to Mindanao, Negroes,Panay (Iloilo), Mindoro and Luzon.

These things are mentioned for the benefit of anyAmerican brethren who may wish to inquire concerningthe work in a particular place, and to show that anyobservations I may make, or conclusions reached, arenot based on a brief tourist-like trip, or on hearsayinformation from some limited source. This was mythird trip to the Philippines over a period of forty years,and I think I have a pretty good grasp of the situationthere.

On the Island of Mindanao, the premillennial problem has done considerable damage, and the advocates ofthat doctrine are working their way north into the Vi-sayas, and have their eyes on Luzon. By traveling among many congregations in a short time, I was ableto obtain and dispense information that the brethren insome areas would not have obtained for months. The false teachers are just as active in their efforts to pro-mote division and dissension, and I consider the need ofproviding faithful Filipino preachers with sufficientmeans to counteract these false teachers as the number one priority in that country. Many good preachers havelost either all or part of their support, have had to resortto secular work where available, and are being hinderedin their desire and efforts to effectively offset thoseproblems affecting the church.

At this point, let me emphasize the fact that every problem of a doctrinal nature had its origin in theUnited States, and has been introduced into the Philip-pine Islands by American preachers. Problems concern-ing the second coming of Christ, the Lord's supper, thecovering, and liberalism have all arisen from the effortsof American preachers who seem to have no concern forthe cause of Christ. And besides all this, Chuck Lucas,of Gainesville, Florida, renowned for his promotion ofthe Crossroads philosophy, was due in Davao aboutMay 21. "For wheresoever the carcass is..."

The Economy

Several pages could be written on this subject, but Iwill spare the editor and the reader. I read article afterarticle from politicians and recognized financial author-ities, and I talked personally with brethren, taxi driv-ers, waiters, farmers, school teachers, and pump boatpilots. All were in agreement on one thing: the economyof the Philippines is in the worst condition ever in the history of that nation. Not a few experts predict that ifthe peso is devalued much further, that the entire econ-omy of the country will collapse, and possibly trigger aloss of faith "in peaceful means of promoting our democ-racy."

The bottom line here is that while the American dollar is still strong, those Filipino preachers receiving it fortheir support are still going to face some hungry breth-ren in need of rice and other necessary commodities, aswell as an economy that almost defies description. Ipaid P. 530 for a hotel room in Manila, and P. 180 for acomparable room in Davao. Yet, the same newspaperwhich cost P. 1.25 in Manila, cost P. 3.00 in Davao. Howmuch should a Filipino preacher receive for his support?Some unmarried ones living at home in Mindanao (in the provinces), might exist on twenty-five dollars a month, while those with families in the larger cities ofMindanao or Luzon could easily use three hundred dol-lars per month. I would not be afraid to give someFilipino preachers five hundred dollars per month, andsome don't deserve one dollar (just like some Americanpreachers). It seems that our efforts to economize in thesupport of Filipino preachers has hurt the good ones,but not the bad eggs. Just as the criminal always seemsto find a gun to perpetrate his robbery, so the unprinci-pled preacher finds a way to deceive brethren, while theone with principle becomes the innocent victim of cir-cumstances.

The Political Climate

While the Filipinos approach politics with uncommonzeal, just as they do many other things, even they con-cede that the events surrounding the death of Mr.Aquino last year hurt their image. Several tourists can-celled their plans to visit the Philippines, and two Amer-ican preachers did likewise. That is why I went. And, I would be the first to concede that at that time, facedwith the circumstances which prevailed, they probablydid the right thing.

Not a few were concerned with my safety, but know-ing the customs of the Filipinos, and the desire of somereporters and editors (both Filipino and American), tocapitalize on prospective headlines, I decided the riskwas not nearly as great as the opportunity which camemy way. Geographically, I know my way around thePhilippines better than most, and several Filipinos willattest to the accuracy of this statement. I knew wheremost of the rebel bands were active, and put a lot offaith in the advice of concerned Filipino brethren. Ichanged my routes a couple of times when my betterjudgment told me to, and my decisions proved to becorrect. By using my best judgment, the advice of Fili-pino brethren, and the prayers of concerned saints, Iseemed to be in the right place at the right time. I alsohad confidence in the Lord whom I was trying to serve,and would not even enter Miami, Florida, without Him.

I know that the political situation in the Philippinescould fluctuate any day, but in all fairness to the causeof Christ and the brethren there, I would not for oneminute discourage other preachers from going, and would return tomorrow without any hesitancy what-ever. I want no praise for one of the greatest opportuni-ties of my life, thank my brethren, and give God theglory.

"BUT NURTURE THEM..."

"The whole training and education of children (whichrelates to the cultivation of mind and morals, and em-ploys for this purpose now commands and admonitions,now reproof and punishment.") These are words used byJoseph Henry Thayer, author of the great Greek-English Lexicon, to define the Greek paideia translated "nurture" in Ephesians 6:4 where Apostle Paul com-mands, "Fathers, provoke not your children to wrathbut nurture them in the chastening and admonition ofthe Lord."

There can be little doubt that the apostle laid theprimary nurturing of children in the lap of fathers-fathers who are Christians. This admonition is in com-plete harmony with Proverbs 22:6 and Deuteronomy6:6-9. Notice in the latter text the details regarding repetition and insistence of constancy: "And these words which I command thee this day, shall be upon thyheart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thychildren, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and whenthou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thoushalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shallbe for frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shaltwrite them upon the door-posts of thy house, and uponthy gates."

Who would dare say that modern Christians have lessobligation to their children regarding moral and spirit-ual revelation and regulation than did the parents inancient Israel? The Lord lays the responsibility of "nur-turing" children on those who bring them into theworld. He charged neither civil government nor thechurch with this peculiar and personal duty. Whateverother responsibilities devolve upon parents who professto love God, the one emphasized here is that of "nurtur-ing" children "in the chastening and admonition of theLord." The chief point in "nurturing" is instruction or training. "Admonish" means "to put into mind." The mind is the child's and the admonishing is the parent's! Every facet of the child's conscience belongs to the Lord. Truly both child and parent needto be constantly aware that "in Him we live, andmove, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Not for onemoment of one's accountability is he ever removedfrom responsibility "for we must all be made manifestbefore the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one mayreceive the things done in the body, according to whathe hath done, whether it be

good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10). Neither parents nor children

are exceptions to this rule.

Thayer's definition of paideia, i.e., of "nurture", pre-

scribes the area of involvement—the mind and morals

of the child. The cultivation prescribed is two-fold—

education and training. Thayer's methodology is four

fold—commands, admonitions, reproof and punish

ment.

To educate objectively is to cause the mind to respondto intended stimuli. The result produced in the respon-sive mind is called learning. When words, objects, pic-tures and other impressive stimulants strike the mind impressions are formed and memory responds by stor-ing or retaining the impressions made. Observable evi-dence of memory's role in moral and spiritual educationis the "feedback" given by the words and deeds of theperson stimulated by words and deeds of the ultimatestimulator (God). In the situation before us the parentsare teachers or stimulators of the child's mind as theyuse the word of God. The ultimate desired effect is the moral and spiritual response of the child to the will ofGod in the child's own words and deeds. In a very realsense parents become God's aids in reaching the mindand moral nature of the child. Whatever commands,admonitions, reproof and punishment are used by par-ents in cultivating the mind and morals of the childshould be so directed to the child's conscience that he ultimately understands his parents are God's conduc-tors of his will to and for the child's knowledge andunderstanding of that will for his own moral and spirit-ual welfare.

The perfect illustration of the perfect child is the person of Jesus Christ who "advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (Lk. 2:52).Viewed from any point Jesus is the ideal of balancedpersonality, for in him is the perfection of all mental,physical, spiritual and social qualities.

As reflected earlier Thayer's definition of paideia (nurture) involved four methods—commands, admoni-tions, reproof and punishment—by which a child's mind and morals are cultivated. I believe that there is one aspect or method of "nurturing" which should embraceall of these four and without which a child will seldom, ifever, develop the character which truly partakes of thatof his Creator and Savior. This facet of nurturing by theword encouragement.

Certainly no child can develop without command-ments (orders, instructions) as to what is expected ofhim or her. These must be unmistakably clear and thebasic reason is found in the order given in Ephesians6:1—"Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this isright." When a command is obeyed "in the Lord" in thesense of this text, it simply means that anything theparent commands the child positively or negativelythat harmonizes with God's will for that parent to re-quire of the child, the child is to do it as if the order weredirectly spoken by God. God has never given an orderwhich was not designed for the good of the person com-manded for "his commandments are not grievous" (1Jno. 5:3). So it must be with parental commands.

The scriptures abound in admonitions. To admonish is simply "to put in mind." It is a sort of "underscoring"of what is commanded, an emphasizing of an order orexpectation. "Reproving" may carry the thought of convincing i.e., "bringing acceptable evidence" or it may mean "convicting, i.e., "to tell a fault" or bring such proof as to point up or cause an awareness of guiltor erroneous action (Jno. 8:9, 46, Tit. 1:9; Acts 18:28).Punishment involves the execution of righteous wrathupon an evil doer. Probably the word "chasten" would serve better the thought of inflicting mental or corporalpain than punishment. Infliction of a penalty may con-vey a proper idea also. Consider Proverbs 13:24; 22:15;23:13,14. Heb. 12:4-11.

No method of "nurturing" has more telling and far-

reaching effects than "encouraging" of a child. The

word "strength," which translates from the Greek

dunamis (power), or "strength," from the Greek enduna-

moo (strengthened) as reflected in the statement, "I

can do all things in him that strengthened me" (Phil.

4:13), should be motivating thoughts for parents to

convey to their children. Remembering the promise of

Jesus, "Lo, I am with you always" undoubtedly was a

major influence to lift the spirits of discouraged disci

ples at times and "I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I

in any wise forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5; Deut. 31:6; Josh.

1:5) should serve parents well as they seek to build

confidence in their discouraged children at many of

life's crossroads when they are ready to surrender their

ideals. Where, father and mother, would you now be if

somebody—maybe a teacher, a friend, or your own

parent—had not "stood by you" and strengthened you

in your darkest hour? Don't fail to encourage your

own child! He or she can be a winner, not a loser,

because your love for him or her says, "You have it in

you my child. God will help you succeed. I love you and

will be praying for you!"

BROTHER CHARLES HOLT AND REPENTANCE

"Repentance" is an interesting word. It means, a

change of will that results in a reformation of life. In

fact, both John the Baptist and Paul taught that we are

to "Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance. "

(Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20).

An alarming trend has come to my attention with

regard to the above statement. Does time take care of

sins without repentance? In recent weeks, brother Cha

rles A. Holt has published a booklet entitled, "Is Bap

tism Essential To Salvation?" It is my understanding

from those who have read the booklet that it includes

excellent material. I am certainly not opposed to having

excellent material on any Bible subject. In fact, I wel

come it. However, I am amazed that brethren are not

only commending brother Holt's booklet, but they are

also commending brother Holt and leaving the impres

sion that he is a faithful gospel preacher. But where are

the fruits of repentance?

One brother, who is the publisher of one of the sub

scription periodicals among us said," It so happens that

Charles Holt is a long-time friend of mine... I am happy

to see this work from Charles and am hopeful that there

will be more of similar quality from his able pen in time

to come."

I too would like to see more from brother Holt's pen.

For example:

1. I would like to see an article from brother Holt telling us whether or not he has changed his views onwhat the Bible teaches about the "elder" question. Doeshe still believe, as he stated in the Sentinel of Truth, a paper of which he was the editor in the late 60's, thatthere is no such thing as the "office" of an elder, but thatthey are just the "older people" in the congregation?
2. I would like to see an article from brother Holt telling us whether or not he has changed his views onwhether the local congregation is a functional unit. Dur-ing his days as editor of the Sentinel of Truth, he took the position that the individual Christian is the largest"functional unit" taught in the Bible. Does he still holdthis view?
3. I would like to see an article from brother Holt telling us whether or not he has changed his views aboutattending and teaching a class at the Brainard churchof Christ, an institutional church in Chattanooga, Tenn. Iwas recently in a debate with brother Roy Deaver, andbrother Deaver is under the impression that brotherHolt no longer holds the same views that I do, and that

brother Holt once did, with regard to limited benevo-lence and the church support of institutional orphanhome questions. And, in connection with this, it hasn't been that long since at least two false teachers, brotherLeslie G. Thomas and Olin Hicks were asked to come and preach a series of lessons at the congregation where brother Holt now preaches. No wonder brother Deaver thought what he did.

4. I would like to see an article from brother Holt telling whether or not he has tried to make amend fordividing the church in Wichita Falls and Lufkin, Texasover his "no elder" "no local congregation as a func-tional entity" theory?

Brethren, I am not saying that a person has to be"cleared" with me before he is accepted as a faithful brother. However, I do think that before he is com-mended to the brotherhood as a faithful brother in the Lord, that brethren would like to know where the "fruits worthy of repentance" are after that person haspreached false doctrine and churches have divided over it;when one has embraced and been a part of a congre-gation that is as liberal as the Brainard church in Chat-tanooga is; and when he has more recently had fellow-ship where he preaches, with false teachers. To myknowledge, there has been no correction of a single one ofthese things. If there has been and I am not aware of it,my apologies to brother Holt. I would, however, like tosee the evidence. If there is none, where is repent-ance,and how can brethren commend brother Holt as a faithful gospel preacher?(Editor's note: Before any of our readers get set topounce on brother Smith for what he has writtenhere, you might as well include this editor along withhim in any such effort, for I believe what brotherSmith has said needed to be said. I might add that Iwould like to see something from the pen of CharlesHolt repudiating the Ketcherside movement since hehas been a fellow-traveler and has appeared on someof the "unity fo-rums" around the country. I would also like to see some-thing from him expressingrepentance for the bitter attacks he made againstgodly elders and faithful gos-pel preachers on thepages of SENTINEL OF TRUTH which he editedbeginning in 1965. If any man ever dipped his penmore deeply in bitterness before writing than he did inthose days, then I have not discovered it. For instance,he wrote:

"In recent years I have come to realize that,generally speaking, preachers (and I mean the 'full-time brand') are about the most suspicious, jealous,envious, backbit-ing, gossiping, unfair, and of ten-timesthe most vicious and malicious group among us! They are many times just plain nosy, busy-bodies, and meddling trouble-makers in the affairs of other congregations and in other people's business." (SENTINEL OF TRUTH, January, 1966, page 29),

This was said in a journal which complained thatbrethren had emphasized the "letter of the law" tothe neglect of the " spirit" of it. Notice that Charles Holt did not say that these unholy traits were characteristic of "some" brethren, but he was "generally speaking." If you think he was hard onpreachers, you should have

read what he was saying in that paper about elders. Ifone word of repentance has come from him regardingthese unwarranted charges against preachers and el-ders, to say nothing of his false teaching about thechurch having no functional entity, then I have not seenit.

I, too, have read his book on baptism. It is well done.But while I can commend the material in that book, I cannot share the feeling of some these days who showercommendations upon him and who want to reopen pul-pits to a man who has done such damage to the cause ofthe Lord and who has said or done nothing to correct it.The passage of time does not mitigate the seriousnessof these offenses, nor is it a substitute for repentance.— CWA)

I have debated a number of my liberal brethren onSponsoring Churches and benevolence among non-saints. They all decided that they had had enough ofdebating. Guy N. Woods and Alan Highers quit afteronly one debate. H. C. McCaghren quit after two en-counters. Only W. L. Totty continued to try his hand indebate. Why? Why did they all decide to simply stoptrying to defend what they were teaching? The reason issimple. It was not because I was smart. It was because Iexposed their complete and one hundred percent lack ofsupport for their propositions. The average person isstill not aware that they lack even a semblance of sup-port for their teachings. I will give you some examples:

Example 1. Thomas B. Warren wrote on "SponsoringChurches." He is a prolific scripture quoter. He citedSEVENTY SIX verses of scripture to prove that onechurch could send money to another church to preach.HIS scriptures follow: Matt. 5:16; 28:18-20; Mark12:29-31; 16:15-16; Acts 2:42; 11:27-30; 15:22-32;20:7; 11:22-24; Rom. 15:25-31; 1 Cor. 13:1-3; 8-10;16:1-2; 2 Cor. 8:1-15; 8:9, 24; 11:8, 13; Gal. 6:10; Eph.4:13; 5:14,19; Phil. 2:13, 15-16; 4:15; 1 Tim. 3:15; Heb.13:7,17; Jas. 1:27; 1 Pet. 5:2; 2 John 9.

Just look at that array of scriptures! Surely he hasproved that a church may send money to anotherchurch to preach the gospel! He has cited SEVENTY-SIX verses of scripture. But out of this great list ofverses ONLY FIVE refer to churches doing evangelisticwork. They are: Acts 11:22-24 where the church sent aman; Acts 15:22-32 where the church sent some men; 1

Cor. 11:8 where the church paid Paul; Phil. 4:15 where the church paid Paul; and 1 Tim. 3:15 where the church is the support of the truth. So, look again. Not one hintin any or all of the scriptures that HE used says any-thing that is a forty second cousin to a sponsoring church. Yet none of our liberal brethren ever questionedor ever doubted that he proved his point. But the samegoes for all the rest of these brethren. They NEVERprove a thing by the scriptures THEY cite.

Example 2. Ben Taylor wrote a tract on "Potter Or-phan Home, what it is." He set out to prove that thechurch could support an orphan home and cited thefollowing scriptures. Acts 9:36, 42; 11:27-30; 1 Cor.14:33; 14:40; 16:1; 16:15; 1 Tim. 5:16; Jas. 1:27. This isall he cited. FOURTEEN verses were used to provethat the church could support an orphan home. But letslook at these scriptures. ONLY ONE of them is talkingabout orphans and it neither mentions the church noran orphan home. Read it in Jas. 1:27. TWO other verseshave to do with church benevolence, but LOOK atTHEM! Acts 11:27-30 has to do with church support of BRETHREN and the other one, 1 Tim. 5:16 has to dowith church support of a WIDOW INDEED. So, Tay-lor's tract is a complete wash-out. Not a syllable in anyof the verses that remotely touch the idea of churchsupport of orphan homes. Now, I could go on, and per-haps I will in another issue of this paper, citing othermen who have tried their hand in support of our liberalbrethren, but all have drawn a blank. They CAN'T FIND SCRIPTURE for what they are doing. So theyhave about quit trying to defend such.

GOD HAS BEEN EXPELLED

America had a birthday recently. On July 4th, shewas 207 years old, a relatively young nation as com-pared to other countries. It was in 1776 that the English colonies in America adopted the Declaration of Inde-pendence, declaring the colonies to be free and indepen-dent states. The founders of our nation were very religious people.God was an intricate part of every facet of life, such ashome, business, community and government. Thoughthey did not want a State religion like they had experi-enced in European countries, they had no intention ofdivorcing God or religion from the new established gov-ernment. Their aim was to separate Church and State—not separate God and State.

To the Colonists, God was near and an ever presenthelp in time of trouble. "When the Continental Con-gress, faced with great problems and difficulties, knewnot which way to turn, Benjamin Franklin called themembers of the Congress to fall upon their knees and pray. . . . The picture of Moses was upon the first cointhat was made in America, and today we still have onour money the grand old words, 'In God We Trust' " (Simple Sermons for Special Days and Occasions, Hers-chel Ford, p. 95).

Things Have Changed

But things are changing today. God has been expelledfrom our school system, prayer has been banned fromour classrooms and atheism and humanism have been permitted to take their place. All of this has been doneunder the guise of academic freedom. Some academic freedom! The American people have been duped by thesecular, humanistic, atheistic forces that are at work inthis land. The ACLU (these letters stand for the American Civil Liberties Union, but the letters wouldbetter characterize the organization as the Anti-Christian Lunacy Union) has been leading the fight ofthese diabolical elements. The ACLU is the legal arm ofthe humanistic movement.

We are told that to have God and voluntary prayer inour state-supported schools is a violation of the FirstAmendment. This is a strange interpretation of theFirst Amendment in light of the religious convictionsand practices of those who framed the Constitution andthe religious inclinations of the general populace at thattime. Can you envision our forefathers legislating lawsthat forbade prayer to God simply because it was a government institution or was subsidized by federalmoney? How we have drifted. It is time for God-fearing people to let their voices be heard loud and clear or theSatanic forces are going to take over with hardly "firinga shot."

The First Amendment

Let us observe what the First Amendment actuallysays. We quote as follows:

Congress shall make no law respecting an estab-lishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exer-cise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, orof the press; or the right of the people peaceably toassemble, and to petition the Government for aredress of grievances.

You will note that there shall be NO "prohibiting the

free exercise" of religion. It seems to me when God, the

Bible and prayer are censored from our schools, the

First Amendment is clearly violated.

An article in Educational Research Analysts,Longview, Texas, stated, "The men who introduced theFirst Amendment wanted to prevent the establishmentof a state church and protect the freedom of religion.They wanted Bible and prayer in government and pub-lic life. On September 25, 1789, the day the First Amendment was submitted in the U.S. House of Repre-sentatives, the House voted to establish an official Dayof Prayer. They also voted for the re-enactment of theOrdinance of the Northwest Territories which included the statement: 'Religion, morality and knowledge beingnecessary to good government and the happiness ofmankind, schools and the means of education shall beforever encouraged.' "

The article points out that the U.S. House of Repre-sentatives 33rd Congress (1853) made a resolution maintaining that the U.S. is "dependent . . . . uponAlmighty God" and "the great vital and conservativeelement in our system is the belief of our people in thepure doctrines and divine truths of the gospel of JesusChrist" and that "there can be no substitute for Chris-tianity — that was the religion of the founders of theRepublic and they expected to remain the religion of thedescendants."

The article also states that in 1892, "the U.S. Su-preme Court made a ruling very similar to the House ofRepresentatives' resolution. The U.S. Supreme Courtalso ruled the United States a Christian nation in 1952 and 1961."

The article concluded, "Could not schools which failto reflect that historic consensus be considered negli-gent? Could schools not be considered delinquent ifthey do not help communicate the national identity thatwe are 'one nation under God' and that 'In God we trust'? . . . . Thus, leaving God and the Bible out of classrooms is indoctrinating students with a nontheis-tic religion, be it called secularism, atheism, or human-ism. By distorting the meaning of the First Amend-ment, schools discriminate against the vast majority ofAmericans in favor of a tiny minority" (From Pulpit Helps, July, 1983).

Not Separation of God and State

Writing under the heading of Church and State, TimLaHaye comments, "One of the chief reasons for the apathy of so many Christians today, particularly minis-ters, is a misunderstanding of an important concept: separation of church and state. By no stretch of the imagination was that doctrine ever meant to separate government from God. But if the church withdraws from all government involvement, that is exactly whatwill result" (The Battle for the Mind, p. 11).

LaHaye said in another one of his books, and quiteaccurately, I might add, "Our forefathers did not wantgovernment to establish a religion in this country, asEuropean governments did in creating state churches.But in spite of our commitment to 'separation of churchand state,' we have permitted the government to estab-lish the state religion of humanism in our public schoolsand exclusively teach its religious beliefs to our chil-dren.

".... The Bible, prayer, and use of school facilities forchurch activities have been expelled from school. Now academic freedom means that humanists and other atheists are free to teach their atheistic beliefs, but Christians may not teach theirs. Consequently atheism has become the official doctrine of public education" (The Battle for the Family, p. 91).

There was an interesting article that appeared in Tem-ple Times, East Point, Georgia, May 31, 1981 and repro-duced in Pulpit Helps, July, 1983. It was entitled, "One Nation Under God." The article was written to show that our forefathers, as well as the framers of the Con-stitution, never intended a separation of God and State.We copy the following quotations from the article:

1620—The Mayflower Compact. "In the name of God, Amen, Having undertaken for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith ... do ... solemnly andmutually in the presence of God covenant and combineourselves together

1643—Constitution of the New England Confedera-tion. "Whereas we all come into these parts of Americawith one and the same end and aim, namely to advancethe kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ and to enjoy theLiberties of the Gospel in purity with peace."

1681—William Penn. "If you are not governed by God, you will be ruled by tyrants."

1776—Declaration of Independence. Declaration of Independence. "... the laws of Nature and of Nature's God . . . that all men are created equal, that they areendowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights... appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for therectitude of our intentions... with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence. .. ."

1787—Benjamin Franklin. "Here is my creed. I be-lieve in one God, the creator of the Universe. That he governs it by his Providence. That he ought to be wor-shipped."

1787 —Alexander Hamilton. Soon after the Constitu-tional Convention: "For my own part, I sincerely es-teemit a system which without the finger of God, never couldhave been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests."

1789—George Washington, Thanksgiving Day Proc-lamation. "Whereas it is the duty of all nations to ac-knowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obeyHis will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly toimplore His protection, aid and favors. . . . Now, there-fore, do I assign and recommended Thursday, the 26thday of November next... that we may then all unite inrendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks...."

1820—Daniel Webster in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

"... more than all, a government and a country were to commence, with the very first foundations laid underthe divine lights of the Christian religion.... Who wouldwish that his country's existence had otherwise be-gun?" "Let us not forget the religious character of ourorigin."

1863—Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address. "... that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

July 4, 1913—Woodrow Wilson. "Here is the nation God has builded by our hands."June 14, 1954—Pledge of Allegiance. Words "under God" adopted by Congress.

We can see that from the very inception of this greatland of ours, a religious spirit has permeated its politi-cal, social and educational institutions. Only in recent years have there been efforts to divorce our government-operated institutions and government-subsidized institutions from God. Amazingly, these anti-God forces have been quite successful. Someone said in essence that in order for evil to succeed, goodpeople only have to remain silent. And silent most of ushave remained while wickedness has been actively at work. There are fewer than 300,000 hard-core human-ists in this country but we have let them take control.

Louisiana State Senator Bill Keith wrote, "Experts who study the religion of secular humanism estimate that there are fewer than 300,000 hard-core humanists in this country. But millions believe in some of the tenetsof humanism and tens of millions are being influenced bytheir religion every day.

"Though limited in numbers, their influence is far-reaching and permeates every facet of society. For in-stance, they:

Control public education in America today.

Wield a strong influence on the news media.

Influence most all textbooks used in our public

schools.

Dominate many areas of state and federal govern-ment, particularly the programs governmental bodies carry out.

"Their humanistic doctrines are flooding this countrytoday. It has a terrifying impact on the people in gen-eral and school children in particular" (Scopes II, the Great Debate, p. 57).

What Can We DO?

In order to get America back to where she used to beand save her from moral bankruptcy, what can we, asChristians and American citizens, do? Tim LaHaye sug

gests 12 things we can do. Of course, two or three of hissuggestions would have to be evaluated in light of bibli-cal principles and then a judgment made.

LaHaye's suggestions are: (1) Pray for the govern-mental officials at all levels. (2) Continue sharing yourfaith. Convert people to Christ and get man back toGod. (3) Continue to show your concern and compassionfor humanism's victims. (4) Promote the national driveto register Christians. (5) Volunteer to help in the cam-paign of pro-moral candidates. (6) Work vigorously toexpose amoral candidates and incumbents. (7) Becomeinformed and enlighten your friends and neighbors, (8)Consider running for public office. (9) Join local, state,and national pro-moral organizations. (10) Speak outand write vigorously on moral issues. (11) Contribute togood, pro-moral causes, and (12) Assist other pro-moralorganizations (The Battle for the Mind, —. 225-237).Mr. LaHaye finishes his book by saying, "Millions ofAmericans are waking up to the fact that we are facing a moral crises" (sic). We sure do need a moral and spiritualawakening in America. May God hasten the day!

May America learn before it is too late that "Right-eousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people" (Prov. 14:34).

No individual in history has suffered more attacks on his authenticity than Jesus Christ. The prevailing opin-ions today concerning Jesus primarily fall into two cate-gories. First, we have those who claim Jesus never livedbut was a myth concocted in the minds of the firstcentury writers. Next we have the rather large group ofpseudo-believers who admit that Jesus really lived, butwas nothing more than a mere man. This later group ofdetractors readily admits that Jesus was "a great moralteacher and leader of men", but place him in the samecategory with other greats of history such as Buddha,Mohammed or Gandhi.

The falsity and inconsistencies in these two argu-ments are blatant. First of all, even the unbelievingsecular historians testify that Jesus was a real live,eating, thinking, walking, character of history. For ex-ample, the famous historian and skeptic H.G. Wellssaid concerning Jesus, "Here was a man. This part of the tale could not have been invented." (2) Therefore,one who claims Jesus really never lived will be made outmighty foolish by running counter to accepted histori-cal evidence. Furthermore, not only do historians and skeptics admit the existence of Jesus, they also testifyto his greatness. The historian Will Durant made thefollowing conclusion about Jesus: "That a few simplemen in one generation have invented so powerful andappealing a personality, so lofty an ethic and so inspir-ing a vision of human brotherhood, would be a miraclefar more incredible than any recorded in the Gospels."

(1) Whether they realize it or not, those who admit thatJesus really lived and that he was a great man are simultaneously admitting that the New Testament is areliable historical document. Why? Because the extra-biblical historians contemporary with Jesus never re-corded the many deeds and events of his life. Therefore,the New Testament is the only place one can go to findout why and what made Jesus great. To admit the exist-ence and greatness of Jesus Christ, while denying the veracity of the New Testament, is a hopeless contradic-tion. The greatness of Jesus and the reliability of theNew Testament stand or fall together. There is no mid-dle ground.

Therefore when we honestly deal with the gospel ac-counts of Jesus we must ask ourselves: 1) Are those theattitudes and actions of a natural man? 2) Would aJewish impostor posing as Christ have reacted in asimilar manner?; or 3) Would a self-deluded lunatic ex-hibit the same character and attitudes displayed byJesus? I respectfully submit that when one examinesthe evidence he must answer no to all these questions

and conclude as the centurion in Mk. 15:39, "Truly thisman was the Son of God!" Let us further investigate some of the unnatural atti-tudes of Jesus.

1. Jesus lacked any hint of worldly ambition. A cer- tain amount of worldly ambition can be found inalmost everyone. Undoubtedly some of us have morethan others; however, nearly everyone in some waystrives to make his mark in this world. Jesus on the other hand was much different. He lacked completely many of the marks normally associated with ambition. He never went to college, never wrote abook, never held public office, never led an army, never owned a business, never amassed a fortune. In fact, henever even owned his own home (Mt. 8:20). Even whenone came to him that could have financially helped hiscause greatly, Jesus turned him away by requiringconditions many rich people cannot accept (Mk.10:17-22). When men sought to make him an earthlyking he refused and ". . .departed again to a mountainby himself alone" (Jn. 6:15). In- stead of cultivatingthe support of those in positions of influence Jesusrebuked the prominent and associated with the poorand sinners (Lk. 15:1-2). Would a Jewish fake or alunatic shun the rich and elite or refuse the coronation of the masses?
2. Jesus was a fearless teacher who never expresseddoubt on any subject. When the chief priests sent offi-cers to seize Jesus they failed their mission due toamazement over his teachings. In answering for theirfailure they could only offer the excuse, "No man everspoke like this man!" (Jn. 7:46), Jesus did not apologizefor his revolutionary teaching nor did he burden hisaudience with lengthy explanations or philosophical ar-guments (Mt. 5:32; 19:9). Instead ".. .he taught them asone having authority and not as the scribes" (Mt. 7:29). _ Jesus never failed to speak out even though much ofhis teaching was guaranteed to bring persecution. Forin-stance, the Jews looked with great pride upon the tem-ple and Jerusalem as the holy city of God andcenter of their hopes for physical kingdom. Yet Jesusexplicitly foretold the destruction of both at the handsof the Gentiles (Mt. 24:2; Lk. 21:20-24). He snuffedout all hopes of a Jewish world empire by proclaiming,"My kingdom is not of this world "(Jn. 18:36). Wouldnot a Jewish impostor have capitalized on the misconceptions of his potential followers? Would alunatic have the mental acumen to teach such sublime,profound truth? What would a mere man have to gainby condemning the sects, traditions, and hypocrisy ofthe Jew-ish elite (Mt. 23)?
3. Jesus was entirely free of prejudice or hatred.Through the years the Jewish people became a preju-diced lot. However Jesus completely ignored the pre-vailing prejudices of the day. His attitude astoundedthe woman at the well, "How is it that you, being a Jew,ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman" (Jn. 4:9)?Why the fuss? Because as John matter-of-factly re-cords, "For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans."Certainly a pretender would have used prevailing preju-dices to generate support. Men throughout the ageshave fueled the fires of prejudice in their quest for

power. But not so with Jesus, "For you are all sons ofGod through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of youas were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There isneither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,there is neither male nor female; for you are all one inChrist Jesus" (Gal. 3:26-28).

4. Jesus' character was entirely free of malice or ego-tism. Is his statement as he hung dying on the crossthat of an impostor or lunatic whose earthly plans hadbeen thwarted (Lk. 23:34)? Can you name one act ofselfishness on Jesus' part ever recorded in the gospels?Jesus spent his entire life in service and sacrifice toothers. His very own words betray his humble charac-ter, ".. .the Son of Man did not come to be served, but toserve, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mt.20:28). If Jesus were a mere man, impostor or lunaticwould he have given someone else the credit for all thegreat ideas he taught or deeds he performed (Jn. 5:30;7:16; 8:28)?

Therefore my fellow brethren rest assured that afterall the attacks have been launched, after all the philo-sophical and theological debates are held, the characterand authenticity of Jesus Christ remains untarnished.Jesus still stands as the Messiah, the Son of God, thesaviour of the world and the giver of eternal life. Only anillogical mind that no longer wants to ".. .retain God intheir knowledge." (Rom. 1:28) will unswervingly affirmthat Jesus never lived or was merely one of history'sgreat men.

CORRECTION

In the May, 1984 issue on page 99, I said "Webelieve that, regardless of what some have said,the best and safest translations of the Bible are still the King James Version and the AmericanStandard Version. These are based on the Textus Receptus. . . ."It is the King James Version which is based onwhat is known as the Textus Receptus. It was acareless mistake on my part. —Editor

Send all News Items to: Connie W. Adams, P.O. Box 69, Brooks, KY 40109

NEW CONGREGATION

W. W. LAYTON, 546 C Hartnell St., Monterey, CA—This congrega-tion began April 1. This is the first time a sound work has existed onthe Monterey peninsula. We meet on Sundays at 9:30 and 10:30 A.M.and at 6 P.M. and on Thursdays for Bible study at 7 P.M. Phone (408)394-8743.

IN NEW BUILDING

G. MARK NATIONS, P. O. Box 401, Spruce Pine, NC 28777—In November the church here began meeting in a new building onMcHone Road in Spruce Pine. The members here did almost all of the construction. Everett Hardin of Johnson City, Tennessee held our first gospel meeting in the facility. Harold Dowdy is to be here inOctober. The church here began with a few Christians meeting in private homes. Attendance now is about 40,30 of which are members.I have worked here for four years, partly supporting myself in asecular job the first two years but now fully supported for full-time work. We now have a 30 minute radio program on Sunday afternoons.Spruce Pine is the only congregation in a three county area. This is great place to live or vacation. When you are traveling in the BlueRidge Mountains, visit with us. If you have relatives or friends in Mitchell, Yancey, Avery or McDowell Counties contact me and I willvisit them. Phone (704) 765-6215.

BACK TO MAINE BRUCE HUDSON, P. O. Box 56, Milbridge, Maine 04658—RalphSmart, Sr. and I have made plans to engage in a special work together.We both are ready to preach the gospel together to the east of Maine.This would include a few towns between Milbridge, Maine and theCanadian border. We would then proceed to work in various places inNew Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island of Canada. These regions have been untouched with the gospel and to have the"seed" planted and watered there. We plan to reside in Milbridge,Maine where we labored before. This is the closest church to the New Brunswick border. The opportunities are great and numerous, as wealready have many contacts in various places. Perhaps someone read-ing this may have friends or relatives living in these areas. Pleasecontact us about them. Write me at the above address or call (207)546-7450 or 483-2242.

IN NEW BUILDING KENT ELLIS, 9955 Neuens Rd., Houston, Texas 77080—After meet-ing for 4 years at the Creative Care Children's School, 9709 Long Point, Houston, TX, the Gessner Area church has purchased land andbuilt a building at 9955 Neuens Road at Witte Road. Both of theselocations are in the Spring Branch area of west-central Houston. Thisis the only congregation we are aware of in this area bounded by I-10on the south, Highway 290 on the north, Loop 610 on the east, andHighway 6 on the west. There are an estimated 100,000 people in this area.

We will henceforth be known as the Spring Woods church of Christ.The elders are George Willis, Bob Perkins, and Kent Ellis. The dea-cons are W. J. Stephenson, Nill Roberts and Kyle Willis. The preacheris Kent Ellis. The new meeting place may be reached by driving northon Gessner from I-10 to the 3rd stop light. This is Neuens Road. Turnright to the corner of Neuens Road and Witte Road. Please visit withus when in this area and place us on your mailing list. Phone (713)932-1219.

CRAIG MEYER, 55 Barrett Rd., Suite 634, Berea, Ohio 44017— After two and a half years with the church in Wooster, Ohio, I beganwork September 2, 1983 with the church in Berea, Ohio. This city of20,000 is in the Cleveland, Ohio area, the eleventh largest metropoli-tan region in the U.S. This work began in 1955 as former members ofthe Lorain Avenue congregation began the new work with the "bless-ings" of Lorain; Ave. They met for a time in the Fine Arts Building,then in an old Lutheran building and ultimately in our new building.Since 1955, Ellis Webb, Olin Kern, Bob Nichols, Paul Kelsey, Bill Echols, Ralph Givens, Elvis Bozarth, and the beloved Luther Black-mon have preached here. We are at peace. Two have been baptizedsince moving here. Our meeting house is located at 24430 NobottomRoad just outside the city limits. We are the closest sound church to

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Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport (3 miles south of it). If youneed transportation to worship, please call. We have the cheapest taxiservice in town! If you have friends, relatives we might contact, please letus know.

RODOLFO BERDINI, Via Giuseppe Perego. 58-H, 00144 Rome, Italy—In March I had the pleasure of preaching in northeastern Italy atUdine, where our son-in-law, Stefano Corazza preaches, and at Triestewhere our son Gianni is the preacher. March 29-31, we had a specialmeeting in Aprilia in which Gianni Berdini preached. We ad-vertised withbig posters on public walls in town and distributed 8,000 personalinvitation cards from door to door. We had 10 non-members present every night and also the comfort of the presence of many brethren of the Apriliachurch, we continue personal work from door to door. It is not easy work.Prejudice and fear are often on the faces and in the words of those who open their doors. On April 15 two were baptized into Christ after ourmorning worship. It has been a great joy for us all here.

NARCISO S. ROMIO, 1010-C Tayabas, Tondo, Manila,Philippines—Gregorio Valerio is now working with me at Tayabas,Tondo, Manila. He is a Certified Public Accountant with a job in agovernment office. He is also graduating in law next year. He waspreviously with the liberals. His wife is a high school teacher. Besides ourlabor here on Sundays and mid-week, we also meet appointments at the request of brethren in Taytay, Rizal, Novaliches, Quezon City, Mandaluyong and sometimes in San Narciso, Zambales. Our labor is blessed with 8 souls baptized this year (report dated April 30). I expressmy great gratitude to concerned saints in the U.S. for their part and interest in the Lord's work here.

PREACHERS NEEDED SCIOTOVILLE, OHIO—The Harding Avenue church in Sciotoville,Ohio (Portsmouth area) is looking for a preacher to work with us. We have100 plus members and are self supporting. Write to: Box 223 Route 2,Sciotoville, OH 45662, or call: Earl Gampp, (614) 776-6155 or BillHolbrook (614) 776-6059.

PISCATAWAY, NEW JERSEY—We would desire someone mature and well grounded in the truth to come work with us. At present, we areable to provide $1,000 a month support. For more details, please callRichard Pflaum at (201) 359-1928.

EDITORIAL LEFT-OVERS Preaching in the Tar-Heel State. Late May found me preaching inConcord, North Carolina where Ralph Walker is doing good work. NorthCarolina is special to me. This was the home state of both my parentswho grew up in the eastern North Carolina rural community known nowas Pike Road, located about 14 miles from Plymouth. It was at Pike Roadthat I preached my first sermon when 15 years of age. Newport, NorthCarolina was the place where I held my first gospel meeting in 1950. My father moved to Hopewell, Virginia in the early 1920's to find work (but mainly to pursue my mother who had moved there with her mother to run a boarding house). There theystayed and there I was born and reared.

The church at Concord (about 20 miles north of Charlotte) has about 75 inSunday morning attendance. We reached 92 the last night of the meeting.During the week I was able to see preachers from Concord, Charlotte,Asheville, Spruce Pine, Cary, Sanford, Newton, Chapel Hill, Lincolnton,Dallas and a couple of other places I can't recall, plus one preacher fromVirginia. Unless I have been misinformed I saw all the preachers in the state except four or five. There is much to do in the Carolinas and too few to help do it.

Why I Don't Go To the Kentucky Derby—In traveling around thecountry, I have met a number of people (including some brethren) whoregister surprise that I have not attended a single Kentucky Derby sincemoving to Kentucky in 1970. Well, I don't bet on horses and don't feel all that comfortable where that is being done. More than that, I respectthe Lord and the gospel more than to place myself deliberately in thatenvironment. An article in the Louisville Courier-Journal, May 4, 1984summed it up. "The familiar giant flower planters—where naked drunks,male and female, often have brutalized each other playing 'king of themountain'—have been removed from the infield this year at the request ofpolice, Jewell (deputy police chief) said. And he said enforcement efforts also will be beefed up near the rest-rooms, another area where crime andviolence were common last year. Despite the heavy police presence andthe stricter enforcement philosophy, Jewell said, officials expect to encounter the usual prob-lems. But hey, it's May. And what would theinfield be without cut feet, indecent exposure to sun, drug deals,overdoses, drunkenness, vomiting, illegal card games and shell games,pickpockets, fist fights, lost people and general human degradation?" Anymore questions?

PAUL CASEBOLT back from Philippines—We are thankful thatPaul Casebolt, of Moundsville, West Virginia, has safely returned after a six-weeks preaching trip to the Philippines where he worked with brethren on several islands. Be sure to read his article in this issue. This was his second preaching trip to that nation. His knowl-edge, experience and good judgment were of great benefit to the brethren there andalready we have heard from several places he visited expressing greatappreciation for his visit. It looks like the brethren in that land are snake-bit. In addition to increasing political tension, violence and frustrating economic conditions, the brethren have to contend with liberalism,Premillennialism (especially rampant in Mindanao), the one-cup doctrineand now Chuck Lucas and Cross-roads doctrine. What else? In spite of all that, it is refreshing to know that there are still many good men andfaithful churches which have not lost their bearings amid these swirlingconflicts.

IN THE NEWS THIS MONTH

BAPTISMS 350 RESTORATIONS 152 (Taken from bulletins and papers received by the editor)