IF YOU BELIEVE THE BIBLE

The evidence is strong that most people who read andclaim to live by the Bible do not really believe what itsays. They do not, in fact, accept Jesus Christ as the onlyand final authority in all things. Instead, they usetradition, custom, morality, theology and history toestablish the proof of what is doctrinally right and what is wrong. Many do not accept the claim of the Bible thatit is verbally inspired of God. Problems will continue tomultiply as long as religious leaders insert their opinions into Bible teaching.

Jesus said to those Jews who relied so much on their scriptures: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye thinkye have eternal life: and they are they which testify ofme" (John 5: 39). They had the scriptures from God, butthey did not really believe them. If they had understood and believed what the Old Testament said, they would have believed what it said concerning Christ. We wouldcriticize these Jews for their unbelief, while at the sametime revealing exactly the same disposition toward theNew Testament scriptures.

The Bible is important. It is the only means of knowing the will of God. If we do not believe it, we are no betteroff than if we had no revelation at all. On the other hand,if we really believe the Bible, we must accept some factsthat most people will reject in modern religion. Notethese few:

1. It is all-sufficient. If we really believe what the Bible says, we must believe it to be all-sufficient and complete as a revelation from God to man. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable fordoctrine, for reproof, got correction, for instruction inrighteousness: that the man of God may be perfect,thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3: 16,17). When men feel the need to create "creeds" which willdefine their various "beliefs," they are saying by that actthat the New Testament is not sufficient to do the job.

1. The only way to heaven. If we really believewhat the Bible teaches, we must believe that there isbut one way to heaven, and that is by Christ and hisword. Jesus said, "Because strait is the gate, and narrowis the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there bethat find it" (Matt. 7: 14). "... I am the way, the truth,and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14: 6). "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6: 63). Denominationalism contends that there are manyways to heaven, each denomination claiming its own doctrine to be one way. But Jesus said, "I am the waythe truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,but by me" (John 14: 6). "Having there- fore, brethren,boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,by a new and living way..." (Heb. 10: 19, 20). The onlyway one can come to God by Christ is to obey the fullauthority of Christ in the New Testament. All who gobeyond in any respect, or come short in any matter, ofthat which is the authority of Jesus Christ are not in the one way. We have to believe this if we believe the Bible.
2. All the saved are in the church. If we really believe what the Bible says, we must believethat the church is important to salvation. Usuallydenomina- tional teachers will insist that the church is not important to one's salvation because to do so would present the problem of deciding WHICH ONE IS IMPORTANT! "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which theHoly Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed thechurch of God, which he hath purchased with hisown blood" (Acts 20: 28). The one body, the church,was so important to Christ that he died for it (Eph. 5:25). The blood that was shed for the one church hebuilt was for the remission of sins (Eph. 1: 7). Christ isthe head of this church (Eph. 1: 22, 23; Col.

1: 18). He is the head of no other. The Bible also teachesthat there is but one body of Christ (Eph. 1: 22, 23; 4: 4; Col. 1: 11, 24; 1 Cor. 12: 20).

4. Only the pure gospel is the power to save. If we really believe what the Bible says, we mustbelieve that only the pure gospel of Christ is the powerof God to save. Not all that is called "the gospel" isthe pure gospel of Christ. Paul wrote, "For I am notashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power ofGod unto salvation to every one that believeth; to theJew first, and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1: 16). He also said, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed fromhim that called you into the grace of Christ unto anothergospel: which is not another; but there be some thattrouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any othergospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed..." (Gal. 1: 6-8). This onegospel requires faith in Christ and his authority. It requires repentance of sins (Acts 2: 38; Acts 17: 30; 2Peter 3: 9). It requires a confession with the mouth,the faith in the heart that Jesus is the Christ, the Son ofGod (Rom. 10: 9, 10; Acts 8: 37). It requires baptism,a burial in water, for the remission of sins (Acts 2: 28;Mark 16: 16; Col. 2: 12; Rom. 6: 3, 4). To believe theBible means to believe all these facts, commands and promises that are revealed in it, without addition orsubtraction.

"RICH IN GOODS, BUT RAGGED IN SPIRIT"

A few well chosen words can capture the spirit of a moment in history. In a time of great apprehension,Franklin D. Roosevelt put things in perspective when hesaid "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." In theaftermath of the Civil War when the nation was battle weary and deeply scarred, Abraham Lincoln appealed tonoble instincts when he said "With malice toward none,but charity for all..." John F. Kennedy will be longremembered for his inaugural appeal "Ask not whatyour country can do for you, but what you can do for yourcountry." In 1968 Richard M. Nixon summarized the general state of our society when he said "We find ourselves rich in goods but ragged in spirit, reachingwith magnificent precision for the moon but falling intothe rock of discord on earth." How true that was then,and now.

This was the paradox of Israel of old. Amos painted a picture of a nation "at ease in Zion" which stretched itself upon ivory couches, ate fatted lambs and calves,relaxed to music, sipped wine in bowls and perfumedtheir bodies expensively. "But they are not grieved forthe affliction of Joseph" (Amos 6: 1-6). They were rich,but poor. Haggai prodded the returned captives intocompleting the temple by reminding them that they hadtime to build and ceil their own houses, to earn wagesand supply their own needs while the temple remainednothing more than a foundation for sixteen years. Theirspirit was ragged.

This was the problem with the rich fool of Luke 12: 16

21. He made plans for the material to the neglect of hissoul and the Lord called him a Tool." Paul warned those who would be "rich in this world's goods" not to be"highminded" and to "trust in the living God" (1 Tim.

6: 17-19). Anytime we place the material above thespiritual, we are ragged in spirit, regardless of how richwe may be in goods. There are many practical applications of this principle.

It is true in our nation now. A recent report indicated that we have the highest rate of employment since 1972.Our homes are filled with conveniences and even luxuries undreamed of in a former time, or by a large portionof the rest of the world now. Our highways are chokedwith trucks moving goods of a rich nation, with expensive cars, campers, motor homes, boats and tour buses.Restaurants are packed. Does anyone eat at homeanymore? Motels and hotels must be reserved ahead.Theme parks are crowded. Overnight accommodationsin many state and national parks require booking a year in advance. We have a strange thing in our country inthat many workers are retired at 50-55 years of age. Butwith all that, we are a nation ragged in spirit. Evidenceof wrong doing by those in high office is commonplace.The threat of murder and mayhem hangs like a tornadiccloud over our great cities. All too many of our citizensare mesmerized with drugs, from the small hamlet tothe metroplex. School children all over America knowwhere and how to obtain drugs if they want them.Divorce rages out of control. AIDS threatens even themorally upright through the "lifestyles" of the immoral.Our schools have, in many instances, become more ourenemies than our benefactors. God has been ruled out of education and some of our schools have become anti-religion for all practical purposes.

It is still true that "righteousness exalteth a nationbut sin is a reproach to any people" (Prov. 14: 34). All isnot lost, nor should we seek for Elijah's cave to withdrawfrom the human race. Christians are still the "light ofthe world" and the "salt of the earth" (Mt. 5: 13-16). But we have to be careful not to hide our light nor allow oursalt to "lose its savour. "

The principle is true in denominationalism. Although doctrinal errors have provided the foundationfor denominationalism, time was that they could becounted on to exert an influence for good morally. Theystood up against drunkenness, adultery, homosexuality, dishonesty, indecency of every sort. But now thegreat mainline denominations of the day, with theirlarge memberships, elaborate facilities, institutionalprojects and influential members, are platforms forradicals of every stripe. They tolerate infidelity, homosexuality (even officially endorsing such perverts for"the ministry"), social drinking, dancing, trial marriages, and you name it. Though rich in goods andpolitically powerful, they have contributed to the destruction of morals and the loss of faith. They are ragged in spirit.

It is true in many of our homes. Our penchant for material things, career advancement, multiple incomes, sports, exotic trips and relaxation has left uswith frazzled marriages where we are too tired or preoccupied to have any romance left. Children are left unattended or with strangers. Many families don't even sit down to eat together. Home has become an overnightmotel, a fast food counter and sadly, too often a place ofunrest, if not outright strife.

We must not forget to bring up our children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Eph. 6: 3-4). Husbands must love their wives "even as Christ loved the church" and wives must see that they "reverence" theirhusbands. Children must be taught to "obey" and "honor" their parents (Eph. 6: 1-3).

It is true in many local churches. It is evident that,as a whole, congregations have larger and finer buildings than they had a few years ago. They have largerbudgets. Many are equipped with the latest tools forvisual aids in teaching from the pulpit and in theclassroom. Without doubt gospel preachers are bettersupported and stay longer in most places. But there is a ragged spirit in evidence in too many places. Complacency is too common. A deadly spirit of "keeping house for the Lord" has set in with many. Sermons that seek tosir evangelistic fervor to spread the gospel to the wholeworld are sometimes met with a puzzled stare. Pride afflicts many. While none of us should want services tobe disorderly, neither should they become stilted performances of eloquence, elegance and sophistication sothat we worry about getting a little chalk dust on thecarpet, or concern ourselves with whether or not thepreacher's tie clashes with the drapes or carpet.

We are ragged in spirit when we are too comfortablewith error and do not want it exposed for what it is.When every gathering becomes a pep rally for feelinggood about yourself and when sermons become moreentertaining than instructive, we are in trouble. When Christians look upon refraining from the works of the flesh as a penalty rather than a blessing from God, we have ragged spirits. When we exert most of our energiesfussing with each other and choosing up sides to theexclusion of being on "the Lord's side" our spirits aretattered. Already there are signs of churches which once were large, thriving and aggressively reaching out to thelost, who are dwindling because of infighting, and/orlove for the world.

Thank God for those who are still rich in spirit. We allremember the church at Laodicea which thought it wasrich but was, in reality, deeply impoverished spiritually.But don't forget the church at Smyrna which was inpoverty but to whom the Lord said "but thou art rich"(Rev. 2: 8-9). It is not wrong to have material riches.But it is wrong to trust them. It is wrong to misuse them.Let us learn to be "rich in good works" (1 Tim. 6: 18).

ANTIOCH — THE POWER OF THE LOCAL CHURCH

The passage is Acts 11. The place was Antioch. If youare not aware of the power of God as it moved in themidst of that mega-population center of long ago, then you are probably not alone. The church of Christ inAntioch stands as an exemplary congregation thatneeds to be closely studied and reviewed in light of ourattempt to establish New Testament churches today.It's not enough to compare ourselves with ourselves.That's easy. One can always find a local church that isfailing in an area where another is succeeding. Suchshallow comparisons may build confidence but they do nothing to draw us closer to the New Testament pattern.We need to study New Testament churches. We need totake a closer look at Antioch.

They Exemplified Selfless Love

John said it this way: "Little children, let us notlove with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth" (1 John 3: 18). It's easy to pledge allegiance to the name of Christ. But the real question is: does our lifemirror the life of Him who first wore that name? Are we willing to sacrifice to the same degree of selfless love that we see in Him? Look again at Antioch in Acts 11: 2730 and observe some commendable qualities of these Christians who abounded in benevolent love.

1. The assurance of historical confirmation, vs. 27-28. First, the writer of Acts reminds us that theactivities of the early church take place in a historicalcontext. "There was a great famine," says Luke, "duringthe reign of Claudius." History records that ClaudiusCaesar reigned thirteen years (A. D. 41-54). Josephusreports that during his rule there was a famine and that"many people died from want of food." Fact: there was aRoman emperor by the name of Claudius. Fact: therewas a severe famine during his reign. Fact: what we believe and practice as a local church of Christ does notrest in fictitious ignorance but in the root of historicalreality. Remember that.

2. Their confidence in the spoken Word, vs. 27

28. There were in the early church a group of God-inspired men known as "prophets" (Eph. 4: 11). Severalcame to the church in Antioch and one of them, a certain "Agabus," began to foretell. (This is the same Agabuswho later would, in Ezekiel like fashion, bind himselfwith the belt of Paul as a sign of the apostle's comingcapture and arrest, Acts 21: 10-11). But observe in ourtext the warm receptivity that the Antioch brethren gave the prophet of God. These Christians had nowritten word. Their book, chapter and verse rested inthe form of a prophet. He spoke and they listened as hetold of a coming famine that would cause their Jewishbrothers to greatly suffer. And their reaction? Theyrespected the word of God so much that they werewilling to send a financial contribution IN ADVANCE ofthe need! That's how much confidence they had in the promises of God.

Think about it. Think what would happen if we hadthat same degree of confident trust in what God hassaid. Local churches often fail in their objectives becausethey lack confidence in the divine guarantees. If we really believed what God promises in passages likeMatt. 28: 20 or in 1 Cor. 3: 7 then we would see local churches leaving the mode of mediocrity and launching out in faith with visions and dreams dependent not upontheir own ability but upon the power of God. It's theattitude we see in Antioch. It's the attitude seen today in New Testament churches.

3. They experienced the thrill of giving, vs. 29. Let's note four things about their benevolent response toneed:

a. Their spontaneous generosity. Nowhere in the passage does one get the impression that this was an arm-twisting, guilt trip lecture laid upon the church byPaul and Barnabus. In fact, the whole scene seems to beframed with the words of 2 Cor. 9: 7 which defines true giving as being without grudging and with genuine joy.Look closer. The word for "cheerful" is the Greek word,hilaros. Literally it says: "God loves the hilarious giver!"The hilarious giver is one who gives out of a heart filled with overflowing generosity while understanding that true giving is measured not in terms of giving until ithurts but rather in giving until it feels good! The hilarious giver feels good when he gives. He doesn't have to bepushed or prodded or begged. That's why the hilariousgiver smiles when he gives; not a smile of self-righteouspride but one that simply acknowledges a heart which has learned that the thrill of living is GIVING! It's calledjoyful generosity. It's called blessedness (Acts 20: 35).

The Antioch disciples were hilarious givers. Theyreflected well the liberality of the Macedonians (2 Cor.

8: 1-5) or those in Exodus 36 who gave with such generosity that Moses had to beg them to stop. (I bet you've never seen that done!) Giving. It's a touchy subject. But only for those who haven't learned yet how to do it. InAntioch, it was not a problem. b. They were willing to take the risk. Did you see it?Look again at verse 28. This was prophesied to be ageneral famine. Certainly it would hit Judea hard because of hardships already there, but there was noguarantee that the fingers of famine would not reach toeven Antioch. These Christians were willing to take therisk and give in the face of the fact that one day theythemselves might have need! That's love. That's selflessness. That's Christianity.

c. They gave according to their prosperity. "In the proportion that any of the disciples had means..."These weren't rich folks who had more money than theyknew what to do with. They were people struggling to carve out a life for their families in a big city where costswere high and hardships many (especially for Christians). But they had prospered and they gave accordingly (1 Cor. 16: 1-2). Do we? (The problem in too manychurches is that there are folks making $35,000 per yearand giving $25 per week. That works out to a whopping

3. 7% of their income going to the Lord's work. People, that's not sacrifice; it is stealing!)

d. Every member was involved. Verse 29 reports thatof those who had means, "each of them sent a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea." This was not an activity for the few but for themany. The point: If the local church is to accomplish itswork then it must actively seek the involvement ofeveryone. Elders need to be talent scouts and opportunity seekers as they seek to involve every member in the work. The Old Testament reminder that "every manstood in his place" (Judges 7: 21) is apropos to the New Testament local church. All of us need to look for those who tend to be marginal participators and help motivatethem to move into the mainstream of the local work. Indeed, there is work that we all can do.

4. The power of unity, vs. 29. New Testament Christianity was introduced into a world filled withracial hatred, bitterness and bigotry. And, yet, the storyof the Cross is the story of a Savior whose love was sogreat that no man could accept Him and still hate hisbrother. Back up to verses 22-26. It was then thatAntioch had a need. This infant church of young Gentilebelievers stood in great need of stability. The JerusalemJews responded by sending Barnabus to Antioch. Nochurch would ever want to lose a Barnabus. But Jerusalem was willing to let him go in order to help lay afoundation in scriptural instruction for their Gentilebrothers. JEWS REACHING OUT TO GENTILES...

Now the situation was reversed. Now the Jews stood in need. GENTILES REACHING OUT TO JEWS is what we see in 11: 27-30 and later described by Paul,"For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things" (Rom. 15: 27). The Jews hadshared their spiritual heritage with the Gentiles. Now the Gentiles had the opportunity of giving in return.There was no hesitation.

The Antioch church buried racial hatred. She stood as a shining light in a darkened sea of prejudice. In fact,Antioch herself was a racially mixed congregation (vs.19-21). But it didn't matter in Antioch — not the color of your skin, nor your country of origin, nor your economicbackground. Only one thing mattered in Antioch: do you belong to Jesus Christ! (Gal. 3: 28-29).

Let me say this about racial prejudice. JESUS HATES IT! And if you are going to be His then you haveto hate it, too. It pains me to say this but it's true. There are still churches in this country today who make aclaim to Christ where a black man would not be welcome as a member. It is false advertisement. That church is not of Christ because that church stands opposed toeverything that the Cross stands for. Prejudice is sinful.Period. Brethren, we have not restored the New Testament church until, like Antioch, we bury racial prejudice and treat every man as equal in the sight of God. Andany local congregation that fails in this area can in noway claim allegiance to Jesus. In no way.

JEALOUSY AMONG THE LORD'S SERVANTS

Israel's journey to Canaan was laden with difficulties,many of them self-imposed. Such was the case in theepisode at Hazeroth (Num. 12).

The Event

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because he

married a Cushite woman. They complained, "has the

Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not

spoken through us as well? Meek Moses did not reply.

God did. He summoned the three to the tabernacle and

came down in the pillar of cloud. God explained that he

spoke to prophets in visions and dreams, but to Moses

He spoke mouth to mouth. This difference should have

been obvious. It should have made Miriam or Aaron

afraid to speak against Moses.

When God departed, Miriam was leprous. Aaron

confessed their sin to Moses, who interceded for

Miriam. The Lord agreed to heal her, but insisted she

be shut up outside the camp seven days to bear her

shame.

Practical Lessons

The first lesson from this incident is about honesty.

What did Moses marrying a Cushite woman have to do

with God speaking through Miriam and Aaron as well

as Moses? Nothing. It was merely a pretext, an occasion

to voice their pent-up ill will. Real complaints are often

disguised in superficial issues. When someone gets his

feelings hurt and decides to leave a congregation, it

does not take him long to find a "valid reason" for doing

so. If you do not care for a man personally, you are more

likely to detect something that makes him unfit to serve

as an elder or deacon. How many churches have di

vided, ostensibly over some doctrinal matter, when the

real problem was brethren did not like each other, or

would not humble themselves and learn to get along?

This text challenges us to be honest with ourselves.

Miriam and Aaron's complaint betrayed their realfeelings, and points to the main lesson from this episode: jealousy. Jealousy is a feeling of hostility towardthose we perceive to have some advantage over us. Itthreatens all. Children become jealous if they sense that one has the special affection of a mother or father.Workers often envy fellow-laborers who make moremoney, get more time off, or receive a promotion. Students sometimes snub those who get the best grades.

Jealousy creeps into the Lord's church, too. Brethrenwho want to run things covet the elders' position. Some envy others' God-given skills or accomplishments.Preachers can be among the worst about this. One resents another because he is a more eloquent speaker orwriter, or is mightier in the Scriptures, or baptizes morepeople, or holds more meetings. Unfortunately, preaching Christ from envy and strife is nothing new (Ph. 1: 15).Even whole congregations can be jealous of each other,especially if one in town is growing faster than the rest.

Miriam's jealousy bore three fruits: personal uncleanness, disrupted fellowship, and hindered progress. Leprosy made one unclean (Lev. 13). So does envy. It isrottenness to the bones (Pro. 14: 30). It is a work ofthe flesh that will cause us to forfeit our inheritance (Gal. 5: 20, 21). Leprosy is contagious. Miriam had to be put outside the camp to prevent her disease fromspreading. Perhaps envy is contagious. At any rate, itcan sever ties between brethren as well as with God.

Forgiveness does not remove all the consequences ofsin. Miriam had to spend seven days in quarantine, asdid all lepers who were healed. The march toward Canaan halted while Miriam bore her shame. Bitter feelings and rivalries have the same effect among God's people today. Attention that should be focused on ourwork is diverted. A dying world is neglected while wetend to internal problems. Wounds may be inflicted thatwill take years to heal.

Jealousy and strife are signs of carnality, of walkingby human standards (1 Cor. 3: 3). "When we rememberthat talents and position and power are granted in theprovidence of God, it is real rebellion against His will tobe envious of those to whom these powers or privilegeshave been assigned" (Charles Eerdman). Accept theplace God has chosen for you. As for others, do not envythem. Instead, learn to "rejoice with them that rejoice."

Ferrell Jenkins, whom I love dearly in the Lord andwhose scholarship I respect highly, has responded to mypresentation on the supposed Domitian persecution. Iappreciate his skilled defense of his position and hisbrotherly spirit. He did an excellent job of presenting hisevidence. I believe, however, that a careful reading of myprevious offering is sufficient to serve as an answer tohis response. In that article I anticipated the case to bemade for a Domitian persecution. I showed why it isweak, and I also showed that in order to prove a Domitian persecution one must appeal to the book of Revelation.

Evidence Not Rejected

Ferrell did a good job of showing the contributionmade to our understanding of the early years of Christianity by the evidence sifted from early pagan sourcesand the "Church Fathers." Yet, we both understand thatmany things found in these sources are contradictoryand others are false. He accepts these no more than I.The evidence must be sifted and questions asked: Whatis fact? What is fiction? What is opinion?

Somehow Ferrell concluded from my article that Ireject the patristic evidence. Reread my article and seeif I rejected the evidence. I simply questioned whetherthe evidence is strong enough, in the absence of corroborating contemporary sources, to convict Domitian ofdirecting a persecution against Christians of the magnitude described by many historians and Revelation commentators. I readily admit that Domitian MAY havepersecuted some Christians. I reach this conclusion byconsidering the kind of evidence presented by Ferrell. IfI totally rejected that evidence, I could not say thereMAY have been a persecution.

The Case is Overstated

Ferrell readily admitted that the case for a Domitianpersecution has been overstated. No longer will he say"Domitian bathed the empire in the blood of the Christians." What will he say? His evidence from "Christian"sources, except for his use of Revelation, reveals thatMelito (175 AD), Hegesippus (117-189 AD), Tertullian (197 AD) and Eusebius (325 AD) said there was persecution, but the sum total of their evidence reveals two banishments (the apostle John and Domitilla), and an inquiry of some relatives of the Lord. No deaths arepresented. Though Edward Gibbon accepted all of thisevidence, plus accepting Flavius Clemens (husband toDomitilla) as a martyred Christian, did not think thisordeal deserved the right to be called a persecution. 1

Just how strong is the evidence from "Christian" sources? Ferrell thinks it is "too strong to reject." I think it is too weak to build a case upon. The case for John'sbanishment to Patmos during Domitian's reign is weakbecause it contradicts the internal evidence of the book of Revelation, 2 and the evidence that Domitilla was banished by Domitian because she was a Christian isweak because no one knows whether or not she was a Christian at the time of her exile. Even if she was, ourearliest information about her banishment indicates that she was banished for political reasons rather thanreligious. 3 All of this boils down to there being too littleevidence to convict. Domitian may have persecutedsome Christians but the evidence from "Christian" sources does not prove it, certainly not to the proportionsclaimed by so many today.

The Contemporary Evidence

The impression is left that Tacitus, writing 50 yearsafter (115 AD), was not contemporary with Nero any more than Hegesippus and Melito, writing 75 yearsafter, were contemporary with Domitian. Contemporary means "living, occurring, or existing at the sameperiod of time; contemporaneous" (Webster). Tacitus(55-120 AD), Suetonius (69?-140 AD), and Pliny (61113? AD) were Roman writers who left at least a partialrecord of the history of Domitian's reign. Though only a lad of 9 to 12 years of age, Tacitus leaves a record ofNero's persecution as does his contemporary Suetonius,yet neither of them, though men of age and maturity and in a position to have witnessed it, tell anything about efforts on Domitian's part to persecute Christians. Theyare as silent as the tomb. Could a persecution of themagnitude often pictured have gone unnoticed by them?

Ferrell thinks that Pliny's letter to Trajan (111 AD)implies an earlier policy of the Empire toward Christianity. He had concluded, since some Christians defected25 years previous to their inquest before Pliny (i. e., 86AD), that they ceased to be Christians because Domitian persecuted them, yet no one charges Domitian withpersecuting Christians before the last two years of hisreign (95-96) AD). Their defection, therefore, had nothing to do with persecution. It is then reasoned, sincePliny states he had never been present for trials ofChristians, that implies there had been such trialsunder Domitian. It is assumed there were earlier trials of Christians and then assumed that those trials were conducted during the reign of Domitian. This is assuming too much.

Ferrell says if I were affirming the Neronian persecution I would seek to establish it the same way heestablishes the Domitian persecution. He is mistaken.Tacitus was contemporary with Nero and the people ofhis reign. He revealed the Neronian persecution. Suetonius also recorded it. Be assured that if Ferrell had evidence like this for the Domitian persecution, hewould have used it.

The Book of Revelation

Without the book of Revelation there is practically nocase that can be made for a Domitian persecution. Weprobably would never have heard of it if the Apocalypsehad not been written. The book of Revelation indicates some kind of persecution in progress in Asia while thebook was being witnessed by John. This is not a problem with the early date. It matters not how far reaching Nero's persecution was because the scriptures revealJewish persecution of saints in every place Jews resided and also some Gentile persecution. I maintainthe primary persecutors in Revelation are Jewish andthat the Roman conflict with the saints is secondarycovering 200 years from the time of Trajan until itended. The advocates of the late date will not acceptthis explanation of the persecution depicted in Revelation, so in order to substantiate their position, theyMUST have a Domitian Persecution. The early date istoo early to satisfy their view of the Apocalypse, and the reign of Trajan too late.

Ferrell has written, The book of Revelation is the most thoroughly Jewish in its language and imagery ofany New Testament book. "4 To me it is amazing thatthe most thoroughly Jewish book of the N. T. describeswhat has been concluded is a thoroughly Gentile persecution of a predominantly Gentile church. I ratherthink the most thoroughly Jewish book of the N. T. wasdesigned to reveal God's judgment upon the Jews, the primary persecutors of God's people in both the Oldand New Testaments ages.

Efforts are made to prove the date of the Apocalypseby calling upon Irenaeus (130-200 AD) who states thatthe "apocalyptic vision... was seen... towards the endof Domitian's reign." The impression is left that Irenaeus got this information from Polycarp, though he did not indicate the source of his statement. The uninspired statement of Irenaeus' opinion about dating the book is of no more strength than my own uninspired statement. Ferrell thinks I would like sucha statement to establish the early date but, if that werethe strongest case for it, I would reject it. Like the evidence from the Syriac Version, 5 which Ferrell mistakenly thinks I use to establish the early date ofRevelation, this kind of evidence only indicates thatearly church fathers also had opinions about the date of the book's composition.

The Early DateRestraining the urge to present a counter argumentfor the early date is difficult, however, I must foregobecause our discussion concerns the question of whether Domitian was a persecutor of Christians andnot the date of the Apocalypse. If Ferrell wishes anexchange upon that topic, let him read my commentaryon Revelation (1985), THE AVENGING OF THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS, and answer myarguments. This book has been in print for three and one half years and to date, though the first printing isnearly depleted, not one person having read thebook and holding to the late date has offered torefute my scriptural arguments. I have received nothing but commendation for the work. A Challenge to Ferrell

It would be of help if Ferrell would describe for usexactly what he deems the Domitian persecution tohave been. To help him with this task, I challenge him to tell us if the statements quoted in my previousarticle from (1) Halley, (2) Butterworth and Shaver are true statements? (3) Is the description given by Weldon Warnock in REVELATION: MESSAGE FROM PATMOS (page 10) a true description of the Domitianpersecution? (4) Do you really believe that "Domitian attempted to crush Christianity"?6 (5) Do you believe hedeveloped a new policy toward Christianity? (6) Do you believe that the number of Christians slain by Domitianwas in the thousands, hundreds, fifties, teens or singledigits? (7) Can you identify just one Christian who died asa result of a persecution instigated by Domitian? (8) Can you prove beyond all shadow of doubt that he persecutedanyone simply because they were Christians? A forthright answer with historical evidence to substantiate theclaim would be in order.

Footnotes 1 Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, p. 278. 2The internal evidence from the book of Revelation which makes this argument weak is the evidence within thebook demanding the book be written before 70 AD. See myarguments in The Avenging of the Apostles and Prophets, pp. 17-23. 3Elmer T. Merrill, Essays In Christian History, pp. 149-150.4Ferrell Jenkins, The Old Testament in the Book of Revelation, p. 22. 5The Avenging of the Apostles and Prophets isCORRECT in stating the Syriac Version dates back to the2nd century (pp. 15-16). However, Ferrell is probablycorrect also in stating that the earliest manuscript of thatversion, carrying the 68 AD date, is dated in 508 AD.Thanks to Ferrell for pointing out this error.6Ferrell Jenkins, Emperor Worship in the Book of Revelation, p. 4 I highly recommend this much neededwork on Emperor Worship. Apart from the author's speculation on the date and interpretation of Revelation,it is an excellent work.

Not only did I get the impression from Art's firstarticle that he rejected the evidence from the "Church Fathers," but I still have that impression despite hisdisavowal. Art wants to know "What is fact? What is fiction? What is opinion?," and I want to know the samething! In my previous article I set forth "The Case for theDomitianic Persecution." Since I admitted that the case for the Domitianic persecution has been overstated, Artwants to know what I will say now? Let's summarize again.

Summary of the Patristic Evidence

1. The Book of Revelation. John was on Patmos because of his preaching of the word (1: 9). Antipas had already been martyred (2: 13). The patristic evidencesays that John was exiled under Domitian, releasedupon the death of the emperor, and then wrote the book of Revelation. Adela Collins says the fact that Irenaeus"dated the book as he did, in spite of the difficulty about the apostle's age, implies that he had independent and strong evidence for the date. "1 Colin Hemer says "if Johnsuffered exile in Domitian's reign, and the emperor wasremembered as a persecutor, it is easy to account for thegrowth of the tradition. "2 Art is of the opinion that all of these early writers just gave their opinion and that it was wrong. If Nero, or one of the other emperors, or theJews were responsible for the exiling of John and thedeath of Antipas, why didn't the early writers just sayso? Why did they incorrectly attribute these things toDomitian? Why couldn't just one writer before the sixthcentury have a different opinion?
2. Pliny. In A. D. 111 Pliny wrote to the EmperorTrajan for advice on how to conduct the trials for Christians in Bithynia. He stated that he had never beenpresent for any of these trials. Even Albert Bell, whodates the book of Revelation to the reign of Galba (A. D.68/69), points out that this implies, "of course, that therehad been such trials. And the only time in Pliny's lifethat they are likely to have occurred is under Domitian. "3
3. Melito. Melito, in his apology to the emperorMarcus Aurelius, singled out Nero and Domitian asshowing "a disposition to slander our faith... "6 Why would Melito make such a blunder in writing to theemperor of Rome?
4. Tertullian. Terullian, in his Apology to Septimius Severus, even called upon the emperor to "Consult your histories." He stated that Nero was the first to"rage with the imperial sword" against Christians. He stated that "Domitian too, who was a good deal of a Nero

in cruelty, attempted it" but "soon stopped... restored those he had banished. Such are ever our persecutors... "6 Why would Tertullian, trained as an attorney, challenge the emperor to consult his histories about something that did not happen?

1. Eusebius. This church historian quoted several earlier writers to the effect that Domitian was a persecutor of Christians. He says that Domitian persecuted some "for professing Christ," and names Flavia Domitilla. Art states that no one knows whether Domitilla was a Christian at the time of her exile. In this he follows the opinion of Merrill. The Roman historian A. N. Sherwin/white reminds us that "Eusebius is not lightly to be set aside when he names a particular person... "7 My ques- tion was, and is: "If these people were not Christians,why would the Christians, such as Eusebius, want to claim them?"
2. Hegesippus. This church historian recites the story of Jewish disciples of the Lord who were brought before Domitian. He states that the emperor dismissedthese individuals and "by a decree ordered the persecution to cease. "8

Who Is Contemporary?

It was pointed out in my first article that the earliestevidence for a Neronian persecution of Christians in

A. D. 64 comes from the writings of Tacitus (A. D.115), more than 50 years after the event! Art thinks that Tacitus, a lad of 9 years of age, and Suetonius, born about 5 years after the persecution, were contemporary with Nero. He rejects the evidence of Pliny, Melito, Tertullian,Eusebius, and Hegesippus regarding the persecutionunder Domitian as not being contemporary. PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt died when I was 9 years old (ifmy encyclopedic sources can be trusted) and I have never thought of him as my contemporary.

Argument From Silence

The argument from silence is appealed to by Art. Hewonders why Tacitus and Suetonius tell nothing of"efforts on Domitian's part to persecute Christians.They are silent as the tomb. Could a persecution of themagnitude often pictured have gone unnoticed bythem?" The answer: "Yes, they could have failed tomention such." We pointed out in the beginning of ourfirst article that unbelievers often make much of the fact that we have only a few early references to Christ andthe church outside the New Testament. A. J. Hoover, a reputable historian, comments on this insistence forevidence that does not exist: "Unbelievers have a bad habit of demanding perfect evidence for various aspectsof the Christian faith. For example, in this matter theywonder why we have no record of the report that,presumably, Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judaea, sent toRome concerning the trial and execution of Jesus ofNazareth. We simply remind them that no official record has been preserved of any report which Pilate, or anyother Roman governor of Judaea, sent to Rome aboutanything!"9

The first known historical allusion to the book of Revelation is in the writings of Justin Martyr who diedin A. D. 165. The earliest manuscript fragments are from the third century. Yet, Art believes the book belongs tothe seventh decade of the first century. He was curiouslysilent abut my comments on the date of composition and the specific identification of the author of Revelation. These things we know because of the testimony of the "Church Fathers." I think the reader can see why I thought Art rejected the evidence from patristics.

Must "Later Daters" Have a Domitianic Persecution?

Art thinks that these who believe Revelation was written during the reign of Domitian "MUST have aDomitian persecution." Let's set the record straight. Myown view is that John received the Revelation while on Patmos during the reign of Domitian. John was returned from exile upon the death of Domitian (A. D.96). I don't know whether the Seven Churches receivedthe book before or after the death of Domitian. The book itself mentions only the exile of John and thedeath of Antipas as having taken place at the time ofwriting. Revelation was written to explain "the thingswhich must shortly take place" (1: 1). The emperors ofRome continued periodically to persecute Christiansuntil early in the fourth century. 10

My view of Revelation does NOT necessitate a persecution of Christians by Domitian. The evidence which Ipresented in my first article does lead me to believe thatsuch persecution took place.

Art's Defense of the Early Date We are informed that The Avenging of the Apostles and Prophets has been in print for nearlyfour years and that no one answered the arguments.Portions of my Studies in the Book of Revelation have been in print since 1973. In the "Introduction" Iexamined the major arguments for the early date presented by James M. MacDonald, The Life and Writings of St. John (1877). This was the source followed byFoy E. Wallace, which in turn was followed generally byArt. Numerous commentators have replied to these same arguments in the past. I have no inclination, and less time, to enter into an exchange with every personwho advances these views. In fact, I urge students toread all the views and draw their own conclusion. That's what the readers will have to do with this exchange.

A Challenge Answered

My friend wants me to describe exactly what I deemthe Domitianic persecution to have been. Colin Hemer's book, which was developed from his PhD thesis atManchester, deals with these matters. He suggests that"persecution" is not "a simply defined term, to be discovered by clear criteria, but that complex pressures existed in the historical situation, and might be activatedby authorities not necessarily predisposed to 'persecute, ' but adopting policies which impinged on a vulnerable group... I want to stress the severity of the trialpresent and impending, and not to deny it the title'persecution' from the Christian viewpoint, whateverthe official view. "11 This very point may well account forthe fact that the "Church Fathers" mentioned the persecution and that the Roman writers did not. Bell saysthat the total number of Christians brought before theimperial courts must have been "insignificant from the Roman point of view, but to the small fellowship of Christians the sudden loss of even three or four prominent members would be staggering blow"12

Here are my answers to Art's questions. (1, 2) I think Halley was incorrect about number; Butterworth is wrong about the severity. (3) Warnock's correctness depends on what he means by"widespread." (4) Domi-tian did attempt to "crush Christianity" through the persecution of John and others mentioned in my first article. 13 (5) Hemer says"No Domitianic edict against Christianity is extant. "14 But see the case built by Hemer and by Jenkins who presents Revelation as a "Polemic against the Imperial cult" in Emperor Worship. (6) I only knowwhat has been presented in the evidence cited. The totalnumber persecuted or slain remains a conjecture. Persecution may exist without killing. (7) I thinkAntipas belongs in this category. (8) The evidence fora persecution by Domitian seems, to me, too strong toreject.

A Friendly Challenge Returned

It is easy to ask for specific names of people killed andthen incorrectly to conclude in the absence or scarcity ofsuch that no persecution took place. I would like for Artto (1) name a single person of Asia Minor who was killedbecause he was a Christian as a result of either the Neronian or Jewish persecution during the years A. D.60 to 70. (2) If the New Testament canon was closed by

A. D. 70, why didn't the "Church Fathers" know this? (3)Why were they of the "opinion" that John was exiled byDomitian and that he lived until the time of Trajan? (4)Why were they of the "opinion" that Domitian was thesecond to raise a persecution against the church? (5)Since the "Church Fathers" left volumes upon volumes(far more than the Roman historians), and since theydiffered on many things, why wasn't a single one of themduring the first five centuries of the "opinion" that Revelation was written during the reign of Nero? (6) Why do you consider the pagans, Tacitus and Suetonius,good historians when failing to mention Christians, butconsider the Christians, Hegesippus and Eusebius, asbad historians when they mention what the Romans didto the Christians?

Conclusion

With the modern Italian scholar Marta Sordi "I still maintain that the mere fact of there being so manyindividual reports of the persecutions having taken place, makes it unreasonable to harbour any seriousdoubts on the subject. "151 wish to close with the words of the nineteenth century scholar, Sir William Ramsay:"The persecution of Domitian burned itself ineradicablyinto the memory of history; it may be doubted by the critic, but not by the historian... So strong and early atradition as that which constitutes Domitian the second great persecutor cannot be discredited without wrecking the foundations of ancient history. Those who discredit it must, be consistent, resolve to dismiss nine-tenths of what appears in books as ancient history,including most that is interesting and valuable. "16

Works Cited 1Collins 34. 2Colin Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Sheffield: The University of Sheffield, 1986) 222.

3Bell 96. 4Ecclesiastical History, III. xx.5Ecclesiastical History, iv. xxvi.6Apology, V. 3, 4; Ecclesiastical History, III. xx.7AN. Sherwin-White, The Letters of Pliny. A Historical and Social Commentary (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1966) 695.8Ecclesiastical History, Ill. xix.9Arlie J. Hoover, "Jesus and the Historians," FirmFoundation, April 29, 1980, 278.10See G. B. Caird, The Apostolic Age (London: Duck-worth, 1955) 167.11Hemer 213-214. Consider the comment by EdwardGibbon in this light.12Bell 96.13This statement was made by Donald L. Jones, "Chris-tianity and the Roman Imperial Cult," in Aufstieg unNiedergang der Romischen Welt (Berlin: Walter deGruyter, 1980), 1033. I have found his essay mosthelpful.14Hemer 216.15Sordi 45.16Ramsay259.

Due to limited space, I cannot respond to everythingpresented in Ferrell's previous article. The 12 questionsasked must be by-passed due to space and being unableto introduce new material needed in response.

Ferrell has ably presented the case for a Domitianpersecution. The evidence is before us. We must weigh it for value. If we grant validity to all of his evidence, thisis the sum total of what he has proven: two banishments, an inquiry, and one death (Antipas, Rev. 2: 13). Realizing the difficulty, Ferrell summoned Colin Hemer to define persecution so that it will include what he has tried to prove. Surely you can see by nowthe weakness of the case for a Domitian persecution.

Ferrell wants us to fear questioning the patristicevidence. He quotes Ramsay to the effect that if we donot accept this weak evidence, to be consistent, we mustbe ready to reject 9/10 of all we call ancient history.Ferrell does not believe this himself for, as I havepointed out already, there are many things revealed bythe "Church Fathers" which he questions and oftenrejects. In fact, two of Ferrell's quoted sources contradicted each other on who "recalled the exiles," Domitian or Nerva? Tertullian said it was Domitian. Eusebius said it was Nerva. Ferrell chose to believe Eusebius. I wonder how he made his decision?

It should further be observed that not all who hold to the same general interpretation of Revelation as Ferrellplace the same degree of confidence in the statement of Irenaeus. Jim McGuiggan, whose Commentary onRevelation ranks #1 among Revelation commentaries insales at the Religious Supply Center, dates the Apocalypse during the last years of Vespasian's reign. Manybrethren with sound Bible background are now agreeing with McGuiggan. Wonder if these brethren haveever heard of Irenaeus?

Ferrell needs more than an implication from Pliny's letter to prove a Domitian persecution. He needs a necessary implication. He overlooks the obvious,namely, that Pliny's letter (111 AD) implies trials ofChristians under Trajan (98-117 AD). This is the mostreasonable implication since Trajan was a persecutor.Pliny was appointed governor of Bithynia in 111 AD, thethirteenth year of Trajan's reign.

To use the Book of Revelation, whose date of writing and application is debatable, to prove Domitian was apersecutor, to me, is unreasonable. It assumes a thing asproven which is yet to be proven. If Ferrell is wrongabout the Apocalypse, he is likewise wrong about Domitian, and vice versa, despite his disavowal.

I admitted in my first article that historical silencedoes not prove Domitian was not a persecutor. I realizethat history does not record all events. This is why wesay there MAY have been persecution during Domitian's reign. At the same time, it must be recognized thathistorical silence does not prove persecution either. Idoubt seriously that history would have recorded a persecution of the size indicated by Ferrell's evidence,however, I believe history would have recorded a persecution of the size and intensity implied by Ferrell andtaught by others.

Ferrell thinks he answered the arguments for theearly dating of Revelation in his Studies in the Book of Revelation (1973). Sorry, but my main arguments were not dealt with in his work and those hedealt with, which were used by Macdonald and Wallace, he did not answer. He only stated them andshowed why he and others do not accept them. I wouldwelcome the opportunity for just one hour to presentmy case for the early date of Revelation before Ferrelland all others who are interested and, then, let themtake all the time they need to see if they can destroy it.Take me up. I challenge you.

I stated in my first article that the strongest case thatcan be made for a Domitian persecution is that there MAY have been one. This is still the case. Ferrell has admitted that much of what has been said about a Domitian persecution is false, that it has been overstated, that no edict against Christianity during Domitian's reign is extant, and that he does not know how many, if any, were killed by Domitian. He even said,"Persecution may exist without killing." What has heproven? He has merely proven that there MAY havebeen a persecution. What have I proven? I have merelyproven that there MAY NOT have been persecution under Domitian. My point in all of this is very simple.Let us stop this non-sense of declaring Domitian as thegreatest) persecutor of all times. If you believe theevidence presented by Ferrell, then teach what theevidence says. As far as the Book of Revelation is concerned, there is another view of the Apocalypse that does not depend upon Domitian as one of its chiefcharacters. Read and study The Avenging of the Apostles and Prophets.

I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the EDITOR of STS for suggesting and planning this exchange and to my dear friend Ferrell Jenkins for hishonorable part in this discussion. Their interest intruth and fair play is evident. I love them for this and because they are my brethren.

WHAT GOD HAS JOINED TOGETHER

DIVINE COMMUNIQUE: "What God has joined together, let not man separate" (Matt. 19: 6).

I shared with you in the last issue the weddingmessage presented at the marriage of our daughter.Perhaps some would like to see the vows they used.They are a blend of traditional and current wording ofgreat promises all husbands and wives should make both to God and to one another.

Your marriage, endorsed by your loved ones and sealed in conjugal union, is meant to be the mostbinding relationship of your life next to your union toGod through Christ. It must be cherished, preserved,and protected in view of the eternal destiny of yoursouls. It is, therefore, God who now enjoins upon youboth the lasting bond of your vows to each other. Thepromises you make to God and to each other can besevered only by one of your dying.

MARK, WILL YOU TAKE SHERRI TO BE YOUR WEDDED WIFE, TO LIVE TOGETHER ACCORDING TO THE ORDINANCES OF GOD; WILL YOU LOVE, HONOR, AND CHERISH HER IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH, IN PROSPERITY ANDADVERSITY; AND WILL YOU PROMISE TOKEEP YOURSELF TO HER ONLY, AS LONG ASYOU BOTH SHALL LIVE? Response: "I Will" SHERRL WILL YOU TAKE MARK TO BE YOUR WEDDED HUSBAND, TO LIVE TOGETHER ACCORDING TO THE ORDINANCES OF GOD;WILL YOU LOVE, HONOR, OBEY, AND CHERISH HIM IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH, INPROSPERITY AND ADVERSITY; AND WILL YOU PROMISE TO KEEP YOURSELF TO HIM ONLY,AS LONG AS YOU BOTH SHALL LIVE? Response: "I Will"

Since it is your desire to become one in marriage, willyou please join your right hands and each in turn repeatthe vows of love and loyalty to each other:

I TAKE YOU SHERRI/MARK TO BE MY WIFE/HUSBAND, TO HAVE AND TO HOLD, TO LOVEAND CARE FOR, ACCORDING TO THE WILL OFGOD UNTIL DEATH SHALL SEPARATE US. I PROMISE MY LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS, MYLOYALTY AND DEVOTION, MY TRUST AND CONFIDENCE. YOU WILL BE MY CLOSEST COMPANION AND FRIEND, MY TRUSTED HELPER AND SUPPORTER, THE INTIMATE LOVE OF MY LIFE. I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE. Mark/Sherri, what symbol of your love for Sherri/

Mark and of your marriage do you bring for your new

wife? A ring.I GIVE YOU THIS RING, AS A SYMBOL OF OURPLEDGE OF CONSTANT FAITHFULNESS AND ABIDING LOVE. WITH THIS RING WE ARE WED,AND ALL THAT IS MINE I NOW SHARE WITH YOU. Sherri, you are a marvelous joy to us. Mark, you do not

realize the pride you give to your family. Today is a newbeginning in your relationship with one another and inours with you. All of us will be with you so long as Godgives us breath. Our active prayer will be that you willnever forget the love of God and the love of your familyand friends who have come today both to hear your vowsand to pledge ourselves to surround you not as merespectators but as loving supporters along the pathway oflife. God go with you as do we.

Dear Lord, please accept the vows of these Thy children and join them in marriage. In keeping with thy willas expressed in Thy Word and in accord with the laws ofthis state, I pronounce that Mark and Sherri are husband and wife.

SMOKELESS BRETHREN

In my own personal experience, I have encounteredtwo cases where the victims of lung cancer requested the preacher to warn about the dangers of smoking.One was a brother in Christ, and requested on hisdeath bed that I continue to warn brethren about the relationship of smoking and lung cancer. He was convinced there was a connection between the two, and that was years before present statistics were available.

The other individual was not a member of the church. I visited her a few months before she died, and she continued to smoke her cigarettes in spite of heremphysema, violent coughing spells, and pleas of herfamily and friends to stop smoking. Her lung cancerwas diagnosed shortly thereafter, but the heart gaveout, maybe mercifully, before the lung cancer could take its toll. On her death bed, she requested that the preacher say something in the funeral sermon aboutthe dangers of smoking.

Back in the days of black powder, we could alwaystell where dad was in the woods when he had a squirrelin the sights of that ancient twelve gauge, and pulledthe trigger. An enormous cloud of black smoke arose from his position, and I am sure the remaining squirrels knew where he was by then. Then, smokelesspowder made its advent, and it was heralded as an improvement over the smoking kind. Maybe so for thehunter, but the squirrels may argue the point.

Now, smokeless tobacco is becoming more popularwith the avalanche of evidence indicating a link between smoking, lung cancer, and heart disease. Somebrethren are switching to smokeless tobacco, in spite ofevidence and statistics which indicate that it maycause cancer of the mouth. What will it take to producea generation of smokeless, chewless, spitless brethren?

I have just read a partial list of seventeen famous personalities who died of lung cancer, and who were allheavy smokers. When I taught first-aid and CPR(Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation), for the Red Crossand the American Heart Association, I was required to teach that smoking was a factor in heart disease. Atthe same time, some brethren object if I warned themabout the ill effects of smoking on the human body.

Now, local, state, and federal laws have been enacted to protect the non-smoker in the work place,restaurants, and food preparation areas. There are still the die-hards who resist all the evidence, including brethren who do not think that 1 Cor. 6: 19, 20 and Rom. 12: 1 have any application to those who abusetheir physical bodies in any fashion. We recall a period oftime in the history of God's people when they became sohardened to their condition that it took a drastic demonstration to bring them to their senses. A man cut a woman's body into twelve pieces and sent a piece to eachof the twelve tribes (Judges 19: 29, 30). This got theirattention. It is sad when people resist the truth to such anextent. It is also sad when a friend or loved one dies of lungcancer by inches, and requests the preacher to warnothers not to follow their example.

All lung cancer isn't caused by smoking. And, it isconceded that there are other dangers which threaten thehuman body, such as alcohol, other drugs, automobileexhausts, and overeating. But all that doesn't minimizeor justify the ill effects of tobacco on the human body. And,you can always find a preacher who will agree with you onany subject, be it marriage, grace, faith, baptism, orsmoking.

Israel was reproved for offering the halt and the lamein sacrifice unto God. And, while the soul is of greatervalue than the body, a body which has been wrecked and ruined by a senseless habit cannot be presented as muchof a "living sacrifice... unto God. "

Jesus urged his followers to have and to show unusualreactions. Perhaps we have not seen just what He meantin Matthew 5: 41, "And whoever shall force you to goone mile, go with him two. "

Few of us have ever been made subjects of impressment. But civilian conscription has not always been illegal in our country. Years ago two young m en had saved money and vacation time to spend two weeks in a lovelyNorthwest location. A forest fire there caused them to be pressed into the service of fighting it the entire time.

In Judea, then under military rule, the common reaction was to resent the restrictions of the Roman army. Asoldier, walking through a region, could demand that, forfree, a citizen, in his turn, carry his baggage for him. Onemile for each was not too great a distance for one easily towalk back home. We can understand how the soldier would come to expect unenthusiastic compliance. Sullen obedience surely was the usual attitude during thedemanded service which was next to slavery.

Now, say that our military lone traveler encounters ahusky, pleasant young man. No doubt he is surprised athow cheerfully and readily the Jew sets out with him. He even visits a little. They ask about each other's work and background. At the end of the seemingly short walktogether the relationship takes another startling turn.The subject says, "Sir, do not bother to find your next helper here. Let me go another leg of your trip with you.We could talk some more. "

Perhaps it would not be supposing too much to suggest that the Roman might ask why the helper has suchan attitude. The probable answer would be, "I am aChristian. Jesus, the Son of God, whom I serve, told meto act in this way." Would not such a reply cause thesoldier to remember the words, "Christ", and, "Christian," long and favorably? Might this not affect his laterlife?

Who can say that the positive attitude would not alsobe beneficial to the mental and emotional health of the Christian? Resentments are corrosive to the one holdingthem. Blessing others is helpful. Helping others is ablessing in both directions.

In all the cases where people saw Jesus or a discipleshowing a viewpoint of this kind their reactions weredescribed by words of similar meanings. They marveled, or wondered, or were amazed. Such decidedlyunexpected conduct always evoked surprise and wasregarded as strange. At the time that tortured victims sometimes cursed their tormentors, the hardened executioner heard Jesus pray, "Father, forgive them. Theydo not understand what they are doing." Later, as theresult of seeing how our Lord died, surprisingly thatheathen said, "Truly this innocent man was the son ofGod!"

In the experience of Saul of Tarsus the memory of areaction displayed in prayer lingered and rankled, becoming hard for him, and helping to lead to his conversion.

Yes, the response required is still unusual behavior.This is very difficult to do. But it is included in being adisciple of Christ.

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

STEVE KEARNEY, 140 Woodlawn Park Grove, Firhouse, Dublin 24, Ireland — Five have been baptized here between January and April. A young man who had fallen away and become a Punk with hisdyed hair, weird clothes, drug abuse and other sins, has returned tothe Lord. He has since converted his girl friend who was baptized onMarch 12. Keiran Murphy also reports five baptisms over the last fewmonths. We have enlarged our pre-fab building to 36' x 24' and this should accommodate us for perhaps the next four years. By then wehope to get a loan to build. Old Street in London, England hasinformed me that they will not be able to continue to support me. Theyneed the funds to support their own preacher, with which I agree. Butit does mean that the greater part of 225 lbs will be missing. They havegiven me 3 months notice to try and replace it.

VIVION ROAD LECTURES

We regret that we received announcement of the lectures at Vivion Road in Kansas City, MO too late to include it before it occurred June19-22. The speakers were Hoyt Houchen, Grover Stevens and Kenneth Chumley. Subjects covered included authority, institutionalism/social gospel, spiritual growth and worldliness. Both video and audiotapes are available. Write to: Church of Christ, P. O. Box 28478,Kansas City, MO 64118. Copy for material in this column goes to the printer a month before the date printed on the issue. That means copyfor June had to be sent in by May 1 at. We request that those who wishto have announcements of such events appear in the paper, please letus know 4-5 weeks in advance.

CHICAGO CONGREGATION DISBANDS JAMES D. ELAM, 5220 Grove St., Skokie, IL—On Dec. 18, 1988, the congregation known for nearly four decades as the "410 S. Michigan Ave. Church of Christ" ceased meeting in the Fine Arts Building indowntown Chicago. Through the years, the group has been a beginning place for many young preachers, has supported works in variouslocations on a continuing basis and also contributed to travel funds forpreachers overseas and in difficult places in northern and easternUSA. After 33 years at the 410 S. Michigan address and a nearly 3 yearspan at the Americana Congress at 520 S. Michigan, we returned tothe 410 address in 1987 in a sublease-type arrangement whichseverely restricted our efforts. We could not find another suitablelocation in the downtown area which would permit the type of workneedful for us to grow.

The contributions are being distributed to Whit Sasser, Oshkosh,WI; Jerry Folk in New Jersey; Dale Pennock, Palatine, Illinois; RickBoswell, De Motte, IN; Rudolph Berry, S. Ashland Ave., Chicago; andtwo brethren who are in physical need.

In late February, a group formerly known as the 19 S. LaSalle St.church began meeting at our old location. This group has been liberalin teaching for all the years they have been downtown. Efforts weremade in years past to persuade them differently but to no avail. Thenearest sound church is the one in Berwyn. Please call us for any directions you may need. Please remember us in your prayers as themembers work with other congregations in the area. We wish to keepin touch with our many friends. Phone (312) 967-9667.

HELP NEEDED

BELL DODD, Rt. 6, Box 200, Oxford, MS 38665 — This is an appealfor brother Ray Roberts, gospel preacher of Coffeeville, Alabama. Hiswife, Erline, suffered a massive heart attack last November requiring open heart surgery. Her extensive hospital stay resulted in a debt of$60,000. Ray had just dropped an insurance policy on which they hadpaid premiums for years. The reason for dropping the policy was a premium raise from over $300 per month to over $500 per month.These folks are worthy. Ray has preached in southwest Alabama formore than a quarter of a century and is a very able preacher. Forreferences contact Horace Hugging of Thomasville, Alabama or thewriter. You may contact Ray Roberts at: Rt. 1, Coffeeville, Alabama.Phone (205) 276-3341.

MIKE SCHMTTT, 6808 Oakdale Dr., Tampa, 33610 — We at theNortheast church in Tampa, Florida have just finished a week-long meeting with Ron Daly of Millington, TN doing the preaching. Andwhat preaching it was! Ron was a stranger to us at Northeast. We had heard good things about him, and he certainly did not disappoint us.Northeast is in an integrated neighborhood, and we have been trying to reach the people who live near the building with the gospel. Wethought that having a black man for a meeting might go a long waytoward proving our good intentions toward all people, so we contacted Ron and rented a tent to put up on the corner of our property. There are apartments all around the building and a 7-11 store across the street.

Ron came and used our big PA. to literally draw in the people withhis powerful and Scripture-packed preaching. He spoke for an hourevery night, quoting and explaining lengthy passages without oncelooking at any notes, and kept everyone's attention riveted upon the word of God. His powerful voice literally echoed the Scriptures off the walls of the surrounding apartments, causing people 2 blocks away tolisten from their porches. (I just got off the phone with a woman requesting that I come over and study this week with her and hergrown children — a direct result of this meeting). Before every servicehe was out by the road shaking hands with passers-by and urging themto come in — which several did right on the spot.

Every member of Northeast, both black and white, was tremendously impressed with Ron Daly, the man, and the preacher. We werelifted up, exhorted, encouraged and emboldened to go forward. Rondoesn't know I am writing this, and will probably be embarrassed, butI know that there are many churches across America that could usea man of his caliber if they only knew he was out there. He is neededto preach not only to blacks, but to all of us. He has recently lost 3/4 of his support, and is having to do secular work to support his family.He never complained about that, but it is a shame that a man of his talents is not able to work full time for the cause of Christ. There are many of us, both black and white, with far less ability who are free towork completely at preaching. Are there not churches or individualswho will meet this need? I believe so. Won't you? Ron Daly can becontacted at: P. O. Box 401, Millington, TN 38053. Phone (901) 8734254.

BARRY MARK PENNINGTON, Rt. 1, Box 12-B, Grand Saline, TX 75140—We have been with the work here for nearly a year. On April9, 1989 we had 90 present for morning worship. I preached in ameeting here in April with the house filled each night. We had a goodnumber from neighboring institutional congregations with severaldoors now open for further study. We also had a number of denominational people to come.

A new congregation has been established in Mineola, Texas. OnSunday morning, April 30, 1989, 34 people met in the old schooladministration building in Mineola. The new work will be known as the West McDonald Street church. Mineola is at the intersection of Highway 69 and Highway 80 (north of Tyler and Lindale, east ofGrand Saline, west of Longview). The meeting place is P. O. Box 963,Mineola, TX 75773. Phone (214) 569-3117. Ardie P. Brown of Carrollton, TX was to hold a meeting in June.

IN MEMORY OF T. E. WEBB

(1917-1989)

T. E. Webb, Texas preacher, passed away on May 1, 1989during open heart surgery. He was born June 12, 1917 in Fairfield,Texas. He was married to Minnie Rebecca Long and to this unionthree children were born. In 1941 they moved to the Gulf Coast ofTexas where they lived for 22 years. During this time he taught andbaptized M. Roy Stevens. They helped establish several new churches in the Brazosport area. He was a quiet man who workeddiligently and excelled in home Bible studies. He taught and baptized many precious souls. Funeral services were conducted onMay 3, 1989 before a large audience. The writer spoke and readthe obituary and W. R. Jones preached.

— Barry M. Pennington

GIANNI BERDINL Via Battisti 20, Nuggia (TS) 34015, Italy — We recently had a very successful meeting with Arrigo Corazza ofAllessandria, Italy speaking. He spoke on "What is the Bible?" and "Can We Trust the Bible?" These lessons were well illustrated with slides. The first night there were 100 in attendance, with 65 of thesebeing non-members. The second night about 80 came, with 45 of these being non-members. We had rented a hall and advertised with largeposters, radio and newspaper. It is highly unusual in Italy to drawthat many non-members (a total of 90 different ones for the twonights). The church in Trieste is much encouraged and we are following up all leads.

PAUL WILLIAMS, P. O. Box 324, Eshowe, 3815 South Africa — The church at Alra Park, Nigel were able to accommodate about300 people in their new church building for the lectures held March 24-26. The building seats 200 normally, but children were seatedon the platform and many people sat on folding chairs in the aisles.Most were blacks,, though there were whites, Indians and Coloureds. Brethren came from far and wide. A bus load of Indian brethren came from the Durban area, 100 miles south of Eshowe. The lectures were on first principles. On Friday afternoon there werefour hour-long lectures plus an hour of singing. Saturday morningthere were two lectures with three more in the afternoon. There was one on Sunday morning. All sermons were interpreted into Zulu andon Saturday into Northern Sotho as well. In my estimation the finest lectures were delivered by South Africans: Basil Cass on "Repentance," Leslie Maydell on "Baptism, What, Who, Why: andPaddy Kendall-Ball on "The Curse of Denominationalism. "

On March 30 the Eshowe church received permission from thetown council to use our rented building as a meeting place and the church had its first services there the weekend of April 8-9. We had 28Saturday evening, 35 Sunday morning and 24 Sunday evening. The building is quite adequate to our needs for sometime. With no carpetsor curtains the building has quite a ring to it, encouraging singers togive their best. On Saturday night we sang until we were breathless.We are located opposite the police station which makes it easy to directpeople to us.

PREACHERS NEEDED GLADESVILLE, WEST VIRGINIA—We are looking for a fulltime gospel preacher. Only apply if you preach the word exactly ascon-tained in the Bible. We are able to supply about $1,000 a month support. We have a house. We have about 54 in attendance.If interested please contact: Church of Christ, Route 1, Box 193,Independence, WV 26374, or call (304) 864-6721 or (304) 864-6835.

ALMAVLLLE, TENNESSEE — This congregation, located between Franklin and Murfreesboro, is looking for a full time gospelpreacher. We are small with about 30 in attendance. In the past wehave had only part-time preachers. The area has grownconsiderably and is potentially capable of much growth. We need aman who can do door-to-door work. We can supply about $500 a month, possibly more. For more information call: James King (615)395-4567.

PICTURES IN POETRY

P. J. Casebolt, who writes a column in this paper has publishedVolume I of a book of poetry. He is gifted in such writing. It is entitledPICTURES IN POETRY. All poems in Section 1 are BoyhoodMemories; Section II -Inspiration; Section HI - Seasons and Scenery;Section IV - Solitude and Serenity; Section V - Loving Memory, Living Tribute. There is a blend of tears, songs and laughter. The book is a neatly printed paperback and sells for $6. We are glad to recommend it. You may order it from: P. J. Casebolt, Route 1, Box 210, Middle-bourne, WV 26149.

SISTER MARIE

We met her in Tupelo, Mississippi. She has only been a Christianfor one year. She is the only black member of the church which meetson Hamm Road. She regularly brings visitors to the services and brought some to the gospel meeting in which I preached. She was included in three social gatherings to which we were also invited. Inthe summer she personally conducts a daily Bible school for one weekwith neighborhood children. Many come. She and her husband havebrought up four children and have seen them all obtain collegedegrees. At 67 she is still a hard working woman and has a keenappetite for the truth of the Bible. She is a respected sister in the Lordand we are richer for having her as a sister and a friend. By the way,I think I have seen as many integrated churches in Mississippi as Ihave anywhere in the country. In fact, over the last few years I haveseen more in the deep south than anywhere else. And why not? Wemust reach out the gospel to men and women of every race.

DRESSED FOR THE OCCASION

My brother, Wiley, has a knack for attracting unusual situations.Either that, or he has surely bent coincidence out of shape. During a meeting in which he preached in the deep south, a young preacherfrom another congregation came with a man to baptize after theirservice was over and most of the people had gone home. The localpreacher took them inside, showed the young preacher the garmentsfor baptism and the baptismal boots. He and Wiley sat down on the front row to witness the baptism. When the two men came down intothe baptistery, the preacher had on the fresh clothes for baptismand the man to be baptized had on the boots! It was too late to stopthem. When the preacher laid the man back beneath the water, he floated up, feet first, and there was quite an effort required to gethim back on his feet. I guess you could say there had been a "communication problem. "

PERSECUTION, ANYONE?

It took a persecution to scatter the disciples out of Jerusalem andinto a broadened effort to take the gospel into Samaria and ultimately"unto the uttermost part of the earth." I know a number of congregations which are abundantly blessed with talented men, many of whomare capable teachers and preachers of the Word. In fact, there aresome men like that in several congregations I know about than arelaboring in some states, and in a few cases, in a whole region of the country. Rudolfo Berdini and Sandro Corazza, both of Rome, Italy,have each told me that we ought to pray for them to have a severepersecution because the church in Italy grew faster under thosecircumstances than at any other time. And maybe we should considerthat here, too.

IN THE NEWS THIS MONTH

BAPTISMSRESTORATIONS(Taken from bulletins and papersreceived by the editor)	443 21