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1983 The Fundamentalist Journal

3-1983

Fundamentalist Journal, Volume 2, Number 3

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TUNDAI',If,NTALIATJOUPNALAdultery without

Sin?

A PragmaticProposal

A Critical Self.Evaluation of

Fundamentalism

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EDITORS'NOTE

n 1910 at the \7orld Missionary conference in Edin-burgh, a lengthy discussion centered around the themeof ecclesiastic synthesis. The movement to encourage

such unification was born then in thought and 38 years later,after the tragedy of two world wars, bom in actuality. Theworld applauded this movement dedicated to uniting thechurches of the world to battle evil and win the world toChrist. The \Uorld Council of Churches, as it was called, wasprojected to accomplish great gains for the cause of Christ.

In his article entitled "The Two-Headed Council: A LookAt the \ilorld Council of Churches and the National Councilof Churches," Stephen R. Clark examines the flagrant anddisastrous departure of the World Council of Churches fromits original intent. He details some of the atrocitiesperperated by revolutionaries funded by the l0fCC, all underthe guise of religion.

Every Christian would do well to read this article careful-ly, not only for his own information, but in order to standfirmly for truth against error. Christian believers whose chur-ches are members of the NCC or WCC need to realize howsome of their contributions are being used. Many sincere peo-ple do not realize the startling facts revealed in StephenClark's article and would be deeply distressed to know thatsome of their offerings are being sent to support Communistrevolution around the world. Clark's article deals with thetheology of the NCC and WCC. Next month we will featurethe activities of these two councils.

John Feinberg's article, "Adultery without Sin?" dealswith a much-debated topic confronting Christians regardingmoral conflicts created by opposing demands of authorityffgures. He presents a sound biblical base for his conclu-sions- which may surprise many. lt is a topic worth carefulstudy as all Christians will probably at some time in their livesbe confronted by dilemmas associated with chain of com-mand. Adultery without sin? Read and decide.

'Jerry Falwell Comments" reveals a proposal that may bestartling to many, but extremely necessary. Christians havestood by for too long as millions of abortions have been per-formed in the past 10 years. We have continued our outragedlaments-all to no legal avail. Time is against us. Preciouslives are being murdered daily. Progress has to be made.

Two new monthly features that we feel will be of vital in-terest have been added this month. In the editorial section,Cal Thomas presents thought-provoking, and often startlingfacts, in a column entitled, "Face the Facts." Richard Patter-son's "Treasures from the Text" gives interesting scripturalhighlights, providing for readers'greater insight into and appreciation for the \ford of God.

STAFF

Editor,Tornr Fah^roll

v v r a ] I

Mcnoging Editor'Nelson KeenerSenior Editors,Ed DobsonEd HindsonCoordinoting Editor,Ruth McClellcurNews Editor,Deboroh Hr.rffChurch Editor,Elmer L, TownsBook Editor'W Dovid BeckEditoriol Assistqnts'Zr+1- 'rrrn \ / IJmm] \ u t l ! I

Eorlene R. Goodwinl - inr 'kr /ar rntarvrr lvy vs rrvl

Duone WordCreotive Director'l)nknrt \A/ Raaqlorr

GropNcs/Desigrn,\Tonnan , a tnacnton \z lm

Jon W, CooperKeith RobrnsonDcrwn WeeklyPhotogrraphy,

Les SchoferLyrrrr Hortborger

Tlpognophers,Sue Driskill

Angelo SrmonsSheri Boyd

Editorial Boord,Tmmon Dollcr, Chorrmqri

Verle Ackermcu-iRoymond BorberDovld Jeremioh

John RowlingsJcrck Wyrtzen

Wendell Zimmermcr-r

Stcrtement ol PunposeThis mogczine is committed to the hisloric fundqmeniqls ol the Chis-

ticm fcdttr biblical sepcrcrtion moro] crlcsolutes, the pdorlty ol lhe locqlchurch, qnd world evcngelizction Although no mqgczlne or individuqlccrr speqk lor the overqll Fundcrnentolist movement, it is ouj desire tocrecte q lorum to encourcrge Christicrn leodership crnd stclesrnonship tosicnd lor the old{ime religion in these criticql dcrys. We will exctrnine mql-ters ol contemporcu'y inlerest lo qll Fundcrmenlalists, provlding cn opendisc\rssion of divergenl opinions on relevcnl issues, The tUndonentdlistJournal will also recffim our history cnd heritoge. cE well cE point thewcry to our plqce in the futue,

Rmdctrtrentallst Joumql is published montily, Il issues per yeor, by Old-Time Gospel Hour. Poslcge is paid clt Lyncbbug, Virginic& cnd odditionolmqiling ollices. Address qll correspondence to FundctrnentallstJournal, Lynchbug, vtryrtntc 2 .514.Ccmcdlcm Offlce, Box 5O5, Rtchmond HiL Ontcrio UC 4Y8.Adverttstng, Scrn Pcrte Associates Inc., P.O, Box zl3l5, Lynchbug, Virgtniq24fr2(rcqn7-no3Subscrlptlon $10.95 q yectr (11 rssues) in US., Outside U.S, odd $5,OOpostoge prepcdd US. curency. $1,95 pel issue,CftctrIge ol Addres$ Vuhen ordering o chcnge ot qddess, pleqse refumyour old mcriling lcrlcel alongwith the new oddress, Allow lourweeks lor qchcmge.Submlsslons, Mcnuscripts submitted to Fundoenlqllsl Jorrlnql shouldbe occompqnied by sell-addessed envelopes qnd refum postqge.Rlblisher crssumes no responsibility lor rehnn oI unsolicited mqteriol,Mcnuscripls unqccompcnied by rehm postqge will not be returned tosender.A[ mqteriql in this issue is subjed to U.S. crld intemcrtioncl copyright lcrws.Permission to reproduce mqy be obtoined by writing to F\rndcmenlollstJoumql01982, Old-Tirne Gospel Hour,

FUNDAMENTAUST JOURNAL

Volume 2/Number 3

TUNDAMENTALI.$TJOUPNAL Mcrchl9fft

Artlcles

M The TwoHeqded Council, A Look at theWorld Council ol Churches ondtheNcrflonal Councll ol ChurchesStephen R. Clcrk

Adultery without Sin?Inhn Q Foinlurn

Bcrptsts crnd SlcnreryEmest V. Liddle

J, Gresham Mqchen, Vqlicrnt lor thrthJcnrres A Borlcu'rd

3240 oo.,t o*t,

Tom Wclloce

C:Z who will rer rhem?Jenv Fcrlwell

1822

Editoricls

aL./

I

11

Jerry Fclwell CommentsA hagrmctic Proposcl

PerspecllveGods Priority, Orgcrnize to EVcrngelizeVS Ackermcs-r

Face tlre FcctsCol Thomos

t\rndanientaltsm TodcryA Ctitical Sell-Evolucrtion olF\:ndqmentqlismEd Dobson cu-rd Ed Hindson

T2

66 socrp BoxMcrr without o CcanpDolos Arrsley

Fecrtures

26 o&AAn InteMew withWendell Zimmermon

.\ -1

JI Bble shrctyNcanes ol JesusJerome Stewcu-t

34 firunder tn lhe PulpitThe Good Flght ol FcrithSermon bv J Greshom Mqchen

37 BookReportA llme lor Anger,lhe Myth ol NeutolityRich Chrisilcms in cn Age ol HungerProduc'tive Christicns in cn Age ol GuiltManipulotors

44 Trecsures lrom the T€rtRtchord D Potterson

47 rrunx About ItBob Lorson

49 Pcstofs ProllleIrnpcctirpr o Secuching CityDuone Wcrd

50 cn*"h uptlcrte

A,A

Plcrnting New ChurchesEimer L Towrs

Successftrl Tecchlng IdeasVcriety in ViewpoiniMcrre Chcrpmcn-r

News

6,4,

60For Your Inlormation

World Religious News

64 Mchigcn Christian Schools Mqke StqndIor Religior:s LibertyMoc Broke

Apprcciolton...

Here qre just o lew words to ex.press my deepe$ crppreciction olyour ond your stcdfs ministry in theproduction oI the RrndqnorilolldJoumcil to dqte.'lhis lctest issue thorougily blessedmy heort ond chollenged my mind.Ol especiol profll to me were the cu-ticles by Hqrold Willmingrton cnrdCql Thomas Both were right to thepoini!

Moy the coming yecr see stillgneoter subscriber interest qnd ihereqlizqtion ol yow gools lor theperiodicol ol which we hoveolreody enJoyed the first tuits.

Donqld R, RickqrdsLiberty Baptist CollegeLynchburg, Virginio

I mut wdte ond odd my nqme tothe evergnowing list ol those whocre very pleosed with your newpublicotion. I flnd mysell reqdirg itfrom cover to cover, underliningmcny ol the cnilcles, crnd reterring tothem ogoin crrd cgcrin. Jonuoq/sissue, concentcflng on the togedyol qborflorr wos zuperb.

Doctor Brennqn's qrticle con-trcstlng qbortion with the Nqdholocqust brought out mcny irnpor-tont points. The issue ol tcmperingwith the lcrrgrucge to solten orobscue the truth hos olwcrys dis-turbed me. The degree ot"newspeok" exercisecl by the pro-qbortionists is truly (or lalsely)remcnkcdcle.

An ideo cqme to me qs I read thisissue wNch mcry hcrve some effectin tuming the tde, qt leqst in the cueqol "linguistc hlpocrlsf' mentionedby Dr. Brenncn. I suggest lhcrt everycommitted Christiqn add ninemonths to their qges (sorry lcdies)crnd stqrt celebrcrting the qnniver-scry ol their "liledcry." This, cdter qllwqs lhe dcry when we become qviqble lile to Him Who creqted us.Our ncrtvity wos merely qnolherstep in that lile wNch hod tulybegun some nine months belore.

Lcrwrence H, DLlbe'PqstorChurch ol the Holy SpiritZion Illirnols

PFud, but...

As I read my llrst issue ol yourmogcdne my hecrt wcs swollenwith pride qs eqch qrflcle suc-cessively inspired qnd inlormed withbcslc, stroightlorword qnd lun-dcrnentql Chrlsflcrr docmne. that tsto scry untll I reqd the lcst one onpcge 66,@ec. 1982).

Thls qrtlcle obout Bob JonesUnlversity cqused me to leel shcnne.It remlnded me qlresh ol thehypocrlsy thct hos been so hcrmtulto the "Body ol Christ'during the lqstl9OO or so yectrs The seeming en-dorsement ol B,J.U, ln thjs mcrtter byJerry Fclwell who Just some monthsbelore hod thundered over ncrflonqlT.V. that "Chrisilcrrs cre color blind"gcrve me cl sick leeli:rg to the very pilol my being.Thls teeli::g wqs com-pounded when the arflcle went onto ridicule cnrother denomtnqton lortcktng o stong stqnd on the side olChrist qbout the lssue oI women inthe priesthood or worse yet, its stondogcdns{ homosexuolity h some sortol crr cttempt to give credulity lo therocist position ol B.J.U.

I choose to believe thcrt Christionsol qll denomincrtions cpplcud sup-port, cnd thonk God lor those whodrqw q line between the tNngrs olthis world qnd the things ot Christcmd then stond lost! The qrticle'sproud ossertion that blocks qttendB,J.U. only reminds me thqt rqcism isnot only o problem olthewhite rqce.

The csilcle did send me lo theScriptures lor comlort qnd ossuronceconceming the fundcrnentcl prin-ciples involved cnrd the verseswhere I tound scrtislqction ln theWord were, Num. D,L (Josephus con-firms thct Moses took on Etilopicnwile belore Zipporoh) and Jer. 1323shotrld erqse cmy doubt qs to thescripturcl identiflcation ol on Ethio.picn. (See olso Acts 1028, Acts10,3435, AcE 1726, ccl. 328 cmd Eph.2,Ill9,)

Rev, Fqlwell I crn crnong themcmy who cne grrcteful to God loryolr" yoru colling, and your firmstqnd in the gospel oI our Lord qrrdScnrior, Jesus Christ, but I qm goireg toploy thcl the Lord will cquse you torectssess this B.J.U, poticy qnd to sostqte in crr upcoming issue,

Russell S. CostleberryHccnisburg, Oregron

Alllrmdlve'fe"-qdlon

Prqise the Lordl Thot is myresponse to Joseph Brown's crticleon "Meeting the Spiritucl Needs inthe Blqck Community." It is q sodcommentory on "white Hrndomen-tolistJ' thcrl over the yecrs, we hcrvedone more hqrm thqn good lor ourblqck brothers orrd sisters in Christ,lhcrve ofien wondered how cnyonecot-tld claim to be q Chri$icrr crrd beq rociol bigot crt lhe sqme time. Godqlone will judge whether it is possi-ble to be both.

While I om normolly not o gnectbeliever in "cdtirmqtive oction" pro-grcnns, I would like to see our whiteFundqmentqlist Bible Schools under.tqke q vigorous eflort in seeking(recruiting) blqck students thotwould not ordincrily be qble to qt-tend our schools beccuse of finoncesond/or qcqdemic shortcomings,qnd hqin those individuols. Orrlythen will we see more Rndcrnen.tolist preochers in the pulpits ol lheblock churches in Americo.

It must be hord lor people likeJoseph Brown to see white chuchespour millions ol dollqrs into theevongelization oI Block Alrico ondnot even o token word of en.courogement lor the blqck ministryin our own country. Mcy God helpt]I;!

Jomes Burt. PqstorWohut Ridge Bcptist ChurchWcrterloo. Iowq

FUNDAMENTALIST JOUI?NAL

Ilgtlttly <ltYldlng...

Your recent review ol fire Wordol Truth by Dole Moody is notewor-thy beccruse, like mcmy others, yourecogrnize this book os ol singrulcr im-portonce. Beccruse it is the lirstsystemctic theology to be publishedby o Southem Bcptist in more thqnfifty yecrs, you do well to give itserious qttention. Your negctiveevolucrtion of the book hqs o two-pcrt source. First, you take issue withcertqin theologicol positions, such osqtonement cnd opostosy, You hcrveevery right to do this cnd your reoc-tion is certoinly commonploce. Bulsecond. you distort ond misepresentDr. Moody's positions. This is unprofes-sionql journolism ond producesuruelioble reviews. You hove noright to do tNs

You wtote, "Moody's book is to beIcrulted qt the core. Truth is not merely thot wNch is cohereni..." Moodynever scrys thot truth shotrld becoherent. Your review itsell earlierquotes his position coneclly, ncnnelythot theologry is to be coherenl, Cer-tcrirrly we qll would wish theologicolwriting to be coherent even when ittrects oI hecrvenly themes

You quote Moody's comporcrtiveevqlucrtion oI vcrious portions ol theBible. His evoluotion oI CorintNorrsover Chronicles is simply otheologrical expression ol whqt qllChrislicn preochers do in the pulpit.Moody is obsolutely correctl The ex-position ol CorintNons from thepuipit tokes priority over the e:rposi-tion ol Ctuonicles! The irony oI youropposition is thqt Dole Moody is thetirst Southern Bcptist Theologricn everto toke the Old Testoment seriously.(I1 you hcrve doubts, pick up Dogg,Boyce, Multins or Conner ond counttheir OT relerences!) Your "presumption" thqt the biblicql histories qre in-corsequentiol to Moody is even fiu-ther removed lrom loct. No Baptistexegrete todoy tokes with moreseriousness qnd delends with morevigor the importcrnce crrd occurocyoI tl.e historicol nqrrqtive. Youchcuge that he distrusts the "Iqchroldqto" oI the Bible. Aside lrom ploceswhere he difiers in interpretction Ichollenge you to find o single in-stqnce where Moody expressesdoubt cdcout biblicql locts. Your oneexomple, regording Eden ismonilestly wrong. Moody writes'"Eden wos cr ploce on the mcrp, butwe do nol know where." p. l9l.

For mony oI us committed to theChristiqn truths cs interpreted by theBcrptisf theologricol trqdition. MoodYsbook is o grreot delight. His con-

fidence in the inspirotion qndcuthority ol God's Word his lecrlesscpprecicrtion lor non-Bcrptist trodi-tions cnd his bold integnotion oIScriphue with non-biblicql truth is owelcomed qddition to our Bcrptistheriioge. As Bcrptist posiors we needto ogrree with every conclusion oI otheologrion to proft prolessioncllyqnd spidtuqlly from the work. Morethcm most, Moody helps us to rightlydivide the word oI truth.

Dwight Moody, PqsiorNorth Pcsk Bcptst ChurchAllison Pork Pennsylvoniq

I wcmted to write ond let youknow how much I cppreciote yourFundcrncrdcdld Journsl I thonk ttreLord lor your fine mogodne ond lortelling it like it is in our world todcry,both on religior.rs ond seculcu issues.Keepup the goodwork!

Chcules R. JonesCoopersville, MicNgon

Glcrlng Contrqdlctlon...

I noted with interest the orticle byRobert Allen in your November l9Aissue entitled. 'Must o F\rndomen-tolist Fight?'Allen notes well that theBible does commqnd Cfuistiqns tohcrve "fellowship" ond to "love oneonother," This principle, which is setlorth so cleculy in First CorintNqrs D,needs lo be observed by qll Fun-dcrnentolists. However. Allen hosgone to the other extreme. "Themthct sin rebuke belore oll thcrt olhersolso mcry leor" (l Tim, 5,2O) hos noploce in his qrticle.

Furthermore, Ns relerence to CorlMclntire's supposed "dominqtion" olthe Americqn Council oI ChristionChurches (ACCC) is inoccurate. Thisstqtement is mode in the sqmeporogroph which deqls with"monulocfuring" the "doctrinol basisfor o fight." To qttock Dr. Mclntire'schqrqcter in this method controdictsthe very subject wNch the orticlepurports to be discussing, There wosq cleor doctrinql issue qt stqke, Themoin ogitolors in the corrllict wereqttempting to soften the ACCC's posi-tion conceming Biblicol seporcrtion.History hos proven thot this wqs qvolid point (e.9. the then-president olthe ACCC, Dr. J. Philip Clork prob-obly the chiel ontogonist ogoirst the"McIntire" position, hqs sincerepudioted his connectiors even

with the ACCC crnd is o cNel leaderin the mission qctivities oI thePresbytericrr Church in Americq,which is solidly New Evcngelicol).This is orrly one ol mony instcrnceswhich could be mentioned.

On the other hond, Dr, DonoldMcKnight. the then-vice-president olthe ACCC. crnd who wos presidingwhen the mqin eruption took plocein the ACCC. hos maintcrined hisstrict Fundqmentolist position. Eventhough still serving with the ACCC,he is scheduled to speok qt theEleventh World Congress ol the Irrter-notionql Council ol ChristiqnChurches ol wNch Dr, Mclntire ispresident.

For Mr. Allen to speok oI this situq-tion in this mqnner, not orrly doesgrrect injustice to historicql loct, but iso gloring controdiction to the veryintent ol his qrticle,

Brqd K Gsell EditorRelormqtion ReaderChombersburg, Pennsylvonio

l{e unlcome your comments and will includethem in our ktten to the Mltor section os srycepermits - subject to andensation at the disoe-tion of the editorial staff.

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JTPPY PALVELL COMMtrNT6

A Pragmatic Proposal

nother year has passed. Again in 1982 we as Chris-tians stood by while almost one and one halfmillion babies were slaughtered. The stench of our

national sin made many of us sick. 'We

continued to declarethat nothing can change the fact that abortion is the murderof human life; but abortions continue to occur daily all acrossour nation, and we Americans are blatantly flaunting ourlack of respect for the sanctity of human life. Ve heard wlithinour conscience the cries of innocent unborn children echoinglouder.each day, and we marveled at the long-suffering anjthe forbearing mercy of God. So all during 1987 we contLuedour laments against abortion-the same cries we had beenvoicing for ten years-all to no legal avail.

I am not a pessimist, indeed, I would call myself an op.timist. But I am also a pragmatist, and with each dav thatpasses, abortion becomes more and more acceptable toAmerican citizens. So I have been forced to acknowiedqe thatthe chances of winning our purist goals regarding abortionhave declined frighteningly and grow worse daily.

Recllty hcs lorced me to underslcndthal strclegry changes had to be madell cny drcnce ol c slgnlllccnt prclllevlctory ls to be reallzed,

Several months ago I became convinced that I had to takea new course of action. Time is against us. The carnage ofhuman lives does not stop. And yet I believe that therehaybe time for an eleventh-hour comeback and a great victory ifwe as veterans of the proJife movement immediately conquerthe divisiveness within our ranks by working togetherpragmatically. For this reason I have been calling upon theproJife movement to produce less demandi.tg p.o.lifi legisla-tion for Congress to consider. Reality has forced -. tounderstand that strategy changes had to be made if anychance of a significant pro-life victory is to be realized.

. Immediately, and predictably, I was attacked for my stand.This is nothing new to me. The mainstream of my life haselicited vicious attack. The cries of one and one half millionbabies a year weigh much heavier on my mind than thevitriolic questioning by idealists in the pro-life movementwho would prefer to hide behind a strong wall-,,resistingcompromise"-than to seriously reason together,

It is critical that the pro-life movement unite behind lessdemanding legislation than it has previously espoused. This

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has nothing to do with abandoning convictions. I believethat doing all I can do now means taking one step at a time toachieve total victory in the firture. This does not mean that Ihave ceased being an optimist.

I am determined to save as many unborn lives as possible,as soon as possible. !7e must petition Congress for the bestpossible bill, without waiting (or a perfect bill. I think we aregoing to have to be willing to delay obtaining our ideal andallow for some of the present exceptions dealing with rape, in-cest, and the life of the mother in order to save 90 percent ofthe 1.5 million babies who are dying every year. This is winna.ble legislation.

_ It is time that all pro-lifers unite and confront the realitythat the pro-life movement will eventually lose any oppor-tunity to pass significant legislation to protect the unbornunless the movement moderates its demands, The seriousnessof the hour demands that we put aside our personalpreferences and idealism so that history never records that wedenied life to 90 percent of the unborn, because we could notsave 100 percent.

PtrP6PTCTIVfl

Certainly each of those is essential for abalanced ministry. Accomplishing the"work of the ministry" (Eph. 4:12)allows for that variety of expression.Yet, we must be certain that organiza-tion and variety of expression are themeans to God's end, soulwinningevangelism.

Satan will not launch a direct attackon the validity of this priority. Rather,he deceives us into promoting to priori-ty status things that are merely themeans to the end. Thereby, he causes achurch to become ineffective and un-productive in accomplishing God'spriority. The things promoted may begood and important, but they aresecondary, not primary, the means andnot the end. Jesus Christ made it clearthat "these things" are secondary inGod's kingdom. "Seek ye first. . . and allthese things shall be added" (Matt.6:33). \7hen we sit back and con-gratulate ourselves on success when themeans has been accomplished, we havebeen deceived. We have merely pro.moted the means to priority status.

The ushers look impressive as theycome marching in on the second stanzaof the first hymn. And the seatingushers flawlessly fill every seat and keepeveryone happy in the process. "My,"we say to ourselves, "isn't our churchwell organized?" But why are weorganized? Is our full calendar of socialactivities evidence ofspiritual success? Ifpeople leave our services with the preci.sion of the ushers ringing in their mindsand the fullness of their week's ac-tivities uppermost in thought, God'spriority has been missed. Choirmembers all sit at the same time: theservice proceeds according to plan; theoffering plates are passed systematical-ly; and we attend every activity-butwhy? Remember, God's priority is allwrapped up in changing l ives.Therefore, activities must be providedfor the fellowship of the saints. Everyfacet of the service must be organized so

by V.S. Ackerman

nothing detracts the heart's attentionfrom the ministry of the Word, so theHoly Spirit can freely move in thosenearts.

Let us not misunderstand. Everyministry of the church must be or.ganized. Things should flow smoothly.The church's Commission is of para-mount importance, so it must be effi.cient! But why? Not just to be wellorganized, but to.provide for thesmooth and effective flow of God'smessage from the Word into the heartsof men and women.

One pastor thought his desk was"organized" when the "stack" was neat-ly "squared up" and carefully placed onthe corner. Another accomplished thesame effect by scooping the contents ofthe desk top into a handy drawer. Effi-cient? Yes, if the priority is a neat desk.But effective and productive? Hardly!No one is nearer in fellowship to hisLord or nearer to His kingdom justbecause the desk is neat.

God's priority, and our goal, mustalways be couched in terms that areproductive and effective. It must alwaysrevolve around people with needs-people whose lives need to be changedby the Word. No doubt we feel a senseof satisfaction when the visitationrecords are in order, the hospital visitsare made expeditiously, the secretariesare working orderly and harmoniously,and the Sunday school curriculumfrom cradle to grave covers every facetof Bible doctrine three times over.None of these are bad; in fact, all aregood and need more attention frommost of us. But a sense of pride from be-ing organized is not sufficient reason toorganize. We may be efficient, but doesour efficiency make us productive? Orare efficiency and organization the endsin themselves?

Now, here is the crux of the matter.'!7e must ask ourselves, "How does our

being organized increase the responseto the invitation on Sunday morning?

God's Priority: Organize to Evangelizerespond to many requests tospeak on organization and ad.ministration. But in fulfilling

those requests, I have become con-cerned that our attempts to organizemay divert our attention from God'sreal priority for the church, that ofsoulwinning evangelism.

God has established some prioritiesfor the church as well as for individuals.He says, "This is important; everythingelse is secondary and subservient."God's priority for every individualChristian is to be Christlike, so thatmany others may find Christ (Rom.8:29). As long as this objective is thefocus, the believer is free to express hisor her individuality. Individual dif-ferences then become the means for ac-complishing God's priority.

The church's priority is soulwin-ning, the "end" toward which all meanspoint. Christ made His priority for thechurch, and therefore our end, clear inHis Great Commission. ("Go vetherefore. . . " Matt. 28:19,70.) Obvious-ly, Fundamental Baptists believe this.Its declaration in any forum brings ahearty chorus of "amens."

To accomplish soulwinning, achurch's ministries and programs mustbe well organized. In this organization,every church will be different. The pro-motional Sunday school campaign thatdoubles the attendance in one churchmay cause no enthusiasm at all inanother. People differ. The spiritual at-mosphere differs. Thus, each church'sministry becomes distinctive. Some areknown for their missions programs,some for the thoroughness of visitationor follow-up, some for music, andothers for strong preaching ministry.

alL

V.S. Ackerman ispastor of First BaptistChurch, W est Hollywood,Florida, and President ofBaptist Bible F ellowship.

MARCIJ]9&3

Who has been saved because we are organized? How areChristians growing spiritually because things go smoothlyl"

We denounce the tendency of the more liberal element fortheir promotion of a "social gospel"-not because we think itwrong to feed hungry people, but because they make the cor-rection of social ills their priority. They have elevated themeans to the status of end. When the great Deceiver is able todeceive us into thus misplacing emphasis, he stymies our ef-fectiveness and productivity.

Now, let us evaluate. How do all our activities contributeto God's priority of soulwinning evangelism? What contribu-tions do the Christian school, youth, and music ministriesmake? God-given, soulwinning fervor can be sidetracked anddampened by the premature or unbalanced organization ofeven good ministries such as these. It is good to organize, butlet's make certain that organization is the means to God's endand not the end itselfl'When

each choir member senses that the choir's attentionto musical excellence and its platform decorum contribute toreceptiveness of the people to God's Word; the ushers'prayers before the service and orderly execution of their func-tion enhance the atmosphere of worship and reverence; thecareful attention given to visitation records and procedurescommunicates to the one making the visit that a soul's eter-nal destiny hangs in the balance; then a well-organizedchurch program says, "God's priority is our priority. These

things are essential to accomplish that priority."At this point individual expression enters the picture.

First, establish that God's priority will be your priority(soulwinning evangelism). Second, begin with the spiritualneeds of your people. \Vhat must our church do to be effec-tive at soulwinning evangelism? \ilhat ministries are needed?How should those ministries be organized?

From this point on, every church.will assume individualcharacteristics, Some churches minister to the masses in theinner city, some to the elderly in retirement communities,some to new people in rural areas, and some in rapidly chang-ing neighborhoods. But the priority of each is soulwinningevangelism. Each church's organization must be built uponits ministry of changing lives by God's \ilord.

Now, organization has a purpose. No fundamental Chris-tian can be truly satisfied unless the priority is accomplished.Altars filled with people being saved, baptismal waters stirred,and salvation reports from visitation make all the difference.Then we are ready for the challenge of completely fulfillingthe Great Commission. New converts must be taught andgrow spiritually so that they can become involved in soulwin.ning. Now the music is sweeter, the message more loving;there is peace in people's hearts and a warm joy about "their"church-all because organization is in its proper place, it is ameans to soulwinning evangelism. D

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eligious liberty and the freedom to worship, as wellas freedom of speech, are in trouble in America.Want some examples?

My friend \0Uallace Henley, former White House aide andnow pastor of McElwain Baptist Church in Birmingham,Alabama, has put some examples of the threat to religiousliberty on paper.

In Birmingham (and, I might add elsewhere as well) theschool board issued a directive to all public schools, whichbanned any mention of the religious meaning of Christmas.Later, the order was modified: Teachers were allowed to men.tion the religious connection, but only if a pupil asl<s,

In Boulder, Colorado, a sixth grader was assigned to writeher autobiography. The public school child had picked up theclosed attitude of her teachers and schoolroom and told hermother that she was concerned about identifuing herself as aChristian.

In New York, high school students tried to exercise theirfreedom to gather, voluntarily, before school, for prayer. TheSchool Board declared the students could not meet on schoolproperty-though parents of those youngsters pay taxes aswell as non-believing parents. The United States SupremeCourt upheld the school board.

In Alabama, an agnostic brought suit against the MobileSchool Board for permitting the saying of grace at lunchtime.The State Legislature considered a bill permitting voluntaryprayer in the public schools, and several Baptist pastors and

denominational executives testified AGAINST the bill.In Nebraska, a Baptist church was closed and padlocked

by the County Sheriff, under state orders, and the pastorjailed, because the church refused to seek a state license tooperate its school.

In Wichita Falls, Texas, a pastor was arrested and taken tojail at gunpoint for "failure to maintain locomotion" duringstreet preaching.

Faith Christian Homes, Forrest City, Arkansas, takesabused children who are rejected by the state. Operators ofthe home believe state licensing makes the state sovereign,not God. They refused licensing, and the state threatened toclose the home.

Meanwhile, people like James Dunn, executive director ofthe Washington-based Baptist Joint Committee on Public Af-fairs, lambastes President Reagan as a political demagogue forproposing a Constitutional Amendment permitting volun-tary prayer in public schools. Dunn and former U.S. Con-gressman and Baptist pastor John Buchanan, serve on theboard of Norman l-ear's People for the American Way. Thatgroup is at the forefront of the effort to restrict religiousfreedom, and Baptists, who have long believed in separationof church and state but never separation of church FROMstate, ought to consider defunding the Baptist Joint Commit-tee. \Touldn't it be ironic if it were Baptists who allowed otherBaptists to take away the precious religious freedom for whichthey and we have fought so long and hard to win?

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MARCT{1983

by Ed Dobson and Ed Hindson

t has been well said that one's strength often becomesone's weakness. This is true of Fundamentalism, just asit is of other movements. The qualities that make Fun-

damentalism the dynamic and powerful religious movementthat it is today may also be blown up out of proportion andthereby become its most inherent dangers as well. Tencharacteristic weaknesses of Fundamentalism are evident tothe unbiased observer:

l. Little capocity for self -oiticism. Because of its strong com-mitment to biblical truth, Fundamentalism tends to levelscathing criticisms at Liberalism and the ecumenical move.ment and, in general, all ecclesiastical groups and organiza-tions that are not a part of its own movement. By contrast,however, Fundamentalism is extremely sensitive to any self-criticism, causing a tendency to become overly defensive andingrown. Constructive self-criticism is vital in order to main-tain the vitalitv and direction of the movement. Fundamen-talism must avoid the extreme tendency to blast, label, andexcommunicate anyone and everyone who raises even theslightest objection to its beliefs and methods.

2. Overemphasis on external spirituality. One of the greatweaknesses within Fundamentalism is the tendencv tooveremphasize externals when dealing with spiritual issues, tothe neglect of equally significant internal matters.Evangelicals are often quick to point out that spirituality iswhat you are, not just what you do. A proper understandingof spiritual maturity, however, cannot divorce what you dofrom what you are. Vhat you do is a reflection of what youare, and Fundamentalists rightly understand that. But, in soemphasizing the significance of actions as reflective of one'sbelief, there is a tendency within Fundamentalism to reduceits emphasis on spirituality to only what you do and toneglect the importance of what you are. Certainly there aretimes when people pass all the external tests related to smok.ing, drinking, appearance, habits, and so on, and still remainbitter, hostile, unloving, and lustful. Fundamentalism as amovement certainly cannot argue that its strong emphasis onbelief and external behavior has left it relatively free frommorality crises. On the other hand, wholesale capitulation toaccepting spirituality as merely an internal attitude of themind and heart can be very destructive. One can makeethical matters so ethereal that they have no practical expres-sion at all. Today, more than ever before, there are strong

t2

FundamentalismFrom the book The Fundamentalist Phenomenon. @ 1981 b\ lern Falwell. Published by'

Doubkdal and G.

correctives at work within Fundamentalism to keep it proper-ly balanced in this regard.

3, Resistance to chnnge. Since the basic mentality of Fun.damentalism involves nonconformity to secular culture, ittends to produce resistance to change of any kind. This oftenresults in overreaction to fads. For example. manv Fun-damentalists preached against sideburns, wire.rimmedglasses, and flare-bottomed pants during the early seventiesrbecause of a supposed association with the hippies. In time,

Every lssue thcil arlses wlthln themovemenl musl be evqluqted on thebcds ol whcil the Blble alone leqdresand not who yells lhe loudest.

flare-bottomed pants became so stylish that the clothing com.panies were producing only that kind of pants. Some church.es went to such an extreme that they provided seamstressesto ensure that flare-bottomed pants be redesigned intostraight-leg pants, so as not to compromise with worldliness.However, in time, several Fundamentalist leaders began towear flare-bottomed pants, and then flare-bottomed pantswere no longer an issue for the vast majority of Fundamen-talists.

4, Eleuation of minor issues. Because of our resistance to thecorrupting influence of society, we tend to elevate minorissues into a place of focus and attention that often neglectsmajor issues. There is a strong pharisaical tendency amongFundamentalists that must be faced honestly to ensure thatthe "weightier matters" are not neglected. Some have battledviolently over the issue of ladies wearing slacks, the inspira.tion of the King James Version only, and, in Holiness-fundamental circles, over whether "lifting hands" to Godmeans that we are to lift both hands at the same time orwhether everyone is to lift one hand collectively. \fhile theseissues have a place of honest concern to many sincere andwell-meaning people, they must be recognized as side issuesand not the central issues of Christianity. One will search in

$.xL.

FUNDA\4EMAIIST JOURNAI

vain through the original editions ofThe Fundrnnentals to find such kind ofbickering. It simply is not there.Nobody was arguing in those daysabout whether one should retain amoustache or beard in order to keepthe dignity of the nineteenth centuryalive, or whether it was acceptable to beclean-shaven and thereby appear to be"modern," Every issue that ariseswi th in the movement must beevaluated on the basis of what the Biblealone teaches and not who yells theloudest.

5. Tfu temptation to add to the gospel.While no true Fundamentalist wants toadd anything to the gospel (the death,burial, and resurrection of JesusChrist), there is nevertheless a strongtemptation to do just that. Some havethe tendency to express themselves insuch a manner as to imply that onlytheir particular understanding of Chris-tianity really represents the gospel.Preaching on Bible prophecy, thedispensations, the evils of evolution,the ecumenical movement, and risingheresies certainly have their place, butthey are not the gospel. Hence it ispossible to attend a Fundamentalistchurch and hear a great deal ofpreaching about and against all sorts ofthings, yet almost never hear thegospel. The central focus of all biblicalpreaching should be the Person andwork of Christ. He is the topic. His

resurrection our Good News, and call-ing people to faith in Him for theirsalvation is our task. Anything otherthan that may be legitimate in its place,but it must never supersede the cen-

Tlre ttme has come lortrue Rrndqmentallsts andslncere Evcurgellccls torlse cbove the e*cesslvelcbeltng crrd llstlng olPeople, groups, qndsclrools.

trality of proclaiming the message ofsalvation in Jesus Christ.

6, Ouerdependence on dynanic leadcr-ship. \ilithin the Fundamentalist Move-ment there is very little concern for suc-cession or perpetuity. Fundamentalismhas been a movement of dynamicleaders committed to the task of chang-ing their generation for the cause ofChrist and providing unparalleledleadership within Christianity. It isclear, however, from the study of thehistory of Fundamentalism that, oncethese individuals have passed off thescene, their movements have usuallydied with them. Very few have beenable to leave behind well-established

organizations to carry on the task oftheir ministry. If Fundamentalism is toeffect a perrnanent change in Americain the generations ahead, it must beginnow to build the churches and schoolsthat will effectively carry forth itsmessage to the next generation.

7, Excessive won'J or)er labels andassociations. In the desire to be purefrom the world, Fundamentalists havetended to develop a kind of paranoidmentality toward the world they aretrying to reach. This has been true ofthe Evangelical Movement as well. Onefinds that evangelical literature is filledwith statements about the importanceof reaching racial minorities, but an in-vestigation of evangelical churches willshow that they rarely practice whatthey preach in this area. In fact, it issafe to sav that Fundamentlist church-es are actually reaching more of them ino r i t y popu la t i on t han theEvangelicals. For example, althoughthe average evangelical church hasfewer than two hundred members, it issafe to say that Dr. Jack Hyles's FirstBaptist Church of Hammond, Indiana,with its extensive Sunday schoolministry to minority children, isreaching thousands of young people inthe minority communities. It wouldtake at least one hundred evangelicalchurches even to compare with what

continued on page 43

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MAJQCH 1983

&',-ftY'

t began as a noble enough idea-bring the Americanand the world churches into unity under one commonbanner, thus creating a stronger base from which to

battle evil and win the world for Christ. lt was an idea thatwon worldwide plaudits.

The idea for such a movement to encourage ecclesiasticsynthesis had taken seed in 1910 at the World Missionaryconference in Edinburgh. Thirty-eight years later, followingtwo world wars, the \forld Council of Churches (WCC) wasofficially born in Amsterdam in what has been called a burstof "ecumenical euphoria."

Signing the original charter were 147 church organizationsrepresenting 44 countries. Protestant denominations from theUnited States signing on included the Reformed Church inAmerica, the American Lutheran Church, the MethodistChurch, the Presbyterian Church, and the ProtestantEpiscopal Church. Notably absent from this impressive rosterof founding members were the Roman Catholic Church andthe Southern Baptists. Today, 32 church denominationsbelong to the United States National Council of ChurchesNCC).

For many, the inauguration of the WCC represented thebeginning of a golden era for church cooperation and ac-complishment. Charles Paul Conn, a visiting scholar at Har-vard University who has studied the WCC, characterizesthose early days as full of shining idealism: "It promised to be,in that day of bright beginning, simply a 'fellowship ofchurches which accepts our Lord Jesus Christ as God andSavior,' a nonpolitical forum for dialogue and cooperationamong the many Christian organizations around the globe"

IA

'&,:,;

1,{r

A Look at theWorld Council of Churches

and theNational Council of Churches

(Saturday Er.,ening Posr, May,{une 1982).Conn further points out that the limits of the purposes

and motivations of the resplendent new WCC were carefullydelineated as spiritual and not political in nature. Theprimary concern was espoused to be the establishing of thelordship of Christ around the world.

The high point of the \ilCC and its ecumenical ecstasywas in 1954 when it held its second assembly in Evanston, Il-Iinois. The idealism behind the drive for solidarity among theworld's churches was at a peak, and the \ilCC was enjoyingthe graces of a favorable press. But all was not as it seemed.

The Shift to the Left: The Liberation Shuffle

Change wormed its way into the structure and ideology ofthe WCC. More and more Third-World denominationsjoined, causing a determined shift to the left in theology andphilosophy, and creating an insistent preoccupation withliberation politics. As Conn astutely observes, "The rhetoricof the Council has become that of the radical left." And aVCC theologian is reported to have said that, while theWCC's previous hero was Gandhi, it was now Che Guevara.

The change was not sudden, but subtle, taking effect overa period of years. According to The New Republic, September9, 1981, "...the WCC underwent a gradual transformationparallel to the United Nations. It experienced a steady in-crease in Third Vorld participation, rapid growth of an inter-national bureaucracy in Geneva and, finally, a crisis of con-science among its \Testern members, chiefly as a result of theVietnam War. By the late 1960s, the \7CC had decided thatits business-and God's-was liberation." And another U.S.

by Stephen R. Clark

FUNDAMEMAIISTJOURNAI

Member denomincrtions of the Ncrtional Council of Churches

African Methodist Episcopal ChurchAfrican Methodist Episcopal Zion ChurchAmerican Baptist Churches in the USAAntiochean Orthodox ChristianArchdiocese of North AmericaArmenian Church of AmericaChristian Church (Disciples of Christ)Christian Methodist Episcopal ChurchChurch of the BrethrenCoptic Orthodox Church in North AmericaEpiscopal ChurchFriends United MeetingGeneral Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South

AmericaHungarian Reformed Church in AmericaLutheran Church in AmericaMoravian Church in America (Northern Province andSouthern Province)

National Baptist Convention of America

National Baptist Convention, USA Inc.National Council of Community ChurchesOrthodox Church in AmericaPatriarchal Parishes of the Russian

Orthodox Church in AmericaPhiladelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society

of FriendsPolish National Catholic Church of AmericaPresbyterian Church in the United StatesProgressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.Reformed Church in AmericaSerbian Orthodox Church of AntiochSyrian Orthodox Church of AntiochUkranian Orthodox Church in AmericaUnited Church of ChristUnited Methodist ChurchUnited Presbyterian Church of the United States of

America

t h e o l o g i a n , J o h n M e y e n d o r f ,lamented that "the World Council ofChurches has become an ecclesiasticalUnited Nations" (Time, January 22,1979).

And while, as Dean Kelley, directorof Civil and Religious Liberty for theNCC, stated recently in an article inChristianity Today, the NCC, composedof the same denominations. "is not abranch office of the \UCC.. . eachmakes its own decisions" (September17, l98Z), the National Council ofChurches clearly reflects the \fCC'sstrong political attitude and leftJeaninginclinations. As pointed out by Conn,"The WCC's willingness to mixreligion with politics is shared by theNational Council of Churches. itsUnited States subgroup. The NCC, infact, has begun taking official positionson partisan political issues at home."

ln recent years the \UCC and NCChave taken clear-cut stands on anumber of political issues:

Stephen R. Clark,

former editor o/ ChristianBookseller & LibrarianmagaTine, is a free-Iancewriter from Findlay, Ohio.

o1972: the NCC urged support forthe liberation forces operating inAngola and South Africa.

ol973t the NCC urged a "compe-tent Christian stance toward the Com-munist question."

o 1.973r Claire Randall, the NCC'sgeneral secretary, endorsed theSupreme Court's ban on prayer inschools and expressed favor for thecourt's decision to allow abortions,

o1975: the NCC's Governing Boardaffirmed in a resolution that all per-sons, including homosexuals, are en-titled to full civil rights and '(pastoral

concern." They also expressed strongsupport for the ERA.

o1977: the NCC's governing boardcalled for public financing of abortionsfor "poor" women, and it called for"normalization" of relations with RedVietnam.

o1981: the WCC's Central Commit-tee forcefully criticized the U.S. role inEl Salvador and other CentralAmerican countries, disapproved of theannexing of East Jerusalem by Israel,a n d c a l l e d f o r " i m m e d i a t enegotiations" with the PLO as a meansof resolving the Mideast crisis.

These and other political testamentshave been reported in various media,

including the Religious News Service,and documented by various watchdogagencies such as the Church League ofAmerica in Wheaton, Illinois. Thenonreligious gospel of the \VCC/NCCis no secret, but it is annoying when itis preached under the banner of Chris-tianity. As Charles Paul Conn states,"\7ith such pronouncements filling theair, many American pastors are hard-pressed to convince their alreadydubious parishioners of the non-political nature of the NCC and itsparent organization."

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In fact, the situation is becoming so extreme that promi-nent individuals within the NCC and \fCC are criticizingthe Councils for their non-Christian evolution.

American Lutheran theologian Richard John Neuhaushas cited the NCC's "one-sided political activity" as"obscene." Neuhaus spoke to the NCC's Information Com-mittee at their headquarters luncheon, saying, "Today anobsession with the alleged systemic and inherent injustices ofAmerica precludes the affirmative, even patriotic, vision thatis required if critical judgment is to be meaningful and effec-tive." Neuhaus further stated that. because of the NCC's ob-

Tlre tcslr ol untlytng thouscndsol churches and hundredsol denomlncrllons, representlng cmyscdd ol dodrlnql dlllerences, hcsproved tmposslble.

tuse confusion of theology and politics, "Even prayer anddoctrine are suspected ofbeing in the service ofpartisan pur-pose" (Christianity Today, April 23, 1982).

Simply, what has happened is the loss of Christian visionin the Councils. The task of unifying thousands of churchesand hundreds of denominations, representing a myriad ofdoctrinal differences, has proved impossible. The \fCC andNCC have whittled away at the particulars of difference, try-ing to reduce them into a handful of generalities aroundwhich everyone can rally. In doing so, they have cut awayfrom the Councils the very meaning and substance of Chris.tian faith. And they have ignored the necessity of diversitywithin unity.

As stated in an editorial in Christianity Today (February 2,19?9), "Now unity itself is apparently being relegated to in-significance in the shadow of the social action concerns ofLife and Work [a committee within the Council], the otherWCC arm [as opposed to the Faith and Order committee].The result was inevitable: the eroding of commitment to anycommon belief. lf a biblical basis is irrelevant, activism maytake many forms."

WCC & Terrorism: The Contribution Heard Roundthe World

How er<treme the WCC's radical attitude had become wasmade glaringly evident in 1978. Under the headship of PhilipPotter, the General Secretary, who is "fond of citing Marxistwriters. . . [and] also admires black-power advocates likeStokeley Carmichael and Malcom X" (Reofur's Digest,August, 1982), a new and controversial committee wasformed: The Program to Combat Racism (PCR).

And in 1978 the PCR displayed its true colors, and WCCcritics and friends saw red. The PCR contributed a generous$85,000 to the Patriotic Front, a Marxist guerilla organizationfighting to overthrow the mostly white regime of Rhodesia(now Zimbabwe). The Patriotic Front, reportedly, had beenresponsible for killing more than 200 white civilians, over

16

1,700 blacks, and was involved in the slaying of nine whitemissionaries and their children. Considering the expense ofarms and ammunition, the Patriotic Front could obviouslyput the $85,000 to good use.

The repercussions from this ffve-year-distant shock arestill rumbling through the \ilCC even today. ln protest of thegrant, the Salvation Army withdrew from the \UCC. HarryWilliams, international secretary of the Salvation Army, atthe time pointed out to the \fCC that the Salvation Armyhad been striving against racism and preaching the gospel inRhodesia for 80 years, and doing it without violence andbloodshed. "Should not...WCC funds be mediated throughsuch church councils, rather than directly to a militantorganization?" Williams asked (Sacurday Euening Post, May/June, 1982).

Other church organizations within the WCC were alsovisibly and vocally upset, as reported in aTime magazine arti-cle titled "Going Beyond Charity: Should Christian cash begiven to terrorists?" (October 2, 1978): "There has been an'enormous disturbance' in British churches, says one Ex-ecutive Committee member. As for

'West Germany-which

now provides 42 percent of the budget for the financiallypressed WCC-official protests are muted, but one topchurchman reports 'bitter reaction in our churches.'. . .ln theU.S., important elements in such WCC member groups asthe United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christand the Greek Gthodox Archdiocese are upset." Manydenominations sent letters of protest to the \VCC andthreatened to pull out.

In short, the reaction to the WCC's contribution toviolence and terrorism brought what was termed "a ffercewave of church protest" from both members andnonmembers. The protest, however, is somewhat surprising,since contributions by the PCR to Marxist and guerillagroups had not been uncommon.

The Program to Combat Racism had been launched inSeptember 1970. Since its inception, the PCR has given over$5 million to more than 130 organizations, most outside theorganized Church. In 1970 alone, the PCR contributed to 14groups known to be involved in terrorist guerilla activities,with some who were also known to be Communist inideology and receiving arms from the Soviet Union (Reafur'sDigest, October 1971).

But, unscathed by the rage of harsh criticism it receivedfrom both the religious and secular press in 1978, the \ilCCdefiantly granted more money to the Patriotic Front in 1979,At a meeting in Bosse, Switzerland, in September 1979, theWCC Executive Committee boldly approved a generous giftof $35,000 to the African terrorist group. As reported inChristianity Today, "The only concession this timearound-after more than a year of heated debate on the issue,which led a few church bodies to suspend their \ilCCmembership-was a more careful targeting of funds. Thegrant was designated for supportive and administrative costsfor the guerilla grouping's delegation at the constitutionalconference in London. The all-parties conference was con-vened to bring a settlement to troubled Zimbabwe, formerlyRhodesia" (October 17, 1979).

But in spite of this "more careful targeting" of money, the\7CC has acknowledged that once the money is handed out,

FUNDAMENTAIIST' JOURNAI

they have no real control over how it isor is not spent. Nor is the PatrioticFront the only organization receivingfunds from the PCR. Other groupsreceiving hand outs recently include:$200,000 to the Southwest Africa Peo-ple's Organization; $44,000 to the ef-forts of Australian aborigines to stopoil drilling in Western Australia;$10.000 to the Mouimiento EannwnicoNacional seeking to "decolonize" Puer.to Rico-over 47 similar groups "com-bating racism" receiving substantialsums of money (Saturday Evening Post,May4une, 1982).

Yet, while contributing generouslyto leftist (often anti-American) groups,the \fCC is strangely silent in criticiz-ing racist and oppressive activities inMarxist countries. As Conn states, "ex-pressions of concern over the human-rights violations in Eastem bloc coun-tries or objection to Soviet influence inPoland or to the invasion ofAfghanistan are muted or nonexist-ent. t '

This tunnel vision is further criti-cized in The New Republic, September 9,1981: "There is not a penny to suggestthat there may be racial or ethnic prob-lems in black Africa, Indochina, Asia,or the Soviet bloc. One might, for ex-

Tlre NCC lsn't scrltslledwlth merelymtslnterpretlng lhe Blble,but ls cc'ltvely engaged lnchcngrlng lt.

ample, have thought that if ethnicrepression in the Soviet bloc would notmove the \fCC, then religious repres-sion would. At the 1975 WCCassembly in Nairobi, efforts to con-demn Soviet restrictions on religiousliberty were defeated. About all theassembly could bring itself to do was toresolve to note that it had 'devoted asubstantial period to the discussion ofthe alleged denials of religious liberty inthe USSR.'

"Predicting who will be condemnedby the \ilCC is easy. lt has nothing todo with the relative level of violation ofhuman rights, as documented, for ex-

NIARCH I9B3

ample, by Amnesty International. Apractically infallible predictor of whowill be singled out by the WCC is acountry's ideological affinity with theu.s."NCC and the Bible, Homosexualaand ERA: Unholy Alliances

While its Big Brother is seekingsocial justice by courting guerilla ter-rorists, the NCC has been practicingthe Council's nonreligious gospel athome. Most notable of its actions hasbeen the advocacy of homosexualrights, support oflegalized abortions ondemand, and its impotent support forthe failed Equal Rights Amendment.

However, when i t comes tohomosexual rights, the NCC has beenknown to wafile. For years the NCChas recognized the civil rights theybelieve are due homosexuals, and urgedacceptance of homosexuals into thecongregations of member denomina-tions unequivocally and without judg-ment.

Yet, in 1981, when the UniversalFellowship of Metropolitan Communi-ty Churches (MCC), whose member-ship consists largely of homosexuals,applied for membership in the NCC,they were put on hold. The ChristianCentury reported that, "Even before theMCC had formally made application. . .some council officials were predictingpublicly that its bid would be rejected.Assistant General Secretary Arleon L.Kelley issued a statement for the Coun-cil: 'Considering the historical positionand doctrinal practices of the commun-ions that compose [the Councill, itappears to me extremely doubtful that21 of the necessary members wouldvote for the inclusion of the MCC"'(September 30, 1981).

The impression generated from thediscussion surrounding the MCC's ap-plication for membership in the NCCis that there is hope for truly scripturalsanctions within the Council. But thatis only the impression, not the reality.The MCC's application was not re-jected.

On May 13, 1982, the NCC'sGoverning Board met in Nashville,Tennessee. A hot item on the agendawas the MCC's application formembership. Oscar McCloud, theNCC Credentials chairman, statedthat the MCC met requirements for

membership and recommended thatthe Board declare the MCC eligible.However, by a narrow vote of 88 to 77,the Board instead elected to place theMCC's application in the hands of theNCC Commission on Faith and Order"for a study of the ecclesiological issuesraised by the application." That com-mission's report must be in by May1983.

The NCC released a statement tothe press saying, "Although many ofthe member communions support civilrights for homosexualst none affirmshomosexuality as a Christian lifestyleand many believe its practice to be a sinand contrary to the will of God."

Mary V. Borhek, in an emotionalarticle appearing in the April 14, 1982,issue of Christian Century advocated ac-ceptance of the homosexual denomina.tion into the NCC. Borhek discussesher own personal turmoil afterdiscovering that her son was homosex-

continued on page 42

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by John S. Feinberg

true story is told of a Christianwoman who loved her hus-band, but she agreed to have

sex relations with another man. Herhusband, an unbelieving businessman,perceived that if his attractive wife sleptwith one of his business clients, theclient would renew a contract with thehusband's firm. So, the husbandordered his wife to commit adulterywith the client. She obeyed because shebelieved it was her God-ordained dutyto obey her husband. She had been at-tending some Bible study groups andhad been taught that God's pattern forthe wife is to obey her husband, herauthority figure, no matter what. Shehad also been told that if she obeyedher husband in these acts, she wouldnot be guilty of sin; her husband wouldbe. The only sin she could commitwould be the sin of disobeying her hus-band. With that information in hand,she obeyed her husband and commit-ted adultery.

'!ilas she right or wrong? \ilere those

right who told her that she must obeythe chain of command God hadestablished, no matter what? Wouldshe actually have sinned if she haddisobeyed her husband? Could she, in

John S. Feinberg isChairman of tlrcDepartment ofTheological Stud.ies atLiberty Baptist Seminary

fact, commit adultery without sin?These are crucial questions which can-not be taken lightly or ignored. Theyaffect all who are under the authorityof someone else, and that means all ofus. The situation sketched abovereflects genuine moral conflicts thatsometimes confront Christians. Vill weobey the explicit command to refrainfrom adultery, or the command to obeyour husband even when he tells us tocommit adultery? Will we obey theclear command to forsake not theassembling together of the brethren(i.e., wil l we attend church?) or wil l weobey the command to obey our hus-band even though he forbids us to goto churchl Will we follow God's com-mand to refrain from lying, cheating,or stealing, or will we obey God's com-mand to obey our parents even whenthey tell us to l ie, steal, or cheat? Will wefollow God's command to refrain fromsin, or will we obey His command tosubmit to the pastor, even if the pastorleads us into sin?

The story of Shadrach, Meshach,and Abed-nego, recorded in Daniel 3,sheds tremendous light on such gen-uine moral conflicts. These three youngmen had an obligation to worship Godand Him alone. But, they also had aduty before God to obey the king.Nebuchadnezzar set up an image in theplain of Dura and demanded everyoneworship it. Daniel 3:4-5 indicates that

1 . 1 / . . ; r . i 1 l t . i l t )

worshiping the image would be equivalent to pledgingallegiance to the king who demanded such worship. And so,the dilemma arose: 1) Should they obey God and worshipHim alone but disobey God's other command to obey theking, or 2) Should they obey the king in accord with God'scommand but in doing so disobey God's other command toworship the true and living God alone? I believe theirresponse is crucial to our understanding of the principles Godwants us to consider when confronted by such moral conflictscreated by conflicting demands of authority figures.

The first thing we must remember as we confront them isthe natwe of such moral conflias. In attempting to characterizethem, three main points arise. When one finds himself soenmeshed, it is obvious that the opposing actions both seemmorally right. In the case of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego there was a moral obligation to obey the king. Passagessuch as Romans 13:l-5 and I Peter 2J3-14 give the basicbiblical perspective on human government. It is instituted byGod's authority, and the believer is told to submit to it. lnGenesis 8:15ff. we have the first institution of human civilgovernment after the Flood, done by God Himself.Therefore, it seems that everyone was obligated to obeyNebuchadnezzar's command to worship the image @an.3:4-6) and that disobedience would have been defiance ofGod's command to obey the king.

On the other hand, Scripture also teaches that men are toworship only the true and living God. Shadrach, Meshach,and Abed-nego were quite aware of Exodus 20:2-5; conse-quently, they refused to worship the image (Dan. 3:18). Theyobeyed the command to worship God, and that certainlyseems morally right. But, the two commands clearly conflict

despite the fact that both seem right. If they obeyNebuchadnezzar, they do not worship God alone. If theyworship God alone, then they disobey God's command toobey the king. Both actions seem morally right, but both can-not be obeyed. That is typical of all such moral conflictscreated by opposing demands by authority figures.

A second characteristic of such moral dilemmas is that theconflict is always between God's direct command and ahuman authority figure's direct command. Not all moral con.flicts are of this nature, only conflicts generated by authorityfigures in the chain of command. The point is that God'scommand to love Himself and His command to obey the kingare not in themselues conflicting. The conflict arises as thehwnwn authority figure pits himself against God. There is noinherent conflict in Cod's commands (love God and obey theking). The conflict arises when the king issues the commandto worship the image (Dan. 3:4-6). The same is rue in otherareas of conflict. The wife's dilemma concerning adulteryarises becauseher lvsband" (human authority figure) tells herto do something God has forbidden. The child's dilemmaarises because the parent tells him to do something God hasdirectly forbidden.

A final characteristic of such conflicts is that they arisefrom the human authority figure's willful rejection of God'scommand in some area of life. ln Daniel 3:12 and 18, we seeclearly that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego refused toworship the image and told Nebuchadnezzar that they wouldworship God instead. In response Nebuchadnezzar becameenraged (vv. 13,19) because they would not worship his im-age. In verse 14 he asked if it was true that they would not doso. He did not pose the question for information, because he

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had already been told that they wouldnot worship. His question expressed hisdisbelief that they would dare todisobey his command. He could notbelieve that they would have alegitimate reason to disobey his com-mand. Clearly, he had no use for theirobligation to worship God alone. Allhe cared about was his command. Thefact that he was only concerned abouthis will and his reputation becamequite evident through his arrogantboast in verse 15 that no god coulddeliver them out of his hand. Thewhole incident illustrates a very impor-tant point. When this sort of moralconflict arises, it is because the authori-ty figure is more set on his own will andimportance than on God's will and im-portance. Consequently, he openlydemands that God's commands bedefied.

Having described the nature of suchconflicts, we still have not answeredhow God would have us respond tothem. Again, the incident in Daniel 3 ismost instructive. for we see there themorally acceptablc attitudas and actiorufor lruch anflicts. The Hebrew youngmen responded to this situation withsteadfastness in obedience to God.They repl ied several t imes toNebuchadnezzar that they would notwor sh ip t h e im age . A f te rNebuchadnezzar's boast in verse 15,they replied (v. 16) that they did notneed to argue with him about the issue.They saw his obstinate determination tomake them disobey God, but they weredetermined to serve and obey Him,anyway. There was no further need fordiscussion. ln verse 18 they explicitlytold him they would not obey. They ex-hibited the same attitutde as we see inPeter in Acts 5129; when he firmly toldthe authorities he would not stoppreaching the gospel, for he must obeyGod rather than men.

ln addition to steadfast obedience,Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-negoresponded with confidence in God'spower. ln spite of Nebuchadnezzar'sthreats, they refused to disobey God,and they fully expected His deliverance.In verse I 7 they expressed their belief inthe ability of their God to deliver themand their belief that He would in factdo so. They told Nebuchadnezzar, "If itbe so, our God whom we serve is ableto deliver us from the burning fiery fur'

MARCH]983

nace, and he will deliver us out of thinehand, O king." The construction of thephrase "fiery furnace" in the original issuch that it indicates any ftery furnace.Thus, they were expressing their con-fidence in God's power to deliver themfrom any fiery furnace, not just fromNebuchadnezzar's.

Finally, they displayed the attitudeof submission to God's will. After theirgreat expression of confidence in God'spower to deliver, they said (v. 18), "Butif not, be it known unto thee, O King,that we will not serve thy gods, norworship the golden image which thouhast set up." Such a response did notexpress doubt about God's ability todeliver them, but indicated their beliefin His sovereignty and their submissionto it. They understood that God mighthave other purposes that could beworked by letting them die, and theywere submissive to His will in the mat-ter.

How important such attitudes arefor us as welll \7e must be steadfast inobedience to God, regardless of what ahusband, parent, boss, or governmentmay threaten to do to us. However,God wants us to be confident in Hispower to deliver us as well. And, Hewants us to realize that if He does notdeliver us, it is not the end of the world.We must be submissive to His sovereignwill. We must be more concerned aboutHis command than about what somehuman authority may do to us!

Appropriate attitudes usually leadto morally acceptable actions, and so itwas in the case of Shadrach, Meshach,and Abed-nego. The course of actionwhich these brave young men took wasconsistent refusal to obey a king whoasserted his authority over God's will.The first time the command came tobow down, they refused (v. 12). Whenthey were given a second chance byNebuchadnezzar, they still refused (w.16-18). \fas such refusal morally accept,able, or did it involve them in sin?Notice that in Daniel 3 there is notrecorded one word of moral censurefrom God upon their actions.Moreover, there was no punishmentmeted out upon them by God for refus-ing to obey the king. On the contrary,God protected them and thoroughlydelivered them from the situation (w.

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continued on page 29

2t

there never would have been armedstrife. The church's failure to reconcilefactions in the various denominationsanticipated not only the sundering ofthe major Protesrant bodies but alsothe rise of Christians against Christiansin battle. These warring elementsclaimed to be brothers in Christ, yettheir love did not succeed in bindingthem together, nor did that love spillover, in many hearts, to include thedisinherited of society from Africa.This is a sad commentary upon theChristian faith and a mar on irstestimony.

T1l - t 1 . t , ,IJ xamples oI tnls vlewpornt appear

in the history of sundry Christiandenominations. One of the largest andmost important of these unques-tionably is the Baptist denomination, astrongly unified body of believers in theUnited States, until rent asunder overslavery in 1845. Having been unable tokeep the Northern and Southern sec-tions of the denomination together,their only alternative was to part, hop-ing to live peaceably as separated Chris-tian neighbors, but finally taking upthe sword to slay not only Baptistbrothers but other Christian brethren.

As early as 7637, Roger \Tilliams-claimed as the first Baotist inAmerica-made the first pronounce-ment against the slave trade in the col-onies. He rigistered protest on behalfof the Pequot Indians in Massachusetts.Although he did not mention Negroes,yet a statute o{ 1652 ultimately grantedthem freedom in Providence. EarlyBaptist leaders, however, were not con-cerned with slavery until after theAmerican Revolution, possibly becauseof preoccupation with religious libertyand non-interference in civil affairs.

After the Revolution, in 1789 Bap-tists were divided over slavery. OnAugust 8 at the General Committee ofVirginia Baptists meeting at Rich-mond, Rev. John Leland presented anantislavery resolution stating that

Ernest V. Liddle lsProfessor of LibraryScience at Libertl BaptistCoIIege. He receiued hisTh.D. from NorthernBaptist Seminary.

"slavery is a violent deprivation of therights of nature and inconsistent with arepublican government." He furtherrecommended that Baptists in Virginiaappeal to the legislarure to emanciparethe slaves in a manner "consistent withthe principles of good policy." It washeartily approved. This attitude is incontrast to that of the Salem KentuckyAssociation, which in the same yearreplied to a church query about thelawfulness of slaveholding. "TheAssociation judges it improper to enterinto so important and critical matter atpresent." It is obvious a conflict amongBaptists was emerging by the end of theeighteenth century over slavery. In.deed, after 1790 the center of the con-troversy among Baptists moved to thewestern frontier where the writing ofstate constitutions brought the issue tothe foreground.

r.f n spite of growing tension, manysought to adopt a spirit of compromise,as the Philadelphia Association, whichtried to keep the problem in thebackground and out of its agenda.About 1820 it felt it was "inexpedienrto enter on such business at this time."

However, numbers of Baptists-par-ticularly those of the South-did notfavor a policy of conciliation. SouthernBaptists made concerted efforts to de.fend slavery. In 1822 and 1835, theBaptist Association of Charleston,South Carolina, upheld slavery beforethe state legislature. Tyger River Bap-tist Association, Virginia, in 1835disapproved of abolitionist interferencefrom other states. Many Southernministers sought Bible proof-texts rosupport their pro.slavery sentiment.Dr. Richard Furman of Charleston,South Carolina (after whom FurmanUniversity is named), in 1833 assertedthat "the right of holding slaves is clear.ly established in the Holy Scripturesboth by precept and example."

If the Southern Baptists becamemore confirmed in pro-slavery views,Northern Baptists were consistentlyand increasingly agitated by anri-slavery organizations and leaders.Abolitionist societies stirred the emo-tions of their members. Runaway slavesgave rise to test cases in Northern stateswhich inflamed tempers. Orators witha political or religious bias encouragedirate emancipationists in their aims.

Despite these developments, clergymenworked for understanding among theirmembers in general, particularly in theNorth.

ood intentions could not and didnot prevent open and bitter controver-sy. The break came in the TriennialConvention of 1844 in Philadelphia.Since its organization in 1814, all Bap-tists in the United States laboredthrough the Convention to further itsmissionary endeavors. Missionariesand others who desired an expressionof the Convention on slavery were notsatisfied with the reply of the Conven-tion Board of Managers in 1840:"Members of the Board, as individuals,might act as they wished, but as of-ficials of the Triennial Convention,they have no right to do or sayanything with respect to slavery."

Hence, at the Triennial Conventionin 1841 at Baltimore, slavery was aprominent question. Southern associa-

tions directed protests against the anti-slavery pronouncements and activitiesof their Northern brethren. The Savan-nah River Association iterated that theconduct of Baptist abolitionists is "cen-surable" and also "meddlesome." Par-ticularly obnoxious to the Southernerswas Rev. Elon Galusha, vice-presidentof the Board of Foreign Missions andan active abolitionist. The moderates ofthe North and the Southerners hadhim removed and replaced by Dr.Richard Fuller of South Carolina. Theconvention ended without furthertrouble. Delegates left with anunderstanding that slavery was nor robe discussed by the Convention. Oneof them summarized the ideas of themajority of moderates: "lf we of theSouth and they of the North, whosesympathies are with us, shall be mild, Iam satisfied that abolitionists will sodown among Baptists."

Instead, abolitionists were more ac-tive than ever during the three yearspreceding the 1844 Triennial Conven-tion. Many members refused to givemissionary funds to the Conventionsince it condoned slavery. Consequent-ly, the American and Foreign Free Bap-tist Missionary Society was created inBoston in 1843, but the Board ofForeign Missions ruled againsr irs ex-istence.

aaMARCH]983

T n" Triennial Convention of l844passed in comparative N * only was national Baptist sentiment divided overquietness, with the slavery problem again tabled. However, afew days afterwards the Executive Board of the Baptist HomeMission Society was compelled to decide on the slavery issue.The Georgia Baptist Convention recommended to the Boardof the Home Mission Society that James E. Reeves of Georgia,be appointed as a missionary. The Board was told he was aslaveholder, and this was a test case. After considerabledebate, the Board decided against the appointment of Mr.Reeves.

About the same time, the Foreign Mission Board waspresented with a hypothetical case. The Alabama BaptistConvention requested the Board of Managers to give thesame privileges to slaveholders and non-slaveholders. TheBoard's reply affirmed: "lf anyone should offer himself for amissionary, having slaves, and should insist on retainingthem as his property, we could not appoint him. One thing iscertain, we can never be a party to an arrangement whichwould imply approbation of slavery."

It appeared from these two major decisions that aboli-tionists were gaining control of national Baptist agencies. Asthese were organized in the North-mainly in Philadelphia,Boston, and New York-this was to be expected. Pastors andlaymen of these cities greatly influenced the policies for-mulated, despite Southern Baptists' numerical superiority.Also, the long distances from the large urban metropolitancenters of Baptist work probably hindered Southern statesfrom having full recognition and representation at theorganized meetings of the societies. Too, Baptist leadershipwas better trained and more olentiful in the North than inthe South.

T-L he strain in relations reached the breaking point in April

1845, when the American Baptist Home Missionary Societyexplicitly declared it was more expedient for its members todo their work through separate organizations in the Northand South. Accordingly, the Virginia Foreign Mission Soci-ety called a convention in May at Augusta, Georgia, with 375delegates from churches of the South. They changed thename and firnctions of the Triennial Convention to theAmerican Missionary union, the forerunner of the SouthernBaptist Convention. The division was final and complete.

Moderation was harder to maintain after the schism.Events aggravated the problem and brought it into sharperfocus. The Mexican

'War, beginning in 1846, alarmed the

abolitionists, who feared that slaveholders would extendslavery into new territory. The Fugitive Slave Law passed byCongress in 1850 aroused the resentment of many North-erners, who objected to slaveholders searching for runawayNegroes in the North. Furthermore, the repeal of theMissouri Compromise in 1854 agitated anti-slavery Baptists,now conscious of a threat to expand slavery over free states.

\ilhen war came, the majority of Baptists unhesitatinglytook sides. Northern men were enthusiastic for the Union,while the Southerners pursued the conflict with vigor.Although the chief issue for Baptists, and the one whichbrought disunion in their ranks, was slavery, other factorswere involved in their thinking. The Union and democracy,with its guaranteed religious and political liberties, were atstaKe.

slavery and expressed in the war, but local churches foundtheir membership rent over the same question. The pastorwas the controlling figure. Some went to the South, leavingtheir Northern congregations shepherdless, confused, andscattered. Others united their congregations behind them infavor of their own tenets for or against slavery.

President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation hadstrong support from Baptists in the North. For example, onDecember 15, 1862, two Baptist ministers of the PhiladelphiaBaptist Association were appointed to constitute a committeeto call a public meeting of Baptists to formulate an expressionof their favor of the President's proclamation. For Baptists,the Emancipation Proclamation had turned the Civil War in-to a crusade to free the slaves.

As the Civil War came to an end, praise was given for vic-tory by the Northern Baptists. They did not harbor bitternessagainst their Southern brethren. Indeed, they hoped for aspeedy end to the conflict and a quick reconciliation. Blamefor the strife was placed, not upon the Christians of theSouth, but upon the Southern political leaders. A reunion ofthe Baptists North and South in one convention again wasdesired by many but never accomplished.

The division of the Baptist denomination over the slaveryproblem broke permanently a large segment of the spirituallife and ties binding the United States of America together.Other major denominations of the American church brokeapart over the same issue of slavery, even though the churchhad experienced a mighty revival movement during the firstdecades of the nineteenth century, especially on the frontier.

Today our continuing prayers must be for unity withinthe body of Christ and for wisdom and courage in dealingwith the vital issues affecting the spiritual condition of our na-t ion.

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Bnrlst

An Interview withWendell Zimrnerman

and Answers

Rev. Wendell Zimmerman is postor of Bible Baptist Temple, Jacksonqtille, Florido. Formore than 25 yea,rs he postored the Kansos City Baptist Temple, Kdnsos City, Missouri, owork he began in 1942 and which grew to o membership of 3,000. Rec). Zirnmerman is afounder of the Baptist Bible Fellourship ond a former editor of the Baptist Bible Tribune(1e7s.82).

|1!:Tell us about your salvation and family background.

A:I was born in 1916 in Altus, Oklahoma. My parentshad been saved for a long time, and we had a fine Christianhome. It was a home where we had prayer and Bible reading.My parents were very faithful to their church, and I wasraised in a solid Christian environment. I was saved when Iwas nine years old. I'd been in church on a Sunday night; Ifelt very much under conviction and that I ought to go for-ward, be saved and trust the Lord, but I put it off and we'dgone home. The family had retired, but I couldn't sleep. I gotup and told my father and mother that I was lost and neededto be saved.

'!7e went into the front room and I trusted lesus

in mv home.

|1!: \fho influenced your family most in those days?

AiO.. J. Frank Norris broadcasted on KTAT back inthose days and we would come home Sunday night afterchurch and listen to him until past midnight. He would tellabout the fight against liberalism. He would shift gears fromhard and caustic to real tender and soft. Late at night, hewould get real tender. It was very touching. In fact, I waslistening to him like that one Sunday night when I felt calledto preach.

\|: where did you ge to school?

A: I wanted to attend a premillennial school, so in 1933 Iwent to the Moody Bible lnstitute in Chicago to prepare forthe ministry. Those were great days for a country boy like me.We had owned a Scofield Bible since about 1920, and we werestrong premillennialists as a family.

Q: What were your early preaching experiences likel

of Springdale, Arkansas, the first Sunday of August 1933.After attending Moody, I came back and accepted a half-timechurch at Centerton, Arkansas. Later, I took another half-time church at Sulphur Springs, Arkansas. Back in thosedays, people felt they couldn't pay a preacher full time so theyhad Sunday school every Sunday, and the preacher wouldcome in on the first and third, or the second and the fourth,Sundays. A lot of preachers would have two half-timechurches. Some months they had what they called the "Fifth-Sunday Meeting," and all the churches got together with abig dinner on the ground and preaching all day. On thoseSundays everybody came out.A: I preached my first sermon in the First Baptist Church

FUNDAMEMALISTJOURNAT

I Wtt", caused the greatest change

of direction in your ministry?

Alf" those davs Dr. Norris hadwhat he called "Premillennial BibleSchools" that were conferences thatIasted for at least a week. He hadpreachers come in and take a book ofthe Bible and speak on that book allday until they had covered every verse.We had men like John Rice, SamMorris, and [,ee Rector, outstandingBible expositors. They would just ex-pound a book verse by verse and thenNorris would speak. Three of thegreatest sermons I have ever heard,were preached by Dr. Norris in thoseBible schools. ln one message, I heardhim go through the book of Revela-tion, the book of Romans, the book ofEphesians. lt was just tremendous! Hewould reach a peak, and by the timehe'd get through the whole crowdwould be almost shouting. lt was reallyfantastic! I think that's the thing thatbuilt the Fellowship. Those premillen-nial meetings and the strong preachinglaid a foundation that still stands todav.

lJ:How did you get into radio' - , .preacnlng,

Al n. Norris invited me to come toDallas to start a church. He also gaveme unlimited radio time on his radiostation. I preached three or four timeson the radio every Sunday. It was myfirst experience and I enjoyed it. ln fact,I later went to Kansas City to expandmy radio ministry and eventuallystarted the Kansas City Baptist Tem-ple. I think we had about 20 people inthe first service in February 1942. \/eorganized the church the last Sundayin April with 23 charter members. Ipastored there over 25 years, with over3,000 members.

I l . -p i To what do you credit your suc--.CeSS ln f\ansas \-ltY!

Alror a number of years, we wereprobably the only independent Baptistchurch in Kansas City, Missouri, pro-per. I started the church in a ScottishRite Temple Building, and the rent wasjust killing us. Back during \?orld Var

N4_AI?CH l9&3

II we bought a garage building and paid$1,000 down on it and eventually paidit out. I had services every nightstraight for 14 months. I didn't havethe background that a lot of youngfellows have today. I was very zealousand wanted to build a church, so wemet every nightl

L/: How did vou first rneet Dr. G.Belichamo Vick?

AiH. invited me to preach inDetroit at Temple Baptist one Sundaywhen D. Norris was in Texas. \7e justhit it off real well, and that was thebeginning of the finest friendship that Ihave ever had. He was verv warm. Ithink the greatest fault Beauchamp hadwas that he saw no fault in his friends.

I l a , , , , ,\-rl i What was the secret of his

ministry in Detroit when he laterbecame the pastor?

Alv.tt, I think his completededication to the one thing of buildinga church and winning souls made himgreat. Beauchamp constantly empha-sized that. He was also a man that gavegreat attention to details. He was ab-soiutely tops in organization and ad-ministration. He was a man who couldvery easily motivate people and getthem fired up to do something. He hada great church and produced a lot ofpersonal soulwinners.

I l " r\!oHow were you involved in the

early formation of the Baptist BibleFellowship?

Alr" a meetins at the old TexasHotel in Fort Worlh, I actually madethe original motion to start the BaptistBible Fellowship. There had alwaysbeen talk of a new school at Spring-field, Missouri, because Bill Dowell wasthere at High Street Baptist Church.Out of that discussion grew the forma-tion of a new Fellowshio. Immediatelvafter we left Fort Worth, we went toSpringfield, and D. Vick, Bill Dowell,John Rawlings, Fred Donnelson, NoelSmith, and I all went to Springfield andfound a piece of property, where theschool is now located. We startedschool a few weeks later in some old

army barracks. I served as vice-president and of course, being in Kan-sas City and close to the school, Iwould go over quite often and doeverything I could for the school, asmost of the fellows did.

4 . ,i You left a great church in Kan-

sas City to take on a serious challengein Jacksonville, Florida. \7hy did youleave after all those years?

A:t really felt for some time that Iwould like to make a change and acceptanother challenge. The main thing, ofcourse, was that I was convinced thatthe Lord was leading me there. Thatwas in 1968, and my years in Jacksonville have been a great blessing to mepersonally. I still dearly love the folks inKansas City. lt was there that JerryFalwell worked for me as my youthpastor and received his call to preach.But these years in Florida have beenequally blessed.

I Yo., ,..,....ded Noel Smith in

1975 as editor of the Baptist BibleTribune. \7hat was Noel Smith like?

Ai H. was a very unique person. Hewas a man of great convictions. I don'tthink anyone could have gotten oldDr. Smith to change his convictionswith any amount of money in theworld. He had been editor of the Fun-damentalist, which was Dr. Norris'spaper, and he started the Triburlewithin two weeks after the BBF wasformed.

I 1 . ,pz o ln your eight years with the' -Tribune, what were your goals?

Airn. Tribune was a house organfor the Fellowship. I think that anygroup has got to have some kind ofcommunication to hold it together. \iletried in the Tribune to give great em-phasis to the missions program and tothe building and strengthening of thechurches. \7e tried to really encourageour smaller pastors. \7e had the policythat we would give a write-up to achurch that had 50 just as quickly as wewould to a church that had 5.000.

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I Wtr", advice would you give to young preachers?

A I t think that one of the greatest failings of fundamentalpreachers is that they need more depth in their preaching,based on better study habits. It is so easy for a man ro gerwrapped up in the ministry and neglect study and prepara-tion. I fear that many of our men neglect their own personalstudy for the other work of the ministry, and this is whv someof them change pastorates so often. In a few years they havepreached all their sermons and move on. I believe they reallyneed to develop better study habits and get more depth intheir messages. I have made my library kind of a hobby in myministry. I've only known one preacher that had a librarylarger than mine. I now have over 8,000 volumes in myIibrary, and I use them extensively. I held a meeting once forIan Paisley in lreland and spent the whole time buying booksfrom him. I would urge young preachers to budget theirmoney to buy good books and take the time to read them.

I 1 . , ,p! i In looking back over your life, are there any thingsthaf you would change?

Al W.tt, I feel that I have had a very exciting ministry. Iam sure I made lots of mistakes, and I would certainly try tochange those. If I had it all to do over again, I'd still be an "In.dependent Fundamental Baptist." I'd stick by the \ford ofGod, and I'd try to follow the leadership of the Lord and con-tinue to preach His Vord ro sinners and saints alike. D

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Adulterycontinued from page 21

24-27). As one reads those verses, hemust ask himself whether there wouldhave been such total deliverance andprotection without condemnation fromGod if they had committed a sin. Itseems highly unlikely.

The moral acceptability of refusingsuch demands is also seen in the case ofJoseph as recorded in Genesis 39. In thesituation with Potiphar's wife, Josephfaced conflicting commands. On theone hand, a servant must obey hismaster. Potiphar's wife certainly hadpower over Joseph, a slave. On theother hand, adultery is forbidden. Theconflict arose when the one in authori-ty (Potiphar's wife) demanded thatJoseph break God's command to ab-stain from adultery (vv, 7,LZ). Josephresponded by refusing to obey thehuman authority figure, and hisresponse to her was most enlightening.In verse 9 Joseph said, "There is nonegreater in this house than I; neitherhath he kept back anything from mebut thee, because thou art his wife: howthen can I do this great wickedness,and sin against God?" Joseph recognizedthat sin and wickedness were involved,but it is also clear where he thoughtthey resided. Clearly, the act ofdisobeying Potiphar's wife was not thesin and wickedness envisioned. The actof committing adultery would be sinful.It would be wickedness towardPotiphar, and it would be sin againstGod. Consequently, Joseph's refusal toobey the demand to commit adulterymust not have been a sin.

There is a very important pointhere. The wife who was ordered tocommit adultery did commit a sin bydoing so. If she had refused to obey herhusband. she would not have commit-ted a sin. The cases of Shadrach,Meshach, and Abed-nego, of Joseph,and of Peter before the magistrates(recorded in Acts) vividly illustrate thatin moral dilemmas created by conflict-ing commands by authority figures, onemust do what God orders rather thanobey the human authority figure, and ifone obeys God, he commits no sin.

Finally, we also need to be aware ofthe results of moral pwity arnidst such mn-flicts. Sometimes people who findthemselves enmeshed in such conflicts

N,1_AI?C]J t9&3

are hesitant to defy the human authori-ty figure, because they are afraid theywill turn them away from Christ. Thatmay happen, but it does not have to, asevidenced in the case of Shadrach,Meshach, and Abed-nego. In Daniel3:19-30 are recorded the results of theincident. God delivered them totallyfrom Nebuchadnezzar's hand (rrn.19-77), and at the conclusion of thisepisode we find (v. 30) that they werepromoted. Those were positive resultsfor these young men, and God's nameand His power also were vindicated. Inverse 29 Nebuchadnezzar showed thathe recognized God's superior power,and he demanded that all peoplerespect the God of Israel. He said,"Therefore I make a decree, that everypeople, nation, and language, whichspeak anything amiss against the Godof Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and theirhouses shall be made a dunghill:because there is no other God that candeliver after this sort." Quite a differenttune than he was "singing" in verse 15!

There is an extremely importantprinciple for our own lives here. Often,we may think in such conflicts that weshould disobey the human authorityfigure's command, but we are afraid todisobey, because we fear that ourdisobedience will lose him for the causeof Christ. This passage shows that sucha thing need not happen. Even if itdoes, it is still right to obey God ratherthan man in such cases, and that is ourfirst duty. Obey God and let Himworry about vindicating His name!

Could you, then, commit adulterywithout sin? Contrary to the thinkingof some, the Scriptures are quite clearthat the answer is "Nol" Still, words ofcaution should be added. lf you are anauthority figure, don't force thoseunder you into this sort of moral con-flictl Be careful not to demand thatGod's authority and will be subjectedto yours. On the other hand, to thosecaught in such conflicts: use sanctifiedcommon sense when you disobey thehuman authority figure. Do disobey,but not in such an obnoxious way thatyou assure yourself of turning him awayfrom Christ. The case of Daniel inDaniel 1 is a good example of a waythat the person over him (Melzar) didnot get hurt, nor did Daniel alienatethe king.

The principles for handling suchmoral conflicts are vividly illustrated inDaniel 3. May God grant that each ofus will be given His grace to apply themwith a measure of genuine sanctifiedcommon sensel D

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29

LIBERTY BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP_fo,

CHURCH PLANTING

Elmer TownsExecutive Secretary

Chai

Liberty graduates have planted over 200 churches since the first graduating class

1974. W; have a goal oi starting 5,000 new fundamental, independent churches

North America before the year A.D. 2000.

Liberty Baptist Fellowship is a sending and supporting agency that ap_provescandidateslor church planting and supports each effort spiritually and financially.

Membership is open to all "like faith and like practice" churches that desire to

fellowship in church planting.

If you or your church is interested in membership or if you would like to

participate in planting a new church, write to the following address:

Liberty Baptist Fellowship forChurch Planting

ATTN: Dr. Elmer TownsP.O. Box 368Madison Heights, V A 24572

NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Jerry FalwellNational

Lamarrr MooneyhamSecretary/Treasurer

Rudy HollandPresident Vice-President

ln

in

hen we as Christianscontemplate the great-ness of our Savior, Jesus

Christ, our immediate natural expres-sion is trust and worship of Him. JesusChrist is given many names in theScriptures, but beyond that He is thepersonification of our every need ful-filled. There are hundreds ofreferencesto Christ in the Bible; many are names,others are majestic, loving expressionsof what He means to us and what Hehas done for us. Some of these are listedhere.

Jesus, whom we know as the Son ofGod, is Christ. Jesus is The Word ofCod who was from all eternity butbecame flesh, never ceasing to be Deity.

He is the Creator of All Things,Sustainer of All Things. He is TheResurrection and The Life, the FirstBegotter. of the Dead. We have calledJesus The Last Adam, The Advocate,The Almighty, The Alpha and TheOmega, A1l in All, The Apostle, who isthe Author of Eternal Salvation, ourAuthor of Faith, a Faithful and TrueWitness. He is the Great I AM.

He is a Branch of the Lord, theBread of God and of Life, the Captainof our Salvation, the Chosen of God,Saviour of the Vorld, our Counsellor,our Crown of Glory. Faithful andTrue, Finisher of Our Faith, The Firstand The Last, A Friend, A Gift ofGod.

As Emmanuel He is God With Us,The Everlasting God, Our True God,Blessed Forever, Made Manifest in TheFlesh, Our Saviour, who is the Head ofEverv Man. The Headstone and theCornerstone, He is in Whom I Trust,that Filleth A11, \fho Shall ComeAgain, my Helper, and my High Priest,the Holy One of God, Holy and True,the Hope of Israel, and Our Hope, whois Our Intercessor, The Righteous

Judge, Our Keeper, and Our King.He is the Lamb of God, a Lamb

Vithout Blemish that became a Slain

],"l,A]?cH l98n

Lamb for a Sacrifice to God. He is theLight of the Vorld, My Maker, theMan of Sorrows, my Mediator andMessiah, Jesus is the Mighty One ofJacob, Mighty in Deed and'Word, andThe Morning Star.

lsaiah tells us that He is the PrinceofPeace as well as the Prince ofPrinces,He is the Great Prophet, a Refiner andPurifier, our Redeemer, a Rewarder ofthem that diligently seek Him, Rivers ofWater in a Dry Place, a Rock that is

Names of JesusHigher than I, the Rock of my Salva-tion, who is the Root of David, theSeed of Abraham, and the Governorthat shall rule my people, Israel.

Master, Thou art Son of Mary andSon of Man. Thou art the Rose ofSharon, the True Vine, the Lily of theValley, a Tender Plant, a Diadem ofBeauty, my Shiloh and my Shepherd.Thou art the sweetest name I know, theJust One who is indeed The Way, TheTruth, and The Life. AMEN.

Contributed b^t Jerome Stewart

"Tltat at the naTne of lesus euery knee slwuld bow.. ."Philippians 2:10

Jesus - l v la t t . l :21Son o f God - John 1 :34C h r i s t - l T i m . 1 : 1 5The Word - John 1 :1Creator o f A l l Th ings - Co l . 1 :1 6S u s t a i n e r o f A l l T h i n g s C o l . 1 1 1 7The Resur roc t ion - John 1 l :2bFirst Begotten of th€ DeEd Acts 1 3:33The Last Adem - 1 Cor. 1 5:45The Advocate - 1 John 2:1Th€ A lmigh ty - Rev . 1 :8The A lpha and Th6 Om€ga R€v. 1 :8All in All - Col. 3:' l 1Th€ Apost le - Heb. 3 :1The Author of Eternal Sslvstion - Heb. 5:9Author o f Fa i th - Heb, 12 :2A Faithful 8nd True Witness - Rev. 3:'14The Gr€s t I Am - John 8 :58A Brench of the Lord - lsa. 4:2The Bread of God John 6:33Th€ Br€8d ol Lif€ - John 6:35Capts in o f our Sa lva t ion - Heb. 2 :1OTh€ Chosen o f God - Luke 23 :35Saviour of the World - John 4:42Our Counse l lo r - l sa . 9 :6Our Crown o f G lory - l sE. 28 :5F g t r n l u t a n o t r u s - H € v . t Y : l I

Finish€r of Our Fsith - Heb. 12:2The F i rs t 8nd The Les t - Rev . 1 :1 7A Friend - Prov. 18:24A Gi f t o l God * John 4 :10Emmanue l , God w i th us lv la t t . 1 :23The Everlasting God - lsa. 40:28Our True God - 1 John 5 :2OBlessed For€ver - Rom 9:5Made Manitest in the Flesh - 1 Tim. 3:'1 6Our Saviour - Titus 3i4The Head of Every Man - I Cor. '1 1:3The Headstone and the Cornerstone - Ps 1'1 8:22ln Whom I Trust - Ps. 1 44:' lWho F i l le th A l l - Eph. ' l :23

Who Sha l l Come Aga in - H€b. 10 :36My He lp€r - H€b. l 3 :6lvy High Pri€st - H€b. 3:1The Ho ly One o f God - Mark 1 :24Holy and True - Rev . 6 :1 O

The Hope o f l s rae l - J€r . 14 :8Our HoDe - 1 Tim. '1 :1Our lnt€rcessor - Heb. 7:25The Righteous Judg€ - 2 Tim. 4:8Our Keeper - John 1 7 ;1 2The K ing o f l s rs€ l - John 1 :49The Lamb o l God - John 1 :29LEmb Wi thout B lemish 1 P€ter 1 :19Tho S ls in Lamb - R€v . 13 :8Sacr i t i ce to God - Eph. 5 :2M y L o r d - R o m . 1 0 : 1 3L igh t o f the Wor ld - John 8 :12Maker - l sa .54 :5Man o f Sor rows - l sa , 53 :3Medis to r - 1 T im.2 :5M€ss i8h - John 4 :25Mighty One of Jacob - lsa. 60:1 6Mighty in Deed and Word - Luke 24:19The Morn ing Sts r - B€v .22 :16Prince of Peece - lsa. 9:6Prince of Princes - Dan. 8:25Th€ Grest ProDhet - Luke 7:16R€f iner and Pur i f io r - Ma l . 3 :3Our Red€em€r - lsa. 59:20Rewarder of them that dil ig€ntly seek Him - Heb. 1 1:6Rivers of wster in a drv olace - lsa. 32:2A Rock Ths t i s H igher Then | - Ps . 61 :2The Rock of my Salvation - 2 Sam. 22i47The Root o f Dav id - Rev . 5 :5The Seed of Abraham - Heb. 2:1 6Th€ Govornor thst shall rul6 My pooplo l8rasl - MEtt. 2:6Master - Mark 10 :17Son of Msry - Mark 6:3Son o f Man - Msrk 10 :33The Rose of Sh8ron - Song of Sol. 2:1The True V in€ * John 1 5 :1Lily of tho Valley - Song of Sol. 2i1T€nder P lan t - l sa . 53 :2Diadem of BeEuty - lss. 28:5S h i l o h - G e n . 4 9 : 1 0S h e p h e r d P s . 2 3 : 1Jus t One - Ac ts 7 :52Th€ Way - John l4 :6Th€ Tru th - John l4 :6Th€ L i fe - John 14 :6The Amen - Rev . 3 :1 4

J. Gresham Dlachen:Yaliant lor Truth

by larnes A. Borland

n the early days of this century perhaps no one didmore to lift the standard of biblical Christianity thanJohn Gresham Machen. Born July 28, 1881, in

Baltimore, J. Gresham Machen was nurtured by godly, well-educated parents. Gresham's father received his law degreefrom Harvard in 1851 and was also a diligent Bible student.Mrs. Machen was an 1865 graduate of Wesleyan College inMacon, Georgia, a spiritual, cultured lady. Arthur Jr., J.Gresham, and Thomas, the three Machen boys, were in-structed carefully in Bible history and, as Presbyterians,learned the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

After years of private school preparation in classics, Latin,and Greek, young Gresham entered Johns Hopkins Universi-ty in 1898. He was editor-in-chief of the yearbook, a cham-pion debater, president of the chess club, a YMCA ExecutiveCouncil member, and a sports enthusiast with special zeal forbaseball and tennis. Gresham was graduated first in his classand elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He then entered PrincetonUniversity and Theological Seminary, where he completedboth the M.A. and B.D. degrees bv 1905.

Machen then set out for Germany where he came intocontact with some of the greatest minds studying the NewTestament. He pursued studies at the Universities of Marburg

32 FUNDAMEMAIISTJOURNAI

and Goettingen. lt was a year of mentalturmoil as he grappled with his faithbut finally came to solid assurance. Thenext year Machen began a teachingtenure at Princeton that was to last 23years (1906-29). In his early yearsGresham Machen did some writing,but, for the most part, he devotedhimself to excellence in the teaching ofNew Testament Greek and relatedcourses.

During those years, Machen grew ashe associated with Francis Patton. B.B.Warfield. and others. Patton was Presi-d e n t o f P r i n c e t o n U n i v e r s i t y(1888-1902) and then of the Seminary(1902-1913). He later authored Fan-dnmental Christianity. Theologian War-field taught almost 35 years atPrinceton and stood firmly for theReformed tradition, including inerran-cy of the \Uord of God. In 1913, at age32, Machen decided to be ordained inthe Presbyterian Church. This was ac-complished in 1914. The following yearMachen was elected Assistant Professorof New Testament at PrincetonSeminary.

The retirement of Patton from theSeminary's presidency in 1913 set thestage for a gradual theological declinethat would terminate the school's standas a solid Fundamentalist institution by1929. Machen was deeply concernedover the appointment of PresidentStevenson and later ofother professorswho lacked the commitment to standfirmly for the faith. Compromise en-sued. The faculty became divided overthe growing liberalism and unbelief ex-pressed wi th in the Presbyter ianChurch. Machen expressed dismaythat "virtual unbelievers are receivedinto the ministry" in the New York andBrooklyn presbyteries. Even though heconsidered the church to be "fun-damental ly evangel ica l , " Machenrealized that the church was "sadly in-different to the big questions." Unbeliefwas not dealt with, and, like a cancer, itbegan to infect and destroy the entireorganism-the Presbyterian Church in

James A. Borland isProfessor of BiblicalScudies at Liberty BaPtistSeminary. He holds theTh.D. from GraceTheological Seminary.

the USA and Princeton TheologicalSeminary. Machen rose to the occasionand became the leading spokesman ofthose who sought to defend orthodoxbelief. He devoted his life to the pursuitof that goal.

J. Gresham Machen had the abilityto speak and write with the utmostclarity. His written works were amongthe most forceful of his day. In logicand wit he was unmatched. In a 1923sermon he noted that men used toeither accept or reject such plainstatements as the Apostles' Creed orthe Westminster Confession. "Now,"he said, "they no longer deny, but

"Il ever there wcs c mcnol nobility, mcgncnimity,gentility, Mqchen wcrsthct mcn."

merely ' in terpret , " ' c la iming that"every generation has the right to inter-pret the Creed in its own way,"Machen cleverly illustrated his point byposing a liberal theologian as saying,"Of course we accept the propositionthat 'the third day He arose again fromthe dead,' but we interpret that tomean, 'the third day He did not riseagain from the dead."'

Numerous learned and scholarly ar-ticles came from Machen's pen, andmany appeared in the PrincetonTheological Review, His columns wereregularly seen in the Neu., York Times,the Sunday $hool Trmes, and otherpopular journals. Machen used everyopportunity to bolster belief in theWord of God and its orthodox exposi-tion,

Machen found time to producematerial for at least ten major works,primarily dealing with importanttheological and apologetical issues.First came his classic treatment of TheOrigin of Paul's Religion (1921). Heshowed that the only acceptable ex-planation for Paul's religion (Chris-tianitv) was that Paul received it direct-ly from God, just as he claimed.In 1922Machen co-authored A Brief BibleHiscorl. In 1923 he shook the world ofmodernistic, unbelieving theology with

his Christianity and Liberalism. He clear.ly demonstrated that Liberalism wasnot Christianity at all. This book wasgiven comment widely in England aswell as in America.

Professor Machen's teaching ofGreek led him to publish in 1923 MwTestament Greek for Beginners. This texthas gone through more than 60 print.ings and is in constant use whereverfine scholarship prevails.

Three other books defending thefaith resulted from Bible conference lec-tures and radio addresses. Vhat IsFaith? (1975), The Clwistian Faith in thcModem Wqrld (1936), and The ClwistianView of Man (1937), although expressedin simple language, are powerfulreatments of important doctrinalissues. Each is over 250 pages and nice-ly indexed, as were all of Machen'sworks.

In 1930, Harper and Row publishedTlw Virgin Birth of Christ (415 pages),the result of Machen's quarter-centurystudy and teaching on the subject. It isa masterful apologetic for the truth andaccuracy of God's Word. Each of thesevolumes helped define the issues thatdistinguished Fundamentalists from thefalse, unbelieving philosophy thatpretended to be "Christian." In fact,Machen's Christianity ad Liberaliynmay have had more impact in its daythan has Harold Lindsell's Thc Battlefor tlrc Bible in our day.

But Machen was able to see thatpurity of doctrine could be maintainedonly by purging out the root of theheresy. During the mid-1920s the con-frontations between the Liberals andt h e C o n s e r v a t i v e s w i t h i n t h ePresbyterian Church in the USAmultiplied at the annual meetings ofthe General Assembly. Politics pre-vailed; committees were appointed tostudy the problems, delay ensued, com-promise resulted. The battle to preservedoctrinal purity at Princeton and in thePresbyterian Church was lostl

But in spite of these disappointingcircumstances. Machen and others hadthe spiritual wisdom and fortitude toobey the Scriptures which call forseparation from unbelief (2 Cor.6114-7:l). \fhen it became evident thatthe leadership of both Church andSeminary were not committed to or-

continued on page 46

33MAiICH]983

THIJNDEP IN THfl PULPIT

The Good

This was tlw last sermonpreached by l. GreshamM a c h e n a t P r i n c e t o nTlwological Seminary, beforeln l"ft to begin

'Westminster

Tfuological Seminary.

"And tlle peare of God, whichpasseth all undprstanding, shallkeep your lwarts md mindsthrough Christ Jesrr" (Phil.4:7)."Fight the good fight of faith"(1 Tim. 6:12a\.

he Apostle Paul wasa great fighter. Hisfighting was partly

against external enemies-against hardships of allkinds. Five times he wasscourged by the Jews, threetimes by the Romans; he suf.fered shipwreck four times;and was in perils of waters, inperils of robbers, in perils by his own countrymen, in perils bythe heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, inperils in the sea, in perils among false brethren. And finallyhe came to the logical end of such a life, by the headsman'saxe. It was hardly a peaceful life, but was rather a life of wildadventure. Lindbergh, I suppose, got a thrill when he hoppedoff to Paris, and people are in search of thrills to.day; but ifyou wanted a really unbroken succession of thrills, I thinkyou could hardly do better than to try knocking around theRoman Empire of the first century with the Apostle Paul,engaged in the unpopular business of turning the world up.side down.

But these physical hardships were not the chief battle inwhich Paul was engaged. Far more trying was the battle hefought against enemies in his own camp. Everywhere his rearwas threatened by an all-engulfing paganism or by aperverted Judaism that had missed the real purpose of the OldTestament law. Read the Epistles with care, and you see Paulalways in conflict. At one time he fights paganism in life, thenotion that all kinds of conduct are law{ul to the Christianman, a philosophy that makes Christian liberty a mere aid topagan license. At another time, he fights the effort of humanpride to substitute man's merit as the means of salvation fordivine grace; he fights the subtle propaganda ofthe Judaizers

3A

with its misleading appeal tothe Word of God. Every.where we see the great apos-tle in conflict for the preser.vation of the church. It is asthough a mighty flood wereseek ing to engu l f t hechurch's life; dam the breakat one point in the levee, andano the r b reak appea rssomewhere else. Evervwherep a g a n i s m w a s s e e p i n gthrough; Paul was alwayscalled upon to fight.

Fortunately, he was a truefighter; and by God's gracehe not only fought, but hewon. At first sight, indeed,he might have seemed tohave lost. The lofty doctrineof divine grace, the centerand core of the gospel thatPaul preached, did notalways dominate the mindand heart of the subsequent

church. The Epistles which Paul struck forth in conflict withthe opponents in his own day remained in the New Testa-ment as a perennial source of life for the people of God.Augustine, on the basis of the Epistles, set forth the Paulinedoctrine of sin and grace; and then, after centuries of com.promise with the natural man, the Reformation rediscoveredthe great liberating Pauline doctrine of justification by faith.So it has always been with Paul. Just when he seems to bedefeated, his greatest triumphs, by God's grace, are in store.

The human instruments, however, which God uses inthose triumphs are no pacifists, but great fighters like Paulhimself. Little affinity for the gteat apostle has the whole tribeof the considerers of consequences, the whole tribe of thecompromisers ancient and modern. The real companions ofPaul are the great heroes of the faith. But who are thoseheroes? Are they not true fighters, one and all? Tertullianfought a mighty battle against Marcior{; Athanasius foughtagainst the Arians; Augustine fought against Pelagius; and asfor Luther, he fought a brave battle against kings and princesand popes for the liberty of the people of God. Luther was agreat fighter; and we love him for it. So was Calvin; so wereJohn Knox and all the rest. It is impossible to be a true soldierof Jesus Christ and not fight.

God grant that you-students in this seminary-may be

FUNDAMEMAIISTJOURNAT

fighters, tool Probably you have yourbattles even now: you have to contendagainst sins gross or sins refined: youhave, many of you, I know very well, amighty battle on your hands againstdouhrt and despair. Do not think itstrange if you fall thus into divers temp-tations. The Christian life is a warfareafter all. John Bunyan rightly set itforth under the allegory of a Holy \7ar;and when he set it forth, in his greaterbook, under the ffgure of a pilgrimage,the pilgrimage, too, was full of battles.There are, indeed, places of refresh.ment on the Christian way; the HouseBeautiful was provided by the King atthe top of the Hill Difficulty, for theentertainment of pilgrims, and fromthe Delectable Mountains couldsometimes be discerned the shiningtowers of the City of God. But just afterthe descent from the House Beautiful,there was the battle with Apollyon andthe Valley of Humiliation, and latercame the Valley of the Shadow ofDeath. Yes, the Christian faces amighty conflict in this world. Pray Godthat in the conflict you may be truemen; good soldiers of Jesus Christ, notwilling to compromise with your greatenemy, not easily cast down, and seek-ing ever the renewing of your strengthin the \ilord and sacraments andprayer!

You will have a battle, too, whenyou go forth as ministers into thechurch. The church is now in a periodof deadly conflict. The redemptivereligion known as Christianity is con-tending, in our own church and in allthe larger churches of the world,against a totally alien type of religion.As always, the enemy conceals his mostdangerous assaults under pious phrasesand half truths. Increasingly it isbecoming necessary for a man to decidewhether he is going to stand or not tostand for the [.ord Jesus Christ as he ispresented to us in the Word of God.

If you decide to stand for Christ,you will not have an easy life in theministry. Of course, you may try toevade the conflict. All men will speakwell of you if, after preaching no matterhow unpopular a gospel on Sunday,you will only vote against that gospel inthe councils ofthe church the next day;you will graciously be permitted tobelieve in supernatural Christianity allyou please if you will only act as though

MAI?CH1983

you did not believe in it, if you will onlymake common cause with its op-ponents. Such is the program that willwin the favor of the church. A manmay believe what he pleases, providedhe does not believe anything stronglyenough to risk his life on it and fight forit. "Tolerance" is the great word.Always the gospel would have beenreceived with favor by the world if ithad been presented merely as one wayof salvation; the offense came because itwas presented as the only way, andbecause it made relentless war upon allother ways. God save us, then, fromthis "tolerance" of which we hear somuch. God deliver us from the sin ofmaking common cause with those whodeny or ignore the blessed gospel of

Jesw Christ! God save us from thedeadly guilt of consenting to thepresence as our representatives in thechurch of those who lead Christ's littleones astray; God make us, whateverelse we are, just faithful messengers,who present, without fear or favor, notour word, but the Word of God.

But if you are such messengers, youwill have the opposition, not only ofthe world, but increasingly, I fear, ofthe church. I cannot tell you that yoursacrifice will be light. No doubt itwould be noble to care nothingwhatever about the judgment of ourfellowmen. But to such nobility I con-fess that I for my part have not quite at-tained, and I cannot expect you to haveattained to it. I confess that academicpreferments, easy access to greatlibraries, the society of cultured people,and in general the thousand advan-tages that come from being regarded asrespectable people in a respectableworld-I confess that these things seemto me to be in themselves good anddesirable things. Yet the servant ofJesus Christ, to an increasing extent, isbeing obliged to give them up. Certain-ly, in making that sacrifice we do notcomplain; for we have something withwhich all that we have lost is not wor-thy to be compared. Still, it can hardlybe said that any unworthy motives ofself interest can lead us to adopt acourse which brings us nothing butreproach. Where, then, shall we find asufficient motive for such a course asthat; where shall we find courage tostand against the whole current of theage; where shall we find courage for this

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fight of faith? I do not think that we shall obtain courage byany mere lust of conflict. In this Christian conflict I do notthink we can be good fighters simply by being resolved tofight. For this battle is a battle of love; and nothing ruins aman's service in it so much as a spirit of hate.

No, if we want to learn the secret of this warfare, we shallhave to look deeper; and we can hardly do better than turnagain to that great fighter, the Apostle Paul. \7hat was thesecret of his power in the mighty conflict; how did he learn tofight?

The answer is paradoxical; but it is very simple. Paul was agreat fighter because he was at peace. He who said, "Fight thegood fight of faith," spoke also of "the peace of God whichpasseth all understanding"; and in that peace the sinews ofhis war were found. He fought against the enemies that werewithout because he was at peace within; there was an innersanctuary in his life that no enemy could disturb. There, myfriends, is the great central truth. You cannot fight successful-ly with beasts, as Paul did at Ephesus; you cannot ftght suc-cessfully against evil men, or against the devil and his spiritualpowers of wickedness in high places, unless when you fightagainst those enemies there is One with whom you are atpeace.

But if you are at peace with that One, then you can carelittle what men may do. You can say with the apostles, "Wemust obey God rather than men"l you can say with Luther:"Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise, God help me. Amen"lyou can say with Elisha, "they that be with us are more thanthey that be with them"l you can say with Paul: "lt is Godthat justifieth, who is he that condemneth?" Vithout thatpeace of God in your hearts, you will strike little terror intothe enemies of the gospel of Christ. You may amass mightyresources for the conflict; you may be great masters of ec-clesiastical strategy; you may be very clever, and very zealoustoo; but I fear that it will be of little avail. There may be atremendous din; but when the din is over, the Lord's enemieswill be in possession of the field. No, there is no other way tobe a really good fighter. You cannot fight God's battle againstGod's enemies unless you are at peace with Him.

But how shall you be at peace with Him? Many ways havebeen tried. How pathetic is the ageJong effort of sinful manto become right with God: sacrifice, lacerations, almsgiving,morality, penance, confession! But alas, it is all of no avail.Still there is that same awful gulf. The real trouble remains;the burden is still on the back. How then shall peace be ob-tained?

My friends, it cannot be attained by anything in us. Oh,that that truth could be written in the hearts of every or,e ofyoul Oh, that it could be written in letters of flame for all theworld to read! Peace with God cannot be attained by any actor any mere experience of manl it cannot be attained by goodworks, neither can it be attained by confession of sin, neithercan it be attained by any psychological results of an act offaith. We can never be at peace with God unless God first beat peace with us. Peace cannot be attained for man by thegreat modern method of dragging God down to man's level;peace cannot be attained by denying that right is right andwrong is wrong; peace can nowhere be attained if the awfuljustice of God stand not forever sure.

How then can we sinners stand before that throne? How

36

can there be peace for us in the presence of the justice of God?How can He be just and yet justify the ungodly? There is oneanswer to these questions, It is now our answer. Our wisdomcould never have discovered it. It is God's answer. It is foundin the story of the Cross. We deserved eternal death becauseof sin; the eternal Son of God, because He loved us, andbecause He was sent by the Father who loved us too, died inour stead, for our sins, upon the cross. That message is de-spised today; upon it the visible church as well as the worldpours out the vials ofits scorn, or else does it even less honorby paying it lip-service and then passing it by. The Cross re-mains foolishness to the world, men turn coldly away, andour preaching seems but vain. And then comes the wonder ofwonders! The hour comes for some poor soul, even through

Il you hqne the pecce ol God tn yourhecrts, you wlll never shrlnk lromcontroversyi you wlll never be qtrcdd tocontend earnestly lor the tqtth.

the simplest and poorest preaching; the message is honored,not the messenger; there comes a flash of light into the soul,and all is as clear as day. "He loved me and gave himself forme," says the sinner at last, as he contemplates the Saviourupon the cross. The burden of sin falls from the back, and asoul enters into the peace of God.

Have you yourselves that peace, my friends? If you have,you will not be deceived by the propaganda of any disloyalchurch. If you have the peace of God in your hearts, you willnever shrink from controversy; you will never be afraid tocontend earnestly for the faith. Talk of peace in the presentdeadly peril of the church, and you show, unless you bestrangely ignorant ofthe conditions that exist, that you havelittle inkling of the true peace of God. Those who have beenat the foot of the Cross will not be afraid to go forth underthe banner of the Cross to a holy war of love.

I know that it is hard to live on heights of Christian ex-perience. \7e have had flashes of the true meaning of theCross of Christ; but then come long dull days. \7hat shall wedo in those dull times? Shall we cease to witness for Christlshall we make common cause, in those dull days, with thosewho would destroy the corporate witness of the church?Perhaps we may be tempted to do so. When there are suchenemies in our own souls, we may be tempted to say, whattime have we for the opponents without? Such reasoning isplausible. But all the same it is false. We are not saved bykeeping ourselves constantly in the proper frame of mind, butwe were saved by Christ once for all when we were born againby God's Spirit and were enabled by Him to put our rrust inthe Saviour. And the gospel message does not cease to be truebecause we for the moment have lost sight of the full glory ofit. Sad will it be for those to whom we minister if we let ourchanging moods be determinative of the message that at any

continued on page 45

FUNDAXMMATISTJOURNAI

Rich Christians in an Age ofHunger,by Ronald J. SiderIntervarsity Press, 253 pp.,$ 5 . 9 5 .

Productive Christians in an Age ofGuilt-Manipulators,by David Chiltonlnstitute for Christian Economics,3 1 1 p p . , $ 4 . 9 5 .

Reviewed by Kenneth L. Gentry,Jr., pastor, Reedy RiverPresbyterian Church, Greenville,South Carolina.

Economics has long been calledthe "dismal science" and Chris-tians have generally shown little in-terest in its study. But, as DavidChi l ton observes in his book:"Most of what you do all day is aneconomic activity, and you need toknow what God's word says aboutthat big chunk of your l i fe" (p. 37).Similarly, Ron Sider notes that "on-ly if we are thoroughly grounded inthe scriptural view of possessions,wealth, and poverty will we becapable of living an obedientfifestyle" (p. 27l'. Consequently,the potential value of studyingeconomics is great.

Sider's highly popular RichChristians in an Age of Hungerpresents a strong case for "Chris-tian socialism." Likewise, Chilton'sPraductive Christians in an Age ofGuilt-Manipulators presents anequally thorough case for "Chris-tian capitalism." Although bothworks profess to offer the biblicalapproach to wealth and poverty,they show differences not merelyscattered, occasional, and inciden-tal, but systemwide, constant, and

MARC]I]983

fundamental.Sider or iginal ly publ ished his

book to provide a biblical approachto the problems of world economicdisparity and consequent humansuffering. Chilton's work respondsto Sider 's.

Chi l ton summarizes early in hiswork:

My position is that the Biblecalls for a free market in whichthe state does not intervene.This is not a "pure" laissez-faire economic system in ananarchic or ant inomian sense:

the laws of the Bible do prohibitcertain activities from takingplace. Consenting adults arenot the highest authority. But inthe normal transactions of themarket, the government mustnot interfere. Prices and wagesare to be set by consumers inthe context of supply and de-mand. The state does not pro-hibit men from making a profit.Charity is personal, though notp u r e l y " v o l u n t a r y , " s i n c eBiblical law commands it-buton the other hand, those lawsare not enforced by the state:

the Bible mandates no civilpenal i t ies for fai l ing to obeycharity laws. The Bible standsagainst all forms of socialismand stat ism (p. 35).Unfortunately, Sider gives no

such summary, but it is clear in hiswork that he disagrees with Chiltonat every point. He cal ls f or agovernmentally regulated marketthat would intervene at all stages ofeconomic production and distribu-tion.

Such an intensive govern-ment concern should seek a"fundamental redistribution oft h e m e a n s f o r p r o d u c i n gwealth" lpp.88,223), insure a"guaranteed annual income"lp. 212) and health care for all( p . 2 1 8 1 , e s t a b l i s h " j u s tpr ices" independent of "somesacred law of supply and de-m a n d " ( p p . 8 9 , 1 6 5 , 2 1 1 ) . l tw o u l d s e e k t o r e d u c eAmerica's "unfair share" (pp.22,1301 and "unjust div is iono f t h e e a r t h ' s f o o d a n dresources" (pp. 18,44l, bycurbing our thirst for affluence(pp. 46,52f ,110,2141, rapidindustr ial izat ion (p. 19), andhigh economic output (pp.121 ,1511. S ider deems a f -fluence to be "one of the fun-damental causes of the presentcr is is" (pp. 54,153). He sup-ports calls for a national foodpolicy to reduce f oreign aid (FF.1 4 5 , 1 8 7 , 2 0 7 , 2 1 8 l - , ' , ' asystem of international taxa-tion" (p. 2201, increased UNcontrol of land, air, and outerspace area (p. 220), and the"right to nationalize f oreignland ho ld ings" (pp . 145,161f ) .Sider endorses Wesley's ad-

vice, "All income should be givento the poor after one satisfies barenecessities" (p. 17 2l,. Consequent-

ca

rrTfllxo

.'|ilI,

ly, he commends Christian com-munal l iv ing (pp. 178f,2OOf), en-thusiastically promotes "graduatedtithing" of up to 1O0 percent of an-nual income in excess of $26,0O0(pp. 175f ) , and suggests that "al lChristians worldwide Ishould] poolall their stocks, bonds, and incomeproducing property and businessand redist ibute them equal ly" (p.93) .

To properly analyze these an-tithetical economic systems it isnecessary to discover each one'ssine qua non. At the risk of over-simplification, at least two founda-tional premises are necessary toeach wri ter 's posi t ion. Sider 'spremises are: (1) "God ident i f ieswith the poor" (p. 68), so the stateshould reflect this predisposition tothe poor through the exercise ofgovernmental power. l2l In thebiblical record are several "modelsof transformed economic relation-s h i p s " w h i c h c o m p e l t h eredistribution of wealth (p. 87ff).

Chi l ton's premises are: (11 TheScripture narrowly limits the role ofc i v i l g o v e r n m e n t t o t h emaintenance of law and order (e.9.,police protection, court systems,n a t i o n a l d e f e n s e , e t c ) . T h i srestricts governmental interventioninto other spheres of human actionsuch as charity, the market, educa-t ion (pp . 59 t ,12 '1 ,188) . (2 ) Thereis a divinely ordained cause-and-effect relationship between culturalprosperity/poverty and biblical obe-d ience/d isobed ience (pp . 1 16 ,1 4 0 ) .

After analysis of the argumentsin each book, it is difficult to denythe superiority of Chilton's posi-t ion. Extensive methodologicald e f i c i e n c i e s p l a g u e S i d e r ' sargumentation.

Sider's exegetical labor suffersfrom four problems: (1) Hastygeneralizations. Biblical statementsabout God's people are givenuniversal application; i.e,, the com-mand to "lay down our lives for thebrethren" {1 John 3:16) becomesan obligation "to give generouslyto the needy" with no regard totheir spiritual status (p. 791. (2) lr-relevant conclusions. His employ-msnt of biblical passages con-

?A

demning the mal ic ious, corrupt,godless wealthy is almost in-variably applied to all today whoprosper economically, irrespectiveof how they attained their wealth( p p . 6 1 1 , 7 3 t , 8 1 1 .

(3 ) Incons is tEnc ies . ThoughSider makes frequent use of Mosaiclaw (e.9., laws of gleaning, Jubi lee,e tc , ) , he incons is ten t ly omi ts ,without justification, portions ofthe law of which he does not ap-prove (e.9,, s lavery and tax l imita-t ion laws).

Further, he commits the Gala-tian error of seeking obedience tothe ceremonial law of the Jubilee(pp. 88f) . Chi l ton (ch. 1t) c lear lyd e m o n s t r a t e s t h e c e r e m o n i a lnature of the Jubilee law. (4) Ar-bi trar iness. In arguing that "God ison the side of the poor" (ch. 3),Sider fai ls to show-as Chi l tondoes (ch. 4)- that God is on theside of the righteous, poor or not.He arbitrarily excludes from con-sideration biblical texts that speakof God's opposition to the slothfulor godless poor (e.9., Prov. 6:6f,lsa. 9:7), whi le using passages thatcondemn the wealth of the corruptr ich.

In theology, Sider obscures thetrue redemptive-historical meaningof the Exodus by abstracting it to il-lustrate God's intention "to endeconomic oppression and bringfreedom to slaves" (p. 60). Thereader has to remember that this islsrael, God's chosen people, andthat God led no Exodus for the "op-pressed slaves" of Canaan.

Sider 's economic fal lacies in-clude: (1) The problem of equivoca-tion in his asserting the right toprivate property. This right is emp-tied of all economic-def initionalmeaning by his support of "landreform" (i.e., the legalized right togovernmental conf iscat ion of"pr ivate" property), regulat ion(i.e., governmental control of theuse of "private" property), and ex-panded taxation. (2) He denies them o s t f u n d a m e n t a l l a w o feconomics: supply and demand (p.89). (3) He seems oblivious to thelong, bleak history of the failure ofeconomic socialism.

Chilton does not merely correct

Siderian excesses; he annihilateshis whole argument, top to bottom.His case for "Christ ian capital ism"is supported by clear, cogent, andcompelling argumentation and hisuse of Scripture avoids Sider's ex-egetical pitfalls.

Chilton not only successfullydemonstrates the strengths of"Biblical free enterprise" (p. 23O),but casts the light of biblical lawonto such important economic fac-tors as property, labor, exchange,money (ch. 1 ), foreign aid, tariffs(ch. 6), and profits (ch. 8). Further-more, he presents a strong case forthe pr inciple that "Bibl ical law com-mands charity, but only as a stop-gap measure, and never enforcedby the state" (p. 1 86) and that" B i b l i c a l c h a r i t y . . . n e v e r s u b -sidizes irresponsibility" (p. 78).

His interpretation of povertyand wealth in terms of thesovereignty of God, the culturalmandate, and the reality of con-venantal blessing provide a muchneeded insight into world condi-tions. Of impoverished cultures henotes: "This is how God controlsheathen cultures: they must spendso much of their time surviving thatthey are unable to exercise ungodlydominion over the earth" (p. 1 16).Also: "The 'Third and FourthWorlds' are suffering under thejudgment of God. This does notmean we should disregard the realmisery of these people, or sneer attheir plight. But it does mean wemust approach them with a biblical,theologically-informed mind. Ouractions toward them must be con-cerned with transforming theirculture by the word of God" (p.1 19). Deuteronomy 28 is seen as akey passage in framing a Christianinterpretation of world conditions.Since it is ultimately the Lord"which giveth thee power to getwealth" (Deut. 8:18), and sincerighteousness is the essent ialprecondition for sustained prosperi-ty (Matt. 6:33), Chilton observes,"lf we would really work to abolishworld hunger, we must work toestablish universal obedience to thebibl ical fai th" (p. 140).

Concerned Christians would dowell to master Chilton's work, to

FL]\IDAX,GMAIIST JOURNAI

have an intel l igent bibl ical com-prehension of economic issues andworld condit ions.

A Time for Anger: The Myth ofNeutralityby Franky Schaeffer

Reviewed by Jerry H. Combee,Professor of Political Science andChairman of the Department ofHistory and Political Science atLiberty Baptist College.

"Christ ians and those of Judeo-Christ ian pr inciple have been fartoo wel l behaved in the past,"writes Franky Schaeffer in his newbook, ,4 Time for Anger: the Mythof Neutrality. In the tradition of hisfa ther , F ranc is (A Chr is t ianManifesto, Whatever Happened tothe Human Race?, How Should WeThen Live?), Franky has issued astinging rebuke to Christians whocower in the corner, content to letthe devi l run rampant in the world.Like father, l ike son (and l ike JohnWhitehead, author of The SecondAmerican Revolution, the film ver-sion of which this mult i ta lentedyoung man directed), Franky seeksto rouse r ighteous indignat ion.W i t h a b o r t i o n , i n f a n t i c i d e ,euthanasia, and other atrocitiesbecoming commonplace, he asks,why "such roar ing , mass ive ,silence on the part of those whoshould know bettepj" (p. 15O).

Why, indeed? Part of theanswer lies in Schaeffer's subtitle,"The myth of neutrality." Theatheist, the humanist, the feminist,the abortionist "or any other lob-byist for some branch of secularismmay freely use his or her position toinfluence the public or a govern-mental body, while the person ofrel igious convict ion, according tothe new arbitrary rules, may not doso. This is the myth of neutrality"lp . 22 , i ta l i cs in o r ig ina l ) . ln o therwords, freedom of speech foreveryone but the Christian, foreveryone but the proponent oftraditional morality.

A Time for Anger explodes "themyth of neutrality'" where it is most

MA|ICIjI9B3

pervasive: in the media. The bookdocuments how humanist ic "valuejudgments insinuate themselves in-to the news" 1p. 19) as, for exam-ple, in the reception of AlexanderSolzhenitsyn's Harvard commence-ment address which so strongly at-tacked Communism and deridedt h e W e s t f o r n a i v e t e a n dweakness, and in the controversiesover Sandra O'Connor 's appoint-ment to the Supreme Court and C.Evere t t Koop 's nominat ion tobecome U.S. Surgeon General . .4Time for Anger is a book worthreading i f only f or i ts detai ledana lys is o f these and o therepisodes of "objective reporting,"and likewise for its vivid descriptionof the grisly reality of abortion to-day:

A woman's scream brokethe late-night quiet and broughttwo young obstetrical nursesrushing to Room 4456 of theUniversity of Nebraska MedicalCenter. The patient, admittedfor an abort ion, had been in-jected 30 hours earl ier with asalt solut ion, which normal lykills the fetus and causes thepat ient to del iver a mass ofl i fe less t issue, in a processsimi lar to a miscarr iage.

T h i s t i m e , t h o u g h ,something had gone wrong.When nurse Mari lyn Wilsonflicked on the lights and pulledback the covers, she found, in-stead of the stil lborn f etuss h e ' d e x p e c t e d , a l i v e21z-pound baby boy, cryingand moving his arms and legsthere on the bed.

D i s m a y e d , t h e s e c o n dnurse, Joanie Fuchs, gatheredthe squirming infant in loosebedcovers, dashed down thecorr idor and cal led to the othernurses for help. She did nottake the baby to an intensivecare nursery, but deposited itinstead on the stainless steeldrainboard of a sink in thematernity unit's Dirty UtilityRoom-a large closet wherebedpans are emptied and dirtyl inens stored. Other nurses anda resident doctor gathered andgaped.

F i n a l l y , a h e a d n u r s etelephoned the patient's physi-cian, Dr. C.J. LaBenz, at home,apparently waking him.

"He told me to leave i twhere it was," the head nursetestified later, "just to watch itfor a few minutes, that it wouldprobably die in a few minutes."

This was in Omaha, inS e p t e m b e r 1 9 7 9 . l t w a snothing new. Hundreds oftimes a year in the UnitedSta tes , an abor ted fe tusemerges from the womb kick-ing and alive. Some survive. Ababy gir l in Flor ida, rescued bynurses who found her lying in abedpan, is 5 years old now anddoing wel l . Most die. The

Omaha baby lasted barelV 2lzhours after he was put in thecloset. . . lAppendix/Abortion,by L iz Je f f r ies and R ickEdmonds, pp . 155-6) .How any Christian could remain

passive in the face of such factssurpasses comprehens ion . Yetcomplacency continues, and theproblem may go deeper than anyat roc i ty s to r ies a re l i ke ly totouch. . . deeper, maybe, than we'dl ike to admit.

Some Fundamentalists will l ike-ly fault Franky Schaeffer for criticiz-ing those who preach what he calls"a shallow, simplistic gospel" (p.13). Others, fearing a politicizedgospel, will not agree with him that

continued on page 47

39

IDon't Quit!b1 Tom Wallace

Pastors often foce many dif.ficulties as they seek to shepherdGod's f lock. Here is the insidestory of one mon's strugglethrough dark ond lonely days oftesting.

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he grass was a lot greenereverywhere I looked. It wouldnot have had to be very

green to beat what I had. I felt I hadmore problems than anybody else inthe ministry. The llght at the end of thetunnel had completely gone out. Thefinancial load was on a runaway courseat our church and school. Our interestpayments alone were over $1,000 a day,and the hole was getting deeper anddeeper.'!7e

contacted Arab oil people,finance managers, brokers, bankers,planners, and millionaires. I even gotmy hopes up over a rumor that a manwith a billion dollars worth of goldknew of our plight and was going tobail us out. When I traveled to a North-em state to see him, he was in a federalpenitentiary. The dominoes fell fasterthan we could set them up.

During the whole experience, theheavens were brass. I simply could notfind God. \(ith David, "l watered mycouch with tears." Job became my onlyfriend and companion.

'We seemed to

empathize with each other. I remindedmyself that God had delivered theChildren of Israel through the Red Sea,He kept Daniel safe in the l ions'den,and He remembered the HebrewChildren in the fiery furnace. I sawmyself as a little David, and I toldmyself that I would be able to kill thisgiant.

A lot of our people bailed out of thesinking ship. Vho could blame them?Attendance was down, the programwas cut, staff members were laid off,and the work-load was shifted to thosewilling to wear two or three hats.Pessimists said, "You'll never get out ofthis!" Optimists declared, "You'll comeout of this alright." One good man ofGod said, "l'm going to help you. I'llsend you $200 a week for one year." Hecontinued an extra year. He was a pep-timist! The amount was small, in lightof the tremendous need, but his friend-ship and encouragement strengthenedme.

The easy thing to do, of course, was

Tom Wallace ii pdsroTof Beth Haven BaptistChurch, Louisuille,Kentucky.

to leave. I could blame the collapsedfinance house in Atlanta for ourtroubles, and nobody would hold meresponsible.

Dr. Lee Roberson's words hauntedme day and night: "Everything risesand falls on leadership." He alsoreminded people, "God hates aquitterl" I remembered hearing JackHyles tell that, on the first day ofschool at Hyles-Anderson College,students are required to cut the wordquit out of their dictionaries. I triedmemorizing a portion of the poem,"Don't Quit."

Vhen things go wrong, as theysometimes will.'When

the road you're trudging seemsall uphill;

\Uhen the funds are low, and thedebts are high,

And you want to smile, and have tosigh;

When care is pressing you down abit,

Rest if you must, but don't you quitlSeveral aftractive calls to some of

the largest churches in the countrydidn't make it any easier. For years, Ihad counseled preachers against run-ning away from problems to findgreener pastures. Then I went to hear agreat preacher who announced that hewould preach on "The Secret ofGreatness." That's what I need, I saidto myself. "l'm going to learn how to begreat." I got to church early and sat onthe front row to get every word. Vithnotebook and pen ready, I waited anx-iously as the seasoned man of God an-nounced his text and stated, "TonightI'll give you the secret of greatness. Ican sum it up in one word," he said."The word is trouble." I had notcounted on that approach, but I wasconsoled by the fact that I was qualifiedto go to the top of the list of greatsl

But even that sermon was notenough to make me resolved not toquit. Finally, I decided it would be bestto move on. I planned for a year in ad-vance and booked meetings quietly, soI could spend a year on the roadrecuperating. I covered all bases andfelt real good about the whole thing.That's when God came out frombehind His cloud. Every sermon Iheard in conferences seemed directedstraight at me. "Stay in Crete," my ad-visors all told me. "Hang in there!"

"You're the man for the jobl" "ProveGod in your placel" All my advice andsermons came back to preach to me.

ln a motel room in Knoxville, Ten-nessee, just two weeks before my pro-posed resignation date, I finally came tothe place where I actually had no will ofmy own in the matter. About 3:00a.m., the Lord became very real andfilled my heart with confidence andassurance. I gave my reputatioo, hypossessions, and my future completelyto Him. For the first time in over fiveyears, it was wonderful to be "fully pur-suaded" in my own mind! I had been"double-minded and unstable in all myways. t t

My next Sunday's sermon was bornthat moment, I preached, "Resigned,Resigned, Resigned, Re-Signed." Eachof the four points were the same. "Thefirst 'Resigned,"' I told my folks,"means quit. It 's overl I quitl I 've had it!Good-byel I was going to resign nextSunday," I announced. The second"Resigned" meant to resign oneself tothe status quo, and slip into neutraland float. I confessed to our congrega-tion that I had been there for a long,long time, and most of them had joinedme in a state of unconcern. The third"Resigned" involved resigning oneselfto the Holy Spirit's leading and Lord-ship. I had come to that place. Finally,"Re-Signed," which, of course, meant Iwas ready to roll up my sleeves and givemyself anew, without reservation, tothe specific will of God for my life.

I announced to my people, "Youhave a new preacher, starting todayl"The response was electricl Several peo-ple volunteered to fill vacancies. Alarge number indicated they were goingto increase their giving. Attendancebegan to climb. Offerings jumped.Souls began to be saved. God was onthe scene, and everybody knew it.

It has been two years now, and He'sstill here. I am here to stay until He sayssomething different. I see light at theend of the tunnel. The words of Isaiahhave greater meaning: "But they thatwait upon the Lord shall renew theirstrength; they shall mount up withwings as eagles; they shall run, and notbe weary; and they shall walk, and notfaint" (lsa. 40:31).

I am glad I stayed put.that I did the right thing.

Don't quit!

I know now

D41,MA]?CH ]983

Two-Headed Councilcontinued from page 17

ual, doing a "180-degree reversal" from believing thathomosexuality was an individual choice and a sin, to nowaffirming that homosexuality is a biologically predetermined"given." She says that, "Not to accept the UniversalFellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches as amember denomination of the NCC carries with it some un-comfortable theological implications. The criterion for beinga Christian is whether a person or a denomination acceptsJesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This requirement seems tohave sound biblical support. That one must also beheterosexual or, if this is impossible, celibate, introduces acondition which could well be considered heretical. lt isdangerous for human beings to take for themselves the task ofjudging the quality of the relationship between otherbelievers and God. Ve may think we know who is saved andwho is not, but how can we really tell?"

Such an analysis as that by Borhek is obviously based ononly a carefully selected portion of Scripture, and not on thewhole content of the Bible. But it is this type of twistedapologetic and exegesis that has plagued the NCC, and islikely to be the basis for relieving its current dilemma of sup-porting homosexuality in Christians while rejecting thehomosexuals. This is a complete reversal of Christ's exampleof accepting the sinner (the person) and rejecting the sin (thewrongdoings).

And the NCC isn't satisfied with merely misinterpretingthe Bible, but is actively engaged in changing it. As reportedinTime magazine (December 8, 1980) in an article titled "Un-manning the Holy Bible: the sexual-textual revolution comesto Scripture," the NCC's education division is overseeing theremoval of sexist terminology from the Revised StandardVersion. This rewrite of Scripture is an off-shoot of thefeminist movement,

The NCC has balked at radical revisions of the Scripture'swordings, but has instructed its translators "to get rid of asmuch 'masculine-biased language' as possible." And it hasbeen admitted by feminists and scholars alike that some partsof the Bible, while sexist in wording, cannot accurately betranslated otherwise. But in spite of this problem, feministsare not discouraged. As Sister Ann Patrick Ware stated in theTime article, "'There are parts of Scripture that are sexist,and there is nothing you can do about them.' Of course, sheadds, 'you don't have to read them either.' " \(/are is rankingtheology executive with the NCC.

Misdirection Blues: Which WayFrom Here?

How did such a well-intended idea as represented by thefounding of the VCC and the NCC become so perverted?

First, any organization that seeks to encompass such amassive number of groups and individuals can not begin tohope to maintain close touch with those it supposedlyrepresents at the grass roots.

As the Councils have grown in numbers, power andauthority have become more centralized, posited in a concen-trated leftleaning elite. "Failing a consensus within the

42

Council, leadership reverts to an elite-and this does appearto be the trend in the WCC. Cynthia Wedell, one of the\7CC presidents, pointed out that 'half the member churchescannot be represented even in the Central Committee, andmany who represent their churches on commissions andcommittees have no direct access to the decision-makingbodies of their own churches.' That can be compensated forwhen grass-roots church members and Geneva staff are com-mitted to the same causes. But when they are guided by dif-ferent stars, or marching to different drummers, the elite cantake up a position that, if not arrogant, is highly condescend-ing" (Chrisrianity TodaJ, February Z, 1979).

A second problem of the Councils is their push toward areductionist syncretism of the diversity of doctrines. The goalis to discover the fewest elements of faith and doctrine thatwill cover a multitude of doctrinal differences.

Often, actions of the Council have been defended as beingcarried out in "love." But this use of a blanket term tends toreduce its intended universal meaning to meaninglessness."To use love as an umbrella to cover doctrinal differences anddeficiencies does not solve the basic problem. Doctrine doesdivide. lt always has. It always will. It must do so, as the Bibledoes, in order to separate truth from error" (ChristianityTod.at, Febrttart 2, 1979).

Also, such reductionism tends to strip away the verycovering of biblical mandate that is supposed to give theCouncils their cohesiveness and reason for being: to serveGod and proclaim the gospel of Christ. And it is this strip-ping away of the diversity inherent in biblical authority thathas led the Councils into their nonreligious politicalideological ghettoes. As Dr. Peter Beyerhaus, director of theInstitute of Missiology and Ecumenical Theology of TubingenUniversity, has stated, in the theology of the Councils "sin isno longer regarded as a 'consequence of rebelling againstGod, but rather as being left behind in the process of libera-tion experienced by society in the course ofthe history oftheworld"' (The Presbyterian Journal, November 17, 1982). Astheologian Helmut Thielicke has stated, "'We can only notewith alarm the byways and wrong ways of an ecclesiastical in-stitution which has straved from the Father's mansion of thegospel into the alien world of an ideological spell"(Clvistianity Today, November 20, 1981).

The \ilorld Council of Churches' next assembly isscheduled for 1983 in Vancouver. The decisions generatedfrom this massive gathering will be reflected in the actions ofthe National Council of Churches. Will there be a turningaway from the present course of left-wing political activity,and a returning to the founding intention of establishing thelordship of Christ in all the world? Such a drastic and muchneeded philosophical and theological realignment is unlikely.

If the majority of the grass-roots constituency would stir,rouse itself, and make itself heard, the Council executivesmight realize their misdirected guidance, and steer theorganizations back onto the intended course. But if the peo-ple in the churches of the member denominations keep silent,allowing the Councils to pursue their descent into theshadows of nonreligious political action and theologicalbankruptcy, the \ilCC and NCC should be steered clear ofbv concerned Christians worldwide. O

FUNDA I\/ENIAIIST JOURNAI

SeIf-Evalwtioncontinued from page 13

his one church has already accom-plished in this area.

The concern of Fundamentalists tohave right relationships with all peoplehas caused an exorbitant amount ofparanoia over fellowships, associations,and relationships. Not only are Fun-damentalists arguing about whichgroups one ought to officially belongto, but now the argument hasdegenerated to the level of whom onehas had to speak in one's church andfor whom one has spoken, and in some

Fundqnrentalls{s mu$clso recognlze thal qpe$on can pacs cll olthelr ouhrard tests lorsplrltucllty and stlll belos{.

cases even with whom one has eatendinner. Perhaps more than any otherweakness, this is causing some Fun-damentalists to build such restrictivecommunities that they are in danger ofreverting to an Amish-like retreat fromall contact with society. Fear of beingplaced on someone's negative list hascaused many Fundamentalists tocapitulate to intimidation in order toremain "pure." Yet such capitulation israrely satisfying to those whose tenden-cy is to become more and more restric-tive and exclusive. One list of "ac-cepted" schools has reduced thenumber down to only five.

The time has come for true Fun-damentalists and sincere Evangelicalsto rise above the excessive labeling andlisting of people, groups, and schools. Ifthere is a lesson to be learned from thehistory of the early FundamentalistMovement, it is that divergent groupsof Bible-believing Christians who holdto the basic tenets of the faith cancooperate together in order to developa broadly united front against the realenemies of true Christianity. Let usonce again focus the theological guns atLiberalism, humanism, and secularism.

8. Absolutism. Because of the Fun-

MAJeCH 1983

damentalists' commitment to the truth,there is a tendency among them tooverabsolutism, that is, to approachingevery conceivable issue with a totallyblack-or-white mentality. Our tenden-cy is to view something as either totallyright or totally wrong. While this isdefinitely the case in many situations,becoming locked into that kind of men-tality has caused overstatement andovercriticism in many unnecessary mat-ters.

9, Authoritarianism. Believing oneselfto be right can easily lead to an overlyauthoritarian approach in disciplinarymatters. This is true with regard notonly to church discipline but to familydiscipline as well. The tendency of theoverly authoritarian parent is to pro-duce rebellious children. One need notlook very far to find ample witness tothe fact that many good people leaveFundamentalist churches for doctrinal-ly weaker churches because they aresimply tired of all the fighting. Fun-damentalism must become known forwhat it is for, not just for what it isagainst. The time has come to raise thestandard for a generation of gentleman-ly Fundamentalists who love equallythe truth of God's \ilord and the oeo-ple in whose lives it must be applied.

10. Exclusiuism. Exclusivism is acharacteristic of all religious cults. It isthe tendency to believe that they aloneare saved. Unless you belong to theirgroup, you are looked upon as suspect.This mentality breeds the tendency tojudge Christians, not by what theybelieue, but by the group to which theybelong. \fhile belonging to a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching church iscertainly a vital expression of one'scommitment to Scripture, it must notbe reasoned conversely that all peoplewho belong to questionable churchesor religious organizations are thereforenecessarily and automatically lost.Whether Fundamentalists like it or not,a person may belong to a church thatproclaims a liberal gospel and still be agenuine disciple of Jesus Christ. \7e allagree that they ought to know betterand should be urged to "come out fromamong them," but Fundamentalismmust never be guilty of pronouncingthem unsaved because they do not joinour group. True Fundamentalismrecognizes that one's personal salvation

has to do with one's belief in JesusChrist as Savior. A person does nothave to join a Fundamentalist churchin order to become a true believer inChrist.

Fundamentalists must also recognizethat a person can pass all of their out-ward tests for spirituality and still belost. A politician may have all of theoutward requirements for conservativeconsistency set by the minimal moralstandards as defined bv conservativepolitical action groups and still be veryamoral in his personal life. He needsChrist just as much as the person whois extremely liberal in his politicalstand. We must be reminded that evenif we are successful in getting society tochange its laws in favor of a more moralapproach to life, that alone will notmake America a moral or Christian na-tion. The preaching of the gospelthrough aggressive evangelism hasalways been and must alwavs be ourmajor priority. o

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43

rectsures

The hymn writer reminds us:Thy Word is l ike a deep, deep mine,And jewels rich and rareAre hidden in its mighty depthsFor every searcher there (Edwin Hodder).

And so it is. God's Word has remained an inexhaustiblesource of spiritual riches for the -believer of every age. Oftenthe very words of the Word carry a distinct theological truththat speaks with special preciousness to the listening believer.Such is the case with the Hebrew word segullah-commonlytranslated "special/peculiar treasure."

The word means "property," especially one's personalpossession. Thus, Israel was God's personal possession (Ps.135:4). A gracious God had purchased her, redeeming her outof bondage in Egypt, not because of her goodness, but simplybecause He loved her and because He would be faithful to thepromise made to the patriarchs (Deut. 7:6-11).

He entered into covenant with His people, asking onlythat they should love Him and be faithful, just as He hadbeen toward them (Ex. l9:5). This meant that they shouldreflect His holy standards in their lives and so be assured of

seeing good success (Deut. 26: l6-19). They were to be to God"a k ingdom of pr iests and an holy nat ion."

Interestingly, because the New Testament believer Iikewisepartakes of the promise of the partriarchs through faith inChrist (Gal. 3:6-9, 15-18,76-29), he too is counted as God'sspecial possession (Titus 2:14). As such he, l ike lsrael of old, isto be reminded that he is "a royal priesthood, an holynation," serving God in his life and reflecting God's holystandards in his walk (1 Peter 2:9-12).

Think of it! Made part of God's family through the graceof God and faith in Christ, the Christian may not only ex-perience the abundant l i fe that Jesus promised (John 10:10),but may be assured of God's loving regard for him as His"special possession," His "peculiar treasure." Vith such arealization, the believer ought to live so as to produce atreasure-fi l led l ife (1 Cor. 3:12-13;2 Cor, 4:l-7).

O the unsearchable riches of Christ!Vho shall their greatness declare!Jewels whose luster our l ives may adorn,Pearls that the poorest may wear (F.J. Crosby).

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Fight of Faithcontinued from page 36

moment we proclaim, or if we let ourchanging moods determine the ques-tion whether we shall or shall not standagainst the rampant forces of unbeliefin the church. \7e ought to look, notwithin, but without, for the content ofwhat we are to preach, and for thedetermination of our witness-bearing;not to our changing feelings and ex-periences, but to the Bible as the \ilordof God. Then, and then only, shall wepreach, not ourselves, but Christ Jesusthe Lord.

There are many hopes that I cherishfor you men, with whom I am unitedby such ties of affection. I hope thatyou may be gifted preachers; I hopethat you may have happy lives; I hopethat you may have adequate supportfor yourselves and for your families; Ihope that you may have good church-es. But I hope something for you farmore than all that. I hope above allthat, wherever you are and howeveryour preaching may be received, youmay be true witnesses for the Lord JesusChrist; I hope that there may never beany doubt where you stand, but thatalways you may stand squarely for JesusChrist, as He is offered to us, not in theexperiences of men, but in the blessedwritten Vord of God.

I do not mean that the great issue ofthe day must be polemically presentedin every sermon that you preach. Nodoubt that would be exceedingly un-wise. You should always endeavor tobuild the people up by simple andpositive instruction in the \7ord. Butnever will such simple and positive in-struction in the \ford have the fullblessing of God, if, when the occasiondoes arise to take a stand, you shrinkback. God hardly honors the ministryof those who in the hour of decision areashamed of the gospel of Christ. Godgrant, instead, that in all humility, butalso in all boldness, in reliance uponGod, you may fight the good fight offaith. Peace is indeed yours, the peaceof God which passeth all understand-ing. But that peace is given you, notthdt you may be onlookers or neutralsin love's battle, but that you may begood soldiers of Jesus Christ. !

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Machencontinued from page 33

thodoxy, Machen withdrew his sup-port. He resigned from Princeton and,in J,rly 7929, began

'Westminster

Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.Such outstanding men as Robert Dick\ililson, Allan MacRae, and O.T. Allisjoined Machen in the new venture.The new independent seminary strug-gled, but was successful. Now in its54th year,

'Westminster stands for truth

and exacting scholarship.Machen's next efforts were devoted

to founding the Independent Board forPresbyterian Foreign Missions in June1933. This was due to the Liberalunbelief associated with the regularPresbyterian Board. The following yearthe General Assembly demanded thatthe lndependent Board cease. Machencould not in good conscience do this,and the upshot was that he was votedout of the Presbyterian Church USA,along with a number of other goodmen. In June 1936 a new church wasorganized which came to be known asthe Orthodox Presbyterian Church.Six months later, on January 1,1937,J.Gresham Machen lay dead. On aspeaking tour in Bismarck, NorthDakota, pneumonia, caused by frigid20 below zero temperatures, cut his lifeshort at age 55. At least four additionalvolumes of Machen's writings have ap-peared in the 45 years since his death.The demand for his works continues,and "he being dead yet speaketh" (Heb.l l 4 ) .

N e d S t o n e h o u s e , M a c h e n ' sbiographer and successor in New Testa-ment at

'l7estminster, paid this final

tribute to his mentor: "If ever there wasa man of nobility, magnanimity, gen-tility, and tender considerateness,Machen was that man." Thoughcriticized, maligned, and falsely ac-cused, J. Gresham Machen neverwavered in his commitment to Truth.He was Valiant for Truth. !

FUNDAMENTAIIST JOURNAI

!rtrJ$ WDAvIThis internat ional

distress cal l urges yourcongregat ion to get involved in a

celebrat ion of World Hunger Sunday.

WORTD HUI{GER SUNDAY, MAY I, 1983Send for your FREE Resource Kit and learn how you can become in-volved in a hungry world where 40,000 people starve to death everyday. By celebrat ing World Hunger Sunday, May 1, 1983, you can helpalert God's people to the incredible needs of a hungry world. WorldHunger Sunday wi l l help your congregat ion respond in Christ ian loveto the MAYDAY distress call that comes to us from sudden disastersor areas of chronic famine.

Mai l to : FOOD FOR THE HUNGRYP.O. Box E, Scottsdale, 4285252

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

f] Yes, please send me complete information about the free materialsavailable to celebrate World Hunger Sunday.

POSITION

C H U R C H

ADDRESS

H

NAME

PHONE -/-

CITY STATE - ZIP 833-6

Book Reportcontinued from page 39

"To speak of a gospel that does noth a v e p o l i t i c a l i m p l i c a t i o n s . . .subverts the entire thrust of Chris-tianity, which is to reclaim for Godwhat has been lost through man'sdisobedience" (p. 137).

T h e r e w i l l p r o b a b l y b eevangelicals who feel Schaefferhas gotten carried away, that heforgets that, though obliged to hatehumanism, we must love thehumanist. Or that he neglects theimportance of the new birth, thatsociety will be reformed only whenindividuals are reborn.

Perhaps Schaeffer does not suf-ficiently emphasize the necessity ofthe new birth. Yet others, it seemsfair to say, have not well thought

through the nature of the newbirth. For why should it benecessary for this angry young manto speak as he does to Christians?Why, repeat, why "such roaring,massive silence on the part of thosewho should know better?"

Could it be that we are reapingwhat we've been sowing? From thes e e d s o f " e a s y b e l i e v i s m "evangelism, has a skin-deep Chris-tianity grown up? By distortingplain Bible truth with so muchpsychological mumbo jumbo, havewe cultivated a gospel of self -actualization and a doctrine of self-centered salvation?

"We have already. . . abortedmore babies than Hitler killedJews" (p. 1 13), Schaeffer statesstarkly. (Notice: not "they" but"we,") In our taci t denial of

responsibility for this holocaustlu rks the u l t imate "myth o fneutrality. "

For the past two decades wehave watched every imaginabledepravity crawl out of the wood-work and a steady stream ofperversions come out of the closet.A Time for Anger: The Myth ofNeutral i ty is a much-neededchallenge for Christians to comeout of the cloister. . . to break downthe invidious wall of separationbetween the sacred and thesecular. . . to give l i fe to our fai th.

nk,ouLGamels Loch Ness Monster Brand Extension

The Camel is an awkward-lookingcreature that seems ill-equipped to beeither a beast of burden or adomesticated pet. In fact, most peoplethink that camels are downright ugly.Oniy in Middle Eastern and sub-Saharan cultures are these ganglycreatures awarded the respect theydeserve. Though not much to look at,the camel is prized for its ability to sur-vive searing temperatures. It can keepwater in its bloodstream, it perspiresvery little, and possesses a remarkablenose that exhales almost no moisture.The journeys of the biblical patriarchswere made possible because of thisuniquely designed animal. What mighthave become of Abraham, Isaac, andJacob had they not had camels to aidthem on their way? If God knew whatHe was doing when He made thecamel, just think how much more loveand care He took when He made youl

Over a period of 1,400 years, at least10,000 sightings have been reported,but proof for the existence of the LochNess Monster is still unconfirmed.Sonar and film have captured murkyimages of something swimming aboutthe waters of Scotland's fabled lake.But whether the creature is a large eel, along-necked seal, a pre-historic sur-vivor, or a figment of the mind awaitsfurther investigation. Like the LochNess Monster, the devil is an elusiveenemy variously described as a lion (1Peter 5:8), a dragon (Rev. 12:3), and aserpent (Gen. 3:1). If all the time spenttrying to document the beast of LochNess had been invested in a scripturalstudy of Satan's activity, mankindwould be far better off. Second Corin-thians Z:11 implores us not to be ig-norant of the devil's devices. It's toobad that some people know more aboutthe habitat of the Loch Ness Monsterthan they do about Satan's plans andpurposes.

Selling the buying public on a newidea is not easy. Marketing experts saythat it costs $30 million to advertiseand launch a new product. For thatreason, some companies have found iteasier to associate the item with a prov-en brand name. The name Hondanow graces lawnmowers as well asautomobiles, to cite just one example ofwhat is called "brand extension."Marketing experts have only recentlydiscovered a device the devil has usedfor centuries. Most false cults and er-roneous systems of doctrine cling to thename of Jesus and the Christianchurch. They know their message willbe more readily received if it has therespectability of association with thegospel. Don't be taken in by a groupjust because it calls itself Christian.Check out its teaching carefully. Thebrand name may be borrowed.

O Copyrighr Bob Larson

I\,,l]-lJlt-H 19&3 47

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Evongelicol Free Church MinisterA cose for creotion is stronglypresented, l t wi l l give me endless hoursof opportunity to witness. , ,"

Medicol Doclor"This f i lm iniel l igently offers sensible,thoughtful olternotives to youngoeop le . . , "

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Christ ion Leoders Soy:" . , , o thought p rovok ing , s ign i f i con tf i l m , , . "

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"l recommend i i port iculorly to postorsond Chrisi ion leoders everywhere."

Dr, Jerry FolwellOld Time Gosoel Hour

The creotion/evolution deboteis os controversiol fodoy os itwos in '1925 when ThomosScopes wos tried in o court oflow lor teoching the theory ofevolufion.Todoy, however, things hovechonged so much thof oteocher con be fr ied in somesloles for feoching creoiion.This interesfing' l6mm colordocumenfory helps Christ ionswilh scientif ic evidence forcreotion.

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Dastor's Drofile

e as Fundamentalistsassociate our heroeswith the cities where

they have built dynamic works: LeeRoberson in Chattanooga, TennesseelBruce Cummons in Massillon, Ohio;Truman Dollar in Kansas City,Missouri....There is a relatively newname being added to our list of buildersand landmarks. Bill Monroe and theFlorence Baptist Temple are quicklybecoming synonymous with Florence,South Carolina, as their influence im-pacts the state.

Bill Monroe has had a burden forSouth Carolina since his youth, whenhis father pastored in the state.Although he left South Carolina andspent several years working in sales inTexas, playing the piano for a gospelgroup on the road, and being a musicdirector in Indiana, his burden for

]VIARC]J 1983

South Carolina never waned. His in-satiable desire to return to the state andbuild a ministry that would influencethe lives of many finally led him tomove to Florence and fulfill his vision.Bill had never preached a sermon whenhe started his church in an abandonedtheater, with 18 of the 32,000 people inFlorence in attendance.

That was in 1969. Now in its 14thyear, Florence Baptist Temple has astaff of 65 and averages 1,500 in Sun.day school. More than 600 students at.tend its Christian school; the church/school facility is valued at $5 millionand will be debt-free this year.

Bill Monroe has had a strong andgodly influence in his town. His weeklynewspaper column "Coffee Time" (anold- fashioned common-sense-and-Christian-principles column) has been agreat tool of outreach. \fhen there is a

moral issue to be confronted, BillMonroe and his people have spokenout. Recent opposition by the people ofBaptist Temple led to the closing of amale strip show in town.

Monroe is an unpretentious man ofhumility, and one does not guess thathe holds many positions of leadership.At age 39, he is vice-president of Bap-tist University of America in Atlanta,Georgia, and a board member of theAmerican Association of ChristianSchools. He is chairman of Moral Ma-jority of South Carolina, state chair-man for Citizens for Life, holds a doc-torate degree from Hyles-AndersonCollege, and is the author of threebooks. Even with all these respon-sibilities, his main priority in life is hisconsuming love for his people and adesire to fulfill their needs as Christiansthrough a balanced church life. He hasa strong teaching ministry, yet he keepshis people burdened for souls.

"I want Christianity to be the mostimportant force in the lives of ourmembers. My desire is that our cityknows that Christianity is normal andFundamen ta l i s t s a re i n te l l i gen tp e o p l e , " s a i d P a s t o r M o n r o e ."Although our church has a strongyouth program and bus ministry, thestrength of Florence Baptist Temple isadults; 90 percent of our baptisms areadults. \7e will have 1,000 adults pre-sent on any given Sunday.

'We must

meet the needs of our families and helpadults in leading their homes. This iswhere the battle is today."

Bill Monroe and his ministry are aninspiration to pastors observing whathas been accomplished in 14 years, in asmall town, by a man who preached hisfirst sermon to 18 people in an aban-doned theater. One word describes thegrowth and current status of FlorenceBaptist Temple-solid. One sentencecontains its maxim: "Presenting abalanced ministry, reaching people,and impacting a searching city." D

AQ

Bill Monroe:

Impacting aSearching Cityb1 Duane Ward

&

PlantingNewGhurches

CHUPCH UPDATflbY Elmer Tou.'ns

hurch planting is a refreshing trend in the UnitedStates today. Most conservative denominationshave someone assigned to church planting, and they

regularly report their progress. The Bob Jones Universitymagazine, Faith for the Funily,lists new clurches planted byits alumni. Baptist Bible College, Springfield, Missouri, isrecognized for the great number of churches planted by itsgraduates. The Church of the Nazarene reports starting ap-proximately 50 new churches in the Pacific Northwest lastyear.

The Baptist Bible Fellowship plants churches throughstate fellowships-local churches helping new churches. Inmost states, a church planter qualifies for $600 monthly sup-port from the Baptist Bible Fellowship after he has been inthe field three months.

Two years ago, Jerry Falwell organized Liberty BaptistFellowship for Church Planting and announced a goal ofplanting or revitalizing 5,000 churches before the year 2000.He stated that the Great Commission is best carried out byplanting new churches that will evangelize their towns forChrist. The fellowship of independent Baptist churchesreceived approximately $25,000 from churches planted byLiberty graduates and other independent Baptist churches.The money helped support church planters on the field.Eleven men were helped by Liberty Baptist Fellowship lastyear; this year's goal is 25. Support is not limited to Libertygraduates only.

The Thomas Road Baptist Church gives to help plant newchurches through Liberty Baptist Fellowship, the BaptistBible Fellowship of Virginia, and to independent Baptistchurches not associated with any fellowship.

Liberty graduates planted 29 churches in 1982 and a totalof 213 churches since 1973. The largest, Calvary Road BaptistChurch, Springfield, Virginia, is pastored by DavidRhodenhizer and averages over 1,000 in attendance. Church-es pastored by Liberty graduates received $14,561,776 in of-ferings last year and baptized 7,137 people. Growth in thesechurches is reflected by the following statistics:

Ave rageSundayschoo la t t endance . . . . . 138Ave ragechu rcha t tendance . . . . . 162Averagemembership . . .151Average baptisms per church . . . .33Ave rage incomeperchu rch . . . . . $69 ,013 .00Percap i t ag i v i ngpe rmember /week l v . . . . . . . . . . 8 .19

Obviously, 213 is a long way from the goal of 5,000churches, but that figure does not include pastorates assumedby Liberty men, churches planted on the mission field, or sec-ond generation churches planted out of existing churches.Dr. C.T. Abrahams, a graduate in lndia, reports starting 52new churches. Al Henson, Lighthouse Baptist Church,Nashville, Tennessee, has helped plant 15 churches not yetcounted. By the year 2000, the goal ofplanting or revitalizing5,000 churches will be a reality.

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FUNDA\,GNTALIST JOURNAL

Churches Planted by Liberty Graduates in 1982

PASTOR CHURCH/LOCATIONDATEINSTITUTE

February

April

May

June

J.rly

August

August

November

Aaron Riehl'82

Larry E. Wilson'82

Tom Monn '82

Mike Garner'82

Joe Damon'82

Lamar Crammer'82

Everett Vaughan '78

Dave Peters '77

Fred Streckenbach '79

Paul Marshall '79

Harvest Baptist ChurchNeq' Holland, PAFellowship Chapel ChurchLittle Hocking, OHDauphin Baptist ChurchHumblesville, PALiberty Baptist ChurchCalgary, Alberta, CanadaCornerstone Baptist ChurchSanford, MEMountville Baptist ChurchMountville. PALighthouse Baptist TempleGaffney, SCShady Glen Baptist ChurchAmherst, VAAbundant Life Bible ChurchGreen Bay, \VI (LHBI)Liberty Baptist ChurchJackson, MI

LIBERTY BAPTIST COLLEGE

January

February

April

Julv

Julv

August

August

September

October

December

Don Hamm'81

Larry Lamberth '76

Carl Noll '78

Tom Sica'82

Dean Schrieber'81

Richard Parker '82

Mike Gestrick'82

Paul Dalton '79

Grant Harbridge'74

Jack Hardy '78

New Life Baptist ChurchFt. Wayne, INHarvest Baptist ChurchBurlington, NCHeritage Baptist ChurchReading, PAOpen Door Baptist ChurchScranton. PALaGrange Baptist ChapelLaGrange, OHCornerstone Baptist ChurchMobile, ALBanksville Baptist ChurchPittsburgh, PACalvary Road Baptist ChurchKnoxville, TNNew Life lndependent Baptist ChurchBroadway, PALife Gate Baptist ChurchRichmond, VA

LIBERTY BAPTIST SEMINARY

)anuary

April

June

June

J,rly

Julv

SeptemberOctober

Ron Reed'78

Tom Lippert'82

Al Cox'82

Dave Watkins '82

Dennis Allison '82

Doug Porter '82

Rod Earls'78Steve Reynolds'82

Ricky Spry '82

Immanuel Baptist ChurchQuincy, ILNorthside Bible Baptist ChurchPittsburgh, PATwin City Baptist ChurchBlacksburg, VANorth Town Baptist ChurchBlaine, MNCentre Baptist ChurchState College, PAOakland Heights Baptist ChurchOakville, Ontario, CanadaMesquite, TXCentral Baptist ChurchVienna, VAOpen Door Baptist ChurchPunxsutawney, PA

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here are more people on theface of the earth today thanever before. almost five billion

people; 94 percent live outside theUnited States. Only 6 percent of thepeople of the world live in our na-tion-yet 90 percent of the world'sgospel preachers minister to that 6 per.cent,

America has been blessed. She hasthe necessarv resources for worldevangelization. Her churches have themanpower to capture this world forChrist. This is not saying her peopleare better than any other people, of anyother age. The message of her churchesis based on the same Bible as any othergroup of Christian people. Her churchesare not more spiritual than other na-tions or those found in past ages. Thesame power of the Holy Spirit isavailable to all. But America's resourcesare great.

America has many great Christiancolleges where young people train forforeign missions. She has great institu-tions that broadcast the gospel overradio and television. Because God hasblessed America, her churches have thewealth to get the job done.

Time is of the essence; cir.cumstances are critical, and oppor-tunities are monumental. It will takededication, surrender, and abandon-ment to the will of God on the part ofHis people to win this world for Christ.There have been men who tried to con-q u e r t h i s w o r l d . T h e r e w a sNebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great,and Napoleon. Adolf Hitler's goal wasalso to conquer the world.

ln 1917, a handful of people in theBolshevik Revolut ion over threwRussia. Their goal was to conquer theworld. They took over the SovietUnion and since 1917 have built anIron Curtain around one-third of theworld's population. Over one billionpersons are now under the tyranny ofthe hammer and sickle. All this is theresult of the efforts of two men, Leninand Marx. It was accomplishedthrough satanic inspiration. Anythingthat enslaves men, destroys minds, andmurders multitudes is of satanic origin.Today, C-ommunism is Satan's mostpowerfi.rl instrument to capture theworld and damn souls to hell.

Jesus Christ also has a plan to cap-ture this world. Christ desires a rule of

MAreCHl9B3

love. His plan is not to dominate na-tions but to motivate individuals to besubmissive to Him. His plan is not toorganize Communist cells but to buildlocal New Testament churches. Theplan of Jesus Christ for the world is nottied to armed aggression or negotia-tions at the peace table.The plan ofJesus Christ is found in the GreatCommission.

As Chrlsl's qmbqsscdors,we musl go ln the powerol God's Splrlt, wlth themessage ol the crucllled,dsen Chrlst.

The church of Jesus, saints em-powered by the Holy Spirit, can turnthis world upside down for God withthe right message, the right methods,and the right motivations.

The right message is Jesus Christand Him crucified. Jesus Christ, theSon of God, came to this earth nearly2,000 years ago. He was born of avirgin, lived a sinless life, and diedupon a cruel cross. He was buried androse again the third day. All men whobelieve this message will be saved.

The right methodology for worldevangelization is the Great Commis.sion, which is making disciples orfollowers of Christ. After he is saved, anew Christian is baptized in the nameof the Father, the Son, and the HolyGhost. This is enlistment in the localchurch. The ultimate step of the GreatCommission includes teaching every-one to obey the things that Christ hascommanded.

At the very heart of God's vision forthe world is the establishment of thelocal church. The purpose of thatchurch is to win people to Christ andthen to teach them to obey Him.

The right motivation for world con-quest is the dynamic power and anoint'ing of the Holy Spirit. To those whoobey the Great Commission Jesus pro-mised, "Lo, I am with you alway, evenunto the end of the world." ln Acts 1:8

Jesus promised, "But ye shall receivepower." As Christ's ambassadors, wemust go in the power of God's Spirit,with the message of the crucified, risen

Christ.Correct motivation also includes

compassion for lost people. \ilhen Jesuslooked on the multitudes, He wasmoved with compassion. He saw lostpeople and loved them. As am-bassadors of Christ. we must be hum-ble and compassionate if we are to beeffective.

The program is clearly defined. Wemust begin at Jerusalem, our home-town; then go to Judaea, our state;then Samaria, adjacent states; andfinally, to the uttermost parts of theworld.

The Book of Acts clearly tells howthe city ofJerusalem was captured andlater how the world was turned upsidedown (Acts 17:6), It was not a mightyarmy, but 120 men and womenanointed by the Holy Spirit.

Today we are a small group likethose in the Book of Acts. The oppor-tunity is ours to gain the same results.'We

must not fail. '\7e

must obey theGreat Commission.

The Great Commission demandsthat we go to lands of spiritual darknessand physical distress.

'\lile must preach

Christ and minister to physical needs.It is impossible to divorce spiritual andphysical needs. We do not believe in asocial gospel which only ministers tothe physical needs ofpeople. But on theother hand, it is impossible to preach tosomeone who is so hungry he does nothave strength to listen. We mustminister to the total needs of people.\7e believe in feeding the hungry, ingiving drink to the thirsty, in taking inthe stranger, in clothing the naked-N

JESUS'NAME.It is now the eleventh hour. I believe

we are in the last moments of the greatChurch Age. The Lord is coming soon.In this last hour we have been allowedthe privilege of cooperating with theHoly Spirit to bring men and women toChrist.

A wide open door now standsbefore us. The stage has been set, andwe must continue to reach out to thosewithout Christ the world over. Each ofus must be filled with God's Spirit andcommitted to the Great Commission.We must voluntarily take this messageto the entire world.

'We can see

something happen in our generationunlike anything that has happened in

o53

church history.

Washington, D.C.Convention CenterApril 11-1 3,1984

"The Event ol the Centurf'"The grectest ond lcrgest convention ever to be held by

Boptist Fundqmentcrlists,"TNs three-dcy spectoculor filled with inspirqtionql qnd

motivcrtionol preoching crrd music is especiolly desigrnedfor fundomentqlist postors, church stqfl members, qndloymen crrd is open to oll believers who wont to crttendond see whqt Fundomentolism is qll qbout,

Some 28 nqtionolly known preochers will be speokingqs Bible-believing Fundomentqlists unify their objectives inreoching the world for Christ. A combined metropolitonchoir, gospel soloists, cnd specicl groups will provide musicfor the convention,

Be q port of the excitement qs Fundqmentolists lookforwqrd with commitment of purpose cnd unity in spirit,

Central Committee

Verle AckermanPastor, First Bapt ist Church ot West Hol lywood

Hol lywood, Flor ida

Raymond BarberPastor. Worth Bapt ist Church

Fort Worth, Texas

Charles BillingtonPastor, Akron Baptist Temple

Akron, Ohio

Greg DixonPastor. Indianapol is Bapt ist Temple

Indianapol is, Indiana

Truman DollarPastor. Kansas City Baptist Temple

Kansas City, Missouri

W.E. DowellPastor, Bapt ist Temple

Springf ield, Missouri

Jerry FalwellPastor, Thomas Road Bapt ist Church

Lynchburg, Virginia

Herbert FitzpatrickPastor, Riverdale Baptist Church

Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Herman FranklandPastor, Bangor Baptist Church

Bangor, Maine

Dan GelattPastor, First Baptist Church

Elkhart, Indiana

Billy HammPastor, Mountain States Bapt ist Temple

Denver, Colorado

Raymond HancockPastor, Pinecrest Eapt ist Church

Morrow, Georgia

A.V. HendersonPastor, Temple Baptist Church

Detroit, MichiganHarold Henniger

Pastor, Canton Bapt ist TempleCanton, Ohio

Cecil HodgesPastor, Bible Baptist Church

Savannah, Georgia

David JeremiahPastor, Scott Memorial Baptist Church

El Cajon, California

John RawlingsPastor. Landmark Eaptist Temple

Cincinnati, Ohio

Lee RobersonPastor, Highland Park Bapt ist Church

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Tom WallacePastor, Beth Haven Bapt ist Church

Louisvi l le, Kentucky

Wendell ZimmermanPastor, Bible Baptist Temple

Jacksonvil le. Florida

Request for InformationYes, please send me more information about the Baptist Fundamentalism '84 Convention.

Send me information on hotels taking reservations.Please check position in church: - Pastor _ Church Staff - Lay Member - Other

Describe involvement

Name Church

Address

City State

Business Phone Home PhoneReturn to: Baptist Fundamentalism '84 P.O. Box 9428 Kansas City, MO 64133-0228

zip

6UCCT66T'UL TEACHINC IDEA6

uspense . . . even the wordevokes anticipation of surprise.And who doesn't like surprisesl

If Teacher does, most assuredly Sundayschool students of all ages do. "Mom-my, when is my birthday?" asks the lit-t le one. " l wonder. , . , " says the adul t .There's a way to inject pleasant"suspense" into teaching, by a changein viewpoint. Translated, that means,"Who sees the events of the lesson-story?"

L Cassette tape-Not necessarilypriority, but widely used, is the"canned" storyteller, complete withsound effects. Such tapes may be pur-chased (write for vour denomination'ssupply catalogue or browse through abookstore), but they may also be madeby Teacher and pupils in advance, withno memorization needed.

2, Monologe-lrt a Bible character(or his relative) tell his version of thestory in first person ("This happened tome,") Use modern language, with realempathy for the character's feeling.From Juniors up, pupils may do this,dressed in a robe and keffileh (Arabheaddress), a crown, or other ap-propriate simple costuming. Or iden.tification may be just a large name tag,easily visible to all. (Baker's Plays has acatalogue called Plays for Church Use,which lists monologue collections-butyou can make up your own.) For ex-ample, had you thought ofMrs. Jonah'sreaction to her husband's "fish story"?

3. Bystm.ders-:Tlw Fr,ok of Witnesses(by Kossoff, St. Martin's Press), a nowout-of-print volume, reports events inthe life of Christ through such personsas an ex-Temple worker, an old

Marie Chapman isInstructor at thelnstitute of BiblicalStudies at LibertyBaptist College,Lynchburg, Virginia.

catch him, down by the bulrushes inEgypt-or the time he was one ofseveral frogs on Pharaoh's bed duringthe plagues. Some kind of animal couldhave seen almost any Bible event. Butit can only tell what it saw or heard; itcannot reason or know names and factsautomatically.

5. ,*t inanimate object-Oh, that'sgoing too farl No. One of this writer'smost effective Easter object lessons for

Juniors included telling the story of thecrucifixion through the eyes of a Nail (atenpenney nail was used) driventhrough the hands of Jesus. The Nail

and assign a role to each: Rebekah,

Jacob, Esau, Isaac. Each pupil in agroup writes one speech (in first person)reacting to the event. Rebekah maysay, "Now I'm really scared. \?hat ifIsaac discovers that Jacob is trying todeceive him?" The device causes pupilsto enter into the lives of the characters-who, after all, were people.

ln using variety, a teacher is founddoing what the Master Teacher didduring His instruction of groups or in-dividuals. \?hy not follow His example?

Yarlety ln Yiewpointshepherd, a guest at Cana's wedding,one of the cured lepers, and dozens ofothers. Again, who do )oil think mayhave seen your story, or "known" yourstory's leading character years ago? Putyourself in his shoes and tell it.

4. An animal-Well , pretend anaminal does talk; your pupils arebrought up on cartoons where they do.A sack-puppet frog can share his nar-row escaDe the dav Aaron tried to

by Marie Chapman

dreamed of its future use in holding theboards of a lovely home, or the hull of aship. Instead...Again, a rock on thehill of Golgatha went through realtrauma the day Christ died. Or takeone of the five smooth stones of David-and let your hair down.

6. Paper role play-l*t the class getinto the action. Take a story like

Jacob's deceit of his blind father (Gen.27). Divide the class into four groups

MARCHI9B3 55

former HE\il Secretary, John W. Gardner, oncesaid, "l am concerned with the fate of excellence in

.1. L our society. If a society holds conflicting viewsabout excellence, or cannot rouse itself to the pursuii of ex-cellence, the consequences will be felt in everything it under.takes." We share this concern for excellence.

Excellence for theExcellent One

b1 V/oodrow Michnel KroII

always had a place in history. Alexander the Greatexclaimed, "l had rather excel others in the knowledge ofwhat is excellent, than in the extent of my power anddominion." Plato, in his Republic, made provision-for an elitewho, excelling all others, would have special privileges andresponsibilities. However the greatest example of a -anstriving for excellence, is not the pagan Alexander or plato,but the Apostle Paul. He is the New t.rt"rrr..rt prototyp. foipursuing excellence.

Each of the Pauline Epistles exhibits paul,s desire to servethe Lord excellently, but nowhere is this more apparent thanin the Book of Philippians. As is frequently the case, paulmust warn the young church against falling prey to falseteachers. In the course of this warning he mintions that ifanyone had reason to be confident in the flesh, he did. philip-pians 3:5-6 gives Paul's Jewish pedigree, which is definitely im_pressive. He was a Benjamite Jew, a strict pharisee, and azealous persecutor of the church.

Proper Priorities

\fith this background, the first aspect of paul's pursuit ofexcellence becomes crystal clear. Verses 7 and 8 record. ,,Butwhat things were gain to me, those I counted loss for ih.ir,.Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the ex.cellency of the knowledge of Christ-Jesus, my Lord." paulhad it all, as the Jewish world saw it. But he discounted it allfor the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. paul knewwhere his priorities must be. A perional knowledge of JesusChrist meant more to him than the excellence of his lewishheritage.

In an article entitled, "Excellence: The Christian Stan-dard," Senator Mark Hatfield wrote, ,,Our first responsibilityis to utilize and mobilize the resources, the capaciiy, the in-tellect, the drive, the ambitions, and all that God has eivenus, and to use them to the fullest. That comes firit inwhatever endeavor to which we are committed.', As Chris-tians, we must pour ourselves into the ministrv to which theLord has called us. It must be an excellent work. In the powerof the Holy Spirit we are responsible to see that it is. \7e -.rstnever allow what is good to rob us of what is best. In servingthe Lord there is no such thing as "good enough."

Motivation

Philippians 3:10-12 indicates the second aspect of paul'spursuit of excellence. Paul says, "That I may know him, andthe power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffer-ings, being made conformable unto his deaih; If by anymeans I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Notas though I had already attained, either were already perfect:but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also

t',;ii'

'it:il,

56

The ability to excel in degree, quality, or amount has

FUNDAMEMA]ISTJOURNAI

I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." Notonly did proper priorities characterizePaul's quest for excellence, but motiva-tion also.

\ilhat drove Paul to excel? What wasthe motivating force that impelled himto serve the Lord? His answer-to knowHim, His power, His fellowship, and tobe conformed to Jesus Christ. Each ofus is motivated by something. Thehighest motivation possible is to beconformed to the image of Christ.

It is not necessary to be a great per-son in order to be motivated. Beliefs,not benefits. trulv motivate. Paul'smind was motivated to excellence byhis strong beliefs and commitment rothe Lord. Dr. Roger Bannister brokethe four-minute mile for the first timeon Mav 6. 1954. Dr. Bannister knewthat to get his body motivated for ex-cellence he must first get his mind con-ditioned to excellence. Ve will never beable to perform excellently until westart thinking in terms of excellence.Paul's deep desire to be like the Ex-cellent One motivated him to ex-cellence. This should be our motivationas well.

Aggressiveness

Phil ippians 3:13-14 speaks of Paul'saggressiveness, the third aspect of hisquest for excellence. "Brethren, I countnot myself to have apprehended; butthis one thing I do, forgetting thosethings which are behind, and reachingforth unto those things which arebefore, I press toward the mark for theprize of the high calling of God inChrist Jesus."

In order to achieve excellence, youmust have a goal. The old adage, "Peo-ple who aim at nothing always hit it," isstill true. Paul had a goal. He pressedtoward a mark. He knew where he wasgoing and how to get there.

However, merely setting a goal isnot enough. \7e must aggressively pur-sue it. Setting goals is fine; reaching forthem and finally winning them is muchbetter. Paul "pressed" toward the mark;that mark would never come to him.

Woodrow Kroll isPresident of Practical BibleTraining School,Binghamton, New York.

The finish line never seeks out theathlete; he must go after it. Excellencein anything will never chase you; youmust pursue it.

The day of the Lord's return is toonear for us to sit back and take a "waitand see" attitude about aggressiveness.Ecclesiastes 9: 10 declares, "Whatsoever

I wonder ll we hcve doneour task so well thcrl weccn scy to others,"Brethren, be lollowerstogether ol me."

thy hand findeth ro do, do it with thymight." Paul reiterates that thought inColossians 3:23-24, "And whatsoeverye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, andnot unto men; Knowing that of theLord ye shall receive the reward of theinheritance; for ye serve the LordChrist."

Holy Pride

In Phil ippians 3:15-19 Paul's methodin pursuing excellence displays yet afourth aspect, that of holy pride. Inverse 17 the apostle says, "Brethren, befollowers together of me, and markthem which walk so as ye have us foran example." Paul took pride in his of-fice as an apostle. This was not an ar-rogant or haughty pride, but a good,holy pride. He had already instructedthe Corinthians to follow him as hefollowed Christ, so it was clear thatPaul did not view himself as the end ofhis pride. In the right sense of the word,he had a holy pride in what the Lordwas doing through him.

The President of the Carnegie Foun-dation once exclaimed, "An excellentplumber is infinitely more admirablethan an incompetent philosopher. Thesociety which scorns excellence inplumbing because it is a humble activi-ty, and tolerates shoddiness inphilosophy because it is an exalted ac-tivity, will have neither good plumbingnor good philosophy. Neither its pipesnor its theories will hold water."

Christ Jesus is looking for men andwomen who will take a holy pride intheir work, whatever it may be. In His

eyes there is no such thing as a lowlytask, just an important task done in alowly manner. Paul was confidentbecause he knew he had done his bestto be as excellent a servant as possible. iwonder if we have done our task so welland have such pride in what the Lord isdoing through us that we can say toothers, "Brethren, be followers togetherof me.t t

Good Company

Philippians 3:20-21 indicates a finalaspect of Paul's method in pursuing ex.cellence. This is the good company hekept. Notice he says in verse 20, "Forour conversation (citizenship) is inheaven, from which also we look forthe Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ."Paul did everything with the JudgmentSeat of Christ in view. He was con-stanEly concerned about his accept.ability as a servant of the Lord. He sayshe pursued excellence by keeping com-pany with excellence.

Gospel pianist Tedd Smith says,"To learn to appreciate beauty, keeplooking at it. To gain an appreciationof good music, keep listening to it. Toappreciate poetry, keep reading it.Taste is formed by what we live with."If we keep company with those who fre-quently gasp, "That's good enough," orwith those who somehow seem to feel"lt doesn't really matter," the chancesare very good that we will soon developthat same attitude. However, if we keepcompany with those who are excellent,we will most assuredly become morelike them.

\Vho among us is really excellent?Of course, none of us can claim to beexcellent. There is only One who is ex-cellent. "O LORD, our Lord, how ex-cellent is thy name in all the earth"(Psalm 8:1). "How excellent is thyloving-kindness, O Godl" (Psalm 36:7)."Let them praise the name of the Lord:for his name is excellent" (Psalm148:13). Paul pursued excellence bypursuing the Excellent One. He walkedstep by step with the Lord of heaven.That is the stream from which ex-cellence flows.

Too few are pursuing excellenceanymore. For the sake of ExcellentChrist, we must constantly pressourselves in the quest for excellence._

MAICH]983 57

For Your Information

Brethren Pccilist Toldto Perlorm Ptrblic Servicefor Resisting the Drcdt

ROANOKE, Va. (RNS)-EntenEller, a Church of the Brethren pacifistconvicted of failing to register for thedraft, has been sentenced to performtwo years of free public service. Mr.Eller, Zl, the son of a Brethrenminister, is an honor student majoringin physics at Bridgewater College. U.S.District Judge James Turk allowed himto wait until he graduates in Junebefore reporting to a Veterans Ad-ministration hospital or other publicinstitution. To date. 13 men have beenindicted for failure to register and fivehave been convicted.

Redskins Chqplcin CcllsAthletes Heroes God Usesto Recch Mqnkind

N E \ Y P O R T N E W S , V A .(RNS)-Athletes are today's heroes andGod is using them to speak to manypeople, says the Rev. Charles M.Brenn, the \Tashington Redskinschaplain. He said he took thechaplain's post last year and was im-mediately awed by the players'size andskill. But, he said, "l found out they canbe big as mountains and have a tenderheart for the Lord." God is moving "ina wonderful wav" in the NationalBasketball Association and the Na-tional Football League, ChaplainBrenn told a meeting of the Full GospelBusinessmen's Fellowshio Interna-tional.

University HiresAdviser to Gcrys

The University of Pennsylvania hasjoined a growing number of colleges tooffer special advisers to gay students. Inaddition to directing counseling, thenew adviser, a practicing homosexual,

58

will also be working toward developingoutreach programs in the universitycommunitv.

According to the Philadelphia In-quirer, October 13, 1982, adviser BobSchoenberg said that "the more peopleare willing to come out, the better it isfor the rest of us." Yet, later in the arti-cle he noted he would not want to "bevery insistent with anybody comingout. I'd encourage them to make thedecision, although some people areforced to come out of the closet."

Porn Soop Operc to BeAired on Pcry-TV

"Love Ya, Florence Nightingale" is asexually explicit soap opera being pro-duced for pay-TV outlets says theArizona Republic, December 3, 1982.Marilyn Chambers, a porno moviequeen, is starring as the soap's sextherapist. In describing Chambers'srole the paper says, "three scenes intothe first episode, she is seen naked.Later, there is a lovemaking scene inwhich she and her male partnersimulate sex acts.

"Sexuality is the show's very subjectas Chambers's sex therapist characterbecomes involved professionally with avariety of men and women experienc-ing sexual problems and helps themlearn to relax and enjoy themselves. . . "

The article notes that while in com-parison to regular network program-ming, the "Love Y", F lorenceNightingale" show is a "shocking con-trast," However, on the pay-TV chan-nels where unedited X-rated movies areshown, the new soap opera will seemmore neutral.

According to the paper, the show'sproducers are grateful for the freedomof "unregulated cable television,"which allows them to portray sex morevividly than programs on the regularnetworks.

Homosexucrl Wins Bcrttleto Adopt Foster Son

ln Riverside, California, a gay manhas won the County's approval foradopting his 17-year-old foster son. Ac-cording to the city's Press-Enterprise,December 10, 1982, the decision "is thefirst case in the nation in which agovernment agency has approved anadoption by a known homosexual."

The decision made by the Depart-ment of Public Social Services is notfinal and must come before a judge, yetit is significant in obtaining final adop-t i o n p a p e r s . T h e d e p a r t m e n tannounced its approval shortly beforea court hearing on a law suit filed bythe adopting father who had felt thecounty was dragging its feet in theadoption process. The father's at-torney, Gloria Allred, said in the Press-Enterprise, that the precedent will "senda message to agencies throughout thecountry that the gay and lesbian com-munity is not going to take 'no'for ananswer...or get the runaround.

"This will open up a whole newresource in the community of homes tochildren who need to be adopted."

Allred, a feminist, said in the DailyBreeTe, December 10, 1982, "It's ourbelief that homosexuals should havethe same right to adopt as heterosexualsingle adults do. There are thousandsof children who are waiting for adop-tion, and it's unfair to deny thesechildren the right to a caring and nur-turing parental relationship solelybecause of the adopting adult's sexualpreference."

FCC Reemphasizes That It IsNot Corsideringr Banon Religious Broqdcqsting

The Federal Communications Com-mission continues to receive volumes ofmail in which the writers are respond.ing to false rumors about the agency

FUNDA\IENIAI]ST JOURNAT

regulating religious broadcasting.According to an official FCC state-

ment, the rumors possibly started fromthe incident in 1974 with a petition byJeremy D. Lansman and Lorenzo

'\il.

Milam. two broadcast consultants fromLos Gatos, California. "Lansman andMilam had filed a petition with theFCC asking the agency, among otherthings, to stop accepting applicationsby religious institutions for televisionand FM channels which had beenreserved for educational use. (Theirpetition was routinely assigned arulemaking number-RM 2493).

"Although more than 700,000 com-ments were received in response to thatpetition, the majority of the commentswere premised on the mistaken viewthat the petition proposed to ban allreligious broadcasting, which was notthe case. The case did not involvereligious programming on any commer-cial network or station. nor did(Madalyn Murray) O'Hair haveanything to do with it. The case in-volved only FM and TV channels setaside for educational use.

"On August 1, 1975, the FCCunanimously denied the petit iondeclaring that the First Amendment tothe Constitution requires the Commis-sion to 'observe a stance of neutralitytoward religion, acting neither to pro.mote nor to inhibit religion.' lt con-cluded that 'a religiously affiliatededucational organization, like any

other, may become an educationalbroadcast l icensee, . . '

"There is no petition to banreligious programming currently beforethe Commission. nor has there been.Furthermore, the FCC is prohibited bylaw from ruling on the content ofbroadcast programming-religious orotherwise."

An FCC statement released in May,1982, says that, "No federal law orregulation gives the FCC the authorityto prohibit radio and television stationsfrom presenting religious programs.The Communications Act (the lawthat established the FCC and definesits authority) prohibits the Commis-sion from censoring broadcast materialand from interfering with freedom ofspeech in broadcasting. The Commis-sion cannot direct any broadcaster topresent, or refrain from presenting, an-nouncements or programs on religions,and it cannot act as a judge of thewisdom or accuracy of such material.Broadcasters-not the FCC or anyother governmental agency-areresponsible for selecting the program-ming that is aired by their stations."

The Commission continues its ef-forts to communicate that it "is notconsidering taking religious program-ming off the air, nor has a petitionmaking such a suggestion ever beenfiled with the agency."

During the past seven years theFCC has received 13 million oieces of

mail on the subject, and it continues toreceive 25,000 more each week. Adver.tisements in TV Cuidc and Time andmeetings with religious leaders wereused to publicize the FCC policies onbroadcast of religious programs, but therumors persist.

To Treqt or Not to TreqtMedicine vs. Morallty

Reporting on the medical debatebetween "survival and quality of life,"the U.S. Neq,,s g 'World

Report,December 6, 1982, noted that themoral issue was being influenced bymodern technology and escalatinghealth care costs. The article noted thatboth ends of the age spectrum, thenewbom and the elderly, were most af-fected by decisions to suspend life.support systems,

The article states "Caught betweenmedicine's new tools for survival andthe presence of l i fe- threateningdisabilities, doctors and parents mustmake a deliberate decision to withholdtreatment and let the child die whenthere is no hope for recovery." And,this statement is true for the elderly orany terminally ill patient as well.

Prolife groups long contended thatabortion would pave the way for suchjudgmental decisions. Lifesaving pro-cedures vs. quality of life will be a grow-ing debate in the medical profession inthe years to come.

"Keep ThoseBuses Roll ing!"

A motion picture that will motivate,Inspire, and encourage Bus Workers.lf your bus routes are down or Vourworkers need a "shot in the arm" or ifyou need more people in vour churchto get envolved in the Bus Ministry,then schedule "Keep Those BusesRollingt" for a showing in your church.

16 mm Color - 25 MinutesS30 Rental Fee

A major Chr is t ian f i lmon Rock music

ffi-|i-re -,r's YOUR DECISIO'V dealswith one of the major problems facingyouth today. lts characters are regularpeople from a typical church, each withvary ing opin ions and tastes in music,but most without any Biblical basis fortheir choices. As the story unfolds, theyare confronted with facts about "rock"that provoke strong reactions in eachof them.

.16 mm Color - 55 Minu tes$65 Rental Fee

"So Llttle Tlme"A f i lm on soul winning

Some of the greotest evongelists inAmerico; men who hove built dynomicchurches, give personol chollenges forevery Christion to get involved in soul winn-ing. Vhen you heor the worm odmonitionsgiven by these godly men, you will bemoved ond encouroged to win the lost toChrist.

16 mm Color - 30 Minutesi30 Rentol Fee

for additional information ot to schedule lilms:

Olive's Fi lm Producl ions, lnc. . P.O. Box 9 . Madison, AL 35758 or cal l (205) 837.4166

IVLARCHI9B3 59

Vorld Qelig,ious News

Nebraska Sued for $66 Millionby 66 Evicted from Faith Baptist

LINCOLN, Neb. (RNS)-Sixty-sixof the people forcibly evicted fromFaith Baptist Church in louisville,Nebraska on October 18, 1982, filed acivil rights suit in Federal Court,December 13, 1982, in Lincoln,Nebraska. Each of the plaintiffs is seek-ing damages of $1 million from CassCounty Sheriff Fred Tesch, his ChiefDeputy, Larry Shelbourn, and StatePatrol Captain Raymond Syslo who ledthe raid on the church.

The suit charges that the sheriff andother defendants violated the constitu-tional and civil rights of the worshipersat Faith Baptist Church on that morn-ing by forcibly removing them during aworship and prayer service.

Spokesman for the group, PastorRobert McCurry of Atlanta, Georgia,said that 33 of the plaintiffs are pastorsand the balance are churchworkers andChristian laymen.

"The court order only directed thesheriff to close down activities theState claimed were the operation of anillegal school. The order specificallyprovided that 'The building is to beunlocked Saturday and Sunday andsuch other times as the building shallbe used for the holding of church ser-vices,t tt McCurry stated. t'We werehaving a worship service, not conduct-ing a school or teaching children. lt was6:00 Lv. No one ever authorized thesheriff to disrupt any worship serviceand forcibly remove worshipers fromthe building," he continued.

The suit also seeks an injunctionprohibiting the padlocking of FaithBaptist Church. The complaint addsCass County At torney RonaldMoravec and Nebraska AttorneyGeneral Paul Douglas as additionaldefendants for the purpose of this in-junction.

60

"The padlocking of a churchbuilding is such an extreme remedy,that those who seek to enforce a courtorder to carry out such a plan, must becareful to see that they obey the ordermeticulously," McCurry said.

"\7hile we think the order was il-legal, our case is not seeking to re-litigate the issues of the legality of theschool," he noted. "'We are simply say'ing, even if the school is assumed to beillegal, worship services were not illegal.The sheriff got overzealous and tram-pled on a lot of people's rights."

"Government does not give us ourfreedoms. Freedom is a gift of God,"McCurry said. "It is the responsibilityof government to protect our God-given freedoms. The freedom of wor.ship and the free exercise of religion isguaranteed by the First Amendment ofthe United States Constitution."

"The purpose of this lawsuit is tocall any and all government officialswho have violated our God-given andconstitutionally protected freedoms toaccountability and responsibility."

Russian Orthodox Patr iarchHolds Service for Brezhnev

ZUzuCH, Switzerland (E\YNS)-Russian Patriarch Pimen extended"deep and heartfelt condolences" uponthe death of former Soviet PresidentLeonid Brezhnev. In a November 11,1982, telegram to the office of theSupreme Soviet, Pimen describedBrezhnev as a "wise statesman" whohad worked for peace and the good ofthe Soviet people, Faith in tfu SeandlVorld reports.

Pimen and other members of theHoly Synod went to lay a wreath atBrezhnev's bier. The Patriarch was alsoa part ofthe honor guard at Brezhnev'sopen coffin for a short time. Sovietcustom calls for those gestures.

On the following day, Pimen con-ducted a memor ia l serv ice inBrezhnev's honor. More than 1,000people attended, including several par-ty leaders. During the service, thePatriarch said, "We have gathered hereto pay last respects to someone whowas close to us and whose contribu-tions to his people and country wereimmeasurable."

In 1953, then Patriarch Aleksijsimilarly laid a wreath and held a ser-vice at the death of Joseph Stalin.Aleksij prayed for the "peace of Stalin'seternal soul." He did this because it isknown that Stalin was at one time baptized. Pimen did not offer a similarprayer for Brezhnev. As CommunistParty leader and president, Brezhnevwas not known to have been baptized.Furthermore, he fully supportedmeasures which suppressed the church,as did Stalin.

Chinese Authorities CloseCanton's Last House Church

HONG KONG (EVNS)-Chineseauthorities this month closed Canton'slast and largest church which operatedo u t s i d e t h e a u s p i c e s o f t h egovernment's Bureau of Religious Af-fairs. This and other similar congrega-tions are commonlv called housechurches. Pastor Lam Hin-Ko was toldDecember 2, L982, that services andBible studies could no longer be held,informed sources report.

Lam canceled a service scheduledfor December 3, No other housechurches remain openly active in Can-ton. There are three officially recog-nized bodies.

For several years, up to 200 peoplegathered as part of Lam's church. Largehouse meetings such as this one haveonly been possible during the past twoto three years. Iilhen Mao Tse-Tung

FUNDAX,GNIAI]ST JOURNAL

was in power, only ext remelyclandestine groups ofone to two dozenmet throughout the country, includingCanton. Most Chinese Christiansbelong to house churches.

For two to three months Chineseauthorities and leaders of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement have been im-ploring Lam to close his church. He hasalso been warned against meeting withindividuals from the West.

Members of the Canton housechurch refuse to join an official church.They say the Three-Self Movement-which is sanctioned by the governmentas the Protestant churches' overseer-wants to control religious activities andhas instituted unbiblical restrictions.

The closure of Lam's church is thelatest in a string of attacks upon thosewho refuse to join government-sanctioned churches. Chinese Chris-tians report the disbandment of hun-dreds of house churches in recentmonths.

'Western observers estimate as

many as 30 million Chinese citizens areChristians.

Innes Named Presidentof San Francisco BaptistTheological Seminary

The Board of the San FranciscoBaptist Theological Seminary an-nounced the election of David C. Innesas President and Chairman of theBoard, November 15, 1982. Innes suc-ceeds the late Dr. G. Archer Wenigerin both positions. Weniger had beenBoard Chairman in all of the school'stwenty-four years of existence and hadserved as president for the past fiveyears.

Dr. Innes presently pastors theHamilton Square Baptist Church ofSan Francisco in which the Seminary ishoused. He holds both the Bachelor ofArts and Bachelor of Divinity degreesfrom Bob Jones University. He receivedan honorary Doctor of Divinity degreefrom the San Francisco BaptistSeminary in 1978.

Dr. Innes is also President of theAssociation of Fundamental BaptistChurches of Northern California. Heserves on the boards of the Interna-tional Baptist Mission, the Fundamen-tal Baptist Fellowship, and the San

MARCHI9B3

Francisco Christian School. He is mar-ried and has four children.

Methodist Mission BoardWorkers Vote to Join AutoWorkers Union

NE\Y YORK (RNS)-General staffemployees of the United Methodistboard of global ministries have voted tojoin District 65 of the United Auto'Workers

union, in an effort to gain im-proved wages and control over workingconditions. This is the first time churchworkers have voted to join a majorU.S. labor union. A District 65organizer said the Methodist workersstarted from the premise that the boardof global ministries "has a history ofsupporting struggle for other workers,"and therefore should hear the voices ofits own people.

Romney Succeeds Eldon Tanneras First Counselor of Mormons

SALT LAKE CITY (RNS)-Mor-mon Church president Spencer \il.Kimball has announced a reorganiza-tion of the church's First Presidency,following the death of his firstcounselor, N. Eldon Tanner. MarionG. Romney, 85, who had served assecond counselor. will become firstcounselor to Mr. Kimball. Gordon B.Hinckley, 72, will move up from hisposition as third counselor, to becomesecond counselor. The president oftheChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter DaySaints (Mormon) and h is twocounselors comprise the First Presiden-cy, which heads the church hierarchy.The Mormon Church at various timeshas had two, three, or four counselorsto the oresident.

Kentucky Legislators Say GodWas with Them in Romania

LOUNVILLE, Kentucky (EVNS)-Two Kentucky state legislators who inNovember v is i ted churches inRomania, say God was with them

throughout the trip.Senator Gene Huff and Represen-

tative Tom Riner say they went toRomania to investigate reports ofreligious repression. Earlier this yearthe two supported a resolution callingfor the end of Romania's Most FavoredNation trade status which the U.S.government has extended. That statusmust be reviewed each year.

"lt's a very dark land," Riner said. "Icould see the spiritual oppression of thepeople." Evidence was found whichwould indicate widespread religiousrights violations and oppression, Huffand Riner said. They claimed they wereable to obtain evidence of churchclosures and destructions, of arrests ofBible distributors, of the harassment ofpastors and' Bible teachers, of individual Christians being dismissedfrom their jobs because of theirreligious activities and even supportiveevidence that a few Christians mighthave been murdered.

'Moderate' Southern BaptistLeader Says OppositionNot Dead After All

ATLANTA (RNS)-The chairmanof the steering committee of a coalitionof Southern Baptist "moderates" saysthe group has not disbanded. Dr. CecilSherman, pastor of First BaptistChurch of Asheville, North Carolina,made the announcement after 14members of the group met here. "Weare not disbanded. We will continue tospeak to the issues of Southern Baptistlife," Dr. Sherman said. His announce-ment contradicted earlier comments byDr. Kenneth Chafin, pastor of SouthMain Baptist Church of Houston, whosaid the group had disbanded after aNovember 12, 1982, meeting of leadersof the factions in the Southern BaptistConvention.

Yugoslav Poll Finds Halfof Population Religious

ZURICH, Switzerland (EWNS)-Asin all East bloc nations, the Yugoslavgovernment no longer includes ques-tions concerning religion in its census

poll. However, the results o( a 1978survey, the most recent known, havejust been released and indicate that45.3 percent ofthe population considerthemselves religious.

Faith in tfu Second \Yorld, whichreported the survey results, says thepercent may be higher. Some people,the agency says, probably answeredwith caution. The last comprehensivesurvey was taken in 1953. At that time,87.7 percent of the Yugoslav popula-tion considered themselves religious,either Christian or Muslim. ln 1948,the figure was 99.2 percent.

Limited polls have been taken inseveral areas since then. Figures havecontinually dropped, but have stayedwithin the 50-60 percent range for near-ly l0 years.

Number of Jews Leavingthe U.S.S.R. Last Year WasLowest Since 1970

NE\7 YORK (RNS)-The number ofJews permitted to leave the SovietUnion in 1982 was 2,668, the lowestannual figure since the Soviet Jewishemigration movement began in 1970.The National Conference on SovietJewry reports that the figures havesteadily declined since the peak of51,320 in 1979. The group says thelatest figures do not mean that thenumber of Jews who want to leave theSoviet Union has decreased. "'We knowof tens of thousands of Soviet Jews whowant to live in their homeland, Israel,and be united with relatives," saysCharlotte Jacobson, chairman of theorganization's Soviet Jewry ResearchBureau.

World Council Leader BlamesU.S. for Central America'sInstability

GENEVA, Switzerland (RNS)-The general secretary of the \UorldCouncil of Churches blames theUnited States for much of the instabili-ty in Central America. In a letter to theLatin American Council of Churches,Dr. Philip Potter says the attempt of theReagan administration to cut off aid toNicaragua and trying to block the ef-

(,2

forts of other countries to help the newregime threatens the area with "largescale conflagration." Dr. Potter alsocommends Christians and churcheswho have called on their governmentsto "exercise a positive influence in thearea" as well as those who have calledupon the U.S. to stop military aid to ElSalvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

Seven Major U.S. CorporationsTargeted for Sharehold Action

NEW YORK (RNS)-ln share-holder resolutions, church agencieshave urged seven major U.S. corpora-tions to improve fair employment op-portunities for women and minorities,and also to do more business withminor i ty f i rms. The corporat ionstargeted are American Telephone &Telegraph,'Westinghouse Electric, J.P.M o r g a n , E x x o n , I n t e r n a t i o n a lTelephone and Telegraph, Sears, andDart and Kraft. The resolutions weresubmitted by religious agencies who aremembers of the Interfaith Center ofCorporate Responsibility, sponsored bythe National Council of Churches.

News Media IJncoversNCC and WCC Activities

I WO promtnent news sources,CBS's "60 Minutes" and the Reafur'sDigest, recently reported on thefinancial and philosophical supportgiven by the \forld Council ofChurches and the National Council ofChu rches to Marx i s t -Len in i s t srevolution in Third World Nations.

The "60 Minutes" documentarywhich aired January 23, gav e two-thirdsof its airtime to explore how themainline church organizations werelending aid and actively promotinganti-capitalistic regimes. One close-upshowed the bodies of dead missionariesin Zimbabwe-Rhodesia which had beenslain by leftist gorilla troops. Thegorillas had received financial aid foruse as medical supplies, however, asCBS pointed out, there is no way toensure that the funds had been spentfor their intended purpose.

Following the "60 Minutes" report,the NCC denied its entanglement with

communist-backed governments in the'Washington Times, January 26, 1983.

The paper quotes an opposing viewwith Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, aLutheran who serves as a consultant tothe Inst i tu te on Rel ig ion andDemocracy, who told a press briefingthat the NCC operates "under theguise of liberation theology" whichactually enhances the abil ity ofMarxist-Leninist governments to denyhuman freedoms.

The January Reader's Digesc articlenoted that donations to the NCC hadbeen funneled through its reliefagency,the Church Vorld Service, to pro-Communist governments in Vietnam,Cuba, Asia, Latin America, andAfrica. Funds had also been given topolitical groups such as the PalestineLiberation Gganization and "severalviolence-prone fringe groups in theUnited States."

Specifically, the Read.er's Digestreported that the NCC's DomesticHunger Network collected $650,000 in1980 through appeals to aid the hungrybut according to the projects director a"significant portion of it is fundingpolitical activists."

T h e m a g a z i n e n o t e d t h a tm e m b e r s h i p i n t e n N C Cdenominations decreased over threemillion during the last decade asmembers became angry or disillusionedby church doctrine. The article citedone Methodist woman who becameenraged when she received materialsproduced by the NCC at a missionsschool encouraging a revolution in theUnited States.

Readcr' s Digest included informationon how the Institute on Religion andDemocracy is encouraging churchmembers to work within their owncongregations to change this directionof both the NCC and the \YCC.

To obtain a transcript of the "60Minutes" program, write CBS, 555Vest 57th Street, New York, NY 10019and to obtain a reprint of. the Reader'sDigest article, write Reader's Digest,Box 25, Pleasantville, NY 10570.

FIJ\]DAMENTAIIST JOT]I?NAI

Dook Qeport

Genesisby Howard F. VosMoody Press, 1982. Paper,174 pp . $4 .5O

Reviewed by Donald R. Rickards,Professor of Theology and Mis-sions, Liberty Baptist College andSeminary, Lynchburg, Virginia

Vos's previous publ icat ion, ,4r-cheology in Bible Lands, explainshis indepth handl ing of backgroundmaterial in the study of Genesis.This review concerns i tsel f onlywith the data presented on theCreation and the Flood for tworeasons: (1 ) These are cr i t ical areasfrom the standpoint of science, and(2) what one bel ieves with regardto these two themes determineshow he wi l l respond to the rest ofthe message of the book, Vos hasdone an excel lent job in his treat-ment, in the conf ines of such asmall book as Genesrs.

The quest ion of authorship isably handled, with good explana-t ion suppl ied on the issues raisedby l iberal v iews. l t is unfortunatet h a t V o s q u o t e s P r o f e s s o rRadday's computer conf irmation ofthe single authorship for Genesis,since Vos must be aware the pro-fessor "proved" through his com-puters that there were as many as12 lsa iahs . For such a smal lvolume, there is good mater ial onthe "gap theory" and ex nihilocreation. Vos appears to equate"God's creat ive and sustainingenergy" with the Holy Spir i t , ap o s i t i o n w h i c h , a s F r a n c i sSchaeffer points out, logically leadsto a pantheistic view of reality. Voslater states (p.22l, "God is a Spir i twho is the author of all matter-

MARCH]983

energy."Vos suppl ies the reader with a

balanced view of the length of thesix days of creat ion. However,throughout this sect ion, Vos makesa consistent effort to harmonizeS c r i p t u r e w i t h " c o n t e m p o r a r ys c h o l a r s h i p " a n d " m o d e r nscience." He concludes that thereis " remarkab le genera l agree-ment," but this conclusion wouldbe sound ly re jec ted by anyhistorical geologist.

The author seems to make roomf o r e v o l u t i o n " u n d e r D i v i n econtrol" (p.1 6) and takes somel iberty with the text in order to har-mon ize sc ience and Scr ip tu reregarding the fossil record, sayingaga in (p . 19) , "God. . . in super -visory control." Vos is right whenhe says, "Genesis doesn't say howGod created but only that He did"(p .19) . However , ear l ie r he d id no thesitate to use other texts (such asin the Psalms) to support his views,and he would have done wel l toquote Psalm 33:9 here. He sees" l i t t le bas ic conf l i c t " i f B ib leb e l i e v e r s a c c e p t p o l y p h e l e t i cevolut ion. Astonishing! He is overlyconcerned with a "meeting ofminds with contemporary scholar-sh ip . "

S o m e o f t h e q u e s t i o n senumerated by Vos as unansweredhave indeed been wel l answered inScripture. The Bible leaves nodoubt whatever about the extent ofthe Flood-i t covered al l the moun-tains of the earth. This reviewerwas curious as to why Vos wantsto present the local view of theFlood as an opt ion the bel iever maychoose, and why he concludes hisd i s c u s s i o n a m b i g u o u s l y w i t h"there are problems with ei therview." We may not have al l theanswers, but we do have the clearteaching of the Bible as to the

universal i ty of the Flood. (Perhapsit is s igni f icant to mention here thatM o r r i s a n d W h i t c o m b ' s T h eGenesis Flood is not in theBibl iography.)

Vos shows a strange tendencyto seek always a middle groundbetween the Bible and othersources. So, in account ing for therecord of the Flood, he is sure tomake Liberals happy when he sug-gests that the Genesis account is aspinoff (only equal to the Babylo-nian epic) of a common ancestralrecord.

In general , Vos gives somegood pros and cons in present ingopt iona l v iews. Some weakerChrist ians could be adversely af-fected by his material in these twokey areas. The rest of Genesis isrefreshing and scr iptural .

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Nevs

Michigan Christian Schools MakeStand for Religious Liberty

eturning to school after the traditional Christmasholidays is not an event normally marked by greatsignificance. However, when two Michigan Chris-

tian schools resumed classes after this year's seasonal break,both students and faculty recognized the importance of theday-in view of a December victory in their struggle forreligious freedom.

The Sheridan Road Christian School and Bridgeport Bap-tist Academy, Christian schools located south of Saginaw,had won the first of what appears to be a long series of courtbattles with the state's departmentof education. The department ofeducation was trying to enforceregulations requiring nonpublicschools to have the "same stan-dards" as public schools, withstate certified teachers, state ap-proved curriculum, as well as at-tendance reports. If the depart-ment had been allowed to carryot.rt its objective, the two schoolswould have been ordered closedfor nonconformity.

In his written statement, Cir-cuit Judge Ruy C. Hotchkissnoted that "the defendants (beingthe state department of educationand the state superintendent ofpublic instruction in InghamCountv) have failed to showteacher certification is a responsi-ble or effective means to carry outa legitimate state purpose. Fur-ther, this court is of the opinionthat teacher certification causesexcessive government entangle- "ment with religion."

Judge Hotchkiss ruled, "This court fails to see a compellingstate interest in requiring nonpublic schools to be 'of thesame standard' as public schools in the same school district.Such a scheme does not insure uniformity in the quality ofeducation in the state because school districts throughout thestate are not required to be comparable. Further, such ascheme does not insure even a minimum degree of quality ofeducation; it merely requires nonpublic schools be as good as,or as bad as, the public schools in the district."

How the Battle Started...

The case began in 1979, with the department of education

writing to the schools, demanding they comply with theregulatory reporting procedures of the 1921 Public Act 302,commonly called the "fourth Friday" report. Out of 63 Chris.tian schools in the state, the department moved ad-ministratively against the Bridgeport schools, requiring themto appear before state educators for a hearing.

Rev. R.B. Ouellette of First Baptist Church, whichoperates the Bridgeport Academy, was directed to seek thelegal counsel of noted constitutional lawyer \ililliam BentleyBall from Harrisburg, Pa.

Because the department couldnot rule in the hearing on theconstitutional question beingraised, the churches were advisedto bypass the administrativehea r i ng . Consequen t l y , t hechurches sued for injunctive relieffrom the state action and adeclaratory judgment on the con-stitutional questions.

Established on a firm biblicalphilosophy, the schools recog-nized among other things thatthe "fear of the Lord is the begin-ning of knowledge," (Proverbs1:7). \Uith Mr. Ball 's aid, thisphilosophy was introduced to thecourt, leading Judge Hotchkiss torecognize that "the education oftheir children. . . is an integralpart of the churches' religiousmission" and that imposing thea c t " i n t e r f e r e s w i t h . . . t h eplaintiff 's. . . religious beliefs."

During the trial, the state'scase was hampered by its ownwitnesses who gave conflicting in-

formation about what courses of study Christian schoolsshould use and what the benefits of teacher certification were.Assistant counsel for the schools, Michael Thomas of Flint,said one expert state witness remarked that teacher perform-ance could be measured by student performance and thenwas forced to admit that certification had not assured goodteacher performance in one Michigan city where more than50 percent of public school students had failed to pass stateEnglish and math assessment tests.

The Judge wrote in the court records that one official "ad-mitted concern with the loss of $2,000 in state aid for everystudent who leaves oublic school and enrolls in area non-

FUNDA\/GMA-IIST JOUIINAI

publ ic schools. . . . ln addi t ion, schooldistricts have a vested interest in main-taining enrollment in public schoolssince each student lost means substan-tial loss of revenue for that district."Off the record, he called this "an in-credible conflict of interest."

However, the judge ruled that "astate's interest in universal educationcan only be classified as a state's in-terest of the highest order. To imple-ment the responsibility for education, itis necessary that the state have powerto impose reasonable regulations. Thiscourt is of the opinion that this is anecessary and permissible contract be-tween government and religion underthe first amendment to the UnitedStates Constitution....However, infor-mation regarding teacher certificationand courses ofstudy gained pursuant tosuch an investigation may be used forstatistical and comparison purposesonly."

. . .And How I t Goes On

In a development s ince theDecember order, Judge Carolyn Stell,who succeeded Hotchkiss on the circuitcourt bench, declared that the originalruling would apply only to the twonamed schools and not to similarschools across the state. This rulingenables the state to proceed againstgross violations of the 1921 act andcontinue to require attendance reports.Assistant Attorney General RichardGartner, state's counsel and prosecutorof statutory violations, said as a prac-tical matter it would be fruitless to trycases under the old statute until legisla-tion is complete.

Gartner previously feared that theDecember judgment left the state with"no process to approve nonpublicschools," of whatever sort, and raiseddoubt about the state's compulsory at-tendance law, since it requires arren-dance at approved schools.

Gartner, although not at firstunderstanding the position of Fun-damentalist Christians. savs he haslearned much about the school's posi-tion and recognized the philosophicalconflict involved. He feels that thestate's interest in such cases ls morecompelling, and, therefore, will appealto the three-man panel of jurors at thestate court of appeals, hoping for an im-

N,LARCLII9&3

mediate reversal of the Hotchkiss orderwhich would strengthen his case at thestate supreme court. Both parties in thecase are committed to appeal the rulingto the U.S. Supreme Court, ifnecessary.

Pastors Ouellette and GeraldSomero, of Sheridan Road BaptistChurch, believe that God has placedthem in a position to be of great help toChristian schools nationwide by pursu-ing the case to the U.S. SupremeCourt.

Acco rd ing to Oue i l e t t e andThomas, the trial expenses trave

reached $57,000 even though thecounsel and staff are working for halfthe normal fee. The Christian LegalDefense and Education Foundation,the churches, and interested Christianshave raised funds to cover most of thecost with $9,000 outstanding. Thomasestimated that an additional $100,000of expenses could be incurred as thecase moves through the appellate pro-cess to the U.S. Supreme Court. !

Mac Brake

Charming or HarmingA Generation?

"For the realityofwhat's happening today inAmerica we must Bo to rock 'n' roll."

-Ralph J. GlcasonSan F rancisco Chronicle

"rFhat can parents expect during this decadeas rock music advocates sadism, masochism,incest, necrophilia, homosexuality, bestiality,rape and violence in addition to the everpresent rebellion, drug abuse and promiscuity?The obvious answer in stupifying."

-Kingsbury Smith, EditorHearst Newspapers

"Today's music aimed at the teenageaudience is 'nothing but pornography.' Youcannot be somebody and blow your minds onthis type of music. This stuff is short-termpleasure and long-term payment."

-Rev. Jcsse Jackson

"Rock 'n' Roll doesn't glorify God. Youcan't drink out of God's cup and the devil's cupat the same time. I was one ofthe pioneers ofthat music. one ofthe builders. I know what theblocks are made of beceuse I built them."

-Little Richard

"David Noebel's extensive research revealsdirect and deliberate encouragement in rockmusic for young people to abandon biblicalmorality and embrace sexual perversion andpromiscuity, drug abuse, Satan worship,rebellion against socicty, and violence.

Written by David A. Nocbel,Editor, Summit Journal

"Incredible? Nocbel quotes extensivelyfrom religious writers, secular commentators,and rock entertainers themselves to build hisshocking case against the popular phenomenonof rock music.

"Chr ist ian adul ts-and teenagers-whoenioy the rock sound and scoff at rock'sdetractors will be shocked and enraged todiscover the true nature of this powerfullydestructive force. Noebel offers readers pageafter page of documented evidence to supporthis contention that rock music is a blatantattempt to brainwash its followers with anti-Christian propaganda."

164 Pages, paper $4.95, cloth $9.95

Summit MinistriesP.O. Box 207

Manitou Springs, CO 80829

Please send - (papcr) -(cloth) copics of:

The Lcgacy offohn Lennon

65

Mqn without cr Cclmp

n religious circles, the word "camp" is sometimes usedto describe a school ofthought or a group to which onebelongs. Admission to camp is on the basis of

theological persuasion. Those within a camp are there becauseof common ideologies and interpretations of the Scripture.

Most often in a camp, there is a unity regarding some"key" issues and always some disharmony concerning someother non-pertinent matters. The priority of issues is usuallydetermined by a group of leaders in each camp. \fhen thosenon-essential matters rise to a level of key issues, the camp isusually divided. Those who campaign on behalf of the non-essentials become the new leaders of yet another camp.Hence, the reason for so many camps under the broad spec-trum of Christian movemenrs.

One of the problems of camping out with the troops is indetermining who decides what the key issues are and whatposition is to be taken. One need not concern himself withsuch trivia, for there is an abundance of fearless, self-assertivecamp leaders who will tell us where to stand on any issue thatthey perceive as important. The danger of such structure isthat it makes lazy slaves of so many who do not take the time,or trouble. to think for themselves.

The mcn without q camp ls lree lromthe entcnglement ol trcditions whichhcve no bibliccrl bqsis.

There is something deftnitely classy and distinctivelyChristian about a man without a camp-a man who does hisown thinking. A man without a camp doesnt belonganywhere, but he can fit in most everywhere, becoming "allthings to all men." I'm not speaking of compromise in thesense of trying to fellowship with all professing Christians.That would mean being a man of many camps.I'm speakingof being a free man and enjoying the liberty of serving Christwithout the encumbrance of ecclesiastical restrictions. Theman without a camp is free from the entanglement of tradi-tions which have no biblical basis. A free man is not tied tothe apron strings of a motherly institution, or stifled by thetraditions of forefathers without foresight. He's a man whose

Apl)xl

b1 Dallas Ainsley

spiritual diet consists of meat, having his senses "exercised todiscem both good and evil" (Heb. 5:14). He knows what hebelieves and why he believes it. He doesn't need to wait forHis favorite periodical to be released before he knows wherehe stands on any given issue.

Are you such a man? \l(/here would you go without some.one to lead? What would you believe if you had noteacher? I dare you to lock yourself away somewhere withyour Bible, leaving your prejudices and preconceived notionsoutside; find out what God says, and don't come out untilyou're ready to stand on your own convictions without theendorsement of any camp. Be ready to "give an answer toevery man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in youwith meekness and fear" (l Peter 3:15).

In so doing, you'll find a liberty in living and serving thatis far greater than the political and egotistical benefits ofcamping. Let's face it-the most compelling reason for a campis the lack of discernment and courage to be a free.thinkingindividual. To achieve such class status of distinctive Chris.tian living, we must heed the advice of Proverbs as it describesthe man who thinks for himself.

The free man is:7. A seeking man-Proverbs 2:3-5-seeking after wisdom

and knowledge of God's will, \ford, and way. He's interestedonly in knowing the truth and living the truth.

2. A stable man-Proverbs 3:23-In the context of seekingwisdom, we're told that such a man will walk in safetywithout stumbling. He knows where he is going and isn'ttripped by obstacles or the stumbling blocks of those wholead others astray.

3, A secure man-Proverbs 3:24-"\7hen thou liest down,thou shalt not be afraid." When one takes a position heknows to be scriptural, he is not worried about the repercus-sions or pressure from certain peer groups. He seeks the will ofGod and becomes a stable man who is seanre in his own think-ing.

4. A serene man-Proverbs 3:24-"Thy sleep shall besweet." When one, by faith, takes hold of God and allowsGod to take hold of him, he can have peace of mind and aquiet assurance about his future.

I dare you-yes, I dare you-to cease being a puppet,dangling on the strings of a carnp director. Cut those strings.Stand on your own two feet and articulate your own posi-tion. You can be, and should be, a free man. D

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Stepping Through The Scr ipturesA compac t , bu t comp le te pano ram icsurvey of the ent i re Bib le f rom( l enes i s t o t he Ep i s t l es .

Smal l PackagesPrac t i ca l and i n f o rma t i ve s tu r l i e s i nt h r r t een sma l l . bu t impo r tan t booksfrom ( locl s Worcl .

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ma r r r s l he r r r oc l e ] f o r t i r e C lhL r r t ' l r t r iday . A b i r c l s eve v i cw r i { t } r e t , a r l yCh r r r c f r i n ac t i on

The Patr iarchsPrac l j ca l i n s i t l h l s r> r r t he con f l i c t betwee l r t he Sp i r i t an r i t l r e I r l es l r f ou r r t li n t he l i ves o f Ab ra f ran r . l saac .Jacob . an r l Joseph

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Joshua and the JudgesA s tuc i y o f C lod s f a i t h f u l ness t o t hech i l d ren o f I s rae l i n The P ron r i se r lLancl ancl to Chr ist ians t r ic lay

Walk ing wi th JesusTwc r c r>mp le te books . f h i s Beg tnn ingctJ Miracles anrl To Setu k oncJ 7irSoue . o f f e r l esso r r s t aken f r om thel i f e o f ( l h r i s t .

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Af ter God's Own HeartLessons f r om the l i f e o f Dav i c l . t hesheph t , r d boy who became l s rae l schamp i<>n anc l g rea tes t k i ng

Bui ld ing Blocks of the Fai thA s t u c l v o f t l r i , b a s i c , l r i b l i c a l < l o c ,t r i nes o f C ) i r r i s l i an i t q . L t , s so r r s onCr t , a l r on . I nsp i r z r t i o r t o f Sc r i l r t u re .[ 3 a p t i s n r . t l r e l - r i n j l v . a n c l o t l r e r s .

Key Chapters of the BibleP r i nc i p l es o f succcss fu l C lh r i s t i an l i vi nq a r c f ounc l i n t he Scnp t r : r es .S ign i f i can t ch . r p l e r s l t t ' l p opcn t l r ec l oo r t o l l r es t , i r r s i gh t s anc l t r r - r t i r s

E l i j ah and E l i shaA l ook a t 1wo o { ( l o r j ' s q r ca les l .t l j r . r c l t , wo r l < i nq p ro l t he t s an (1 l t ( )wt h t , r r l i v e s , r I f c c t o u r s

She Sha l l Be P ra i sed' l ' h ro t r q l r w ( ) r ncn o f t he i l i b l e . t f r e

l c ssons p r f , s f , n t c l ua l i l i t , s o f go t l l vw ( )n t r ?n , r s w i ves . r no t l t e r . .r l i r L rq l t t c r s . . r nc l s c r van t s o f ( l oc l .

Issues of the 80'sOL r r l , r l t , s l s t , r ' i t , s t l i s c L r sses l hc r t r o r . t lr t , r r o l t r t j on f r on t a b rb l j c ; r l l t e r sy r t , r ' i i ve

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INDIVI DUAL CARDS AVAILABLEFOR 150 EACH. WRITE FOR LIST.

WHO SHOULD OWNCHRISTIAN HERO CARDS

JERRY FALWELL, Foremost Chr ist ian Leader"These ca rds w i l l p rov i de us an oppo r tun i t y t obecome acqua in ted w i t h t he g rea t Ch r i s t i an l ead -e r s o f h i s t o r y . Th i s i s one o t t he mos t he lp f u l t oo l st o i n f o rm and i nsp i r e t ha t i s ava i l ab l e t o t h i sgen era t I on

JACK VAN IMPERe now n F undamental is t Eva nge l is t

"The re i s spec ia l va l ue i n r ecogn i z i ng and remem-be r i ng g i an t s o f t he f a i t h : 1 ) i t t ocuses a t t en t i on onthe sou rce ICh r i s t ] o f t a l en t and ab i l i t y ; 2 ) i t g i vesrenewed v i s i on and de te rm ina t i on ,3 ) i t a l l ows ag l i m p s e o l j o y a n d v i c t o r y a h e a d a w a i t i n g t h o s e w h o a r e G o d ' sfa i th fu l heroes . "

' | CURTf S HUTSON, Ed l to r o l the Sword o t the Lordl r l l ' S o m e m a y n o t t h i n k i t w i s e f o r o u r y o u n g p e o p l e

t o h a v e h e r o e s , b u t w h e t h e r w e l i k e i t o r n o t , t h e y' d o . I h a v e o f t e n t o l d m y c o n g r e g a t i o n s , m a k e

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DAVE HYLESYouth Special is t , Pastor , Gar land, Texas

" l am very exci ted about the Chr ist ian HeroCards . . . For several years I have had a tremen.dous interest in promot ing heroes of the fa i th tothe young people wi th whom I have worked. I wi l lcont inue to promote these by using Chr ist ianHero Cards in minist r ies wi th youth, as wel l as at my church."

ED REESE, Wel l Known Chnst ian AuthorC o m p i l e r o f t h e R e e s e C h r o n o l o g i c a l B i b l e , h a sspent 30 years i n exhaust ive research to p roducethese a t t rac t i ve , conc ise , in fo rmat ive and in -e x p e n s i v e b i o g r a p h i c a l s k e t c h e s o t t h e g r e a theroes o l the ta i th .

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.=:=.,," wHo ARE YOUR HEROES? ..--