History somehow divides itself into distinct eras. Even sacred history follows this pattern, so that men may speak of the Patriarchal Era, the Mosaic Period, and the Christian Age. Profane history also can be categorized. There are watershed incidents that occur that are so significant that we may speak of time in relation to those events. We thus speak of Ante-deluvian occurrences and Post-deluvian events. In like manner, men speak of those things that occurred prior to the coming of Christ, as contrasted with things which occurred after His coming.

The life of an individual also has its distinct periods. Usually it is necessary for some biographer afterward to denominate these distinct eras in a person's life. Frequently he and his contemporaries are so enmeshed in the activities that are occurring that they do not have time to assess their overall impact on their lives. It is nearly impossible for one who lives contemporaneously to write a well-ordered history of that period of time during which he has lived. Frequently an individual who attempts to do so will over-emphasize one .incident, and yet not detect at all the importance of perhaps even a more significant event.

Truth Magazine now is entering another era in its brief history. We are, with this issue, beginning the eighteenth year of publication. The first six years of the history of this journal constitute one period in its history. During this time, the Vinson brothers (Foy and Bryan, Jr.), Leslie Distelkamp, Gordon Pennock, Ray Ferris and others initiated a very attractively prepared monthly religious journal.

After six years, those who started Truth Magazine had decided they no longer could maintain it. When it appeared that not another issue of the paper would ever go forth, William E. Wallace and I accepted the responsibility of trying to continue the paper. At the time we accepted responsibility for its publication, we had no idea whether we could continue it only for a few more months, or whether some new life could be breathed into it, and its usefulness perpetuated. During the next seven years, while the paper continued as a monthly, it had rather a tenuous existence. Some criticized us for moving the paper around from one location to another. What those critics did not know was that we existed as best we could during those days. Indeed, like the patriarchs of old, Truth Magazine for several years had no certain dwelling place. We like to think that now we have given some degree of permanence to the paper by locating it at Marion, Indiana. But who knows but that future events will evidence that even this was not a permanent location for it? But we hope our roaming days are over. Previously we had no one who could devote full-time to the operation of the Bookstore, and hence we had to move the paper as the Bookstore operator moved. But nearly three years ago, Robert Whitehead was employed full-time to operate the Bookstore. His wife, Marilyn, and his mother-in-law, Sister Maley, assist him in providing good service to an ever-increasing, volume of business.

But one could say that another era in the history of Truth Magazine occurred four years ago when; we decided to make the paper a sixteen page weekly journal. That was a big decision for a shoe-string operation. But by the grace of God, and by the help of many brethren who share our interests in the perpetuation of such a journal, we have been able to finish four years of weekly publication. A popular religious song says, "We've come this far by faith...... This very well describes how Truth Magazine has existed during the eleven years with which I have been closely associated with its publication. I am not sure that there has ever been a single month when we had enough money on hand to pay for the printing costs of the paper for the next month. But somehow, by the time the printing bill was due, there always has been enough money to pay the bill: If the paper can continue to have enough money to pay its bills when due, those of us who are responsible directly for the payment of its bills will be immensely satisfied.

With the enlargement of the paper this week to 8 1/2 x 11 inch pages, Truth Magazine enters a new era of its existence. By the change in page size, we are able to give you, our readers, about 44% more reading material each week. This increase in copy considerably increases my work-load in preparing the paper. Thus some changes have been made in my ordinary work routine; to permit me to attend to these new demands created by increasing the size of the paper.

As we enter a new phase in our history as a religious journal, the state of things among brethren is in a tremendous state of flux. Division is rampant among the brethren to whom we have referred for 25 or more years as liberal brethren. Unless one gets many of the publications of the liberal brethren, he just could not imagine how seriously divided the liberal brethren are. The seeds of liberalism sown by B. C. Goodpasture, Guy N. Woods, W. L. Totty, Tom Warren, G. K. Wallace, E. R. Harper, Reuel Lemmons and others now has produced a whole new generation of liberals. But this new generation of liberals is much more liberal than its precursors. Thus a big conflict is underway between the liberalism such as one might encounter in the pages of a journal like Mission, which is the voice of the fair haired young princes, and the older men who wanted-just a little liberalism. . . . just enough to admit congregational support of human institutions of various kinds, just enough to admit recreational programs and facilities, and just enough to admit sponsoring church arrangements which result in programs like the Herald of Truth radio and television program.

But the liberal brethren are in deep trouble, and they know it. So deeply enmeshed are these older men in trying to hold-the-line with just the amount of liberalism that they want, they have no time or disposition now to continue their combat with us. Some of these liberal brethren would like for their cohorts in far-away lands to believe they have vanquished the "Antis," and that we will no longer meet and discuss with them. But they know that is not the truth. The truth is, they have all the fight they are capable of handling trying to stop the onrushing tide that is now crashing in upon them when they opened the flood-gates just a little bit a few years ago.

The very men who fostered and nourished the Herald of Truth radio and television program now are trying to bring it down. Liberalism, modernism, Pentecostalism, and doctrinal blandness have so saturated the Highland church in Abilene, Texas (whose elders supposedly have had full control over "their" program) that the gallant warriors who fought for the life of Herald of Truth are now after the scalp of those who have control of it. There is hardly a man in this country who ever stepped upon a public platform to defend the Herald of Truth who now will speak a kind word in its behalf.

James Walter Nichols, one of the co-founders of the Herald of Truth, died an untimely death a few months ago at the age of 44. James D. Willeford, the other co-founder now is traveling over the country, along with some other former defenders of the Herald of Truth, trying to accomplish its demise. Ira Rice, Jr., through his widely circulated Contending For the Faith, has struck the Herald of Truth a near fatal blow. E. R. Harper, who was a speaker on the Herald of Truth programs for several years, now publicly is admittedly trying to kill the program. W. F. Cawyer, for many years one of the Highland elders whom the brotherhood paid, through the Highland church, to raise funds for the Herald of Truth, also has joined in the fight to kill the Herald of Truth. It is paradoxical that Harper and Cawyer now should be so concerned about how much some of the men are being paid by the brotherhood to work for the Herald of Truth. Cawyer and Harper themselves, for well over a decade, had their salaries paid from Herald of Truth coffers. Cawyer and Harper now are demanding a dollar-by-dollar accounting to the brotherhood by the operators of the Herald of Truth, something which the Herald of Truth would never give during the days Harper and Cawyer were its chief fundraisers. These brethren would list $300,000 for Administrative and fund-raising expense, but would never provide a detailed break-down of these expenditures.

Some of the Highland deacons saw there was the opportunity to make quite a sum of money by getting into businesses designed to provide services which the Herald of Truth sought. Though they were a radio and television program only (or so they said), they allocated about $200,000 yearly for printing and supplies. That $200,000 would constitute quite a business volume for many printing firms. Nearly half a million dollars are budgeted each year for film-making. Would it surprise you to learn that deacons and other Highland members would become involved in the film-making business? Now that the Herald of Truth Radio and Television Committee (not the elders!) has fired E. R. Harper, and W. F. Cawyer says that he resigned to protest some of the false doctrine being taught at Highland, Harper and Cawyer are travelling over the country speaking against the Herald of Truth, and protesting how much they are paying some men who before they began work for the . Herald of Truth hardly could make a living. Harper and Cawyer are crying about the Herald of Truth employees who are flying all over the country on the brotherhood's money. Wonder who has been paying for Cawyer's and Harper's travel for the past decade and more?

Cawyer said he resigned as an elder in protest to some of the teaching being done at Highland and on one of the Highland sponsored programs. Lest they turn off some people by their "Heartbeat" radio program, they have decided not to mention Christ or His Church, and only an occasional reference is made to any passage of Scripture. Now all of a sudden, Harper, Cawyer, Rice, and others are opposed to the Herald of Truth. Apparently some of those connected with the Herald of Truth, or its former employees, have difficulty telling the truth. Cawyer says he resigned as an elder in protest of false teaching, including modernism and Pentecostalism. Brother Art Haddox, Highland elder who now has Brother Cawyer's job, reported that Brother Cawyer resigned because he married too quickly after his wife died. Cawyer says that is not the truth. In January, 1973, when I asked about why Brother Cawyer no longer was connected with the Herald of Truth, Brother Haddox told me, "He got old and cranky, hard to get along with, and we had to let him go." Apparently some connected with the Herald of Truth now, or its former employees, can preach it "round or flat," as best fits the occasion.

About two months ago a big meeting was held in Memphis where Haddox, Lynn Anderson (Highland preacher) and Batsell Barrett Baxter tried to defend and exonerate Highland and the Herald of Truth of the charges of modernism, Pentecostalism, harboring of false teachers, mismanagement, etc., before more than 100 preachers. Apparently their defense was not very convincing, because Alan Highers (Memphis preacher) fired away at the Herald of Truth again, immediately after the Memphis meeting. Ira Rice did likewise. So the scene is rapidly changing among the liberal brethren.

It appears that those running the Herald of Truth have no intention of "closing shop." When advertising space no longer was available to them in the liberal journals (such as the Gospel Advocate), Highland began a Christian Chronicle-type paper which they now mail directly to all the churches. Brethren ought to know that when Highland is the third church which has overseen the Herald of Truth, a little opposition is not going to kill it. Even if Highland opposed it, brethren who moved it from two churches before Highland got control of it, could move it yet again. If Herald of Truth "closed shop," the businesses of several brethren would also fold. Those with their hands in the coffers will not let Herald of Truth fold, without putting up quite a big fight in its behalf first. And Highland's $2,000,000 a year Herald of Truth budget is enough money to provoke quite a fight. If you think not, just hang around a while. Great fighter that he is, Batsell Barrett Baxter probably will quietly bow out if very much heat is created by the conflict. The liberal brethren are in about as much trouble internally as are our national Administration, after "Watergate" and the Agnew fiasco.

It would be nice if we could report that all is well among brethren who have refused to partake in the church support of human institutions, or in the support of sponsoring churches. But to so report would not be to represent the facts accurately. The liberal Ketcherside "Fellowship" position has made some inroads among us. Some in positions of influence among us have imbibed of the Ketchersidean cup of error. Some have merely sipped a little here and there from Brother Ketcherside's ecumenical cup, but they do not want anybody to find out about it. So they use all kind of literary gyrations to mislead the unwary.

Other issues, such as worldliness, continue to make serious inroads among us. Some brethren say they get tired of controversy. So do I!!! But the only alternative is capitulation, and the consequence of that is damnation. There will never be a time when Christians must not resist the Devil, and the Devil will continue his nefarious works until time is no more.

It will be our intention to use our enlarged Truth Magazine pages to encourage every righteous and good work, and to oppose errors within and without the Body of Christ. We hope to maintain the goodwill of every friend of divine truth, and expect the wrath of every purveyor of error. Those who sympathize with false teachers will likely continue their snide remarks about controversial papers. But as Paul expressed it, with the help of God, it is our intention not to be moved by any of these things. A warfare is going on between Christ and the Devil, and between the servants of Christ and the servants of the Devil. We do not intend to utter any uncertain sounds that will result in friend or foe failing to know where we stand. The wisdom from above will be invoked that all the good within our power may be done, and that no harm at all to any righteous cause will result.

Truth Magazine, XVIII:1, p. 2-5
November 1, 1973