"Cecil Willis and Bill Wallace: "Dear Brethren:

AEnclosed find an article written at the request of (but not under pressure from) Cecil Willis. It's only purpose is to verify that the `peace offensive" was discussed during our visit together in Sept. 1969.

AI count each one of you as a friend and brother in Christ. I have no desire to get involved in the present controversy in a public way other than that I might from time to time write articles on Bible subjects that might refute something someone else has taught.

"I am saddened and disappointed in the quality of articles appearing in 'the Gospel Guardian the last few years. I believe from that which I have seen and studied in the papers that Brother Ed Fudge is a false teacher.

"I am not the editor of the Gospel Guardian (or any other paper) but I believe some changes need to be made that the Gospel Guardian may become again the strong militant paper it used to be.

Among these changes would be:

1. Removal of Ed Fudge as associate editor.
2. Removal of any other associate editor who embraces the "Ketchersideian" philosophy or other false doctrine.
3. Not allowing articles which contain false teaching to go unanswered; preferably answered in the same issue.

'Bill, I realize that you are the editor of Gospel Guardian, not me, and that my advice is unasked for, but for what it is worth, 1 am giving it free. My disagreement with Gospel Guardian policies is the reason I have not sent you any articles for a year or more. I will continue to subscribe to Gospel Guardian, but I cannot recommend it to others at present.

"Bill and Cecil, from what I hear at the grass-roots level, I believe you both should try to get back to discussing issues, and get away from personal clashes, if possible. Cecil, my feeling is that it was perhaps unwise or inexpedient to have printed the personal note from Bill to Ron Halbrook. Again, you are the editor, not me.

AI personally feel that your exchanges should be brought to a close as soon as possible, because the indefinite continuation will, I think, ' fragmentize" conservative brethren. We have already been seriously compromised by Ketchersideian views as it is.

Love and prayers,

Larry R. DeVore

It is with no desire to inject myself into the present controversy, and with no intention to "take sides" in results in arraying one brother against another that I offer the following verification.

Sept. 14-24, 1969, Brother Wm. E. Wallace conducted a gospel meeting for the church where I was preaching in South Bend, Indiana. During this meeting I traveled with Bill to several different places, mostly book publishers. One of these trips was to Marion, Indiana, to the home of Cecil Willis, who then rode with us to Berne, Indiana, to secure a consignment of Bible class literature for the Gospel Guardian. This is not revealing anything secret because Bill Wallace in the Gospel Guardian, Vol. 21, No. 23, October 9, 1969, mentioned these trips in his article "The Pulse of the Brethren (II)." We were all together several hours that day and as Bill expressed it, "We engaged in lively conversation about brotherhood affairs . . . ." The main topic of conversation was the "peace offensive" which Bill expressed hope that such would tend to bring brethren back together. Cecil expressed himself negatively toward the "peace offensive" and suggested that it would fragmentize brethren instead of uniting them. The discussion was a good-natured one, but I sensed a current of seriousness in it. I would add that Bill did not indicate any desire to compromise truth but to "keep the lines of communication open."

May I also add that I have no intention to destroy the Gospel Guardian nor am I interested in seeing it's demise. I would like to see the changes made that would make it again a strong and militant gospel journal.

Truth Magazine, XVIII:10, pp. 9-10
January 9, 1974