What is Truth Magazine?

Gospel Preaching, Gospel Preachers, Gospel Papers:

The Heritage of the Guardian of Truth

by: Ron Halbrook
ron@truthmagazine.com

(Webmaster's note: This article appeared in July 20, 1995 issue of Guardian of Truth. The name was changed to Truth Magazine in the January 1, 1998 issue. In that issue was this short note from the editor:

Guardian of Truth Becomes Truth Magazine

In 1981, after publishing for 24 years under the title of Truth Magazine, the magazine changed its name to Guardian of Truth to reflect the fact that we had purchased Gospel Guardian. For 17 years we published under this name. The Board Members of the Guardian of Truth Foundation made a decision in August 1997 to revert to our original name of Truth Magazine beginning with the new calendar year.

Why was the change made? The change was not made because of any change in direction in the content of the magazine. The change has been made for the sake of simplicity. Truth Magazine is easier to remember and is less cumbersome. Our bookstore is already being advertised as Truth Bookstore, our tracts are Truth Tracts, and now our magazine, once again, is Truth Magazine. )

God ordained the gospel message and the role or work of gospel preachers in spreading that message (1 Cor. 1: 18, 21; 2:2, 13; 15:1-4; Eph. 4: 11; 2 Tim. 2:2). Preachers utilize the avenues, forums, and methods available to them for spreading the gospel. Since the advent of the printing press, the medium of the printed page has been used to spread all kinds of messages, good and bad, true and false. Gospel preachers have used gospel papers to spread the gospel message.

Gospel papers are as strong or as weak as the men who write in them. Whether any particular paper is a blessing or a danger at a given time depends on the message taught in its pages. If the men and message change for good or ill, the paper changes for good or ill. The Guardian of Truth magazine represents the highest tradition of gospel preachers spreading the gospel message through gospel papers. The paper is seen as one more avenue through which to "preach the word," to declare "all the counsel of God," to "use great plainness of speech," to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints," in short, to proclaim "the gospel of Christ" as "the power of God unto salvation" (2 Tim. 4:2; Acts 20:27; 2 Cor. 3:12; Jude 3; Rom. 1:16). This magazine takes its place in history as a medium to be used by sound and faithful men in passing the torch of truth from one generation to another. Those who share in this tradition of gospel journals understand well that the paper is not in any sense a source of religious authority but is simply a medium for men to preach God's Word as the only source of authority in religion (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

The outline below helps to tell the story of gospel journals published by men who insist that the gospel be preached not in a spirit of fear, timidity, or compromise but in the spirit "of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7).

Heritage and History

1. The Christian Baptist (1823-30) was edited by Alexander Campbell with emphasis on "A Restoration of the Ancient Order of Things." Campbell's Millennial Harbinger (1830-70) continued this emphasis but moderated to promote the missionary society and similar organizations unauthorized by the ancient order of things.

2. The Gospel Advocate (1855-61, 1865-present) has been edited by Tolbert Fanning, William Lipscomb, David Lipscomb, E.G. Sewell, F.D. Srygley, J.C. McQuiddy, A.B. Lipscomb, H. Leo Boles, James A. Allen, Foy E. Wallace, Jr., John T. Hinds, B.C. Goodpasture, J. Roy Vaughn, Ira North and Guy N. Woods jointly, and F. Furman Kearley. In the early years, the Gospel Advocate was a stalwart in defending the Bible pattern against the onslaught of instrumental music and missionary societies. F.B. Srygley said of "the second generation of writers for the Advocate," "Soft preaching was not characteristic of the preaching of any of them" (Gospel Advocate, 2 Mar. 1939, p. 193). Under Goodpasture (1939-77), the Gospel Advocate began to moderate and drift. The Gospel Advocate became an advocate of many things not found in the gospel such as institutionalism and related practices.

3. The American Christian Review (1856-87), edited by Benjamin Franklin, helped to hold the line against instrumental music and missionary societies in the north and midwest.

4. Lard's Quarterly (1863-68), edited by Moses E. Lard, carried many strong articles and protested any departure from the truth but tried to accommodate the missionary society.

5. The Octograph (1883-87), Octographic Review (1887-1913), Apostolic Way (1914-40), and Apostolic Review (1920-40) were edited by Daniel Sommer, who was influenced greatly by Benjamin Franklin.

6. The Firm Foundation (1884-present) has been edited by Austin McGary, G.H.P. Showalter, Reuel Lemmons, William S. Cline, and H.A. Dobbs. In its early years, it helped hold the line against instrumental music and missionary societies west of the Mississippi River. Lemmons led the Firm Foundation away from the firm foundation of truth on institutionalism and related practices.

7. The Gospel Guardian (1935-36) was edited by Foy E. Wallace, Jr., and the Bible Banner (1938-49) by Foy E., Jr. and Cled E. Wallace jointly, with much help from Roy E. Cogdill beginning in March of 1946. Both were strong papers during the battles over premillennialism and the rising tide of pseudo-unity movements. The Bible Banner openly opposed and restrained the move to get colleges in church budgets.

8. The Gospel Guardian (1949-80) began with Foy E. Wallace, Jr.'s blessings and was edited by Yater Tant, William Wallace, Eugene Britnell, and James W. Adams. Roy E. Cogdill was owner and publisher of the Gospel Guardian during 1949-62, and wrote often in its pages. It focused on defending the Bible pattern against the onslaught of institutionalism and related issues. After the last copy of the Gospel Guardian appeared in December of 1980, it merged with Truth Magazine to form the Guardian of Truth.

9. Truth Magazine (1956-80) has been edited by Bryan Vinson, Jr., Cecil Willis, and Mike Willis. Roy E. Cogdill was close to Cecil Willis and had a significant influence on Truth Magazine until his death in 1985. At first, Truth Magazine focused on modernism in the Chicagoland area, where seventeen preachers had been lost in seventeen years. Then, the paper faced the onslaught of institutionalism, and fought back a false unity movement in the 1970s-80s. Under the name Guardian of Truth, it continues to provide a forum for preaching the gospel and defending sound doctrine in the face of current dangerous trend.

10. Searching the Scriptures (1960-92) was first edited by H.E. Phillips and James P. Miller jointly, then by Connie W. Adams. Searching the Scriptures was a strong voice for the truth first in Florida, then in the southeast and finally nationwide. After the last copy appeared in December 1992, it merged with Guardian of Truth.

Thus, it can be seen that the Guardian of Truth magazine represents the militant spirit of New Testament Christianity in upholding the truth of the gospel and in opposing every departure from it. This spirit was ignited in a large measure by such papers as the Christian Baptist and the Gospel Advocate in the 1800s and has been sustained by similar journals in the 1900s. The Guardian of Truth magazine represents strong, sound concepts of gospel preaching which can be traced directly back to Foy E. Wallace, Jr., Roy E. Cogdill, and H.E. Phillips. Men who share their faith have followed in their footsteps.

In short, the Guardian of Truth is a gospel paper used by gospel preachers for gospel preaching. It is nothing more or less than a medium for proclaiming the message of truth. It will be as strong or as weak as the men who write for it. May God help us to faithfully pass the torch of truth to lost souls everywhere, and to a new generation who will teach it to others, whether through this medium or some other. Papers come and go, and we must not be wedded to them, but the truth shall stand forever, and we must be wedded to it (2 Tim. 2:2).

If the biblical roots and heritage of the Guardian of Truth magazine as a medium of truth are to be nurtured and sustained, we must be keenly aware of trends which lead us away from true biblical faith. The history and heritage of the Guardian of Truth include the efforts of Truth Magazine, the Gospel Guardian, and Searching the Scriptures to sustain true biblical faith during the years of the institutional digression, primarily the 1950's-60's. We have reached a stage of history where we can reflect on the validity and the necessity of that past battle.

One occasion for such reflection is an article published in the Winter 1994 Discipliana on "The Churches of Christ: Accommodation to Modernity and the Challenges of Post-Modernity" by Cathy J. Pulley (a professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri). This article written by a historian in the institutional movement shows what was at stake in the battles of the 1950's-60's and why such battles must be fought if we are to maintain our fidelity to the Lord. As we reflect on the history of the spirit of liberalism with the aid of the Pulley article, we will realize that such a digressive spirit is arising again and already new battle lines are gradually forming. One of the things we learn from both biblical and subsequent history is that God's faithful remnant will be called upon again and again to fight such battles until the Lord returns. Will each of us continue to "fight the good fight of faith" or will we falter? Will the Guardian of Truth magazine continue its heritage as a medium through which men may "fight the good fight of faith," or will it falter?

Pulley's article discusses the emergence of liberal institutional churches and their gradual accommodation into the mainstream of American denominationalism. The sermons and tracts of conservative churches "stress that those in the Church of Christ are representatives of the true and only church, that the Bible is the infallible Word of God, and that there is one true plan of salvation." That message has been absent for at least twenty years among churches of a more liberal spirit which "no longer speak of the hell that awaits all those who are not members of the true church. Nor do they speak much about any doctrinal matters. The themes today are compatible with those in the pulpits of at least a dozen North American Evangelical groups" which emphasize such topics as the family, interfaith, a right relationship with Jesus, and a "smattering of socio-political rhetoric."

There are clearly "two different types of churches" today among typical Churches of Christ. Churches which appeal to "reason and rational thinking" (i.e., definite claims to revealed truth) are doctrinally conservative, exclusive in terms of fellowship with other groups, and exist "in high tension with the world." Churches with a more modem view have "a higher degree of tolerance for the world" and "toward other religious bodies." The more these latter churches accommodate "cultural pluralism," the more they must grope for a new identity and theology to replace their past exclusive truth claims. Pulley gave statistics tracking accommodation to liberalization on a wide range of moral issues (abortion, extramarital sex, premarital sex, homosexuality, easier divorce, marijuana use). These statistics show that the trend toward accommodation among liberal Churches of Christ fits "the changing social profile of American church life" in general. While those figures are not high yet for either group, they show that tolerance for new moral trends among these Churches of Christ matches the trends among mainstream American churches.

Absorption into the mainstream of the American religious life can also be seen in the effort to present a message which is softer, more polished, and much more positive, according to Pulley. After quoting a denominational historian on the "softening and polishing of the more hard line and barbed elements of the orthodox Protestant world view," Pulley observes that "this 'civilizing' of the Evangelical doctrinal message also would seem to be true of Churches of Christ ... Theirs is a 'kinder, gentler' message. Instead of trying to evangelize in order to free others from their fear of the fires of hell, evangelistic efforts seem to be framed much more positively." In keeping with recent history among mainstream bodies, Churches of Christ "tend to present an upbeat and positive image about their lives - a characteristic that Peter Berger has referred to as the "Protestant smile."'

Pulley points out that Evangelical denominations and many Churches of Christ "have accommodated to cultural pluralism in regard to their exclusive doctrinal truth claims." There is less and less appeal to absolute scriptural truth, i.e. less appeal to book, chapter, and verse, and more appeal to subjects which make people feel happier, healthier, and more at peace with themselves. "If the message of old that "we are the one true church" (consequently the only ones going to heaven), is still spoken in the city church, it is only in whispers." The new emphasis is toward feeling good about one's private life and relationships, mental health, counseling, family life, and psychology. This trend is causing church members to read more literature from other religious groups, another indication that "the walls of exclusivism between the 'true church of Christ' versus all others are crumbling."

The shift away from hard line or exclusive truth claims are gradually replaced by subjective and mystical truth claims. The Restoration Principle must be reinterpreted in a more open and pluralistic way as church members search for security while also searching for a new theological direction, a new identity, a new hermeneutic, a new mission, and a new worship. For such church members, sitting in a worship service and "listening to a somewhat lengthy sermon" based on infallible doctrine and exclusive truth seems more and more irrelevant to their lives in a post-modem world," Pulley observed.

If the battles of the 1950's and 60's had not been fought, partly through journals like this one, God's people in this country as a whole would have been swept into apostasy to be absorbed in the mainstream of American denominationalism. But who can read Pulley's description of the process of accommodation to American culture without realizing that even among more conservative brethren the process of accommodation is beginning again? F.B. Srygley recognized the early beginning of such dangerous trends in 1939 and encouraged men of faith to resist them at that time. He said,

I am about all, if not all, left of the second generation of writers who wrote for the Advocate. The friends of my youth, so far as the writers of the Advocate are concerned, are on the other side of the rim. I feel lonesome without them, and yet I am glad there are young men who have never bowed their knees to Baal. They will carry on and will contend earnestly for the New Testament teaching. I think the church is now in perilous times, but I have not lost confidence in the truth of the New Testament. Let us be able to say with Paul: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith," and "am now ready to be offered."

....In these troublesome times, when compromise of truth is the fashion, the Advocate cannot afford to weaken its opposition to error. The tendency, as it appears to me, is now to soft-pedal the opposition to error.

....I came in with J.C. McQuiddy, F.W. Smith, M.C. Kurfees, LA. Elam, and F.D. Srygley. While they differed among themselves, there was no disposition to compromise the truth. . ..These men above mentioned, like the rest of us, had their faults, but they stood together for the truth, and their personal differences did not weaken their stand for the pure gospel of Christ or their opposition to error. Soft preaching was not characteristic of the preaching of any of them (F.B. Srygley, "What I Know of the Advocate," Gospel Advocate, 2 March 1939, P. 1).

Within 15-20 years of Srygley's 1939 warning, the fruit of softer preaching and compromise was seen in an apostasy which spread all around the country. The Gospel Advocate itself became a prime promoter of that apostasy!

As the desire for a softer, more sophisticated, more positive message grows, we will hear that there has been too much preaching about baptism and the church and too much controversy about doctrine. Cecil Willis once observed,

Some brethren say they get tired of controversy. So do I!!! But the only alternative is capitulation, and the consequence of that is damnation .... 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, I Nov. 1973, pp. 3-5).

In "Truth Magazine and Controversy," Connie W. Adams summarized the spirit of the paper from its inception when he said,

Yes, this is a militant paper. We mean to keep it so. The devil has not called off the battle yet. There are still surging issues which need to be discussed. Brotherly reserve and restraint ought to be employed. But no quarter should be asked or given in the conflict between truth and error. If we are found in error, then let brethren get out their typewriters and point it out. We can take it (Truth Magazine, 23 Nov. 1973, pp. 60-61).

The spirit and stamina of the Guardian of Truth magazine will be severely tested in the days which lie ahead. Those who write articles or read them in this paper, or any other paper, should view it as simply a medium for teaching the truth, nothing more or less. The Guardian of Truth has no ambitions or pretensions to control churches, preachers, or anything else, but it will be charged with such unworthy motives by those who feel the pressure of truth and fear the exposure of error. Papers, like individuals, face the challenge of maintaining their fidelity to truth into the third and fourth generations. Those who publish and write for this paper are subject to all of the same strong cultural influences as anyone else in this country, and we ourselves will be tempted at times to accommodate ourselves to the demand for a softer, more polished, more positive posture, and thus to wear the "Protestant smile." If we begin to give in to that demand, may God confuse and confound our purposes, and cause this paper to die forever. If the Guardian of Truth continues in its heritage of boldly proclaiming the gospel of Christ without compromise, may God bless its efforts and extend its usefulness. If the magazine and its writers take any other course or posture, may God raise up faithful men and faithful papers which will renew the heritage of faithful preaching.

- Guardian of Truth Magazine, July 20, 1995, pp. 433-436