Truth Magazine

By Edward O. Bragwell, Sr.

When bright and congenial brethren use their influence as preachers and writers to teach “destructive heresies,” they must be unmasked. Passive nonparticipation in their error is not enough – they must be exposed (cf. Eph. 5:11 -NKJV). Preachers of the word with ability and opportunity must be willing to reprove and rebuke them, or not claim to be preachers after the New Testament order (see 2 Tim. 4:24).

When faithful brethren expose such men for what they are then they must get ready to take the heat. Yes, you read it right, I said, “expose such men. ” Let us not work with the fantasy that we can separate the heresy from the heretic. Brethren, error does not float around in the air. It is embodied in men. Because these men often have a great personal influence with a goodly number of brethren (both strong and weak), it is necessary to both expose their heresy and them as heretics. When this happens one often hears “weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth” from them; and, because of their personal influence, from those influenced by them. Likewise, one hears from those critics, who say they oppose the heresy, but prefer that the heretic be left alone – at least publicly.

A few years ago, some bright young preacher/writers, with the encouragement of a few older ones, became rather outspoken with their perversions of grace and fellowship. They openly encouraged fellowship with almost any one who had been baptized for the remission of sins – regardless of what doctrinal error they might teach or practice. The potential influence of these men was great. They were bright. They were somewhat scholarly. They were masters at subterfuge.

“Since we all are weak without perfect knowledge and have need of grace, what right do we have to exclude our erring brethren from fellowship?,” became the subtle ploy. Again, “We all disagree on some things with those whom we fellowship, why not fellowship those who disagree with us on institutions, instrumental music, etc.?” They often would word their positions in such a way as to plant the ideas they wanted planted, but at the same time leaving themselves an “out” when confronted. They were forever being “misunderstood” and “misrepresented.”

Gradually the circle of fellowship was widened by these men, until hardly anyone one could be excluded. Their influence among “conservative” brethren was enhanced by their background. Some had gone to a school known for its conservative influence. They preached for and freely associated with conservative brethren. In a case or two, they inherited a family name that was widely known to stand firm on “the issues” that divided churches in the 1950s and 1960s.

The nature and consequences of their positions needed to be exposed and their influence over brethren curbed. When men are in a position to strongly influence many brethren, it is not enough to merely answer their positions without reference to the persons involved — one must do anything that is honorable and right to curb their influence by exposing them for what they are — dangerous teachers who need to be avoided by brethren. It is not a pleasant task. It is not likely to cause brethren to stand up in thunderous applause. When Paul exposed Alexander the coppersmith, all forsook him — only the Lord stood with him (2 Tim. 4:14-16).

This paper carried many excellent articles, before this writer was directly associated with it, exposing the “grace-fellowship” perversion, linking it to men who were pushing it. It was pointed out that the views of these men would logically lead to an open practice of the things that these men were urging that we tolerate. Keep in mind, that, at the time, these brethren were saying that they did not personally believe nor practice what “brothers in other fellowships” were doing – but still we ought to extend the “right hand of fellowship” to them.

While many believed that this paper did the brethren a great service in exposing these men, there were others who were “turned off” by it. Some viewed the writers in this paper as too harsh in exposing the unholy consequences of the “grace-fellowship” heresy. They seemed to think that the projected consequences of the “grace-fellowship” thinking was more imaginative than substantive. Some, over-reacting to the necessarily negative tone in exposing such error, developed a philosophy of preaching and journalism that produced a new breed of anti’s — anti-negative.

Perhaps enough time has passed to assess the consequences of the attitudes of those who urged a wide fellowship. Were they able to keep themselves from the practices of those they were urging more tolerance toward? Or, did they ultimately openly advocate and practice doctrines of those that once they were only willing to fellowship without direct personal participation?

We will now look at four of these men. Their names will be familiar to those who have been reading this paper for the past 15 or 20 years. We shall see where they are now. This is no effort to say “we told you so,” but a effort to get brethren to be a bit more cautious before we become “turned off” by brethren of knowledge and experience who are trying to warn us of where certain trends and movements may lead. Also, we want to encourage others to speak out early when they detect subtle departures from the truth of the gospel. If these men had not been exposed and their influence curbed, there is no telling how many brethren they would have carried down with them.

Mark Nitz

On June 28, 1987, Mark Nitz, placed membership with the Gateway church of Christ “currently meeting it: Withrow High School Auditorium, 2488 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH” according to the bulletin from that church dated Sunday July 5, 1987. Three days earlier Mark’s wife, Lynn, had been baptized by them.

What is the “Gateway church of Christ”? It is a church under the influence of the Boston-Crossroads movement. A report on the front of the bulletin from a John Moorhead makes this quite clear. Gateway is supporting Moorhead in South Africa. Moorhead mentions his connection with Boston. He freely spurts out their jargon. He says, “I started leading the teen ministry as well as working with ________ (my discipling partner) on one of the college campuses.” Again, “He came to my Teen Bible Talk on Saturday night . . . ” (Emphasis mine, EOB). Also, the bulletin carried a list of “Dates to Remember” which included “Boston World Mission’s Seminar, Aug. 27-30.”

Bruce Edwards

After preaching and serving as a deacon for a while in an institutional church in Bowling Green, Ohio, Bruce Edwards left and became identified with a charismatic church in that city. I have a copy of a letter (12/12/85) in my possession from a former elder of the church were Edwards preached and served as deacon verifying this fact. The group was once called “Charis Community Church,” but now is known as “Bowling Green Covenant Church.” I have a copy of the charismatic group’s “A Statement of Faith.” It states that “The Senior Pastor and founder of the church is Rev. Joseph R. McAuliffe. . . The church is also served by Rev. James P. Barth, who is senior coordinator of the campus ministry -Fellowship of Christian Students, and by Rev. Peter F. Manto, who is the chief-administrator of the church’s educational program.”

Some interesting statements from their “A Statement of Faith”:

We believe that there is a progress aspect to God’s revelation: that there are areas of truth that are taught in Scripture, but which we do not fully understand until the Holy Spirit further illuminates them. We believe that in every generation God gives the Church, leaders under whose care, direction, and authority the truth is understood, interpreted, and applied.

He (God the Holy Spirit) grants revelation to men and women, enables them to understand and obey the truth, and illuminates and quickens God’s word in them. . . . He bestows upon them the spiritual gifts by which they serve God in and through the Church.

This faith is a gift of God and is preceded by the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.

Each individual is given supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit to be used to strengthen and extend the Church.

We believe that Jesus Christ will personally return to earth in power and glory. He will come to fully establish the government of God upon the earth and to judge the living and the dead, rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked.

Those two simple steps: (1) to repent of your sin, and (2) to believe in Christ’s death and resurrection, bring the gift of salvation to you. These are the most important steps you will ever take.

There are other statements that show the denominational and charismatic nature of that church. These should suffice to show just how far this one has gone from where he once stood.

Edward Fudge And Vance Drum

In a recent issue of Restoration Review, under the heading, “I Saw Jesus’ Prayer for Unity Answered, ” Edward Fudge describes a visit to “the Eastharn Unit, Texas Department of Corrections” where his “long-time friend Vance Drum” is “now Protestant chaplain.”

Ed says he was accompanied by his “friend Randy Frame, news writer at Christianity Today.”

Ed writes:

It is now approaching 9:00 a.m. Sunday school is over and we are gathered in the Chapel of Hope. Vance’s Sunday morning service borrows the best forms from across the Christian spectrum. We begin with invigorating praise choruses – “Pentecostal, ” if you please. . . Vance has graciously invited me to give the message from the Scriptures, and I talk concerning the prayer Jesus gave as a model for disciples in Matthew 6. . . . We reflect on the blessings we enjoy today in his kingdom, by his power and to his glory: daily bread, forgiveness of sins, deliverance from evil. And we anticipate the ultimate fulfillment of this prayer in that time on earth, just as in heaven, God’s name will be perfectly hallowed, his kingdom fully come, his will always be done.

This is a special day for Vance for still another reason. He is to be ordained this afternoon into the ministry of The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), having preached previously for Churches of Christ.

Vance’s ordination service included the reading of Scripture and special music by brothers and sisters from the Baptist, Bible and Episcopal churches, and a black minister from the Church of God in Christ. At the laying on of hands, Vance kneels, the elders of the host congregation, the First Christian Church of Crockett, surround him. The presiding minister then invites the elders and clergy of other denominations present to join the circle. “We believe in the oneness of Christ’s Church,” he says. Though a small assembly, it is representative of the Christians in this small east Texas town. Along with Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Bible, Episcopal and Catholic representatives, I am thrilled to join the circle as an elder in the Church of Christ. I bring to Vance’s continuing ministry the prayers and best wishes of all those of his former association who see this as a continuing step in his pilgrimage to heaven, rather than as a mark of his final departure from the faith.

We repeat together the symbol of our common faith, the Apostles Creed. “I believe in one holy, catholic church.” Or, as Thomas Campbell would put it, “The Church of Christ is essentially and constitutionally one.” I have no doubt that Jesus takes pleasure is this as well. “That they all may be one,” he had prayed. We are making slow progress – not by organizational amalgamation but by individual recognition of other members of the one family which is in heaven and on earth. We still have much to learn. But there is also much for which we can give thanks.

Now we take the Communion – again a visible symbol of the one, universal Body of Christ. It is a glorious day. I have seen Jesus’ prayer for unity answered today. It was beautiful to behold (all emphasis mine, EOB).

Ed says, “We are making slow progress.” I would like to think that the reason the pace has been kept to “slow progress” is the fact that some men withstood their critics and exposed these men for what they really were a few years ago.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 1, pp. 16-18
January 7, 1988

By Don Willis

The Bible is the world’s most sought after book. More volumes of it are sold than any other publication. The Bible is translated into more languages and dialects than any other book. Probably, more people read some daily out of the Bible than any other book.

James affirms, “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was” (1:22-24). John, in the Revelation, said, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand” (1:3).

Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mt. 7:21).

Many read, but fail to hear, understand, and obey the things that Jesus has said. They read with preconceived notions. They have been told that one does not have to obey the things found in the Bible.

The, Bible teaches that one must be baptized in order to be saved from past sins; however, man teaches that baptism is not necessary to salvation. Therefore, many churches deny that baptism is necessary.

God revealed that baptism is an immersion in water, using the word buried (Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:12); but man is ready to substitute sprinkling and/or pouring instead of what the Lord commanded.

Jesus promised to build his church (Mt. 16:18); told all the disciples to be one (Jn. 17:20-21); added all of the saved to his church (Acts 2:41); died in order to make of all men one body (Eph. 2:14-16); condemned division and man made names (1 Cor. 1:10-13); and said there is but one body (Eph. 4:4) which is the church (Eph. 1:22-23). But, man teaches that one church is as good as another. Why did we read, unless we were going to hear and obey?

Jesus died to cleanse us from sin (Rom. 3:23-26). Without the shedding of his blood, there could be no remission (Heb. 9:22). As one is saved from sin, he is raised to walk in a newness of life (Rom. 6:4). Christians are not to serve sin, sin is not to reign in their bodies that they obey it in its lusts, nor can Christians yield their bodies to sin, or permit sin to have dominion over them (Rom. 6:6,12,13,14). One might occasionally sin, but cannot give in to sin, serve sin, let it reign in them, yield to sin, nor let sin have dominion over him. When sin does arise, a Christian must repent of the same (Acts 8:22), confess this sin and ask God to forgive (1 Jn. 1:9). Even though this is what we read in the Bible, some human made churches teach that it is impossible for one saved to so act as to be eternally lost. Even some, whom we call brethren, teach that God’s grace will automatically cover sin, that sin is not charged to them. Why read, if we do not intend to hear, understand and obey? One is the servant of the one whom he chooses to obey, “whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness” (Rom. 6:16).

How often must we be told?

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 2, p. 41
January 21, 1988

By Hoyt Houchen

Question: How can I deal with worry, anxiety?

Reply: Worry is a common problem and no doubt a reason that the Scriptures say so much about it. For example, Jesus taught in Matthew 6:31, “Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewith shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.” This is the conclusion of what Jesus had said in the previous verses about worry, or anxiety. He had shown his disciples that they should trust in God and not uncertainty. The principle is that God will provide the necessities of life if we will place confidence in him. The problem with most of us is that we given more attention to the everyday physical necessities such as food, clothing and shelter than to spiritual matters. Our Lord climaxed his teaching on worry, or anxiety, when he said: “But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (v. 33).

Paul admonished his brethren at Philippi: “In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7,8).

How do we cope with worry? How do we overcome it? Both in the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 6 and that of Paul in Philippians 4:6,7 is the solution to worry. It is trust God. Most of us make God powerless by supposing that he is not capable of ruling his universe. We take life’s situations into our own hands and forget that God has promised to supply our needs. Someone has written:

Said the Robin to the Sparrow,

“I would really like to know

Why these restless human beings

Rush about, and worry so.”

Said the Sparrow to the Robin:

“Friend, I think that it must be

That they have no Heavenly Father,

Such as cares for you and me. “

The basic cause of worry is a lack of faith in the promises of God – a failure to trust God. Our lack of faith results from not studying the word of God which supplies faith. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

When we trust God we will take our burdens to him in prayer. Hear Paul again: “In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6). The idea is to let the things we seek be made known to God. Thanksgiving should accompany our requests – not only for the many blessings which our Heavenly Father has already bestowed upon us, but for the very privilege of being able to make our requests known. He is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20).

We all need to stop this foolishness of worrying ourselves into nervous wrecks and remember that God is on his throne; he is capable of running his affairs; he is always accessible and he never becomes weary from our requests. When we trust in God and believe his precious promises, we will go to him in prayer. This relieves us of worry, thus giving us “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). In place of being ruled by fear, worry and anxiety, our hearts and our thoughts will be guarded by “the peace of God.” This peace is another of the great promises which God will keep, if we will but trust him. Jesus told his apostles: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful” (Jn. 14:27).

Let us trust God, go to him in prayer and believe that his promises are true. It is only when we do these things that we can deal with worry, anxiety.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 1, p. 7
January 7, 1988

By Wayne S. Walker

We live in a day and age where our faith is being bombarded from every side. We see atheism (or at least secular humanism) being taught in our public schools, liberal theology in the denominations, and even modernism in the church. It is necessary that we continue to study those facts and principles that will help us to strengthen our faith in God and his word. The world is unable to provide any answers to mankind’s most important questions. Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? These are things that people are asking themselves. The only source to which we can go for satisfactory answers to these questions is our Creator and his inspired revelation.

Take, for example, Genesis 1:1-3. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” The first verse of the Bible is as easy to understand as, “In the evening, John watered the garden and the lawn.” It is simple, but what power is found in it. “In the beginning God. . . ” introduces us to the greatest force man can know.

I. Notice the text itself. This record contains the five necessary facts for science to operate: time – “in the beginning”; force – “God”; action – “created”; space – “the heavens”; and matter – “the earth.” The Bible cannot be used either to prove or disprove science. Neither does science necessarily prove or disprove the Bible. True science is merely a body of facts about the physical universe, and the Bible is not designed as a treatise on science, for is it subject to scientific observation, although it is scientifically accurate. It is primarily a book of history and contains a record, revealed by God, for anyone who will read, examine, and accept it.

The observations of the Bible are historical in nature rather than scientific, since they are not open to subsequent experimentation as-is true of all history. They are stated as facts of history. Our only choice to make is whether or not we believe they happened. No man was present at creation; God’s word is the only record we have. It is certainly within. reason, not like the fantastic creation myths of ancient heathen cultures, and there is no evidence to prove otherwise. All that so-called scientists have come up with, using entirely natural means, are several conflicting theories, none of which have any supportable proof. Therefore, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Heb. 11:3).

II. Who is this “God” who is said to have created the heavens and the earth? The term translated “God” in our text is Elohim the plural form of Eloah, whose root is El. This family of words forms the general Hebrew term for God or deity. The derivation in Hebrew is not absolutely known, but many scholars believe that it is derived from a term which means “to be strong.” Robert B. Girdlestone in Synonyms of the Old Testament wrote, “This name properly represented One only Being, who revealed Himself to man as Creator, Ruler, and Lord. It was His own peculiar title, and ought to have been confined to Him. Accordingly we read, ‘in the beginning God (Elohim in the plural) created (in the, singular) the heavens and the earth.”‘

The most common form is Elohim, the plural noun. Sometimes the plural is used to designate unlimited greatness. In the Old Testament, the plural form is also used because God exists in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is consistent with the use of plural pronouns. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness… (Gen. 1:26). Herbert C. Leupold in Exposition of Genesis wrote, “The hortative ‘Let us make’ . . . is particularly striking because it is plural. Though almost all commentators of our day reject the view that this is to be explained in connection with the truth of the Holy Trinity and treat this so-called trinitarian view as a very negligible quantity, yet rightly considered, this is the only view that can satisfy. . . . Those that hold that a reference to the Trinity is involved do not mean to say that the truth of the Holy Trinity is here fully and plainly revealed. But they do hold that God speaks out of the fulness of His powers and His attributes in a fashion which man could never employ. Behind such speaking lies the truth of the Holy Trinity which, as it grows increasingly clear in revelation, is in the light of later clear revelation discovered as a kind of obscure adumbration. The truth of the Trinity explains this passage.”

Another name for God, found 6,823 times in the Old Testament, is Jehovah. The English form Jehovah comes from the Hebrew tetragrammaton YHVH. Some prefer Yahweh, but no one knows the correct pronunciation. It is thought to be derived from a verb meaning “to be” and is sometimes translated as “the Eternal One.” This name distinctly expresses the personality of God and points to him as the one who was, is, and always will be. The origin of this name is generally related to God’s appearance to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:14-16. The phrase, “I AM THAT I AM,” contains the verb form of the name Jehovah. Later God said, “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them” (Exod. 6:3). The American Standard Version uniformly uses Jehovah in the Old Testament, but with a few exceptions, the King James Version uses “LORD.”

III. This God whose name is Jehovah is affirmed to be the Creator. He created the universe. “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them. . . . ” (Exod. 20:22). He created the earth and all life upon it, because it is said, “The earth is the LORD’s and all its fulness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters” (Psa. 24:1-2). Furthermore, he created man. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7). God also sustains the life of man upon the earth. The apostle Paul said of God, “For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring'” (Acts 17:28).

The creation of God was “fiat” creation. “Fiat” is a Latin word that literally means, “Let it be done,” and is defined as “an order issued by legal authority; decree.” God created by his word. He said, “Let there be light” and there was light! I might walk into a room, say, “Let there be light,” and turn on a light switch – and there will be light. But if I walk into a deep dark cave where never man has been and say, “Let there be light,” there will be no light! God’s creation “ex nihilo,” which means that is was out of nothing. “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Psa. 33:6). Man can take material already in existence and make something else from it. But only God can create where nothing beforehand.

IV. How is this Creator God revealed unto us? One way is by means of the heavens which he made. “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psa. 19:1 ff). Every effect must have an adequate cause. Design demands a designer. The heavens above bear the imprint of their First Cause, their Grand Designer. It is through contemplating the existence of the universe that we conclude that there must be a God and that his is powerful enough to make all that we know. “Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20, RSV).

However, the natural creation does not reveal unto us the will of our Creator. For this, God must give us a special revelation. Today, God makes his will known to us through his Son. “God, who at various times and in different way spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (Heb. 1:1-2). The Son sent the Holy Spirit to inspire his apostles and prophets to record his will for us in written form (Eph. 3:3-5). The product of their efforts, the Holy Scriptures, contains the will of God for all mankind today. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

V. Those who live upon this earth created by God must have faith in him. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). Again, the source of this faith must be the written revelation of God, his word. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). And this faith must be more than a mere intellectual assent to God’s existence. It must be an active trust. “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (Jas. 2:24).

Conclusion

God is the Creator. We are his creation. It is our responsibility to seek after him and believe in him. As we consider the universe around us, the earth upon which we live, and the God who made them, we are moved to say, “Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee, How Great Thou Art!” Do you know the God who is revealed in the Bible? “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (Jn. 17:3). Have you obeyed his word? Are you his spiritual child? The Bible tells us how to become one. We encourage you to read it, study it, and follow it. It is the only means by which you can have a right relationship with the God who made you.

Guaridna of Truth XXXII: 1, pp. 8-9
January 7, 1988