Truth Magazine

WASHINGTON (RNS) – Mainline Protestant denominations – long identified with the pro-choice side of the abortion debate – have begun to revise and reassess their positions on this divisive moral and political issue.

The reassessment has come as opponents of abortion within the denominations have begun to organize themselves more effectively, posing the most formidable challenge to the churches’ pro-choice views since abortion was legalized in 1973.

According to many in the churches, the mainline Protestant activity also is challenging the view that opposition to abortion is purely a matter of Roman Catholic or fundamentalist Protestant doctrine.

For instance, the Presbyterian Church (USA), on October 15, sent study materials on abortion to its 12,000 congregations, launching a four-month period of review of a 1983 statement issued by the denomination. The 1983 position came under attack by local church bodies at the denomination’s annual meeting last July. Many objected to the statement’s view that abortion is not only a right but sometimes an “act of faithfulness before God.”

“The church is not satisfied with its position on abortion. There is a great deal of fermentation and rethinking going on,” said Dr. James Andrews, recently elected as Presbyterian stated clerk, the equivalent of church president.

In other recent Protestant developments on abortion:

-The Lutheran World Federation, which embraces 54 million Lutherans, passed a strong resolution at its August meeting in Budapest, Hungary, opposing the abortion of “pre-born children.”

-The General Conference of the United Methodist Church, meeting last May, tightened its stand on abortion, and touched off a growing dispute in the church over the significance of the revision.

-At its quadrennial meeting in mid-summer, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the second largest black denomination in the country, reaffirmed its opposition to legal abortion except in cases of rape and incest.

-At its 1985 general convention, the Episcopal Church is expected to face the strongest challenge ever to its “unequivocal opposition” to laws against abortion. Mounting the effort now is the newly-incorporated National Organization of Episcopalians for Life, known by its acronym, NOEL.

-In July, delegates to the annual meeting of the Church of the Brethren, a historic “peace” church, tightened its position on abortion by stating flatly that the church “opposes abortion because the rejection of unborn children violates the love of God by which God creates and nurtures human life. “

At the same time, however, the Brethren supported the “integrity of conscience in decision-making in relation to pregnancy and child-bearing This protest against abortion, combined with moral support for those who feel they must undergo an abortion, reflect two main tenets held by the Brethren – respect for life and respect for conscience.

-In June, the 14-million-member Southern Baptist Convention passed its strongest anti-abortion resolution ever, opposing it even in cases of rape and incest. The nation’s largest Protestant denomination first went on record against legal abortion in 1980.

Dr. Andrews of the Presbyterian Church said he sees a “very broad concern and rethinking” on abortion underway in his denomination and possibly throughout mainline Protestantism. . . .

Behind much of the reassessment have been a growing number of organized anti-abortion groups within the churches. Unlike other right-to-life groups, they tend to stay out of the public arena and work, instead, on reversing or modifying their churches’ views.

They often base their appeals on Scripture and “original” Christian teachings, as well as on recent medical advances. The groups have been influenced by new procedures such as those involving medical treatment of the fetus and techniques allowing pregnant women to see and hear their unborn. A heavy emphasis is also placed on services to help troubled pregnant women have their babies. Some denominations have also called for these services as an alternative to laws against abortion (Sword of the Lord [6 November 1984], p. 10).

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 1, p. 12
January 3, 1985

By Stanley Paher

Harry Truman’s bold words, “If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen,” is an apt commentary upon Larry Hafley’s five page rambling response to my letter sent directly to him recently. If Larry has not violated the letter of Matthew 18:15 – if a brother sins against you, go show him your fault – then he has violated the spirit of that great principle. The lessons are two-fold: (1) if he criticizes others’ articles and differences over faith, then he should learn to take criticism; he should also (2) respond directly to a simple letter instead of converting a private matter into a public one through publication in a journal such as Guardian of Truth.

Larry has not answered my argument. He says that Simon is an example of yo-yo-ism. But all one can get out of Acts 8:18-24 is saved, lost, saved, if that. Larry’s yo-yo string is jammed. Now the ongoing debate on this matter is whether or not salvation is a reality in the Christian’s life continuously (interrupted only by faith failing and renouncing Christ) or whether salvation is an on-off, yes-no, up-down thing, hour by hour, in the Christian walk. The latter is implied in yo-yo-ism and expressed in his letter and recent article in Guardian of Truth. It is erroneous.

More than the above faults, Larry knows that those who advocate constant cleansing do not excuse sin or minimize any sin. We do not love error or knowingly tolerate it or otherwise have fellowship with it. Yet Larry says that our position “opens up broad opportunities for wickedness,” others say that constant cleansing promotes a loose attitude toward error and encourages sinful living.

The opposite is true. Yo-yo-ism advocates have an inadequate notion of what sin is. It is more than transgression of law; sin is any thought, word, deed or action that violates the spirit of any of God’s laws, as well as the letter. Anyone with a profound sense of sin would not argue about how God saves and what he does about sins, day-in, and day-out.

To Larry and others of the Guardian of Truth, Facts and Faith, and Searching the Scriptures triad of papers, sin is treated subjectively rather than objectively. At most such concepts of sin and law saves one from sinning but not from sin itself; it saves from known sin but not from the corruption of a man’s heart. This is true because the triad ignores the fact that sin consists of any lack of conformity to the will of God as well as specific transgression of law. Secondly, acceptability consists of more than “repenting and confessing sin” (the so-called second law of pardon); it is a matter of forsaking sin as well.

Larry’s bypassing of me and gossiping my letter to others is evidently sin because the spirit of Matthew 18:15 is violated. By ignoring the spirit of God’s laws, it is often tempting and easy to cheat. “The Bible does not say, thou shalt not smoke,” some have reasoned. Mere adherence to the letter of commandments never makes a man holy, but living by the Christ-principles can and does make him upright. By recognizing divine biblical principles, one can find any number of good reasons why a Christian should not smoke.

Righteousness therefore comes through grace-faith and not solely by obeying New Testament commandments. Remission of sins, including violating Matthew 18:15, was never intended to come by mere law-keeping. Otherwise, justification could never be made sure (Rom. 4:16b). The Bible’s great moral principles must be recognized and made a very part of the fabric of our beings.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 1, p. 8
January 3, 1985

By Larry Houchen

On August 29, 1984, the body of Floyd Thompson was laid to rest in Santa Ana, California. Brother Floyd, as this writer affectionately called him, was called to his real home, having lost a bout with cancer. Elva West and Homer Hailey, long-time friends of the Thompsons, conducted the services. Ken Dart, the gospel preacher at Fairview in Garden Grove, conducted the grave side service.

Floyd and Ruth Thompson moved to California in November 1934. Brother Floyd had preached for about two years at Mt. Zion, Oklahoma, a rural congregation. For a couple of months after moving to California, brother Thompson preached for various congregations in southern California as he was needed. In January 1935, brother Floyd followed William S. Irvine at the Birch and Fairview (later Birch and McFadden) congregation in Santa Ana. He went for the purpose of “filling-in” until the congregation could secure someone to follow brother Irvine. Brother Floyd ended up “filling-in” until 1955. After serving the congregation for twenty years, brother Thompson and a number from the Birch and McFadden congregation began a new work in Garden Grove on Fairview Street. After twenty years with the Fairview congregation, brother Floyd resigned his full-time duties. (Thus, he had the unique experience of preaching to some of the same people for 40 years.) However, he remained with the congregation teaching Bible classes and serving in whatever other capacities that he could. In the last nine years, brother Floyd was often away from home engaged in gospel meetings.

Floyd Thompson’s life was greatly influenced by the writings of R.L. Whiteside and the personal twenty-five year association with C.R. Nichol. He often said that his two most favorite uninspired writers were these two brethren.

The Thompsons were unable to have children. Once, following a sermon on parental responsibilities, somebody asked brother Floyd, “How can you say the things you said having never experienced children of your own?” In his characteristically calm, bass voice, he replied, “It seems the apostle Paul had some things to say along those lines, too.”

Brother Floyd’s sermons, prayers, and general public remarks were characteristically brief. He said as much (and sometimes more) as many of us, only in fewer words. His brevity was not due to shallowness for all who knew him respected him for his obvious knowledge of “the text.” Some of this writer’s fondest memories of brother Floyd was having him expound verse by verse on certain chapters that this writer requested. He made such chapters as Matthew 24 and Romans 14 come alive. Those sessions will be dearly missed.

The apostle Paul wrote, “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14). Brother Floyd was anchored securely to both the faith and hope as his life was doctrinally one of stability.

Brother Thompson was a friend to young preachers. Shortly after, this then twenty-seven year old writer began work with the Tustin church, just a few miles from the Fairview congregation, he heard a knock at the office door; brother Floyd had come to welcome him to the area. Here was a highly respected gospel preacher who was not too proud to encourage a young man. His subsequent visits were frequent and always appreciated. This writer, as wen as a host of others, loved him for not only what he stood for, but also for what he was – kind and thoughtful.

The Thompsons complemented each other – theirs was a very special relationship. Whenever sister Thompson mentioned to him that something around the house needed repairing, he dropped whatever he was doing and fixed whatever was broken, if it was within his ability. In speaking with sister Ruth recently, she wanted included in this tribute that brother Floyd’s influence not only extended to outsiders and to the spiritual family, it is also reflected in the contribution of encouraging her to teach Bible classes, write, and serve the Lord in other capacities. (She has authored a fine book, Train the Young Women, and has written numerous articles. LRH)

There is a vast void in sister Ruth’s life and in the lives of the rest of us who knew Floyd Thompson. But oh, the memories, aren’t they grand!

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 1, p. 10
January 3, 1985

By Mike Willis

The Jehovah’s Witnesses is a religious organization which had its beginning in the early twentieth century. It was founded by Charles Taze Russell in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Through the years, this religious group has been characterized by a missionary zeal which is commendable. The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach several major false doctrines; hence, in their missionary work, they confuse people who have little or no Bible knowledge. Most of us have been confronted by the Witnesses on one or more occasions; we need to know their doctrines and how to refute them.

Cardinal Tenets of the Witnesses

There are several key doctrines which the Witnesses hold. If anyone does not agree with these doctrines, the Witnesses believe him to be in a false church. Here are several of their major tenets:

1. The Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the deity of Jesus Christ. The Witnesses do not believe that Jesus is “God with us” (Matt. 1:23). The apostle John wrote, “In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1: 11). In commenting on this verse, the Witnesses state that “the Word was a powerful godlike one” (The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, p. 24), but deny that He was God. They teach that Jesus is a created being, not having the same deity as God the Father.

A number of Bible verses show the deity of Jesus. The child to be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14) was to be called, “Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). Thomas confessed Jesus saying, “My Lord and my God” (Jn. 20:28). Paul said that in Jesus “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9). He stated that Jesus existed on an equality with God prior to coming to this earth (Phil. 2:5-9). Jesus was “God manifested in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:15; Jn. 1:1,14).

One of the reasons for concluding that the Jehovah’s Witnesses is a false religion is that they deny that Jesus is God. By making Him a lesser God, they teach a polytheistic concept of deity (a pantheon of gods with some having greater power than others).

2. The Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the deity of the Holy Spirit. The personality of the Holy Spirit is denied by the Witnesses. They describe Him as “God’s active force” (see Let God Be True, p. 108; The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, p. 24). Hence, they deny that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit constitute the Godhead by teaching that neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit is God. With reference to Jesus, they affirm that He was a created being; with reference to the Holy Spirit, they assert that He is merely “God’s active force,” denying that He is a separate personality from the Father and the Son.

The Holy Spirit has personality. He speaks (1 Tim. 4: 1), witnesses (Jn. 15:26), teaches (Jn. 14:26), and guides.(Jn. 16:12-13). He has mind (Rom. 8:27), knowledge (1 Cor. 2: 11), affection (Rom. 15:30), and will (1 Cor. 12: 11). He can be grieved (Eph. 4:30), despised (Heb. 10:29), blasphemed (Matt. 12:31-32), resisted (Acts 7:5 1), and lied to (Acts 5:3). He has all of the attributes of personality; He is not an impersonal, active force.

He has the attributes of deity, including eternity (Heb. 9:14), omniscience (1 Cor. 2: 10-11), omnipotence (Mic. 3:8), and omnipresence (Psa. 139:7-10). He is called God in Acts 5:3. By denying the deity of the Holy Spirit, the Witnesses teach a false doctrine about God. By denying the deity of both the Son and the Holy Spirit, they are fundamentally wrong in their concept of God, just like the pagans are.

3. The Witnesses deny that man has an immortal soul. They believe that when a person dies, no part of him continues to live. They believe that the dead are not conscious (The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, p. 41). However, the Bible teaches that man has a soul which survives the death of his body (cf. Matt. 10:28; Acts 127; Rev. 6:9; 20:4; Jas. 5:20).

Jesus taught the lesson of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-3 1). In that lesson, the soul survived the death of the body. Some souls were rewarded with heavenly bliss and others were punished with everlasting destruction in torment after the death of the body. Hence, the soul survived the death of the body.

The Scriptures reveal that a person can be “absent from the body but at home with God” (2 Cor. 4:16-5: 10). Paul actually desired to die in order that he might be at home with Christ (Phil. 1:21-24). Jesus described Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as “living,” in spite of the fact that their bodies had been dead for centuries (Matt. 22:32). Peter said (1 Pet. 3:4) that man has an incorruptible (Greek: aptharto) spirit; the word used there is translated “immortal” in 1 Timothy 1:17 when applied to God. The Witnesses deny that man has an immortal spirit.

4. The Witnesses deny the existence of Hell (cf. The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, pp. 41,44). Jesus spoke about Hell more than any other person in the Bible. He used it in Matthew 5:22,29; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15; Mark 9:43,45,47; and Luke 12:5. The place of eternal torment of which Jesus spoke is described as follows: (a) a place of outer darkness (Matt. 8:12; 22:13); (b) a place of pain (Rom. 2:5, 8-9); (c) a place of fire and brimstone (Rev. 21:8); (d) a fate worse than death without mercy (Heb. 10:29); and (e) a place of torment (Rev. 14:11).

There is a place of eternal torment prepared for those who disobey God. Wicked men are not annihilated at death; rather, they will be raised from the dead (Jn. 5:28-29) and judged (Matt. 25:31-36). The wicked will be placed in hell to be punished forever and ever. By denying the existence of hell, the Witnesses find themselves in conflict with the word of God.

Other False Doctrines

1. The plan of salvation. When Witnesses come to the door, they generally have a set lesson which they plan to present. If they get off that set lesson, generally they are not as skilled in their presentation. Witnesses do not know how to deal with the subject of salvation. They generally flounder and flutter around trying to get back to some of their more familiar (to them) topics. One of the more effective ways to study with Witnesses is to discuss “What must I do to be saved?”

Like many other denominations do, the Witnesses deny that water baptism has anything to do with salvation. Here is what they teach:

What, then does Christian baptism signify? It is not a washing away of one’s sins, because cleansing from sin comes only through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:7). Rather, it is a public demonstration, testifying that one has made a solemn dedication to Jehovah God and is presenting himself to do His will (The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, pp. 183-184).

The Bible teaches that baptism in water is a condition for receiving remission of sins (Mk. 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21).

2. The organization of the church. The Lord revealed the organization of the church. The church in the Bible which was fully organized had elders and deacons (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3). Each church was fully autonomous; there was no ecclesiastical organization which tied all of the local churches together, legislating over the churches or overseeing brotherhood works.

The Jehovah’s Witness organization is under the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. This is an organization over each local “Kingdom Hall.” It has power over the churches, dictating policy and work. Where could we read about this organization in the Scriptures? What are its offices? What are the qualifications for those who hold those offices? What are its powers? This organization is totally unknown to the word of God and is unauthorized. It is an addition to God’s revealed pattern for the church and, therefore, stands condemned (Rev. 22:18-19; 2 Jn. 9-11; Gal. 1:6-9).

Under the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, there are regional servants, zone servants or district superintendents (see Frank S. Mead, Handbook of Denominations In The United States, pp. 100-101). What are the qualifications and job descriptions of the regional servants, zone servants or district superintendents? Where could we read of them in the Bible? These are offices as totally unknown to the Scriptures as are the offices of pope and cardinal.

3. The establishment of the kingdom of God. Witnesses teach that the kingdom of God was not established on earth until 1914 (The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, pp. 87, 99). Jesus said that the kingdom of God would be established within the lifetime of those who heard Him speak (Mk. 9: 1). Jesus was not in error when He promised to establish His kingdom within a short period of time (cf. Mk. 1:14, 15). The kingdom and the church are the same (Matt. 16:18-19). Those in the church were citizens in the kingdom of God (Col. 1: 13-14; Eph. 2:19). Those who were “born again” were born again in order to enter the kingdom of heaven (Jn. 3:3,5).

The kingdom of God was established on the first Pentecost following the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The kingdom was to come with power (Mk. 9:1). The power was to come when the Holy Spirit came (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14). On this day, the kingdom or church (Matt. 16:18-19) was established (Acts 2:47).

By teaching that the kingdom of God was not established until 1914, the Witnesses make a number of errors. (a) They make Jesus mistaken when He promised to establish His kingdom within the lifetime of those to whom He spoke (Mk. 1: 14,15; 9:1). He was either willfully or honestly mistaken; one destroys His character and the other His deity. (b) They make the prophecy of Daniel 2 in error. Daniel stated that the kingdom of God would be established during the days of the fourth kingdom (Dan. 2:44). The fourth kingdom from Daniel was the Roman kingdom. If the kingdom was not established during the days of the Roman kings, Daniel was mistaken in his prophecy. (c) They make the new birth useless prior to 1914. Men were born again in order to enter the kingdom (Jn. 3:3-5). If the kingdom did not come into existence prior to 1914, there was no need for men to be born again prior to that time. Many other errors could be mentioned at this point. However, these suffice to show that the doctrine which states that the kingdom was not established prior to 1914 is wrong.

4. The Lord’s supper is not observed properly by the Witnesses. The New Testament church observed the Lord’s supper on the first day of every week (Acts 20:7). Every member of the local church joined in the observance of the death of Jesus.

The Witnesses divide their members into two groups the 144,000 and the “Great Crowd.” The 144,000 expect to be with God in heaven; the great crowd expects to enjoy paradise on earth. The Lord’s supper is to be partaken of only by the 144,000. Hence, in the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Lord’s supper is observed yearly by those who expect to be a part of the 144,000 and live with God in heaven. Consequently, the practice of most Kingdom Halls is to serve the Lord’s supper with few, if any, partaking of it. If one should partake of it, he openly attests to other Witnesses that he is one of the 144,000, something which no humble person would do. Consequently, the Lord’s supper is distorted and perverted by the Jehovah’s Witness organization.

False Prophets

In addition to teaching a number of false doctrines, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are a religious group which has made numerous predictions which have not come to pass. These predictions of the end of the world have been used as evangelistic tools to motivate their members to greater zeal in propagating Jehovah’s Witness’ tenets and to motivate non-members to join them in order to have the hope of resurrection from the dead to enjoy earthly paradise. Here are some of them:

1925 – Rutherford predicted that ” 1925 shall mark the resurrection of the faithful worthies of old and the beginning of reconstruction He said, “millions now living shall never die” (Millions Now Living Shall Never Die, p. 97).

1929 – This was the year that the Witnesses built Beth Sarim, a house for the Old Testament worthies who were supposed to be resurrected in a very short time.

1941 – The book Children was written to recommend that Witnesses put off marriage until after Armageddon, which was soon to come.

1975 – The Witnesses predicted that Armageddon was to come that year.

Other prophecies which were equally as wrong as these could be cited. However, the Scriptures warn, “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him” (Deut. 18:22).

Conclusion

The Jehovah’s Witnesses are a false religious organization which was founded by the man Charles Taze Russell. They teach a number of false doctrines and make false predictions. They spread their errors house-to-house, being unwilling to defend their doctrines in public discussion. They spread confusion, unsettling the weak and unlearned.

The Witnesses are false teachers. Their doctrines are pernicious. Jesus warned, ” . . . if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matt. 15:13-14). Beware of these false spiritual leaders!

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 1, pp. 2, 23-24
January 3, 1985