Truth Magazine

By Larry Ray Hafley

The answer to the question above is simple, but the issues involved are complex. They are complex, not because truth is difficult, but because truth has been obscured (2 Cor. 4:4). To a member of a religious denomination, my response will appear bitter or bigoted or both. Therefore, it is essential that this essay be an explanation and clarification of certain pertinent points and principles. These points and principles are:

(1) Who is the “we”?

(2) What is the “peace” that is sought?

(3) What are the “denominations”?

(4) What do the Scriptures say on the question at hand?

Who Is The “We”?

By the term or pronoun, “we,” I refer to Christians and to that which is designated and described in the New Testament as “churches of Christ.” These churches were comprised and composed of saved people (Acts 2:36-47; 11:21-27). They were congregations or groups of the saved in various localities (1 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:2). They belonged to Christ and were subject to His will and word (Acts 20:28-32). The churches were not warring factions with diverse, distinct doctrines such as characterized modern religious denominationalism. Obviously, Baptist Churches are not established in the Methodist system of faith and Presbyterian doctrine will not found a Lutheran Church. But in the New Testament, the preaching of the apostles made believers who were banded together in local units called churches (Acts 9:31; 1 Thess. 2:14). They walked according to the same rule and were governed by the same standard, the word of God (1 Cor. 4:17; 7:17; 2 Thess. 2:15).

“And so were the churches established in the faith” (Acts 16:5). That could not be said of denominationalism. “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” does not produce a conflicting, contradictory, confusing cluster of churches. At least, it did not do so in the New Testament.

The “Peace” That Is Sought

The “peace” denominationalism seeks is a sham, a pseudo-peace. It is a lame attempt to smile and maintain separate quarters. The Baptists want their particular party tenets to go unchallenged. The Lutherans want their creed and ceremonies to be left alone. So, ignore the differences. Get behind your sect’s system of religion and allow everyone else to do the same. Do not make faces at anyone – except, of course, those narrow-minded Campbellites. Smile big, play up ecumenical feeling at Easter Sunrise services and at Christmas time. It is the same old song with a little different melody. “I won’t question your sprinkling of babies if you will let me tell the saved they cannot be lost even if they want to be.”

The peaceful co-existence movement is led by those who have no interest in following the pattern of sound words (2 Tim. 1:13). The movement’s disciples cannot bear the label and libel of being associated and affiliated with what is drearily and derisively scoffed and scorned as “Campbellism.” So, they seek acceptance, I was predicted and prophesied: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Tim. 4:3, 4).

Peace overtures with denominationalism often have their origin in an unreal idealism; their result is compromise; their effect is apostasy. Whenever you hear that a band of the Lord’s disciples is having “fruitful dialogue” with the Baptists or a Christian Church and that they are moving closer in their views, just guess who has moved! Guess who has to “play down” (and, ultimately, lay down) their convictions on baptism or the music question. If brethren will hedge and surrender the truth, “peace” is possible. Such “peace” is impossible when Christians hear and heed the apostolic appeal to arms and are found “casting down imaginations (doctrines of the denominations – LRH) and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

What Are The “Denominations”?

If you need to be told or have to look it up, this article will not mean much to you. A denomination is a human creation, a man-made church. A religious denomination is a divine abomination. Of all similar groups of men under the cloak and guise of Christ, Jesus said, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men …. Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up” (Matt. 15:8, 9, 13). Further, He said, “Not everyone 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. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name have done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:21-23)

What Do The Scriptures Say?

The clear import and emphasis of Scripture is that God has never approved of the mixing and mingling of human religion with the divine (Deut. 7:2-6; 2 Cor. 6:14-18). As the Lord once asked the Jews, “Whence was it? from heaven, or of men?” So, we ask about denominational churches, “Whence are they? from heaven, or of men?” If from heaven, who says so? If from men, well, the conclusion is obvious. If it can be established that Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, or Catholic Churches are of God, then all swords should be beaten into plowshares, but denominations cannot be found in Scripture, except in condemnation (cf. 1 Cor. 1:10-15). Where is the commendation of a denomination?

The New Testament is a militant, aggressive piece of literature. Christians are constantly encouraged to “fight,” “war,” and “wrestle” (1 Tim. 6:12; Eph. 6:12; 2 Cor. 10:3-5). They are told that some false teachers must have their mouths stopped (Titus 1:9-13). Have you ever tried to stop a lying, slow bellied evil beast with your best grin? It will not work. The only recourse is a fight, a war, a wrestling match. It is not always pretty and someone is bound to get scuffed up, but it is what the Lord advocates (1 Jn. 4:1; Rev. 2:2).

These will be peace with the denominations when a Baptist preacher says he is just a Christian and that baptism is “for the remission of sins.” There will be peace when Methodists lay aside their methods for the New Testament variety. There will be peace when Pentecostals recognize that Pentecost is a Jewish feast day and not a church or an experience. Until then, there is a war on, and if you are not in it, you had better enlist. Basic training is conducted in the book of Acts. It will toughen you up and get you ready for some real combat. If you are squeamish, you might read what the Lord said about being on His side (Matt. 12:30). Who was it that said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34)? Sounds like a Pharisaical anti to me, but you know the Lord said it. So, get your uniform on and stand and fight. Heaven requires it (Eph. 6:10-18).

Guardian of Truth XXV: 1, pp. 1, 11
January 1, 1981

By Daniel H. King

What do you think of Truth Magazine? Do you consider it a good medium of teaching? Do you enjoy the presentation of biblical topics which the writers attempt on a weekly basis? Do you appreciate the strong stand taken by the editor and writers for “book, chapter, and verse” in preaching, and teaching, and writing? If you do not, of course we would like to hear from you and have the opportunity to deal with questions or objections that you might have. A letter to the editor or one of the writers would not be out of place.

But if you do enjoy it, and feel that it would be worthwhile to enlarge its circulation – then why not give us a hand? Gift subscriptions are a great idea for many reasons, and you likely know what most of those reasons are, so I will not bore you with them. But have you ever given them? I would venture to guess that there have been many opportunities that we all have missed where we could have given a gift subscription that would have brought sound and scriptural teaching into the home of someone we know and love for fifty weeks of the year – yet we ended up giving something of only very limited temporal importance. How about considering a gift subscription to Truth Magazine next time around.

1. Give a subscription to a Christian located in an area where no sound church exists. Many is the person who is transferred to a place where no brethren are found, where no New Testament church meets, or where liberalism has swept away what once was. What an encouragement it would be to them to receive a weekly paper like Truth. It could be the thing that will make the difference between whether they will be utterly lost to the Lord and His kingdom or strengthened in their trial. There are areas where liberalism has won the day in years past without so much as a fight but because someone had been reading Truth Magazine new opportunities to teach are now available. What about it, is there someone you know that fits our description?

2. Give subscriptions to relatives and friends. Articles in this paper touch subjects of interest to the Christian and non-Christian alike. Denominationalism and its errors are dealt with in a fashion which we hope will be both informative and convincing. If you feel at any time that they are not, then register your complaint. We promise that you will be listened to and not ignored. If you believe in the power of the printed page, especially in fruitful connection with the Word of the Gospel (Rom. 1:16), to alter thinking and so to change men’s lives, I should think that you would want to use every means at your disposal to convert those whom you love. We hope that you will consider Truth Magazine as such a means, especially for those who are far away from you geographically.

3. Give a subscription to your children when they move away from home. Often kids go away to college to a strange place where the Lord’s people may not be found in abundance. And while their time for reading may be limited while they are away at school, still they will have just a few moments to peruse their mail when they get it and sufficient time to read articles of particular interest to them at the time. When they get married and move away for good, how about giving them a subscription to assure that some sound Bible teaching continues to flow into their home and influences them to remember God in those first difficult and sometimes turbulent years of wedlock. It might make a very great impact upon that new home! Why not give it a chance?

4. Give a subscription to a new Christian. So very many new Christians are lost again to the world that those of us who are trying to encourage them along the way ought to use every conceivable scriptural method to teach and strengthen them. Good reading material in their home is a way that can surely be beneficial. Why not make the little sacrifice that it will take to send the ones that you think could be thus helped a free subscription?

5. Give as a gift to a young preacher. Many is the young man who goes into preaching at great personal sacrifice. His funds are extremely limited in this day of rising costs and spiraling inflation. For him a subscription to a journal like this would be a tremendous boon, but he has to, by virtue of his financial straits, consider it an extravagance beyond the limits of his meager means. Why don’t you ask him if he gets this paper, and if he doesn’t, give him a subscription as a gift? I will never forget the kind Christian lady who in my first years of preaching subscribed to one of the journals for me when I could not afford it. I read and studied those articles that appeared voraciously, gleaning many sermon ideas and teaching suggestions that I have used continuously in my preaching.

6. When you have finished with it, hand it on to someone else. Don’t throw it away! When you see an article that you think would be helpful to someone in particular that you know, give them that issue and ask them to read it. Place old copies in the vestibule of the meeting house as free literature for those to take who wish to read it. Stack them as you finish with them in a convenient place and at the end of the year give them to some preacher who may want to keep them for future reference; or mail them to a preacher in the Philippines or to Nigeria; or keep them for your own future reference and personal edification. You may be surprised how much you will enjoy re-reading them ten years from now. But whatever you do – don’t throw them away!

If you really believe in the things that we on the staff of Truth Magazine believe in, how about showing it by putting the paper to work for you. We can all spare a few extra dollars to disseminate a literature that stands for “the faith once delivered to the saints”. In a day when Playboy and other gutter-filth enters the homes of millions, Christians had better start throwing their influence around! How about using Truth Magazine to help do it for you!

Truth Magazine XXIV: 50, p. 807
December 18, 1980

By Theron N. Bohannan

This is not to announce a paper or new magazine but rather a combination of two great names under which God’s wonderful truths have been and shall continue to be proclaimed and every error and ideology of men shall be exposed and dissected with the “sword of the Spirit” of God so all who really want to know His Truth may do so via this new media.

It is with greatly mixed emotions of a sad heart on one hand, while on the other, it is with immense joy and a great and good feeling toward all with whom I have had to do through the acquisition of, and being the owner and publisher of, The Gospel Guardian for more than half a decade; plus, being an equal stockholder and publisher and corporate president as mentioned above.

In looking back and re-reading an article I wrote in the September 15, 1975 issue of the Gospel Guardian, I think this article perhaps, in part at least, should be entitled “An Antithesis” or “The Second Part.”

This is, however, in part, a statement to our readers and well wishers through the past years appraising you of the fact of our divesting ourselves of all the corporate stock of the Gospel Guardian Company, Inc. On September 19, 1980, there was a meeting in Lufkin, Texas of a three man committee with me and James W. Adams. This committee had been selected from and approved by the whole Board of Trustees of The Cogdill Foundation approximately four months prior to this time at its annual board meeting in Memphis, Tennessee. This writer has been a member of this board for more than a decade of years, and still is. I was not, however, one of the three men picked to serve on this committee. I was the one, with the approval of the whole board, who did the selecting of this committee to handle the mechanics of the closing of the already agreed upon acquisition of Gospel Guardian, Inc. by the entire Board of the Cogdill Foundation. The September 19, 1980 committee meeting was held in the office of James W. Adams, Editor of the Gospel Guardian, in Lufkin, Texas. There were, as always in such transitions and/or sales, many stipulations and details to be worked out, especially when consideration is given to the future and to other generations who will someday take this present Board’s place. It is, and has been from the beginning of my acquisition of the Gospel Guardian, my hope and prayer that the Lord would allow me to live to see this great old periodical phased, in someway, into strong, true and faithful younger hands that would be not ashamed nor lack the courage (through her and/or other combinations just as sound) to “rightly divide the word of truth” for the present, as well as the future generations. This, I believe we have done and, at the same time, preserved by a sort of fusion of the two original names of the Guardian and the Truth publications.

Using the word “merger” loosely, this transaction amounts to just about that, or a “fusion” of the names of these two fine papers, The Gospel Guardian and the Truth Magazine. According to the agreements and stipulations, all will be owned by the Cogdill Foundation (a non-profit corporation) about the first of January 1981, lock, stock and in its completeness. The shares have already been signed over to said Foundation. At that time, the paper, book stores, the publishing of books and tracts and all operations thereof will be under the control and managed by the same Board of Trustees, as they are now and have been, for the most part, for many years and have very successfully handled the business.

This writer is not getting any younger and the burdens that necessarily go with the office I have held from the beginning as corporate president, owner and publisher are not getting any lighter with the passing of time. Then too, but far from the least of the reasons for this move at this time, is that our beloved editor and friend and brother, James W. Adams, is in need of some long past due relief and rest from the burdensome duties of editing and managing of a regularly published paper. Brother James mentioned this idea, on behalf of both him and me, about a year ago. So then later, via many phone calls and some letters prior to the Board meeting of the Cogdill Foundation (I believe in 1979 and perhaps early in 1980), this whole matter began to demonstrate to me the probable wisdom of becoming a little more interested in effecting an effort to this end. To my dear friend and brother, James D. Yates, who is one of the fine elders of the Spring Branch Church in Houston, Texas. Lennie and I owe so much to him and Sister Mildred, Jim’s sweet wife, for their encouragement to go forward with the proposition of somehow relieving us of the burden of responsibility from two standpoints; (1) of non-deductibility of all costs, of underwriting expenses and (2) all the frustration connected therewith. Not that it was not worth it and many times enjoyable, but personal, legal and extremely costly civil problems were getting to us. Thank you, Jim and Mildred.

Back to Brother Adams, it really; hurts so many of us that we shall not henceforth be able; to read his soul Moving, thought provoking articles we have become accustomed to reading. His excellent mind and typewriter are going to be missed. I “suspect” he might do some pamphlet or Bible lesson or book writing after a good rest and relief from present rigors and pressures. He and Sister Gertrude have so generously and gallantly given of themselves in this effort. This, as I say, is only a guess and certainly none of our affairs, only his. Of course it has been said, “a wise man sometimes will change his mind but” – and there is no use saying what the other type of man never does because my dear friend and brother, James Adams, never was afflicted with that other type of attitude – no, never.

This whole idea to merge or sell or some other arrangement began to more and more become a possible reality in the minds of all who are directly concerned with either or both the Guardian or Truth. We have all carefully and prayerfully considered and gone over every conceivable aspect of such a transaction, sale and/or fusion and the effects such might have on all our readers, customers, friends and brethren. By this we do not mean that all monetary aspects of said transaction, as that is immaterial and therefore irrelevant to all that should be concerned. We do, however, mean the effects for good; that is, how best to get God’s truth before more souls and more effectively teach against the horrors of error in the world, and even more importantly, those evils that are always creeping and sneaking into our Lord’s church. Yes, in congregations where you might least expect to find such weak teaching.

This is also not to say there has been no monetary considerations as concerning the overall operation of these two publications, as compared to the cost of the two, turned into one publication. We therefore feel that we shall be, with the Lord’s blessings, your helping cooperation, your prayers, your contributions, your book and literature purchases, your subscriptions and advertising in a great deal better position to successfully reach more people both in and out of the church with the same grand lessons of truth about God and His ways, in the future as in the past, through this media of the Guardian Of Truth which new name and new masthead or format you will be receiving with the first issue of the new year, 1981.

In my reminiscence of these years subsequent to the September 15, 1975 issue and even before, during the long period of acquisition, it brings tears and a heavy heart for many reasons, both joyable and sorrowful. First, I do not have the words to express my appreciation and thanks to a beloved friend and brother for all his willful help and willingness to carry so much of the load of the pressures of being the Editor-in-chief of the Guardian. As if that were not enough, he was the general manager of all the operations. We loved James Adams and his family before we starting publishing the Guardian and that love and admiration has increased and ripened through the years.

Then our thanks and gratitude to our beloved brethren, Roy E. Cogdill and Kent Ellis who, from the very first and for a time were our associate editors. But, alas, too soon other writings and books brother Roy wanted to finish forced him to resign that place on our little staff. We are and shall be ever grateful to him for his encouragement and advice.

Then for a short time it was James Adams and associate, Kent Ellis, in the editing department. Quite soon our dear friend and brother, Peter J. Wilson,of Portland, Oregon joined our growing group of good writers and was prevailed upon to become an associate editor along with Adams and Ellis. Oh, that was good. We were going first class again. Some time after that (I believe the later part of 1979 or early in 1980) Brother Ellis, for personal reasons, none of which were in any way connected with his association with the Guardian or it’s personnel nor any of the Guardians affairs, desired to resign from its editoral staff. However, Brother Pete Wilson is, and shall be, an associate editor to the end of this arangement in December, next. I must say, and I can say, because I was the one who just would not take no for an answer, it took some real doing to steal enough of Brother Wilson’s time to come in with us at the Guardian as a regular contributor of the very fine, in deed the very finest, gospel writing and shortly thereafter he became an associate editor with Brother Adams. There just could not have been a better choice made. We, speaking for myself and so many hundreds of our readers, Brother Peter, all shall be eternally grateful for the great lessons you have written for the Guardian during the past several years. Brother Wilson, I and every one (not one exception) together hope you will accept a place in that long list of staff writers of the combined two lists, which will (no doubt) soon become one list and just maybe longer when the papers become one, “The Guardian of Truth” Owned and published by the Cogdill Foundation Corporation.

I just cannot mention all the good brethren who have been the “LIFE BLOOD” of our efforts with the Guardian. Time and space will not permit me to do that here. I just want to mention however, a few more, not the least of whom is Brother Jesse M. Kelley who has been our printer, arranger and mailer from the very first issue. He has also made many fine contributions by his writing of good and sound articles. Another writer comes to mind, Brother Dennis C. Abernathy, who has written so much, our thanks to him. Brother Bill Cavender also contributed excellent articles, and since he is a staff writer for Truth Magazine, we shall be expecting to se more of his writing in Guardian of Truth, next year. Our thanks also to Brother Donald R. Givens of Canada for his good articles and to Brother Vaught D. Shofner for his brilliant work through the years. There are so many, many more – I say, “Thanks,” from the bottom of my heart for the good and wonderful work you have done for us in the great truths you have set forth in your great efforts.

Truth Magazine XXIV: 50, pp. 805-806
December 18, 1980