Truth Magazine

By Mark Mayberry

In our first article we provided an introduction to astrology. After having defined the subject, we examined the history, prevalence, and appeal of astrology. In this second article, we will see that astrology cannot pass the test of science.

There is no “real world” evidence that astrology works. All scientific efforts to confirm its power have failed. Scientists are agreed: Astrology is a pseudo-science! It is pure fiction. Several years ago some 18 Nobel Laureates and 172 other leading scientists joined together to express their vigorous objections to astrology.(1) Last year The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), released a statement saying, ‘Dozens of tests in recent years by scientists can find little, if any, evidence for astrological claims. Horoscopes have been shown under the most rigorous scientific analysis to fail completely in predicting future events.” The statement continued, “If the United States is to continue its leadership in scientific research, it is vital that the public have a clear understanding of the difference between science and pseudo-science, and that decisions be based on the real world without resorting to mystical fortune telling and other primitive forms of prognostication.”(2)

It Has Failed Repeated Attempts At Validation

1. Test by Carlson. “Study after study has failed to support claims that astrology can predict the future or offer insights into personality,” said Shawn Carlson, a physicist at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories in Berkeley, California. He added, “There is absolutely no merit to the basic claims that astrologers make.” Carlson made one of the most recent attempts to test the power of the stars. He asked 26 respected astrologers to match the personality profiles of 265 people with their astrological charts. They were right only about a third of the time, which is about the same as chance.(3)

2. Test by Barth & Bennett. James Barth and James Bennett, Economists at George Washington University, examined the horoscopes of tens of thousands of men who had reenlisted in the Marine Corps. They were looking for a trend among soldiers that favored astrological signs ruled by Mars, the god of war. However, they found instead an equal number of men who were born under the influence of Venus, the so-called planet of love.(4)

3. Test by Silverman. Psychologist Bernie Silverman of Michigan State University tested the effect of astrological compatibility on marriages. He surveyed astrologers across the country on the compatibility of the twelve Zodiac signs. In studying, 2,978 marriage and 478 divorce records in Michigan, Dr. Silverman found couples whose marriages were made in horoscope heaven united and split up just as frequently as those who were not astrologically compatible.(5)

4. Test by McGervey. In another experiment, physicist John McGervey of Case Western Reserve University in Ohio looked up the birthdays of 16,634 scientists listed in “American Men of Science” and 6,475 politicians named In “Who’s Who in American Politics.” Astrological theory would suggest that these non-average Americans would tend to cluster more among certain signs and certain personality types. However Dr. McGervey found as many Virgos, defined astrologically as weak leaders, as any other sign.(6)

5. Test by Culver. Astronomer Roger Culver of Colorado State University decided to determine whether astrological signs were related to such physical traits as bicep size, baldness, blood type, freckles, weight, neck size, etc. Were Leos more likely to go bald or Gemini to wind up ambidextrous? He found no trends among the 300 volunteers.(7)

6. Test by Gauquelin. The French psychologist Michel Gauquelin undertook a statistical test of personalities of people born under various signs of the zodiac. In this massive study, he listed 50,000 character traits that typified 16,000 famous people. Gauquelin then labeled each trait according to the appropriate astrological sign. One trait might be characteristic of a Leo, another of a Pisces, and so forth. Finally he looked to see which sign the person was actually born under. He found no correlation between personality traits and the sign a person was born under.(8)

7. Other Scientific Considerations. Astrology fails to adequately answer a number of other important questions. What is the mechanism the planets use to exert their influence over men? Supposedly we are affected by the gravitational pull of the heavenly bodies at the exact moment of our birth. However, this is absurd! At least this is the opinion of Andrew Fraknoi, executive officer of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in San Francisco, an international scientific and educational organization. “The (gravitational) pull of the obstetrician is six times that of Mars,” said Fraknoi. He also pointed out that the hospital building in which a person is born has 500,000 times the gravitational pull of Mars.(9) So much for the supposed gravitational influence of the planets!

Another fact must also be pointed out. Everyone’s astrological “sign” is wrong! The Zodiac charts were set more than 2,000 years ago, but since then the position of the Earth relative to other heavenly bodies has shifted. The earth is spinning on its axis, wobbling like a top, completing one great loop every 26,000 years.(10) The constellations are no longer in the same relative viewing positions they were in when the Zodiac charts were devised. “In effect, all of the constellations have moved,” said Fraknoi. “This puts the signs of the Zodiac off by one whole sign.”(11) Astrologers have stuck with tradition, even though their maps of the heavens are out of step with reality. Thus, right now everybody is reading the wrong horoscope!

Its Claim to Analyze Character Is Deceptive

We are fascinated by astrology’s claim to be able to reveal a person’s character. However, the system is especially deceitful and manipulative in this regard. Astrologers tell people what they want to hear. This classic technique is used by salesman, hypnotists, advertising experts, and not a few preachers. Psychologist Ray Hyman said, “To be popular with your fellow man, tell him what he wants to hear. He wants to hear about himself. So tell him about himself. But not what you know to be true about him. Oh, no! Never tell him the truth. Rather, tell him what he would like to be true about himself!”(12) This is the key to manipulating other people. The human mind is more willing to accept what is would like to believe rather than what evidence indicates is the truth. As an example, Hyman cites the following astrological analysis:

Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic. At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other time you are introverted, wary and reserved. You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. You pride yourself on being an independent thinker and do not accept others’ opinions without satisfactory proof. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety, and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. Disciplined and controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. . . While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage. You have a tendency to be critical of yourself. You have a strong need for other people to like you and for them to admire you.(13)

Sound familiar? Does it describe your personality in any way? This spiel was first used in 1948, composed mostly from a news stand astrology book. Statements that supposedly would describe people born under various signs were combined together. This pitch is designed to apply to everyone but not seem that way. In a controlled study, psychologists gave a group of college students a detailed psychological questionnaire and then made a detailed analysis of each student. They gave the students a copy of their customized analysis and a copy of the fake psychological sketch found above. The students were then asked to identify which was which. Fifty-nine percent of the student thought the fake sketch was a more accurate description of their personalities.(14)

It Fails to Accurately Predict the Future

1. Jeane Dixon. Astrology appeals to our curiosity by claiming to reveal the future. No astrologer is more famous in this regard than Mrs. Jeane Dixon. She has been the psychic star of the last generation, having made thousands of public and private predictions. Her many devout followers think that she has the power. Her critics argue that she is simply a lucky guesser. Jeane Dixon views herself as being divinely inspired. She is a devout Roman Catholic who freely mixes Christianity and the occult. Mrs. Dixon uses a crystal ball, a deck of cards, numerology, astrology, etc. to predict the future. She does, however, credit God with her prophetic powers. “The Holy Mother comes to me. God comes to me. He talks to me.”(15) She claims that her major predictions come from visions she receives as she faces east and recites the 23rd Psalm at sunrise each morning. They also come to her as she kneels before a statue of the Virgin Mary in St. Matthew’s Church in Washington, D C.(16)

Jeane Dixon’s predictions fall into four basic categories:

a. Statements go general and obvious that they cannot possibly be wrong. It took no spiritual gift to predict, as Mrs. Dixon did during the 1960s, that America would be torn by racial conflicts.

b. Statements that are open to a host of interpretations. in this regard, I am reminded of the ancient story of Croesus and the mythical Oracle of Delphi. Croesus, king of Lydia from 560-546 B.C., asked the oracle if he should attack the Persian Empire. The oracle replied that if Croesus did so a great empire would fall. He therefore attacked, was defeated, and lost his empire. Croesus sent a angry message to Delphi, complaining that the oracle had lied to him. The oracle slyly replied, “You didn’t ask which empire.”(17) Likewise, a great number of Mrs. Dixon’s declarations are vague and ambiguous. She cleverly states things so that they can be interpreted in a variety of ways. For example, her prediction that in 1963 education would be a fashionable topic of conversation was later said to be a prediction of the school integration crisis of that year.(18)

c. Statements that are dead wrong. An examination of her published prophecies reveals some astounding errors. For example, she said that “World War III will break in October, 1958.” “Red China will be admitted to the United Nations in 1959. ” “Richard Nixon will defeat John F. Kennedy in the election of 1960.” “President Charles de Gaulle will surrender his powers in 1964.” In speaking of the 1964 presidential contest between Johnson and Goldwater, she said, “The crystal ball shows a paper-thin majority for the Democratic slate.” Mrs. Dixon said, “No particularly new or brilliant legislation will be passed by Congress in 1965 (the year of Medicare, the poverty program, the Civil Rights Bill, the education bill, etc.).”(19)

Other predictions that misfired include the following: In 1954 she said, “By 1964 . . . one man – a swarthy skinned part Oriental – will rule the combined countries of Russia and China.” In 1955 Dixon said, “Walter Reuther [CIO President] will make his first bid for the Presidency in 1960, but will not win his heart’s desire until 1964.” On May 17, 1966, she was quoted in the New York Post concerning Fidel Castro: “My vibrations now tell me that he’s nowhere around. He’s either in China or he’s dead. I haven’t been able to pick up his vibrations in a week or two.”(20) Moreover, she prophesied that 1980 would see a great war with China that would devastate mankind.(21)

As you can see, not only are many of her predictions contradictory, but a startling number of them are dead wrong. Not surprisingly, Mrs. Dixon has created an escape route for herself, even when faced with failure. In such cases, she has said that she was shown the correct symbols, but acknowledges that she misinterpreted them. In other instances, she simply will not admit that she was wrong. She still claims that two Russian cosmonauts, a man and a woman, were killed in an attempted moon landing.

d. Statements that are nothing more than lucky guesses. Jeane Dixon has been in the public eye for over 30 years. Anyone who makes hundreds of predictions year after year will eventually get a few right. Yet, even here Mrs. Dixon does poorly. When closely scrutinized, her famous warning of John F. Kennedy’s assassination turns out to be less than awe inspiring. In 1952 she stated that “a young blue-eyed Democratic President elect in 1960 would be assassinated while in office.”(22) This warning was repeated by Mrs. Dixon in a 1956 article in Parade magazine.(23) However, this was the only public forecast of Kennedy’s death that she made. In fact, she later contradicted herself by predicting that Richard Nixon would win the 1960 elections. When he didn’t win, she sidestepped by saying that Nixon was the rightful winner, but the Democrats had stolen the election. In her annual New Year’s predictions for 1963 she said nothing about an assassination.(24)

It is a fact that Mrs. Dixon wrote in 1968 that a “wiretapping” scandal involving President Richard Nixon was “yet to come.” It is also true that she correctly predicted that Georgia governor Jimmy Carter would be elected president in 1976. However, both forecasts should be read in their entirety.

On October 21, 1968, the Washington Daily News published this statement by Mrs. Dixon: “A wiretapping scandal which I have predicted previously is yet to come. It will involve Richard Nixon, but will show him as a sincere man and will help his public image. . . The entire matter will affect Mr. Nixon favorably and would seem to put him in a position to right a great wrong, which would be for the good of the image of the United States.”(25) As everyone knows, the Watergate affair was a disaster for Richard Nixon. He was driven from office and resigned in shame.

Mrs. Dixon’s predictions for the 1976 presidential election appeared in the National Enquirer on March 30, 1976. By this point in his campaign, Carter’s candidacy was surging in the polls. She did not step out very far on a limb to predict that he would win. However, she did chance it: Mrs. Dixon confidently stated, “Jimmy Carter will become President of the United States after a photo-finish race against Ronald Reagan.”(26) As everyone knows, Jimmy Carter beat Gerald Ford in 1976.

One of her most elaborate visions is of the coming of a new savior. Mrs. Dixon says that on February 5th, 1962, a child was born somewhere in the Middle East, who will one day unite all humanity into one all-embracing Christian religion by the year 1999.(27) On this date (February 5, 1962) five planets came together in a rare conjunction. Astrologers around the world predicted earth-shaking events for the occasion.(28) None came to pass. Those who trust the Bible know that Mrs. Dixon’s vision is unfounded and false. This is just another one of her harebrained predictions.

When all is said and done, Jeane Dixon is a person who likes to speculate about world affairs, as well as about the personal lives of her friends. She makes a prodigious number of predictions each year. Some are so vague that they are open to many interpretations. Many are dead wrong. A few are lucky guesses. If anyone makes enough guesses, some are bound to be right. So what? The only thing phenomenal about Mrs. Dixon is the amount of attention that she has been able to gather.

2. 1984 Conference. In December of 1983, psychics gathered in Jerusalem for the “First Multi-disciplinary Congress of Prognostication and Prediction for 1984.” The four-day assembly brought together 40 mystics from at least six countries. These prophets, who claimed to see the future in everything from palms to planets, predicted a turbulent 1984. The following predictions issued forth from this gathering: Ronald Reagan would not be re-elected to a second term. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat would be killed in July or August. Syrian President Hafez Assad would also be assassinated. Syria was expected to attack Israel in the spring, touching off a new Middle East war. This would bring on the danger of an American-Soviet confrontation. One participant, Dr. Da Da of India, a yogi wearing an orange turban and robe, said that in 1984 another World War would begin in the Gulf states and continue until 1995. “At the end of the year 2,000, a new spiritual leader will emerge, like a messiah, and there will be peace,” he said .(29)

3. 1983 Conference. Some astrologers, soothsayers and exorcists gathered in November, 1983 for a two-day conference on ESP in Turin, Italy. They put their heads together and came up with the following predictions for 1984. Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy would be assassinated. A wave of unidentified flying objects were to arrive on Earth the following April. There would be notable advances in finding a cure for cancer. Two trains carrying radioactive waste would collide in West Germany, etc.(30)

4. 1979 Predictions. In the fall of 1980, the editors of The Skeptical Inquirer tabulated the predictions of 100 famous psychics for 1979. They listed the top 12 predictions in order of frequency, and then left the readers to judge the accuracy of these psychic visions of the future. The number one prediction of 1979 (made by 86 psychics) was “Longer lives will be had for almost everyone as aging is brought under control.” The second most frequent prediction (made by 85 psychics) was, “There will be a major break-through in cancer, which will almost totally wipe out the disease.” The third most frequent prediction (also made by 85 psychics) was, “There will be an astonishing spiritual rebirth and return to the old values.” And so on. The sixth most frequent prediction (81 psychics) was, “Contact will be made with aliens from space, who will give us incredible knowledge.”(31) Glory be! Marvels never cease!

5. Test by Culver & Ianna. The astronomers Rogers Culver and Philip Ianna checked the outcome of 3,011 specific predictions made during the past decade by well-known astrologers and astrological organizations. Ten percent came to pass.(32)

There is something pathetic, even desperate about such predictions. Psychics always forecast calamities, sickness, assassinations, and global disaster. Their focus is on the morbid, the outrageous, the unreal. Furthermore, they play the numbers game. If enough predictions are made, a few are bound to be right. People remember the correct guesses, and the wrong ones are forgotten. Few ever go back and check to see if the predictions came true. This gives the illusion that astrologists have clairvoyant powers. However, open investigation reveals that this illusion is false. Astrology cannot accurately predict the future.

In our final article, we will see how astrology fails the test of Scripture.

Endnotes

1. The Humanist, September/October, 1975.

2. Paul Recer, “Scientists Find Fault With Astrologers’ Use of Stars,” The Dallas Morning News, May 9, 1988, p. 6D.

3. UPI News Release, Dateline: Boston, MA, June 4, 1988.

4. UPI News Release, Dateline: San Francisco, CA, January 23, 1984.

5. UPI News Release, Dateline: San Francisco, CA, January 23, 1984.

6. UPI New Release, Dateline: San Francisco, CA, January 23, 1984.

7. UPI News Release, Dateline: San Francisco, CA, January 23, 1984.

8. Nigel Henbest, “Misreading the Stars,” Word Press Review, September, 1987, p. 55.

9. UPI News Release, Dateline: Boston, MA, June 4, 1988.

10. Henbest, p. 55.

11. Recer, p. 6D.

12. Douglas R. Hofstadter, “Meta-magical Themas,” Scientific American, February, 1982, p. 20.

13. Hofstadter, p. 20.

14. UPI News Release, April 13, 1985.

15. Bill Davidson, “Jeane Dixon Predicts the Future,” Ladies Home Journal, November, 1965, p. 76.

16. Davidson, p. 135.

17. Cohen, p. 473.

18. Cohen, p. 470.

19. Davidson, p. 136.

20. Hugh Tyler, “The Unsinkable Jeane Dixon, “The Humanist, May-June, 1977, pp. 7-8.

21. (NOTE: No corresponding source information provided in original article).

22. Davidson, p. 74.

23. Cohen, p. 470.

24. Cohen, p. 471.

25. Tyler, p. 8.

26. Tyler, p. 8.

27. Davidson, p. 135.

28. Cohen, p. 471.

29. (NOTE: No corresponding source information provided in original article).

30. UPI News Release, Dateline: Turin, Italy, November 14, 1983.

31. Hofstadter, p. 23.

32. UPI News Release, Dateline: San Francisco, CA January 23, 1984.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 18, pp. 560-563
September 20, 1990

By Dick Blackford

The few times I have met Charles Holt and Dusty Owens have been amicable. I have no personal dislike for them and I desire their salvation. However, I believe much of the doctrine taught in The Examiner to be dangerous to one’s faith and destructive to the body of Christ. I am also concerned about the biting sarcasm with which many articles are written which, in some cases, are downright slanderous of gospel preachers and the “people in the pew.”

The Examiner’s Attitude Toward the Assembly

The Examiner teaches that “there is no specific ‘assembly’ that is required of God and if missed (‘forsaken?’) is sinful” (Demetrius, Vol. 1, No. 6, p. 19). That New Testament Christians were in the habit of assembling regularly is abundantly clear from Hebrews 10:24,25. Christians were told to “consider one another to provoke unto love and good works: not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another.” One cannot forsake that which has never begun. This writer contends that the reason they were in the habit of assembling regularly is inherent in the things they were authorized (yes, required) to do in their collective worship and periods of edification. That these gatherings were not just a “one time occurrence” is clear from the word assembling (episunagoge), continuous action.

The teaching of The Examiner encourages “floating membership” or “membership-at-large” who have no responsibility to a particular local body of Christians. They are free-wheelers left to “free-lance” their religion with no organization to it. If anything is done with other Christians it is decided democratically. Contrary to it being a meaningless thing, the Lord had local congregations established in which Christians are to worship together, be fed, overseen, and provoked unto love and good works.

Terminology

We will be using terms that are not accepted by the Truth and Freedom Ministry, Inc. In objecting to “local church,” “universal church,” and “church treasury,” Holt says, “We have developed a large vocabulary of words, terms, and names that do not come from the Bible” (Vol. II, No. 1, p. 7). Of course, the editor and staff of The Examiner frequently use phraseology not found in the Bible, such as the word Bible! Let is be observed that not all Bible things have been given names. Whatever term would accurately describe such things would be in harmony with the Scriptures. (The term Great Commission does not appear in the Bible but describes a Bible idea.) This does not mean one is not “speaking where the Bible speaks” if he uses terms that describe Bible concepts. Here is a partial list of words used by The Examiner but not found in the Bible: individual, functional unit, Truth and Freedom Ministry, Inc. (TAFMI), non-profit organization, the people in the pew, Bible, regular contribution (to TAFMI), congregations of the Lord’s body, mutual edification, portion of God’s people, group of disciples, reformation, renaissance, etc.

Are they speaking where the Bible speaks? With all those references to financial support, regular contributions, etc., surely they could find room for a treasury. The Examiner is playing word games.

TAFMI Surplants Local Church’s Worship

Truth and Freedom Ministry, Inc. is the name of the corporate body which publishes The Examiner. While teaching that there is no such thing as a local church, no command for God’s people to assemble for worship, no authority for a treasury, etc., The Examiner argues for the right of TAFMI to conduct such worship. Note: “If we (TAFMI) should meet on Sunday, as such a group, would it be scriptural for us (the gathering or assembling) to sing, pray, study God’s word, take up a contribution to help a needy family and support to a worthy preacher in Nigeria, and observe the Lord’s Supper? If not, why not?” (No. 4, p. 7) What Scripture would they use that would not authorize a local church to do the same?

TAFMI is not a local church. It has a Board of Directors – 4 men, 2 women. While on a smaller scale, TAFMI operates on the same basis as the ministries of the electronic evangelists. They solicit donations and sell merchandise. In fact, Holt’s corporation discourages giving money into the local treasury and encourages readers to send it to his ministry.

“My brother and sister, you alone are responsible for the decision for the use of your ‘contribution’ . . . You dare not give away this responsibility. You will be held accountable before God. It is easy to merely drop our contribution into the plate and let the organization decide its use according to the operational budget. But it is a cop-out on your part!” (No. 1, p. 9) Then in soliciting for TAFMI, “This means that all monetary contributions are fully tax-deductible. The same as if dropped into the plate at what is called ‘the worship services of the church’. . . And we do need and desire your help” (Ibid). Notice the use of the word responsibility. What verse gives us that responsibility according to TAFMI? Do away with the local church and its collective worship and send your money to us! The local church and its assemblies (including the treasury) is a financial threat to TAFMI. The Examiner expresses much bitterness toward local churches. We should shut all of them down and act responsibly by sending our money to Holt’s corporation. If that were to ever happen Holt’s ministry would cause Jimmy Swaggart’s to pale in significance. Swaggart’s ministry is also “non-profit” and you can get a tax deduction for donating to it (The Examiner frequently gives this incentive for donations).

“Official Worship Stations”

Dusty Owens looks at local churches as “official worship stations.” “That makes this ‘local church’ the official meeting place where the five acts of worship are to take place” (Vol. I, No. 2, p. 17). “But we can’t think, nor can we do anything without ‘an assembly.’ That is the way we have been brain-washed. If someone took our ‘assembly’ . . . away we wouldn’t know how to behave” (Vol. III, No. 3, p. 9). Anybody knows the local church is not a place. The church is people, remember? I have never known anyone who argued that the church was a place. Owens builds a straw man. Straw men are easier to oppose. He belittled the “five acts” of worship. It so happens that there are five things that Christians are authorized to do together in assembling. Does he belittle the five acts because there are more or because there are less? Let him tell us how many there are in the assembly.

But notice again, Owens says, “While God has not commanded us to assemble for the specific purpose of worshiping him, he has commanded us to do things while assembled that when done constitute a service (worship) to him!” (Vol. 1, No. 2, p. 17) Earl Kimbrough answers Owens well in his booklet Destructive Heresies (p. 26): “If we are commanded to do certain things while assembled, how can those commands be obeyed without assembling? Would this not imply the necessity of assembling even if there were no commands, such as Hebrews 10:24,25? Owens’ reasoning is about like saying, ‘While God has not commanded us to enter the water for the specific purpose of being baptized, he has commanded us to do things while in the water that when done constitute obedience to him.'”

Five Acts of Worship

There is no question that worship is an individual matter, but it is not individual only! This is where The Examiner errs. It so happens that there are five things Christians are required to do collectively.

Owens says “they have supplicated to some extent the mind set of the Catholics that you assemble for the purpose of worshiping God” (Vol. III, No. 3, p. 8). He believes the assemblies were man-centered rather than God-centered. God forbid! Both purposes were served in that God was worshiped and men were edified. Owens arrays one against the other. That Christians assembled to worship God is seen in the things they did when assembled. Owens is requiring itemization. Whether he calls it a command or not, Christians are required to assemble to worship God.

Does God want to be worshiped? Yes (Matt. 4:10; Jn. 4:23,24). Are there acts he wants done toward him in our assemblies? Yes.

1. The Lord’s Supper. Paul said, “For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you” (1 Cor. 11:23). The only way Paul could have known God wanted the Supper in the assembly was that he “received it of the Lord.” It was done “when they came together” (1 Cor. 11: 17-20,3 3,34). Is the supper an act of worship? Yes. Jesus said, “This do in remembrance of me” (vv. 24,25). It was an act of worship directed toward the Lord. Christians assemble on the first day of the week to eat the Lord’s supper (Acts 20:7). The Examiner cannot find any place where the Supper was taken outside the assembly. I deny that an assembly of the TAFMI was what the Holy Spirit had in mind.

2. Singing. The singing we do together is to be “with your heart unto the Lord” (Eph. 5:19) and “with grace in your hearts unto God” (Col. 3:16). This is in keeping with Jesus’ example. “In the midst of the congregation (ecclesia, assembly) will I sing thy praise” (Heb. 2:12). The singing we do in assembling is worship.

3. Praying. All prayer is addressed to God (Matt. 6:9f). Praying was done in the assemblies and included giving God thanks (1 Cor. 14:16; Acts 6:6).

4. Giving. Giving is an act of worship (Phil. 4:18). To prevent Paul from having to make collections, each disciple was to give on the first day of every week. This was an order (1 Cor. 16:1,2). As to the frequency of giving, this is the sum total of God’s revelation. The Examiner says this was a special contribution, for the Romans were not commanded to participate (A. Roberts, Vol. 1, No. 6, p. 25). The faulty reasoning is obvious and it essentially would destroy any obligation for us to worship today. What do they have against God anyway? Note the “logic”: Singing in the New Testament was “special circumstances” for the Philippians were never commanded to sing. The Lord’s Supper was “special circumstances” for the Thessalonians were never commanded to eat the Supper. Praying was “special circumstances” for the Galatians were not told to pray. And preaching was “special circumstances” because the Galatians were not told to preach.

5. Teaching. Speaking “as the oracles of God” glorifies him (I Pet. 4:11; 1 Cor. 10:31) and is to be done in our assemblies (1 Cor. 4:17).

Owens ignores these and says, “God has placed the emphasis of ‘coming together’ on our mutual edification. Man has distorted the teaching by placing the emphasis on ‘worshiping God.'” When Jesus said “this do in remembrance of me” he must have misplaced his emphasis, according to Owens. The point is, Owens minimizes worshiping God. He makes our coming together man-centered rather than God-centered. Both purposes were served in the assemblies (worship and edification) and neither should be minimized. Nor should one be maximized above the other.

Neo-Orthodoxy

My impression is that those aligned with The Examiner long to hear “some new thing.” Not all traditions are wrong (2 Thess. 3:6) and it just may be that once in a while the orthodox position is the correct or permissible one. A case in point: Steven Clark Goad tried to make a list of what he calls the “Church of Christ” Creed (Vol. IV, No. 1, p. 14). In his desperation he listed the use of a “wooden box or pulpit” as part of the creed. He asks, “Did Peter have a pulpit on Pentecost? Did Paul have a pulpit on Mars Hill? Did Philip while riding in the eunuch’s chariot?” Nobody knows what they had, not even Goad. And I know of nobody who says we have to have a pulpit or that it is the only way to preach. It is simply a convenient tool when speaking to a group. A kitchen table is more convenient when in someone’s home. But Goad so desperately wanted to attach a creed to the church that he listed the pulpit. Boy!

Slander

A reader wrote to Owens about his position that Christians don’t have the responsibility to assemble to worship and gave Scriptures. Owens replied that this was “the same line of argument that . . . I have used personally . . . (until I learned better). Preachers have made these points in order to keep their ‘members’ obligated to attend . . . . and support the ‘work of the church’ with their money . . . . They need the numbers and they need the money, so they assemble these Scriptures to make it sound authentic and hurl their thunderbolts from the pulpit, oh, so convincingly. The members are intimidated.”

Owens gives neither the preachers nor the listeners credit for being honest and sincerely believing these Scriptures. Instead he chooses to slander them. Is he saying these were his motives “before he learned better”? Owens does not know the mind of any man (1 Cor. 2:11). Because he so vehemently disagrees, he impugns the motives of others. Much of what I have read in The Examiner is of this nature. The Examiner needs to examine itself.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 19, pp. 583-585
October 4, 1990

By H.E. Phillips

The nature and work of the “eldership” in the local body of Christians has been the center of a continuing controversy for a long time. The fact that there is controversy does not mean that the word of God is not clear and complete on the subject. The New Testament provides ample evidence to establish the truth on this subject.

The Scriptures teach that the church in every community is to have elders. The word “church” is used in the New Testament to refer to all baptized penitent believers the world over (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:47; Eph. 1:22,23; 1 Cor. 12:12,13). We call it “universal” because it embraces all Christians without any idea of locality, organization or function. It is one body (Eph. 4:4).

But “church” is also used to designate relationship and action impossible in the universal sense. It describes a “church” in a locality, with some organization for function, such as the church at Philippi (Phil. 1:1; 4:15).

God revealed his mind to man by words (1 Cor. 2:9-13). It is complete (2 Tim. 3:16,17), perfect (Psa. 19:7), powerful (Rom. 1:16), sufficient (2 Pet. 1: 3), unchangeable (Gal. 1:6-9), indestructible (Matt. 24:35; 1 Pet. 1:23,25); and it is once for all given to the saints (Jude 3). We must understand the meaning of the words used in the word of God to know his will. The common Greek language in Palestine in the days of Christ and the apostles provided a transport from the mind of God to “every creature” in “all nations” to give his complete and final revelation that will perfect a man unto all good works (2 Tim. 3:16,17; Jude 3).

Christ Has All Authority Over the Church

The church is not a democracy. It is a monarchy; Christ is king over the kingdom and head over all things to the church (Eph. 1:22,23; Col. 1:18). He has been given all authority in heaven and in earth (Matt. 28:18). He received this authority from the Father (Heb. 1:1,2; Jn. 12:48-50; 1 Cor. 15:27,28). Christ will have this authority until the resurrection at the last day (1 Cor. 15:24-26). The government of Christ over the church is perfect, and it cannot be overthrown.

Christ rules through his revealed word. Christ sent the Holy Spirit upon the apostles to empower them to speak his word, by which he exercises his authority (Jn. 14:25,26; 16:12,13). On the day of Pentecost when the power came upon them, they spoke as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 1:1-4; 2:1-4). Paul said that the things he wrote are the commandments of the Lord (1 Cor. 14:37).

Who Are the Elders?

The words we use to designate a person or thing tell something of the characteristics, relationships and work of that person or thing. Three Greek terms are used to designate the oversight of a local church. These terms define different areas of the work and relationship of these men in the local church.

1. Presbuterion. The Greek word presbuterion means “an assembly of the elders” which means “the eldership” or “elderhood” as in the translation of Acts 22:5 by George Berry in The Greek New Testament. The English word eldership does not occur in the New Testament, but the Greek term presbuterion is found three times and could be so translated (Lk. 22:66; Acts 22:5; 1 Tim. 4:14). The first is translated by “elders” and the last two by “presbytery.” Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon says of presbuterion, “Body of elders, presbytery, senate, council; of the Jewish elders, Lk. xxii. 66; Acts xxii. 5; of the elders of any body (church) of Christians, 1 Tim. iv. 14.”

It literally means “an old man.” In whatever relationship it is used, it always connotes one older, a senior. It is used of overseers of the church (Acts 14:23; 20:27,28; Tit, 1:7). The word elder itself does not inhere the idea of oversight, but when used in a context that plainly shows the oversight of elders in a church, the word denotes that group of men who have the oversight in that church. It is translated by “elders” and “presbytery.”

2. Episcopos. Thayer’s Greek.-English Lexicon says of this word: “an overseer, a man charged with the duty of seeing that things to be done by others are done rightly, any curator guardian, or superintendent . . . spec. the superintendent, head or overseer of any Christian church; . . . Acts xx. 28; Phil. i. 1; 1 Tim. iii. 2; Tit. i. 7).” It is a variation of episcopeo: “to look upon, inspect, oversee, took after, care for; spoken of the care of the church which rested upon the presbyters, 1 Pet. v. 2.”

Episcopos is translated by the English overseer and carries the same meaning as the Greek just defined. It means to supervise, take care of, rule, direct, guide, and oversee. When this word (episcopos) is used with reference to those in the church as in Acts 20:28, it is impossible to deny that the New Testament teaches that there are local churches and that elders are overseers in these churches. The English bishop is another word that translates episcopos in I Timothy 3:1,2; Titus 1:7.

3. Poiman. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament defines poimaino: “To feed, to tend aflock, keep sheep . . . to rule, govern . . . to furnish pasturage orfood,to nourish. b. metaph. thepresiding officer, manager, director, of any assembly: so of Christ the Head of the church, Jn. x. 16; 1 Pet. 2:25; Heb. xiii. 20, of the overseers of the Christian assemblies.”

Poiman is translated by the English word shepherd. It means “tending, feeding, guarding.” By common usage it has come to mean “one who feeds, tends, and guards” the spiritual interests of people in a given locality. It refers to the elders of the church (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2). Poiman is also translated by the English pastor, which means “to feed” and is found in Ephesians 4: 11.

These three Greek words signify age, maturity in all phases of life, oversight, feeding, teaching God’s word, supermtending the work and development of each member of a local body of Christians. All these words refer to the same men in their relationship to a local group of Christians designated “the church” (Phil. 1:1; 1 Pet. 5:1-3).

Every Church to Have Elders

When Paul and Barnabas returned from their preaching tour, they “ordained them elders in every church” (Acts 14:23). Paul left Titus in Crete, “that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee” (Tit. 1:5). I do not know of a passage anywhere in the New Testament that directs any other oversight, and I do not know of any authority of Christ to abolish the eldership.

Titus was directed to “set in order” something. Thayer says this expression means “to set in order besides or further.” Titus was to set in order “the things that are wanting. ” Something needed to be supplied for order. In telling Titus to set in order the things that are wanting, he told him to “ordain” elders in every city. “Ordain” means “to appoint one to administer an office.” That is in the word of God and it can no more be taken out than baptism can be eliminated from the conditions for the remission of sins. Every church that does not have elders appointed has something lacking.

The Holy Spirit was not telling Paul, Titus or Timothy to “ordain” older people to be older people. He was commanding that men be ordained to a work of oversight in the local church. They were called “elders” because they were to be older men with the other qualifications listed in Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3. The term “elder” is used by the Holy Spirit with reference to this work or “office.” Paul sent from Miletus to Ephesus, and “called the elders of the church” (Acts 20:17). In verse 28 he told these “elders” that “the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

Elders Must Be Qualified By God’s Standard

The New Testament teaches that some older men must have certain qualifications before they can be appointed to be bishops, elders or shepherds in a congregation of Christians. The lists of those qualifications are given in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. While these requirements are a must, they do not require a perfect, sinless man. The bishop must have all the requirements listed to a mature degree. He must not be a novice. These qualifications must have been acquired before he is appointed to the work.

The Holy Spirit makes elders; the church where they are to serve selects them because of their qualifications to be appointed to the work. There is a definite time when they begin the oversight. One cannot be a Christian until and unless he obeys every condition for the remission of sins. Likewise, one cannot be a bishop (elder) until and unless he qualifies in every respect given in Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3.

These qualifications make the man what God wants him to be in the oversight of every local church. They make him a good moral man. He must be blameless, of good behavior, hospitable, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre, no brawler, a lover of good men and just. They make him a man of self-control. He must be temperate, self-governed, not given to wine, not soon angry, not self-willed, sober, serious and just. They make him a good family man. He must be a mature husband, of one wife, faithful children (Christians), rule his house well, They make him a mature spiritual man. He must desire the good work, be apt to teach, not covetous, not a novice, of good report and holy. It takes time and effort to develop these characteristics.

The qualifications equip the men to be able to:

1. Be a good example (1 Pet. 5:3; Acts 20:28).

2. Properly use the word of God (Tit. 1:9; Acts 20:32).

3. Take the oversight (1 Pet. 5:2).

4. Take heed to the flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2).

5. Rule well (1 Tim. 3:5; 5:17; Heb. 13:17).

6. Feed the flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2).

7. Watch for grievous wolves (Acts 20:28-30).

8. Stop the mouths of vain talkers and deceivers (Tit. 1:9-11).

9. Admonish (1 Thess. 5:12).

10. Support the weak (Acts 20:35).

11. Pray for and help the sick (Jas. 5:14).

12. Watch for the souls of those in his charge (Heb. 13:17).

It is wrong for a man to try to eliminate or modify baptism for the remission of sins in making one a Christian. It is just as wrong to eliminate or modify any of the qualifications of a man in making him a bishop in the church.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 19, pp. 581-582
October 4, 1990

By Luther W. Martin

Reincarnation: “A rebirth of the soul in successive bodies; specifically, in Vedic religions, the becoming of an avatar again; one of the series in the transmigration of souls.”

Transmigration: “The act of transmigrating; especially, the assumed passing of the soul from one body, after death, to another; metempsychosis.”

Avatar: “In Hindu mythology, an incarnation; manifestation.”

Veda (noun), Vedic (adjective): “Literally, knowledge; the oldest sacred literature of the Hindus, especially one of the four holy books of the Hindus of which the Rig-Veda is the most important.”

Vedanta: “The Hindu orthodox school of philosophy based on the Vedic literature and teaching that pantheism must eventually result in skepticism.”

Metempsychosis: “Transmigration of souls from body to body.”

(1) The Oriental Religion that considers that the soul of the deceased person may return to earth again, and inhabit the body of a lower animal, such as the “sacred cows” of India. It is because these bovines may be “Uncle Ed” reincarnated, that they are not killed for food.

Upanishad: “Literally, a philosophical treatise; one of the treaties forming the third division of the Vedas, dealing with the nature of man and the universe.” (Each of the above definitions come from the Britannica World Language Dictionary).

There are at least two basically different false doctrines involved with the subject of reincarnation.

All of which reminds me of a lady in a Missouri town, whose husband had passed away. But, since, this lady believed in the “transmigration” of her former husband’s soul into the body of an animal, she always kept the overhead garage door (attached to the residence) raised some six inches from the garage floor, in case her husband came back in the form of a dog (canine), and needed shelter. I don’t know why she expected him to return as a dog, but that was her expectation.

(2) The other Oriental belief consists of the idea that the soul’s existence is manifested in a series of cycles or episodes, wherein my soul (let us suppose) once inhabited some other body or bodies in previous centuries; and, I very well may expect that my soul will continue these cycles in yet different bodies in the future. Thus, according to this (and I emphasize false) doctrine, the soul participates in any number of deaths or departures, as it blends with first one body and then another.

Back in the 1950s a popular novel was published, entitled The Search For Bridey Murphy, authored by Morey Bernstein. The fiction had to do with a Pueblo, Colorado housewife, who had supposedly lived previously in Ireland, in the early 1800s. She reportedly had knowledge of both the people and geography of Ireland, that she would not have possessed if she had not indeed, been “Bridey Murphy” and actually lived in that time and place, in Ireland.

However, there are numerous ways in which she could have acquired such knowledge and information, and thus in no way did this fictional work prove reincarnation!

A New Testament Passage That Stops Reincarnation Abruptly

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment”(Heb, 9:27). Mankind is limited to the separation of soul and body, once! Then, next in sequence is the judgment!

An Example of False Evidence For Reincarnation

One believer in reincarnation, refers us to Joshua 24:3 “and I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac” (KJV). In this version, the word “flood” is used, and the reincarnationist jumps on it, and proclaims: “See, Abraham lived before the flood, and then lived again, after the flood!

However, if some other translation is consulted, one will learn that in both the 2nd and 3rd verses, of this passage, the Euphrates River is under consideration. That God led Abraham from his former home, Ur of the Chaldees (Gen. 15:7; Neh. 9:7), on the eastern side of the Euphrates, westward to the land of Canaan. Seasonally, the Euphrates rose to “flood-stage” and the King James Translators used the term “flood” not in reference to the Great Flood, but in reference to the annual Euphrates flooding. Thus, a correct understanding of the passage, totally removes any thought of Abraham’s having lived once before the Great Flood, and then a second time after the flood.

According to Herodotus, “The Egyptians were the first to assert the immortality of the soul, and that it passes on the death of the body into another animal; and when it has gone the round of all forms of life on land, in water, and in air, then it once more enters a human body born for it; and this cycle of the soul takes place in three thousand years” (ii. 123).

There were numerous and varied theories on this subject among the ancient peoples. It is thought that Egypt’s ability and skill in preserving the bodies of their death, was accomplished in order to retain the body of the deceased for the re-entry of the soul.

Bruhmanism and Buddhism In India

The doctrine of transmigration is not found in the oldest books of India, but in both the Brahman and Buddhist religions, it has become a basic ingredient.

Traditions of the Jewish Rabbins

The Rabbins held to two ideas of transmigration: (1) That the soul was restricted to a life-tenancy in a single body. (2) That souls may temporarily inhabit or “possess” a body, without going through the processes of birth and death.

During the time of miracles, when Christ was upon the earth, both the servants of God and the agents of Satan were empowered to accomplish supernatural actions, such as Christ healing the sick and raising the dead; and Satan being able to enter into the being of a person, causing the person to be “demon-possessed.”

This supernatural ability which prevailed for a forty-year period (30 A.D. to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. see Micah 7:15), contributed to the Jewish Rabbin’s acceptance of theories of transmigration of souls, as they rejected Christ!

Metempsychosis In the Middle Ages

The Manichaeans combined the ideas of the “wandering of souls” with their concept of eternal punishment. They concluded that the sinner was placed in a place of punishment, like “limbo” or “purgatory,” until a partial cleansing had occurred. The sinner was then reclaimed to the light and allowed another trial in the present world. The sinner was supposedly afforded ten such opportunities for reclamation, but if he was still unworthy or unfit for heaven’s bliss, he was then condemned forever.

Witchcraft and Transmigration

The departed soul was thought to stay around in the vicinity of the body’s burial, for some time after death. In many instances, the souls of persons who died a particularly violent death, were said to remain active on earth, until such time that the “death was avenged” (murder, in particular). Then, the soul of the deceased might “find peace,” and its earthly activities (particularly nocturnal) would cease. This has led to the superstitions about walking through or near a cemetery after dark. “Witches” and “sorcerers” supposedly have the ability or power to “possess” the bodies of animals.

Holy Scriptures and Witchcraft

At a time in the history of mankind, when most nations actively engaged in the acceptance of witchcraft, sorcery, enchanting, soothsaying, and the like, the Jews were being instructed to destroy witches and sorcerers; and have nothing to do with such practices.

“You shall not permit a sorcerer (witch) to live” (Exod. 22:18).

“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord” (Deyt. 18:10-12).

“Also he (Manasseh) caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger” (2 Chron. 33:6). Manasseh was a king of Judah.

Witches, warlocks, fortune-tellers, and the like are condemned in the Bible, Reincarnation, transmigration, and such like, are subjects that are foreign to Holy Scripture. Fictional works that may speculate on such ideas may entertain the imagination, but have no place in the belief and conviction of Christians.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 17, pp. 528-529
September 6, 1990