Truth Magazine

By Steve Wolfgang

Footnote” J.B. Vawter, “A Brief History of the Iowa Christian Convention,” in J.H. Painter, ed., The Iowa Pulpit of the Church of Christ (St. Louis: John Burns Publishing Company, 1884), pp. 456-457,463.

In 1869, being weary of endless debates about plans, and saddened by the chaos and confusion that was weakening our cause in many places, the church in Iowa, in common with our brethren in other States, were waiting for the plan of cooperation that would be adopted by the General Convention. It met in October, in Louisville, Kentucky, and the plan adopted was known as the “Louisville Plan.” It was well devised system for the organization of our entire brotherhood into one grand army, with its divisions of States and sub-division of districts. Our people were not ripe for so thorough an organization at that time, and while it gave a greater impetus toward organization, it was trimmed and modified and finally abandoned.

Though by some it was violently opposed, and by others considered impractical, I predict that if we ever become a thoroughly cooperative people, we will be found working in harmony with the leading features of the “Louisville Plan,” for the organization and unification of our forces.

At the annual meeting held in Fairfield, September 25th, 1874, work on the “Louisville Plan” reached high water mark in Iowa, with one hundred and twelve churches in active co-operation.

With a few changes in names and dates, the main feature of the foregoing history could be used for our brethren in other States. As a rule, our failure to work together in sounding out the gospel was charged to some fault in the plan, and hence this constant changing of plans.

The real trouble, carefully concealed by our denominational pride, was that we were not really a missionary people. Opposition to plans, and demanding a “Thus saith the Lord,” was often a cloak of jealousy, selfishness, or to cover up our delinquency, so cunningly devised and persistently worn, as to deceive the very elect. There was always a goodly number of individuals and congregations who were ready to work by any plan, and were continually trying to do something and calling on others to help them. These would never let the subject rest long at a time, and hence this agitation and frequent organization.

The unmissionary preachers were of two classes (including) the opposers, who stay away from conventions and preacher’s institutes, and oppose all societies and organizations for co-operative work. . .

Does this sound familiar?

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 6, p. 167
March 15, 1990

By Howard Ruff

Television has hit a new low, “Geraldo” just did the kinkiest talk show ever.

The eight guests being interviewed – (are you ready for this?) – were all committing – (Gasp! Be sure the children are out of the room) – chastity!

Yes, that’s right. All these single people had decided not to have sex outside of marriage. One of them was even can I mention this terrible perversion in a family newsletter? – a virgin!

Geraldo will stoop to anything.

Even more fascinating, as the studio audience and experts, asked questions and commented, they all felt that these strange people “feared intimacy.” Something must have happened when they were children that caused them to “avoid normal relationships.”

Most of these “freaks” had strong religious reasons. They all claimed they had no “fear of intimacy,” but they had simply decided chastity was the best policy until they were married.

Geraldo asked one attractive 29-year old woman, “Aren’t you afraid that if you meet Mr. Right and you refuse to have sex that he might go away?”

She said, “That’s already happened once, but I didn’t compromise my principles.”

No one in the audience, which seemed to be a cross section of America, suggested that a man who would abandon a young woman because she wouldn’t have sex out of marriage might not be anybody’s “Mr. Right.”

Everyone acted as if this was a perversion, worthy of puzzled or even hostile reactions.

I knew we were a sex-drenched society, moving in the wrong direction towards license and permissiveness over the Seventh Commandment, but until now I didn’t accept how totally society had surrendered. Maybe it’s the Neanderthal crowd I run with, but I assumed that most “fornicators” (ooh, what an out-of-style word) at least felt guilty that their behavior was not society’s norm.

Now us weirdos who believe that sex is a sacred celebration of joy only when it is within divinely established bounds are an endangered species.

No wonder you can’t find a sitcom or movie without a routine illicit sexual situation.

When was the last time you ever saw anybody feel guilty about his extra-marital sex life?

Can anyone who shares my old-fashioned hang-ups deny the similarities between 1989 America and the last days of the Roman Empire? Maybe political activism, lobbying, building wealth, etc. is a foolish waste of time, as we will reap the natural consequences of the deterioration of the most basic building block of a stable society – the family.

The family is a divinely established institution that makes two principal contributions to society:

(1) It nurtures the young. Among all the marnmals, we have the longest period of immature dependency. The family was designed to create a protective environment until the young are ready to cope with an increasingly more complex world.

(2) The family is the mechanism by which values, wealth and traditions are passed on from one generation to the next. It is the medium of continuity.

A society that allows the family to die is only a generation away from its own violent death. All of God’s laws regulating our sexual behavior were designed to preserve the integrity of the family unit. Anything that debases the exalted status of the family threatens civilization.

I am finally accepting the horrible truth that the majority of Americans perceive marriage and sexual self-control outside of marriage as merely a quaint option among many other equally legitimate choices.

Unfortunately, those who control the mass media, especially TV and movies, give only lip service to the family and have declared war on old-fashioned morals.

What’s worse, they have probably won.

(Note: Howard Ruff is not a preacher, but a renown financial advisor, whose writings are read by hundreds of thousands. He is a dedicated family man and a member of the Mormon Church. His morals are straight and his ideals lofty. I appreciate his words on sex outside of marriage and commend them to all. – Billy Moore)

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 6, p. 173
March 15, 1990

By Johnie Edwards

Some have a tendency to blame God for all the religious confusion that exists among churches. The apostle Paul told the Corinthians, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Cor. 14:33). Jesus prayed for unity among men when he said, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (Jn. 17:21).

Confusion Hinders

Religious confusion hinders the work of conversion as men view the divided condition among churches. As Jesus prayed for unity, he appealed for unity on the grounds “that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (Jn. 17:21). Unity helps the world to believe the claim of Christ, that he was the Son of God. The non-Christian gets to thinking that, if the folks who are supposed to be religious and study the Bible can’t agree, who am I to think that I can understand it! Thus that person makes no attempt to study and understand the Word of God. We all need to get our act together.

The Bible Says the Same to All Churches

You would think by what men teach that the Bible says as many different things as there are churches. Does the Bible say one thing to the Methodist Church and something different to the Baptist Church, then something entirely different to the church of Christ? Who can believe that the Bible teaches all the different doctrines held and taught by men. Paul taught the same thing every where he preached. “For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church” (1 Cor. 4:17). Can you imagine the apostle Paul teaching one church of Christ one thing and something entirely different to another as he preached the Word of God? Have you ever thought about the fact that whatever the Bible says to you, it says to me and whatever it says to me, it says to you! Take the subject of music in worship. Paul said, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19). What one is told to do, all are told to do. If one is told to sing, all are; if one is told to play a mechanical instrument of music, all are told to play a mechanical instrument of music. If not, why not?

Truth Is Consistent

Truth is consistent with Truth. Only error is inconsistent. I have read religious articles or the creeds of men and many of them contradict themselves, sometimes even on the same page on the same subject! No wonder Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn. 8:32). Of course you remember, “Thy word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). Every subject in the Bible harmonizes with every thing said on that subject. Sometimes men think they see contradictions in the Word of God, but that’s their problem of not having the ability to harmonize difficult passages. I must not accuse God of being a God of confusion just because I do not have the ability to see the harmony of the Scriptures!

The Problem

The problem that causes men to be confused and teach so many different things is the lack of proper study. Paul told Timothy, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). To study is to put forth the effort and be diligent in an honest investigation of the Word of God, realizing that we are dealing with the greatest book which has ever been written! If one can rightly divide the word of truth, he can just as well wrongly divide it, and most seem to do a lot of wrongly dividing! Properly studying the Bible is hard work. And most people don’t like hard work. The wise man said, “. . . of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh” (Eccl. 12:12).

The Bible Can Be Understood

The Bible is written in such a way as to be understood by those who honestly seek to do what it says. The key to understanding the Word of God is to be of such a disposition that when you find out what it says, you are willing to do it. Jesus said, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (Jn. 7:17). Paul told the Ephesians, “Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ” (Eph. 3:4). It’s past time that all of us get to studying the Word of God to see what each of us must do to please God and quit blaming God for the confusion that exists in the religious world.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 6, p. 165
March 15, 1990

By Lester A. Doyle, Jr.

Love Gives

Generally speaking, man is a taker because his love is not great enough. Our Lord and Savior is a giver. He is a giver because he loves all mankind. Love is always seeking ways to give to others. Before our Savior was crucified, he said, “No man takes my life. I give it myself.”

In John 15:13 Jesus said, “Greater love has no one man than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” Jesus tells us he laid down his life for the sins of the whole world. He could have escaped and fled, but through divine love he stayed and, like a lamb to the slaughter, he went to the cross.

This is the humble and loving Savior that asks of us: “This do in remembrance of me.”

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 6, p. 171
March 15, 1990