A Loss To The Guardian
There are many who will feel keenly a personal loss as the result of the passing of brother R. L. Whiteside. I am among that number. I have known him for more than twenty-five years and have heard him preach on numerous occasions. I have been in his home a good many times and he has been in mine. It was always a real pleasure and profit to me when enjoying a personal visit with him to get him started talking and listen to his counsel and words of wisdom. It was almost impossible to talk with him very long without talking about the Bible, the Church of the Lord, the religious issues of the day, or related subjects. His mind was upon them constantly and he spent his time in continual research and study until the last.
One of the most astounding things about him was the clearness of his thinking, the logic of his reasoning, the retentiveness of his mind even to the end in spite of a worn out body. There was no softening of attitude with brother Whiteside on the issues disturbing the Lord's Church as is so often the case with old age. He "contended earnestly for the faith" firm unto the end. With Paul he can indeed say, "I have kept the faith." I am glad that he did not develop a compromising spirit toward the last that would have nullified very largely the fight he had made for the truth throughout his life.
The greatest loss, however, or the one that I feel most keenly right now, is the loss of brother Whiteside's pen from the pages of the Guardian. He has served as associate editor of the paper for some time and has written regularly for the Guardian and its predecessor, The Bible Banner, ever since they have been published. His teaching through these articles has borne fruit for the truth that will be revealed only in eternity. He was a power in his ability to clearly and concisely state the truth. Many men did not agree with him but all respected him. Some who disagreed showed an ugly attitude sometimes and he was sometimes abused but his arguments were not answered. Few men can write on controversial subjects as much as did R. L. Whiteside and always show proper respect for an opponent and in spite of the abuse cast upon him continue to always be a Christian gentleman himself.
We honor his memory and shall always be grateful for his influence upon our lives and the great good he has done which will continue to live though he is dead.