The Overflow
Honor To Whom Honor
This paper has more than once carried some criticism of H. A. Dixon, president of Freed-Hardeman College. We would guess we'll likely carry other criticisms in the future. But there is another side of the story we'd like to present, too. H. A. Dixon some months ago was under the heaviest sort of pressure from some enthusiastic backers of the school to fire Earl West because West did not agree with these brethren's ideas on church support of the colleges. Dixon stood his ground — not only stood it, but let these brethren know that he would not under any kind of circumstance fire West on such grounds (even though his own convictions on the subject were in harmony with the complainers' and contrary to West's.) That is the sort of courage we can admire in any man; and that's the kind of academic freedom and intellectual integrity we can applaud in the administration of any school.
Two Churches — One Eldership
"Augsburg is 35 miles from Munich and is the birthplace of the famous Augsburg Confession of Faith. The Augsburg church is under the eldership at Slaton, Texas. (Signed) Jack Nadeau." (This is a rather interesting quotation from "Missionary News" the regular mimeographed missionary bulletin of the Skillman Avenue Church of Christ, Dallas, Texas.)
Scriptureless Sermons
A brother preacher in the Rio Grande Valley has apparently been chided somewhat for not using any scripture in his sermons. In a recent bulletin he defends his practice rather vigorously, pointing out that Jesus Christ used very, very few quotations from the scripture in his sermon on the mount, and that Paul used even less in his sermon on Mar's Hill! We bow in admiration at such profundity.
Dismissal Prayer
Brother Osby Weaver of Brady, Texas, recently held a gospel meeting at Eastside congregation in Lubbock. He preached one night on some of the current problems facing the churches, bringing to bear on the subject quite a number of scripture quotations. One of the local Lubbock preachers, whose home congregation is promoting one of the "brotherhood" projects there, was called upon to lead the dismissal prayer. He prayed, "Oh, Lord, we know that there are other men equally as intelligent and scholarly as Brother Weaver who hold different interpretations on the same passages which he used, and we know that what he has said here tonight is just his opinion!" No doubt some of these "equally - intelligent and scholarly men" will now be glad to discuss the issue with Brother Weaver in a public study. Lubbock would be an ideal place for such a study. Let us hope it materializes."Joiners"
From Brother Joseph E. Johnson, preacher for the church at Erin, Tennessee, comes a brief note telling us about the "Joiners Chapel Church of Christ" near Cadiz, Kentucky. He says this is a fine congregation of faithful Christians — but wonders where they got the name ? and does one become a "joiner" when he obeys the gospel at "Joiners Chapel" ?
Real Proof!
We've not checked the book to see, but one who recently read it tells us that in the Holt-Totty-Watson debate, Brother Totty in his first affirmative speech (affirming church support of Christian colleges to be scriptural) made twenty-five references to the Gospel Guardian — and quoted not one single verse of scripture. In his second speech he did much better — only nineteen references to the Gospel Guardian and two quotations from the scripture. But, even so, the book is highly worth reading, because of Holt's speeches alone. Order it from the Gospel Guardian. Price: $3.50.
Tobacco Cure
From an old journal we have run across a sure-fire remedy for the fellow who really wants to quit tobacco, but whose will-power is weak: Marry an anti-tobacco woman whose isn't.
Spinster's Prayer
Oh, Lord, I wish you'd hear my plea;
It isn't something just for me.
What I ask is for another;
Send a son-in-law to Mother.
— Al Hester
Keeble's Hope
This is being written in Portland, Oregon. Under a tent here last Sunday we heard Marshall Keeble preach to three or four hundred people (mostly white). He preached 47 minutes, the first thirty-five of which were about the Negro school he has at Nashville, and the last 12 of which were about the scripture. He ridiculed the idea of the church not supporting the schools; and said he hopes to live to see the day when all the churches not only support schools, but hospitals and other such institutions as well. We hope Brother Keeble doesn't live that long — and we'd be happy for him to outlive Methuselah.
Schedule
This writer's itinerary for the next few weeks is as follows: September 25-October 2, West End Church, Franklin, Tennessee; October 9-16, Southside Church, Mt. Pleasant, Texas; October 23-30, Haynesville, Louisiana; October 31-November 9, Grenada, Mississippi; November 1320, Lafayette, Louisiana; November 28-December 1, Tant-Harper Debate, Abilene, Texas.
James Arthur Warren
James Arthur Warren, assistant pastor of the First Christian Church here in Portland, attended our meeting the other night. Had a long talk with him after the service ended. Both he and his brother, Charles, departed from the faith a year or two ago and joined the ranks of the digressives. About a half-dozen others have done so in recent years. Most of these brethren turned modernistic under the influence of Ralph Wilburn at Pepperdine College. And all the time this was happening the Gospel Guardian was warning against the modernism there — and the Firm Foundation, Gospel Advocate, and other journals among us were carrying full page advertisements of Pepperdine, praising it as a fine "Christian" school, and throwing black looks at us for our "false accusations"!... as is still happening as we warn of modernism right in the Advocate's own camp. Incidentally, we believe James Warren is completely lost to the faith; he will never return. We grieve for his shipwreck.
Reese's "Comments"
We think our readers will find Brother Reese's "Comments On Cogdill's Articles" elsewhere in this issue interesting. Brother Reese is the Highland elder who supervises "Herald of Truth." Suffice it to say no one has even a remote interest in winning any "victory" over E. R. Harper. We are interested, deeply interested, in seeing an unscriptural kind of cooperation at Highland Church corrected. When that is done there will be no reason for anybody "to keep on chopping away."