Mission

Volume 11 | Issue 11 Article 1

5-1978

Mission: Vol. 11, No. 11

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Tlrose WIro Dflorrrnr

t'm Gqfng to CryOnce Moiê (Page3)

'

f)ont Ttckle Me (page,o)

VOLUME 'I1, NUMBER 'I'I MAY, 'I978

"To explore thoroughly the Scriptures and theirmeaning. to understand as fully as possible theworld in which the clrurch lives and has her mission. . .

to provide a vehicle for communicat¡ng the meaning ofGod's word to our conternporary world."

Editorial policy statement, July, 1967

Every now and then, as some of youhave mentioned, we promise an articlethat doesn't show up as predicted (forreasons known intimately by any edi-tor or writer inhabited by the demonDeadline). Last month we said wewould have a story about an inner citywork in St. Louis. As it worked out,however, I now have the opporlunityto visit it personally, and I beg your in-dulgence in postponing the story. In itsstead we're running a speech from a re-

centMission board meeting (p. 6).It feeds some sense of roots in me

to run across something so old that it'srelevant to another cycle of history'srepetitions. Such a find is the Prefaceto the original publication of the KingJames Version, excerpted and com-mented on by Jim Smith (p. 11). Inmany ways it is as up-to-date as ânyapology for modern speech translationsthat I've heard in our own day. Ilard-ing Graduate School's Jacl< Lewis-anexception to Jim's observation ihat noone east of the Mississippi will tolerateanything bui the I(JV or ÂmericanStandard-makes sotne of the same

points as he defends the ueed to putthe word into our words. The piece

makes so many good poinis in such a

quaint style that we wanted you to see

as much of it as space permits.Larry Hart's article (p. 8) is in re-

sponse t;o our appeal fot material tohelp us do a tnore respousible job train-ing preachers. I thinh the areas of train-ing he points out are comprehetrsive. Ifyou're a minister:, reading this, and canflesh out orle or another of t,lrese areas

frorn your' owtr experieuce, let us hear

CONTENTS

I'M GOING TO CRY ONCE MORE

By a Disciple

WHEN DID HE KNOW?

A Poem by Van Chesney

THE RISK OF ABANDONING PATTERNAUTHORITY From the Editor

MINISTERIAL TRAINING: WHAT KINDDO WE NEED? By Larry Hart

DON'T TlCl(LE ME By Cled Wimbish

THE GOODS ON THE KJV

By Jim Smith

WHAT lS TRUTH? By Stan Paregien

COMMUNION MEDITATION

By Elton D. Higgs

LOOKING OUT 20 BOOKS

FRIENDS OF fVIISSION 21 FORUM

RSVP 23 CROSS CURRENTS

Publìshed monthly bV [iìission Journal, lnc. Annual subscript¡on $8.Three-year subscription $20. Five-year subscription $30. Annual studentsullscr¡ption $5. Bundle and t¡ound volume râtes on request. Single

copies $1. Second class postag€ paid at lrving, Texas, and additionalentry office. ËditorÌal and circulation offices and mailing address: 1710

W. Airport Freeway, lrving, Texas 75062. Postmaster: send Form 3579to 1710 W. Airport Freeway, lrving, Texas 75062. Copyright 1S7B byMission Journal, lnc.

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't1

15

1B

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EDITOR IN-CHIEFI\¡ANAGING EDITORLITERARY EDITOR

BOOK REVIEW EDIIORCIRCULATION SECRETARY

EDITORIAL SECRETARY

RON DURHAMRAY CHËSTËRPAULA TYLERBOBBIE LEË HOLLËYSUE HANCOCKFAYE DURHAM

from you.

K*um ffimåmg *m ffrymmce þlore

By a Disciple

I stand at the door and watch my 12-year-oldson treh off to catch the school bus, kicking a popcan along the street. I{e'll never change, I thought-he'll always be the fun-fillecl, adventuresome, Iife-loving boy we've grown accustomed to. There's notan outward trace of the abdominal scars he wearsnor the physical change in his body. He's come aIong way in a year, I think, and he'll be okay. I'llbe okay, too-now.

My mind trails back to events three years ago.Our son's diagnosis of ulcerative colitis was madein January, 1974. When our pediatrician first men-tionecl the possibility of surgery for a "cure," I wasdetermined that Mike would not have it. We'd fig-ure out a way to stop the constant bleeding anddiarrhea without that. I worked for a doctor, and Iknew what surgery and an ileostomy meant-a life-time without a colon, of changing pouches, of hav-ing a stoma. I would not have it for my child-hewas just too young.

What followed that initial diagnosis were twohectic years of doctor hopping, tests, changes inmedication dosage, and psychiatric consultations.The side effects of the drug gave Mike a puffy bodyand extra fat. We saw him becoming withdrawnfrom the fun-loving individual we knew to one whowouldn't leave the house because he was fat, andwho couldn't tie his shoes or bend over. While onthe surface his disease seemed to be healing, inter-nally it was running rampant.

I just could not looh at this as a medical prob-lem alone. Somehow it became a faith issue withme. I did weeks of soul searcìring lilçe I never l"ladbefore. I talhed to another Christian mother aboutour sorl. What do we do? Many of us had been pray-ing all this time fol Milçe's healing, but we didn'tseem to get air answer--at least not the one we

'l'he identity o/' lhe autltor is protected in orcler to protectalso the identity of "Mihe" (n.oL his real name).

MAY, 1978

wanted. My friencl remarhed, "Tell God you can'tmake the decision for surgery and that he'll haveto mahe it. Something will probably happen. Morethan likely the time will come when only one deci-sion can be made."

There was the probabilìty that cancer would de-velop, and the possibility of rupture was there.Could we take that hind of risk for our child's life?Finally, in August, all medical hope seemed ex-hausted. That one, final decision had to be made.My husband and I set the date for Mike's surgery atChildren's Hospital in September, Lg'|6, the firstday of Mihe's school year, in sixth grade.

Those three weehs before the surgery are stillvivid in my memory. I wrote to some dear friendsand told them of my agony: "My faith has beenaffected by this disease and what we all must face.My faith is shaken to the point that all I believe anymore is that God is and Jesus has died. That's all.His supposed love, collcel:n, care, don't exist. Ifought him, cried to him, questioned, believed, dis-believed all at the same time."

For a moment I even thought of tahing Mike toa faith healer in Baltimore. Then i thought itthrough and wondered how her prayers could beany more effective than mine. And so I prayed:"Please let your will be carried out in some otherway than that an 1l-year-old (and, ves, his family,too) spend the rest of his life throwing away bags."I knew God could heal him, but I came to believethat this was a case when it was just not his will. iknew what had to be cJone, trut I hated doing it!Sometimes I wished I'd never become a Christian. Icouldn't go to church. I couldn't sing the songsabout God's caring for me as they had no meaninganymore. The Bible and i1,s words lneant nolhing.

?he inost cornforting thing in those agony-fitleddays before Mihe's surgery were my early morningwall<s. Somehow in the quiet of the day I cor-rlcli,hink better. Then, one morning a new thoughtbrohe through. I realized that God was a parent,too. Surely he knew just, how mv heart ached for

243

Mike. I had done everything I could for my child.God, at the snap of his finger, could have spared hisown son from the cross, but he didn't. Then Iprayed again: "Please give me your strength andpower to allow them to operate on Mike, not be-cause I want it, but because I know it's best, as youknew it was best to allow Jesus to go to the cross. Iheld on to that one thought-that God must havefelt hurt and pain and grief for his child as I did formine. That one relationship I had with God-parentto parent-was all that held me up.

My mother came to stay with our other two sonsso we could be at the hospital with Mike. I told herthe night before Mike's surgery, "I'm going to cryjust once more," and that would be all. It's beentwelve months since the operation now, and I cryless each day. Some of the tears are for myself, inself-pity. Some are in sympathy for Mike, the boywho dearly loves football, but who may never playagain. The pain is still there, even though there arefewer tears. I suppose, deep down in my heart, I'llalways wish it could have been different.

Mike is back in school now, and 'ffe are slowlyadjusting to things. We often spout off at the in-conveniences. I get just plain mad at the sheets Ihave to change in the middle of the night. But thereis a closeness and openness between mother andfather and child that didn't exist before. Mike isagain taking an interest in life. Occasionally he evenfinds a bit of humor in his situation-his CB nick-name, which he chose, is "Wild Cherry."

I have taken one step toward God with a rela-tionship that is different, but somewhat more trust-ing. Only he knows how headstrong I am, and per-haps this was the only way he had of telling me"Let me handle it, my child." I am more willingnow to say to him, "Let me do your will, show mewhat you want, but please give me strength to doit." But I must confess that it's not because I lovehim more. It's just because I realize his will is goingto be done anyway, and I may as well cooperate. Iknow it's an inadequate reason; and God knowsthat I may take one step toward him for four back-ward steps.

ronically enough, although all this drew meaway from God, it was because of my son that Iwas drawn back. Our church is very small, and Mikehas quite often filled in as song leader when theregular leader was unavailable. I knew Mike wouldneed his self-esteem reinforced. He needed to fdelacceptance by others after such drastic surgery.That alone kept me going to worship. God certainlydoes work in mysterious ways!

I used to be afraid to openly express negativefeelings toward God, to him or to other Christians.

4 244

I want to be Iike those people who can always say"Just trust him and it will work out," or like a

friend of mine who can say "He is so good" in themidst of a messed up life. They always seem to havea complete and trusting faith that eludes me. I ques-tion; I doubt; I scream; I

"ry; I say "I hope you

know what you are doing, God."But I believe now that he accepts me when I've

told him how I feel. At least I struggle personallywith him now. At least I have a relationship withhim. And even though I know it's not as he wouldlike or even as I would like it to be, I am growingtoward him.

MAY, 1978

Theßtsk ofAbørndoningPøttern Authorûty

FROM THE EDITOR

Few issues facing the Restoration Movement aremore crucial than the question of how we use theBible. The slogan "speak where the Bible speaksand be silent where the Bible is silent" has beenweighed by many who find it wanting. Such ideasfumished the early movement with what was in thebeginning a distinctive and compellingly simpleplea. But as the movement split over how to inter-pret that plea, it became obvious that the sloganwas too simple.

Restoration leaders struggled to formulate a rvayof interpreting the Bible that would not only applyit aright, but keep the fast-growing movement to-gether at the same time. In the absence of a unify-ing creedal statement, various hermeneutical de-vices were developed, with each new suggestionmore complicated than the last. (J. D. Thomas' lVeBe Brethren [1958], \áith its intricate logic, lines,and boxes, is the natural outgrowth of a developingscholastic approach both to the Bible and to unity.)

As the former unity movement experienced itsown divisions, it became relatively easy to criticizethe notion of "pattem authority." Yet, while ack-nowledging the need to reuise our traditional ap-proach to biblical authority, I argue that this canbe done without abandoning that notion. In fact,it seems to me that those who would do so havenot counted the cost. If we have seen the dangersof making fellowship dependent on hermeneuticalagteement, we need also to face various risks in-volved in giving up pattern authority.

I. ABANDONING THE MEANS OF REFORM

All major church renewals have been based on arenewed respect for the authority of Scripture. Thesoul of the Protestant Reformation, and the princi-ple that stands out strongest in the collective mem-ory, is Luther's doctrine of sola gratia-salvationapart from any works of human righteousness. It isoften forgotten, however, that this towering con-

MAY, 1978

tribution to Christian history was based on Luther'sdevotion to the idea of sola scriptura-the Scrip-tures alone, not the tradition of the church, are ourauthority.

In Luther's perception, the reason salvation bygrace had been neglected in the Roman church wasthat it had neglected the Scriptures. Canon law hadcome between Christians and the Lord revealed inthe Bible. The Latin mass had shielded non-Latinsfrom both the judgment and the grace to be foundin the proclamation of the Good News in their owntongue. Without the recovery of the record of howgrace comes through Christ, instead of solelythrough the church, the doctrine of grace itselfwould have remained buried under accumulatedtradition.

We must admit that even the Reformation's em-phasis on the Bible as a "pattern" was not withoutits problems. \ilhile Luther eventually held that thechurch should keep traditions which were not inexplicit conflict with Scripture, the reformer UlrichZwingli argued that it should keep only what Scrip-ture explicitly allowed. (He anticipated here theChurch of Christ approach to the authority of theBible's silence.)

The error here, however, is not that the Reform-ers respected the pattern authority of the Bible. Asin our own history, the problem became divisiveonly when fellowship was thought to be contingenton the extent of biblical authority. The quest mustbe how to separate these two issues without separ-ating Christians; not on how to throw out patternauthority.

Our own forefathers could never have attemptedto "unite the sects" without asking how biblicalpattems should function in faith and practice. Inour haste to confess the later fragmentation of themovement, let us not forget that it was, early on,the most successful ecumenical movement on theAmerican frontier. At least some of this fulfillmentof our Lord's prayer for unity can be credited to

245 5

the recovery of the author:ity of the Bible. ThomasCampbell sairl that we should follow il"s comntstzdsand examples, to heal the breaches of Christendom.Ànd, he asked, "Who would not willingly conforrnto the original pattern laid down in the New Testa-ment, for this happy purpose?" (Declaration andAddress, Bethany Press edition, p. 35). (The thirdfactor in our hermeneutical heritage, the "necessaryinference," came Later and proved to be more divi-sive than the other two.)

The point here is that when the human spirit hasbeen deadened and dulled, and when people exper-ience alienation from each other, renewal and reliefcome from a return to the sources. The pilgrimage,of course, must include the recovery of the Spirit,lest the letter kill; but it cannot occur without re-

newed zest for these words which in fact aie thewords of life.

II. FORFEITING OUR FREEDON4

Ironically, to abandon pattern authority is torisk the forfeiture of Christian liberty in Christ. Asound approach to patterns can be a liberating in-fluence, not an inhibiting one as has so often beenthe case in Restoration history.

Thomas Campbell, Iet us recall, came to thiscountry from Scotland as a man in bonds. I{e en-joyed nothing of the freedom of being a "Christianonly." I{e was a Presbyterion Christian; then OldLíght Prcsbyterian Christian; an Old Lighf SecederPresbyterian Christian; and an Old Light SecederAttti-Burgher Presbyterian Christian.

These Old World divisions seemed especially re-

strictive in the new land. The only way they couldbe maintained was to enforce restrictive doctrinalstatements based on the old arguments. Campbellchose a freer course. He began to minister to thesefragmented Presbyterians as though they were whatJesus established: one body. To do this, however,required a revolution against the c:eedal statementsin favor of "the simple gospel." The gospel did notrequire or sanction such bondage; it was in fact anemancipation proclamation.

As it worked out, it did not quite work out. !'orexample, the idea that God is both one and three,and the doctrine of l,he divinity of Jesus, had de-pended on early creedal statements more than theearly Restoration leaders suspected. The emancipa-tion from creeds freed tnen lilçe Dr. John Thomasto drift into what becarne thè Christadelphian sect,

which questioned historic Christian views of thedivinity of Christ.

Once more, however, it is crucial to see that suchtensions occurred not because of the use but of theabuse of pattern attthority. -A basic pattern in theBible is the pattern of freedom: "You will knowthe truth and the truth will make you ftee." How-ever useful extra-biblical formulations of doctrine

6 246

may be (and every sermon or tract is such), togrant them normative authority is to enslave Chris-tians and carry them off to warring camps. On lhcother hand, to alcandon the Bible's own teachingabout God and Christ is to become enslaved to the

Evil One himself. Hence, the gospel is the most cru-cial defense against sectarian warfare on the one

hand and indifference or eruor on the other. TheBibte is the charter of Christian freedom. To rejectits normative power is a step away from liberty.

III. CUTTING OUR ROOTS

A third risk of rejecting patterns is that of cut-ting ourselves loose from the roots of faith' Sincethe days of the Campbells, studies in the phenom-enology of religion have described the function ofpatterns in the religious psyche. To reject the ideaof patterns is to ignore the scientific evidence thatthey root us in"ùhe ground of faith and meaning'

A practical, though perhaps superficial, exampleof this is the biblical example of singing in worship.Why have Christians of whatever conservative ortiber¿ù persuasion always given voice to their faithin song? Not simply, as we sometimes hear, because

"the Bible commands it." Rather, Christians singbecause they must. It is an urge arising from theirjoy in the Lord, their need to share the faith andto be built up by others of like faith, and to ex-press their hope. 'Ihe ne$/ man fairly bursts withemotions too sublime and subliminal for mere talk.We cannot just say it; we must sing it.

But what happens when we ignore the biblicalpattern of singing? It is the shallowest of responsesto say that we Lrreak a law of God. The importantthing is that to fail to sing is to fail to nourish theroots of our faith. It is a phenomenologiczrl factthat many believers who feel no song in their heartssoon cease to believe. The perception of God as aGod of love and grace depends in part on our draw-ing together to collectively voice his praises in song.It is therefore witlr no arbitrary legalism that God"commands" us to sing. Knowing us as only theCreator can, he gtaciously gives "patterns" thatnourish and sustain his creation.

This line of thought has rehabilitated Plato andthe idealists in our day. OnIy, the ideal forms are

not "out there." They are "down deep" within us.

Against the merely existential views, existence ingeneral and religious faith in particulal partahe ofrealities something like Jung's archetypes. Augus-tine's platonic statement, "Our hearts are restlessuntil they find their rest in thee," is a rn'arningagainst the abandonment of the Gocl-shaped formsin which we all are rooted.

IV" LOSING TI-{Ë Sþ{APË OF LÜVË

A final issue at stake whetr patterns are aban-doned is the concrete expression of love in the

MAY, 1978

name of Christ. Only in the Bible can we discoverhow best to exhibit Gcld's love for persons. Again,this opportunity is to be distinguished from thecommon tendency, in our heritage, 1,o limit speci-fic church ministries to those found in the NewTestament Scriptures. Neither is the pattern ofchurch life found there concerned primarily withwhether we should have plural elders, or the exteni;of congregational autonomy.

What is found in the Bible on this issue is thenormative pattern of what it means to be the Bodyof Christ: namely to minister to human needs whilecalling people to allegiance to him. The pattern pørexcellence for this task is the self-giving of Jesus.

Apalt from this pattern, promptings to service are

too riddled with self-service. Merely human deci-sions to meet human needs omit the spiritual needs

of persons.

The only New Testament use of the word "pat-tern" in the sense in which we are concerned is inthis area. Jesus suffered without retaliation, "7eav-ing you an exumple (Grl<. hypogrammatos, a pat-tern or template), that you should follow in hissteps." There is an example that "binds"!

I often recall the plight of my ministerial friendin a denomination which long ago abandoned pat-tern authority. He was complaining that he couldnot get his people interested in "Servant theology."He wanted to involve them in meeting human needs,and had tried to motivate them with the "sufferingServant" passages from Isaiah, a pattern fulfilledby Christ. 'fhey remained unmotivated.

And why not? It was much more comfortable

for them to ignore the needs of the poor and thedisadvantaged. It was more exciting ancl culturallyrelevant to argue over whether wom.en could beministers. More immediate and visible gains couldbe realized by building a finer sanctuary. For toolong they had been shielded from the uncomfort-able mold or die that is shaped like a crucifix. With-out that pattern, why not just serve ourselves?

BUT WHAT ABOUT THË PIANÕ?

I am the first to admit that these arguments indefense of pattern authority are not adequate tokeep out the piano forever, or to maintain uni-formity on the question of how the Spirit works,or to solve the myriad other issues many peoplefeel are at stake. With these defenses alone we can-not maintain all the "patterns" which Restorershave managed to find in Scripture. To greater andlesser degrees such attempts may have some worth.But I do not believe that the Scriptures themselvessupport such efforts. And unless we redirect thisfrantic search for minute justifications, or for her-meneutical principles that will keep the piano outbut the Sunday School in, etc., etc., more andmore among us will drop the entire pro'iect.

If there is no fail-safe formula for safeguardingthese minutiae, then why remain in a fellowshipwhere the majority holds them essential? Becausethe pattern rpinciple, horvever abused, is the roadtoward meaning. And that is what hermeneutics is

all about. And the pattern of the impact God madewhen he appeared in Jesus of Nazareth is too mean-ingful either to trivialize, or to discard. t

The New Testament was not designed to occupy the same place

in theologicaf seminaries that the carcasses of malefactors are con-demned to occupy in medical halls*finst doomed to the gib!:et" and

then to the dissecting knife of the sp¡r¡tual anatom¡st. Christianityconsists infinitely more in good works than in sound opinions;and"while it is a joyful truth that he that believes and is baptized shall

be saved, it is equally true that he that says,'l l<now him, and keeps

not his eonrmandments, is a tiar, and tlre truth ls not in hi¡'t1." "

-Alexander Campbell, The Christian System

MAY, 1S78 241

Ministeriql Troinin I¡

Preaching is the act of making a sermon anddeliuering it. Why no! Preaching is the art ofmaking a preacher and deliuering that. Preach-ing is the outrush of the soul in speech. There-

fore the elemental business in preaching is notwith the preaching but with the preacher. It is

no trouble to preach but a uast trouble to con-struct a preacher. . . . (Quayle, in William Bar-clay, Fishers of Men, p. 7I2.)

On the crest of a pleasant green hill near SanFrancisco there is a tremendous edifice known as

"the castle." I like the castle, with its high, roundtowers and its ancient stones. I like its ivy and itsquiet. It is a good place to think, and because it is agood place to think it has attracted men and wo-men who are intensely concerned with the mostprofound issues of life. In the castle there are menof great intelligence and education. As part of theSan Francisco Theological Seminary campus, it con-tains some of the brightest minds in the UnitedPresbyterian Church.

I suppose that, for the most part, this is true ofall denominations. Those with the best educationslive in the castle on the hill. But it is the work inthe fields below, and not life in the castle, whichcalls for the highest in education. To live daily withpeople who are winning great victories and suffer-ing humiliating defeats; to know ministry not as atheory but as a real-life experience; to counsel, tolead, to preach the word, requires the best of allpossible educations. Let our best educators workwith these persons; the less competent can workwith graduate students who will probably survivehis bungling, and not in the local church.

By education I do not mean the possession ofone or more academic degrees. One may be edu-

Larry Hart, preaching minister q.t the Santa Cruz, California,Church of Christ, høs had fít'st-hand experience with train-ing offered aL schools of preaching, Christian colleges, andsecular uniuersities. He has the M.A. in Counseling Psychol-ogy from the Uniuersity of Santa Cruz and the M.A. in Reli-gion from Pepperdíne Uniuersity.

8 248

WhoDoWe ?

I

t KinNee

By LARRY HART

cated without having earned any hind of a degree;or, he may hold several degrees and be horribly un-educated. To be educated means that one has ac-quired certain information, skills, and attitudes. Itis this trinity which makes one both a scholar and apreacher.*

Let me give an illustration from the counselingfield. Here is a counselor working with someonewho is suicidal. Because the counselor knows whatsigns indicate what degree of risk, he is able tomake a judgment as to whether the person shouldbe hospitalized. Without that information he mayrecommend that someone be held who ought to besent home; or, worse, he may release someone whogoes out and straightway kills himself. So the com-petent counselor possesses certain information.

But he also possesses certain skills. As he workswith the individual who is feeling suicidal, he willlisten in a particularly artful and skillful way whichwill help this very depressed person move throughthe crisis.

Furthermore, if he is to establish a good coun-seling relationship; if he is going to create an en-

vironment that encourages health and growth, thenthere are some specific attitudes which he musthave. He must be accepting and empathetic.

If we look at the art of preaching, we see thesame thing. The preacher must know his text, he

must possess skills of organization and delivery,and he must embody attitudes which communicateto his audience that he is a messenger worthy ofbelief.

First, then, as to information. A preacher, or onewho would become a preacher, needs a generalknowledge of many fields into which he can fitmore specific pieces of information as he continuesto learn and develop. He should be one who hasstudied, very early in his career, such fields as thehumanities, philosophy, history, literature, sociol-ogy, psychology, and the physical sciences.

This will do a number of things for him. It will

'l'For this understanding of education I am indebted to Dr.Charles Adams, minister and professor of Linguistics.

MAY, 1978

allow him to relate to people with diverse baclç-grounds. IIe will be in a better position to correlateother disciplines, and the issues they raise, with hisown theological convictions. And, finallv, it, is less

lihely that he will make a fool of himself or turnpeople off by using sermon illustrations which areeither inaccurate or just plain untrue.

Now, the best place to acquire this general hindof information is in a good, four-year course ofstudy at an accredited college or university. It is notavailable in preaching schools or in the type ofBible college run by the Christian church. It is pos-sible for one to acquire this knowledge on his own,if he is an absolutely vclracious reader whose cur-iosity is insatiable, but it is not likely that he willdo so.

Beyond this general hnowledge there ought tobe, of course, a detailed study of the Bible. It oughtto be studied textually, historically, and theologi-cally. Much attention should be devoted to its greati;hemes and principles. The preacher must know theBible, for it is the word which he is to preach. If heis to preach expositorily (and all biblical preachingis expository), he should have an understanding ofthe Bible's original languages, and sound hermeneu-tical principles. I{e ought to be familiar with arche-ology and its contribution to biblical exegesis.

In addition to this, the preacher ought to have agood grasp of ancient, medieval, and modern reli-gious history. He should hnow something aboutwhat's going on in the fiekls of Clhristian ethics,philosophy, and apologetics. IIe should have studiedreligious education, group dynamics, church admin-istration, counseling theory, missiology, and evan-gelism. If he has been educated in this way, he willbe a man who stands in the pulpit because he hassomething to say as the messenger of God, and notbecause he has to say something.

Normally this more comprehensive study beginsin a three-year graduate program and continues forthe rest of one's life. Preaching schools can have animportant role in training men to serve God's peo-ple, but they are not equipped to provide the bestin ministerial education. If a man is over thirtyyeals old and has lirnited academic experience butsome natural ability, and if he believes he is calledto do the work of an evangelist, then a good preach-ing school may very well meei, his needs. He maynot receive the best of all educations, but he can beequipped for many years of useful service. How-ever, a young man who has just begr-rn to plan hisrninistry should be encoLrraged to attend a four-year theological program in an evangelical school ofhigh caliber. (I say evangelical because I have friendswho are very disappointed with their seminary ex-perience. Thev have come out experts in social ac-tion, but 1,o1;ally ignoranl; of Gr:d's revelation")

MAY, 1978

Finally, the preacher needs to hnow somethingabout life, and that takes living. It is a terrible mis-tahe for a yourlg man tc¡ go directly from his formals1;rrdies to a church where he is the only tninister onstaff. It is best if ire first gains experience in some"secnlar" job or profession. At the very least heshould begin by working four or five years as anassociate minister, an educational director, or ayouth worker. Under no circumstances should hebegin a fulltime preaching ministry before he isabout twenty-seven years old, and preferably notbefore he is thirty. Perhaps by that time he willhave begun to learn something about being thought-ful, compassionate, and competent.

The knowledge which a minister has must be ex-periential, or personal, and not merely intellectual;that is, it must be a hnowledge which demonstratesitself in practical skills. When he works with Scrip-ture, when he does an exegesis of some particularpassage, it ought to be clear that here is a mastercraftsman at worh. He knows how to research, andto organize, and to systematize. He is a man whohas been taught not simply what to think, but howto thinh. As Barclay puts it:

The plain duty of the evangelist is to thinh thingsout and to thinh them through for himself. Thegravest danger of the evangelist is that he shouldroll out conventional religious words and phraseswhich he has borrowed from others and to whichhe himself, if challenged, would have difficultyin attaching âny meaning. The message of theevangelist must be a personal discovery. (Fishersof Men, p. 17.)In addition to this ability to thinh, the capable

minister practices good interpersonal communica-tion skills. As a counselor he is not only a theorist,but a good artist as well. As a teacher he hnows notonly what should happen in a classroom, but howto help it happen. He can not only pass ân exam olladministration and Ieadership, but he actually em-ploys the principles involved.

Somewhere in here I must add something aboutpreaching skills, but I hesitate to do so l¡ec¿ruse

preaching transcends skills and techniques. As nec-essary as they are, real preaching is more than shillsof exposition and organization and deliveiy. In hisboolr, Seuen Worlds of the Minister, Gerald Ken-nedy notes that the preacher must be a diligent stu-dent of his craft, hr-rt at the same time the sermonis an existential event. It is "one great moment ofexperience between a preacher, a congregation, and(ìod" "

In our triune definition of ministerial education,the least dependent on forrnal training is attitude,or character. Obvior"rslv there is a great deaì whir:hcould be said here, but I only want to say enoughto emphasize this as a very vital part of any defini-tion of pi:eacher educai,ion. A man mav have a won-

249

derful breadth of knowledge and many marvelousskills, but still be totally inept as a minister becauseof his own wrong attitudes and defective character.One who is rude or arrogant will never be compe-tent in the Master's service. Without love and em-pathy it is impossible to be a healer. If he does notbelieve that the world is desperately in need ofsome words of faith, then all his knowledge and allhis skills will be impotent.

The apostle Paulencouraged the young preacher,Timothy, to be an example in love, in faith, and inpurity. For the preacher the fruit of the Spirit mustnot be simply the list in Galatians 5:22,bttt life it-self. As Kennedy says, the preacher is to be a manwho is real,because preaching is the most revealingthing in the world. Pretense in a preacher will bediscerned. Attitude, character, is paramount in thiskind of ministry. "Whether one merely loves to

preach, or loves those to whom he preaches, makesatl the difference in the world" (Martin Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers, p. 92). What a manls determines what he does.

The purpose of ministerial training is to "equipthe saints for the work of the ministry, for buildingup the body of Christ, until we all attain to theunity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonof God, to mature manhood, to the measure of thestature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13-14).

Significant education for this equipping workshows itself in these three areas: information, skills,and attitudes. I am always anxious to meet such ed-ucated men. They encourage, and enlighten, andstimulate me. Their knowledge and skills, madepowerful by goodness, humble me. Surely these arethe kind of men we must train and send beyond thecastle wall.

-ÞT-""Ax 4 * -_-Mr. Salinger's daughter was still unconscious following her auto accident.

lffi *ïå ¿r-=r;",.¡rå.,-.s¡, ,1 -d. . We were waiting outside the Intensiue Care Unit when Mrs. Maynard, the

Æ'f q Æ"K.ffi ffi-., !;:,":;:;";::;:j":,";::1,";:;",îy'iå,,,ï,i,2::,'ii"f,':::?:ï:,n"':"1;:Í!::k"time before, and she had cared for him, too. I told her he was doing all right,was bacl¿ at work, making good progress.

"And how is he doing emotionally?" she wanted to know."He's doing fine," I saíd. "He's facing his gríef and dealing with it uery

well. I was worcíed about him for awhile, though, because. . . well, he seemedto be too happy."

Mr. Salinger startled me with a loud laugh. He said, "Why, I neuer knewanybody could be too happy!"

"You bet!" I snapped bacl¿. "When you'ue lost your wífe and døttghter ína car wrecla!"

I felt bad about the curt ansu)er, but I think he understood me. Later Irealized this was exactly what had been bothering me about Mr. Salinger.Considering the circumstances, he had seemed too happy, too. He had been

talLzing a lot about the importance of faith. And it occurred to me now thatwhat he seemed to mean was that if he kept smiling, Iaughing, being happy-no matter what-then euerything would be all right.

I'ue been thínking of how so many of us hold that philosophy, and itgrieues me to see the harm it can do. We see someone who is sad (and witheuery reason to be). We want to help him, so we say, "Chín up. Smile. Euery'thing's all right." At best the person feels rejected and lonely, hnowing he isnot understood and accepted qs he is. At worst, he takes the aduice and triesto conuince himself that all is well, whích means he has to lie to himself.

Two statements come to mind: that of the apostle Paul-"Reioice withthose who rejoice, weep with those who u)eep"; and Richard Margolis' chil-dren's poem:

When I am cryingI don't want to be tickled.

Cled Wimbish's training includes a degree in Clinical Pastoral Education,which he employs

in his hospital ministry in Austin, Texas. He also preaches for the Church of Christ for the

Deaf in Austin.

"Ëåmådæ

By CLED WIMBISH

10 2so MAY, 1978

TheGoodsontheKJV

By JIM SMITH

The continuing complaints about the newer ver-sions of the Bible are amusing and incredible to me.I was a student at David Lipscomb College whenthe late J. Ridley Stroop became so vocal in op-position to "the new Bible." While J. W. Robertswas supporting the Revised Standard Version inAbilene, Dr. Stroop was riding the brakes in Nash-ville. Though both are dead now, others have takentheir places. While Nashville and Abilene still dis-agree as to which version Paul carried in his hippocket, the King James Version still seems to be

A former preacher wd Bible Chaít. teacher, Ji¡n Smittt isnow an office equipment technician liuing in Bedford,Texøs. He and his family are actiue at the Central Church ofChríst in nearby lruing.

MAY, 1978

preferred east of the Mississippi, with the AmericanStandard Version the sanctioned second. All otherskeep out!

Dr. Stroop was my favorite Bible teacher, mymajor professor, and my friend; but I have neverbeen able to figure out why he was so anti-RSV.My best guess is that it was not so much the text aswho produced it. "The liberals" had translatedIsaiah 7:14 as "young woman" instead of "virgin";and even though the RSV used "virgin" in Mat-thew's application of the passage to Jesus, it wasstill a "liberal" version.

I remember reading the RSV for the first time,and was delighted. Later, I used the New EnglishBible in my preaching, and took a few shots for do-ing so. (I decided to give up preaching instead ofreading!) But to me it is incredible lhat a preacheror teacher would use the KJV in an attempt toteach someone with little or no biblical background.It is just not in their language.

This exclusive attachment to the KJV is also puz-zling when we remember that it is peculiar to theEnglish tongue. There is no such thing as a SpanishKJV, a French KJV, etc. We should not be so arro-gant about the English language. At Lipscomb therewere several amusing situations involving foreignstudents trying to relate the KJV English to theEnglish of the '50s. Some went away shaking theirheads; it's a wonder they didn't go a\May shakingtheir fists!

Even in English the KJV text has not been toosacred to amend. Few people realize that it haschanged considerably over the years, in an unpub-licized fashion. Since it has long been in the publicdomain, each publisher has the liberty to dropwords or phrases here and there. This can be seeneasily by comparing a KJV published, say, about1900 with one published since the late '30s.

I have wondered to myself whether there maybe two possible reasons for the heated opposition

251 11

to newer translations. First, could it be that we sub-consciously prefer not to have the text so explicit-so painfully clear? And second, could it be that themore prominent opposing clergymen fear that theywould become useless interpreters in the face ofsuch clarity?

do detect a change, however. Just the otherday a lady who in the past had taken me to task fornot being pro-KJV commented about an article intheir church bulletin: "We do not agree with every-thing the preacher says." And the bulletin articlewas pro-KJV! (Yes, it was also from east of theMississippi.)

It would help put the matter into better per-spective if we would recall that the KJV itself wasreceived with similar squawhs. It was only with thepassing of time that it became lh¿ version. I oncewrote a major Bible-publishing house for the textof the KJV translators' introductory statement totheir readers. It shows how they anticipated thecomplaints, knowing that their work would be re-ceived with "but cold entertainment." It is also in-teresting to note how they defended the need forBible translations in the vernacular, and even theirmethod of translating. While the statement itself isin the same King James English as the Bible, andmay therefore be hard to read, I thinh it should berequired reading for everyone who enters the argu-ment. Excerpts from this fascinating statement(long since out of copyright) follow.

Tþ{H TRANSLATTRS TO TI.IE RËANEH"Zeal to promote the common good, whether it

be by devising any thing onrselves, or revising thatwhich hath been laboured by others, deserveth cer-tainly much respect and esteem, but yet findethhut cold entertainment in the world. It is u'elcomedwitl, suspicion instead of love, and with emulationinstead of thanhs: ar-rd if there be any hole left forcavj.l to entei:, (and cavil, if it do not find an hole,will make one) it is sure to be misconstrued, and indanger to be condernned. . F'or was there everany thing projected, that savourecl any way of new-

12 252

ness of renewing, but the same endured many astorm of gainsaying, or opposition?. . .

"Thus not only as oft as we speah, as one saith,but also as oft as we do any thing of note or conse-quence, we subject ourselves to everyone's censllre,and happy is he that is least tossed upon tongues;for utterly to escape the snatch of them it is impos-sible. So hard a thing it is to please all, evenwhen we please God best, and do seek to approveourselves to every one's conscience. . . .

"Neither is there any likelihood that envy andmalignity died and were buried with the ancient.No, no, the reproof of Moses taketh hold of mostages, You are risen up in your fathers'stead, an in-crease of sinful men (Num. 32:14). What is thatthat has been done? that uthiclt shall be done: andthere is no new thing under the Sun, saith the wise-man (Eccles. 1:9): and S. Stephen, As your fathersdid, so do you (Acts 7:51). This, and more to thispurpose, his Majesty that now reigneth knew fullwell, according to the singular wisdom given untohim by God, and the rare learning and experiencethat he hath attained unto; namely, That whoso*ever atternpteth anything for the public (especiallyif it pertain to religion, and to the opening andclearing of the word of God) tire same setteth him-self upon a stage to be gloated upon by every evilele, 5zs¿, he casteth himself headlong upon pikes,to be gored by every sharp l;ongue. For he thatmeddleth with men's religion in any part, meddlethwith lùeir custorl1, nay, with their freehold; ancl"

though they find no content in that which theyhave, yet they cannot abide to hear of altering."

(lId.-after ct le.ngtlty section emphasizitt7 the

MAY, 1978

importance of studying and meditating on the Scrip-tures, the translators continue: )

"But how shall men meditate in that which theycannot understand? Ilow shall they understand thatwhich is kept close in an unknown tongue? as it iswritten, Except I know the power of the uoice, Ishall be to him that speaketh a barbarian, and hethat speaketh shall be q barbarian to me (I Cor.14 [sic]). The Apostle excepteth no tongue; notI-Iebrew the ancientest, not Greek the most copious,not Latin the finest. Nature taught a natural manto confess, that all of us in those tongues which wedo not understand, are plainly deaf; we may turnthe deaf ear unto them. . . .

T"r.rore as one complaineth, that always inthe Senate of Rome, there was one or other thatcalled for an interpreter: so lest the Church be dri-ven to the like exigent, it is necessary to have trans-lations in readiness. Translation it is that openeththe window, to let in the light; ihat breaketh theshell, that we may eat the hernel;that putteth asidethe curtain, that we may look into the most holyplace; that removeth the cover of the well, that wemay come by the water, even as Jacob rolled awaythe stone from the mouth of the well, by whichmeans the flochs of Laban were watered. Indeedwithout translation into the vulgar tongue, the un-learned are but like children at Jacob's well (whichwas deep) without a bucJret or something to drawwith: or as that person mentioned by Esay, towhom when a sealed book was delivered, with thismotion, Read this, I pray thee, he was fain to makethis answer,I cannot, for it is sealed (Isa. 29:11-). . . .

"Now though the Church were furnishedwith Greek and Latin translations? even before thefaith of Christ was generally embraced in the Em-pire. . . yet for all that the godly learned were notcontent to have the Scriptures in the languagewhich themselves understood, Greek and Latin, (asthe good lepers were not content to fare well them-selves, but acquainted their neighhours with thestore that God had sent, that they also might pro-vide for themselves) but also for the behoof andedifying of the unlearned, which hungred and thirs-

MAY. 1978

ted after righteousness, and had souls to be savedas well as they, they provided translations into thevulgar for their countrymen, insomuch that mostnations under heaven did shortly after their conver-sion, hear Christ speahing unto them in their mothertongue, not be the voice of their minister only, butalso by the written word translated. . . .

"Many men's mouths have been open a goodwhile (and yet are not stopped) with speeches abotttthe translation so long in hand, or rather perusalsof translations made before: and ash what may bethe reason, what the necessity of the employment:Hath the Church been deceived, say they, all thiswhile? Ilath her sweet bread been mingled withleaven, her silver with dross, her wine with water,her millç with lime? We hoped that we had been inthe right way, that we had had the Oracles of Goddelivered unto us, and that though al.l the world had

cause to be offended and to complain, yet that wehad none. Hath the nurse holden out the breast,and nothing but wind in it? Hath the bread beendelivered by the Fathers of the Church, and thesame proved to kre lapidosus (hard, stony-ed.) as

Seneca speaketh? What is it to handle the worcl ofGod deceitfully, if thjs be not? Thus saith breth-ren.

"We are so far off from condemning any of [theFather's] Iahours that travelled hefore us in th.is

kind. . that we acknowledge them to have beeuraised up of God, for the building and furnishìng ofhis Church, and thal, they cleserve to be hacl of us

and of posterity in everlasting remembrance. Thejudgement of Aristotle is worthy and well hnown:trf 'I'imotheus had rzot been, we had not had much

2b3 T3

sweet musich: but if Phrynls (Timotheus his master)had not been, we had not had Tímotheus (2Metaphys. cap. I). . . . And as S. Augustine saith,A man had rather be with his dog than with a stran-ger (whose tongue is strange unto him-lib. 19. Deciuit. Dei, cap. 7). Yet for all that, as nothing is be-gun and perfected at the same time, and the latterthoughts are thought to be the wiser: so, if webuilding upon their foundation that went before us,and being holpen by their labours, do endeavour tomake that better which they left so good; no man,we are sure, hath cause to mislike us; they, we per-suade ourselves, if they were alive, would thankus.. . .

"We do not deny, nay we affirm and avow, thatthe very meanest translation of the Bible in English,set forth by men of our profession, (for we haveseen none of theirs of the whole Bible as yet) con-taineth the word of God, nay, is the word of God:As the King's speech which he uttered in Parlia-ment, being translated into French, Dutch, Italian,and Latin, is still the King's speech, though it benot interpreted by every translator with the likegrace, nor peradventure so fitly for phrase, nor so

expressly for sense, every where. . . .

"A man may be counted a virtuous man, thoughhe have made many slips in his life. . . also a comelyman and lovely, though he have some warts uponhis hand; yea, not only freckles upon his face, butalso scars. No cause therefore why the word trans-lated should be denied to be the word, or forbiddento be current, notwithstanding that some imperfec-tions and blemishes may be noted in the setting ofit. . . . The translation of the Seventy (The Septua-gint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament-ed.) dissenteth from the Original in many places,neither doth it come near it, for perspicuity, #ãv-ity, majesty; yet which of the Apostles did con-demn it? Condemn it? nay, they used it . . . whichthey would not have done, nor by their example ofusing it, so grace and commend it to the Church, ifit had been unworthy the appellation and name ofthe word of God. . . .

"But it is high time. . . to show in brief what weproposed to our selves, and what coürse we held inthis our ¡ierusal and survey of the Bible. Truly

14 254

(good Christian Reader) we never thought from thebeginning, that we should need to make a newtranslation, nor yet to make of a bad one a goodone. . but to make a good one better, or out ofmany good ones, one principal good one, not justlyto be excepted against; that hath been our endeav-our, that our mark. . . .

W have learned the Hebrew tongue in part,and in the Latin we have been exercised almostfrom our very cradle. S. Hierome (Jerome-ed.)maketh no mention of the Greek tongue, whereinyet he did excel, because he translated not the OldTestament out of Greek, but out of Hebrew. Andin what sort did these assemble? In the trust oftheir own knowledge, or of their sharpness of wit,or deepness of judgment, as it were in an arm offlesh? At no hand. They trusted in him that haththe key of David, opening and no man shutting;they prayed to the Lord the Father of our Lord, tothe effect that S. Augustine did; O let thy Scrip-tures be my pure delight; let me not be deceiued inthem, neither let me deceiue by them (lib. II. Con-

fess. cap. 2)."In this confidence, and with this devotion did

they assemble together; not too many, lest oneshould trouble another; and yet hily, lest manythings haply might escape them. If you ask whatthey had before them, truly it was the Hebrew textof the Old Testament, the Greek of the New. Theseare the two golden pipes, or rather conduits, where-through the olive branches empty themselves intothegold....

"Many other things we might give thee warningof (gentle Reader) if we had not exceeded the mea-sure of a preface already. It remaineth that we com-mend thee to God, and to the Spirit of his grace,which is able to build further than we can ask orthink. He removeth the scales from our eyes, theveil from our hearts, opening our wits that we mayunderstand his word, enlarging our hearts, yea cor-recting our affections, that we may love it abovegold or silver, yea that we may love it to the end. . . .

t

MAY, 1978

What IsThuth?By STAN PAREGIEN

I do not hnow what I may appear to the world,but to myself I seem to haue been only like aboy playing on the seashore and diuerting my-self in now and then finding a smooth pebble ora prettier shell than ordinary whilst the greatocean of truth lay all undiscouered before us.

-Isaac Newton

The search for truth has engaged man's interestsince the beginning of time. Today, perhaps morethan ever before, men are crying out, "Give us thetruth!" Businessmen are demanding truthfulnessfrom government spokesmen. Housewives agitatefor effective "truth-in-packaging" legislation to pro-tect consumers from unscrupulous manufacturers.Studnets, their most overt activities once confinedto swallowing goldfish, refuse to accept glib answersto their probing questions. Loud and sometimesangrSr voices are advocating a more dynamic pursuitof truth.

In fact, it is a foregone conclusion in any demo-cratic society that we should have the truth. Ulti-mately, however, Pilate's famous question alwaysarises: "What is truth?" And once that question isanswered we must ask another: "Hoìil do we applyit?"

What do you mean by "'r,ruth"? It would be quiterevealing, I think, for you to pause at the end ofthis paragraph and write your own definition oftruth on the margin of this page. Don't be bashful.How do you define "truth"?

Now that you have thought for a moment aboutthe concept of truth, you are probably ready toconcede thatapart from a specific context the wordis a slippery one. A standard dictionary tells us thattruth is "conformity with fact," or that it is "an es-

tablished or verified fact." Wtrile such a definitionis helpful, we must accept it cautiously.

Stan Pøregien mínísters wíth the South City ChurchChrisl in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He is the authorThoughts on Unity and seueral other bool¿s and artícles.

MAY, 1978

ofof

The problem is that definitions are not alwaysadequate for every purpose. For example, someonehas defined "man" as a "featherless biped." I sup-pose that is a truth. Man has no feathers and doeswalk on two feet. But it's also a good descriptionof a plucked chicken! For our purposes, therefore,I think it better to explore the characteristics oftruth than to offer a necessarily inadequate def-inition.

CHARACTER ISTICS OF TRUTHI. Truth is a liberating force. Jesus said to his dis-

ciples, "You will know the.truth, and the truth willmake you free" (John 8:32). But the principle is

characteristic of many types of truth. Man's dis-covery of the laws of aerodynamics allows us to fly,to become free of the gravitational pull of the earth.The discovery of anti-biotics frees us from certainphysical diseases. Recent findings by biochemistspromise to alleviate specific kinds of mental illness,freeing people from psychic torture. Truth, whetherconcerned with the physical, mental, or spiritualspheres, possesses a liberating quality.

2. Truth is often disturbing. The patient who isinformed that he is suffering from a terminal illnessknows how unnerving the truth may be. Still, itwould be foolish for him to refuse to accept thedoctor's diagnosis just because it was not what hewanted to hear.

One of the temptations which all Christians faceis that of playing footsy with people who actuallyneed their toes stepped on. Yes, God's truth is tobe taught with longsuffering love. But that doesn'tinclude compromise or concealing the word!

When David needed to be confronted with hisguilt, a courageous man named Nathan pulled nopunches. He recognized that, like a surgeon, God'sspohesman must sometimes hurt in order to help.

Today, however, we have plenty of Gamalielswilling to let things coast along and not enoughNathans willing to rock the boat and get it back oncourse. When God's messengers faithfully and lov-ingly proclaim God's message, they can say with

255 15

the apostle Paul, "If any of you should be lost, Iam not responsible. For I have not held back frornannouncing to you the whole purpose of God"(Aci,s 20:26-27)"

3. AU truths are equally true, but not all truthsare equally important. The statement, "Bethlehemis south of Jerusalem" is true-just as true as thestatement, "God is love." But in terms of their re-spective importance, the last one wins by a coun-try mile.

Some truths, such as the fact that there are sixty-six books in the Bible, have uothing to do with our

that many issues are not of that sort. Itr fact, wefind a number of "both/and" cal,egories in religion.Jesus, for example, is both human ¿¿¡zd divine . Manís botÌt physical orzd spiritual.

Dr. I-Iarrell closes his excellent article with these

observations:

In the course of Ìristory there have lceen tnauvgroups that have attempted to turn l"hese both/and statements into either/or ones. The onething these groups have all had in common is thatthey were heretical.

There is room for "latitudinarians" in thechurch because both/and are inherent in Chris-

Like a surgeon, God's spokesman must sometimes húrtin order to help, Today, however, we have plenty of Gamaliels willing tolet th¡ngs coast along and not enough Nlathans willing to rock the boat.

salvation. Others, such as the fact that angels exist,are more relevant but not vital. Still other truths,such as the command to be born again (John 3:3),are absolutely necessary for our salvation. We in-flict terrible injustices on those whom we teach,on ourselves, and on the Scriptures when we care-

Iessly place all of these truths on the same level ofimportance.

The kind of truth we should be primariìy con-cerned with is that which "has 1,o do with the na-ture of man-who he is, why he exists, and what hisdestiny is. Truth has to do with God, with goodand evil, with sin and redemption, with time andeternity" (L. Nelson Bell, in Christiaruity Today

IMay 10, 1968], p. 20).

4. Truth is ruarrou), but that which is narcow isnot necessarily truth.

Pat I{arrell, of the Biblical Str"rdies Center in Aus-tin, Texas, once lamented "The truth is narrorru."The result, he says, is twofold: (1) we not only be-lieve that truth is narrow, but that what is narrowis truth;and (2) we develop an either/or mentality.We get to the point where we're like the fellow whowas no naruow-minded that he could looir througha heyhole with both eyes at the same time!

'fhis problem is seen in theoiogical disputes whichengage in two-valued logic. One is eitÌzer iiberal r¡rconservative. Others are viewed as either faithful orintellectual. There is either the authority of theScriptures or the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Themission of God's people is either evangelism orsocial concern.

Certainly we must admit, as did Kierhegaard,that some things do fall into the "either/or" realm.One is either saved or lost. But the point here is

16 256

tianity. What is truth is narrow, but what is nar-row mây be false.

5. God is the source of all truth. Tlne Old Testa-ment tells us that Jehovah is a God of truth (Deut.32:4\, while the New Testament asserts thal, hiswcrrd is truth (John 17 77). When I come home inthe evening and find a delicious-looking meal onthe table, I hnow that my lovely wife prepared it,even if she is not present at the rnoment that I enterthe room. In the same way, the truths which I see

in operation each day of my life point to theTruth Giver.

In Old Testament times, the writer of l{ebrewsexplains, "God spohe to our ancestors many timesand in many ways through the prophets" (FIeb.

1:1). The list of those to whom God directly andverbally revealed certain truths includes such peopleas Adam and Eve, Abraham, Isaac, Noah, Moses,

the prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, and manymore.

"But," i,he llebrew writer continues, o'in tlteselast days he has spohen to tts through his Son"(I{eb. 1:2). We recognize the fact that "God gave

the Law through Moses; but grace and truth camethrough Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). Jesus himselfdeclared, "I am the way, the truth, and the llfe;noone goes to the Father except Ìry tne" (Joirn I4:€:)"

As the time drew near for hjm to leave the earl,h,Jesus told the apostles, "The llelper, the IìolySpirit whom the Father will send in my name, willteach yor-r everything, and mahe yoll remember a.ll

that I lrave told you" (Johtt 1'4:26). So with theI-Ioly Spirit guiding them, the apostles began preach-ing and writing the truths which God revealerd toi,hem.

And today we have tl-rat testimony in the docu-ments which mahe up the New 'lestament. That is

MAY, 1978

why such scholars as J. B. Phillips have concludedthat "We have in the New Testament, words thatbear the hallmark of reality and the ring of truth"(Ring of Truth, p. 125).

6. Truth must be applied if it is to be useful. Theresearch scientist spends his time searching for hid-den truths about how things operate as they do.Through his study and experimentation, he at-tempts to come up with truths which will fill oneof the gaps in man's knowledge and which willsomehow be useful. If he is successful in his re-search and discovers something new, he reports thattruth so that his discovery may be put to use.

Similarly, the Christian life involves a process ofseeking and sharing truth. Since God is the sourceof all truth, he wants man to actively seek it. Theapostle Luke paid a gleat compliment to the peopleof the city of Berea, for he says that when Paul andSilas taught them "they listened to the messagewith great eagerness, and every day they studied theScriptures to see if what Paul said was really true"(Acts 17:11).

One of my favorite comicstrip characters is Pri-vate Beetle Bailey, U. S. Army. Recently Beetlewent to the base chaplain to discuss some problems.He began by saying, "Chaplain, lately it seems thatup is down. . . in is out. . . badis good.. . . I'm get-ting all mixed up about everything."

is like a man who looks in a mirror and sees him-self and then goes a'vrr'ay, and at once forgets whathe looks like. But whoever looks closely into theperfect law that sets men free, who keeps on pay-ing attention to it, and does not simply listenand then forget it, but puts it into practice-thatperson will be blessed by God in what he does.

-James l:22-25*7 . Truth requires that we tell it to others-

straight. After we have sought the truth and obeyedit ourselves, we are instructed to share it withothers (Matt. 28:19-20). But we have no right toalter it in order to make it more appealing to some-one else. Henry Ward Beecher used to tell about atired and dusty man who was walking to Farming-ton, New York. When the worn-out fellow got toRochester,he stopped a teenage boy and asked himhow far it was to Farmington. When the travelerheard that it was eight more miles, he groaneddeeply. And the boy hastened to add, "Well, seeingthat you are so tired, I will call it seven miles."That kind of approach to truth only dilutes its ef-fectiveness, misleads those in need of it, and con-demns those who tamper \Mith it (Rev. 22:18-19).

The divinely approved cycle, then, is to searchfor the truth, obey the truth, and share the truth.The cycle, however, should not end there-contraryto the way some believers act. It is a continuouslyrepeating cycle. For like newborn babies, Christiansare "always thirsty for the pure spiritual milk"

We want'the answers in the back'. . . successwithout sweat, popular¡ty without principles, education without effort,

wealth without work, and salvation apart from sacrifice.

The chaplain replied in his best ministerial tone,"Read your Bible, Beetle. These same questions areall in the Good Book." To this suggestion Beetlequickly asked, "Does it give the answers in theback?"

Aren't most of us like Beetle Bailey at heart? Wewant "the ans\ryers in the back." We want successwithout sweat, popularity without principles, edu-cation without effort, wealth without work, andsalvation apart from sacrifice. But Jesus himself em-phasized personal initiative: "Ask, and you will re-ceive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the doorwill be opened to you" (Matt. 7:7).

After we have found the truth, it is imperativethat we put it into effect in our lives. Peter com-mended the early Christians for their "obedienceto the truth" (1 Pet. I:22). And James begged hisreaders to do the same:

Do not fool yourselves by just listening to hisword. Instead, put it into practice. Whoever lis-tens to the word but does not put it into practice

MAY, 1978

(1" Pet. 2:2). They are eager to learn more, to obeymore, and to share more. They do not feel threat-ened by their continued search for better under-standing. As Joseph R. Sizoo explains,

Truth never need be afraid of light. The morelight you let loose upon it, the more beautiful itbecomes. Sunlight falling on a dead log will in-crease the process of decay and decomposition,but sunlight falling on a living tree enhances itsbeauty and strength.So let each of us resolve to search for the truth

with the same receptive attitude of the Bereans

"vho "were more open-minded than the people in

Thessalonia" (Acts 17:11). And let us declare withthe ancient psalmist:

Teach me your ways, Lord,make them known to me.

Teach me to live according to your truth,because you are my Savior.All day long I trust in you.

-Psalms 25:4-5t

257 17

"f'lUo wLwLìe!"{,o n JW*J itç,t {o rz

When James and John wanted to be assured of prominent positionsin Jesus' kingdom, he asked them whether they were able to drink ofthe cup that he was to drink, In their presumption they said that theycould; and, indeed, in spite of their not knowing whereof they spoke,Jesus said they would. Yet his own prayer in Gethsenrene was, "Father,if it ls your will, remove this cup from me."

The most oppressive burden Jesus bore was not merely stoop¡ng tobe human, nor being rejected, nor even being shamefully l<illed; it was

knowing what lay ahead and fully understanding the terrible power ofthe evil he encountered, both within himself and from without. lt was

the horrible and unique loneliness of being the only human being everto meet the fullest power of Satan: in his wilderness temptation; indeal-ing with demons; even in having to share for a time, at his death, in theultimate alienation from God experienced by Satan. And yet, none ofthis could he communicate to his disciples, for they could not share hisheightened perception of evil. He was alone to an extreme that we can-not comprehend when he uttered that anguished prayer for deliverancefrom the cup that loomed in already-realized pain before him; the sleep-ing disciples behind him but symbolized the deep separation betweenhim and the rest of mankind.

But the greatest wonder of the gospel of Jesus is that after beingdriven to the depths of the emptiness of evil by the sins of mankind,the Son of God wants to share with sinners what he gained by facingthat emptiness alone. We can now drink the cup that he drank, and

though it may at t¡mes be painful, we can endure it because he temperedits bitterness with the forsal<en flow of his life's blood. And he invites us

to sit and eat with him*the One who ate the bread of sorrow in desolation.

And now that he has passed through the Shadow for all of us, we butrenew hís sufferings when we neglect or desecrate the feast of sharingwhich he left us-not only in the actual physical observance of it, butin vir:lating its spirit in our lives. l-'le calls to us: "Dearest ones" do notcling to your loneliness" which I have endured for you; cast it off, andsit with me" and we shall be together, as it was meant to be."

18 258

-Elton D. lliggs

MAY. 1978

TBACHER FIRED FOR CONVERTING STUDENI--Lucien Daigneault, an AmericanBapEist minister in Pal-myra, I11., has been dismissed as an elementary schoolLeacher for converting a 13-year-old girl. A school board spokesperson saidít had warned the teacher to sLop using Christian literature and the Bible inhis classes, and in talking abouL ChrisL Eo sEudents at the school.

HOMOSEXUALS AND THE CHURCH--Pro-homosexual sLaLemenLs have been issue Irecently in the formerly cor.rservaEive Bible BeIt. A SouLhern BapList ethicisLtold a national seminar in Nashville chat trif churches really believe in theChristian and democratic way of life, they shoul-d work acLively to decrimín-aLLze laws against homosexual behavior between consenting adulrs, to elimin-ate discrirninatory laws in employment, housing, and public faciliLies.tr Dr.Henlee L. Barnette, who made the statemenL, also charged LhaË Southern Baptistshave had an attitude of rrcontempt rather than compassion, rejection ratherthan redemptionril Loward homosexuals....Meanwhile, a Dallas conference \^Ias

told that I'all sexual conLacËrr (homosexual or oLherwise) "is in ítself good,provided it does not treat the oLher person as a thing.rr The staLement \n7as

made by Dr. Norman PitLenger, Anglican theologian who spoke at the conference,sponsored by six local churches and Lhe Dallas Gay Political Caucus....But inConnecticut, five Roman Catholic bishops have said Lhey would disobey I'any lawwhich would forbid us to dismiss from our schools a cause of iunnoral influenceover chíldren"r' The statement protests ä. move to prohibit discríminationagainsL homosexual teachers. The íssue is I'Lhe sensitive quesLion of therights of homosexuals versus the righrs of parents,rtthe bishops said.

THq qiE çY_-JA¡1. l-4AB,KET--The U" S. DeparLment of Labor has taken uponiLself to \n/arn that the job market for clergy in Protestant churches and Jew*ish synagogues will be tougher than opportuniLíes in the Roman Catholic priest*hood. The departmentrs recently-pubtished 800*page t'Occupational OutlookHandbook, 1978*79,ttwarns job seekers t.hatrra growing number of priests wíllbe needed ín Lhe years aheadt'...but t'merger and unity âmong denomÍnaLions.".has reduced demand for Protestant ministersrr and rabbis

"

ÇQL$AN Ç&ITIÇ zE IlAIrDEl@t{ .DAaK*-Charles Colson, convicted l,rlatergaLefigure who converted to evangelical ChrísEianíty, has criticized H" R. I{alde*manrs new book on ülatergate as a disservíce to society. In a speech at FirsLBaptist Church in San AnLonio, Colson said that Haldemanrs book was full oferrors and had arrcondemnaüorytrLone" rrlde should stop blaming each other andËake responsibility for our o\^Tn actionsril Colson saíd" t'Then maybe the publiecan sLart forgiving us"tl

MAY, 1978 259',rs

By Bobbie Lee Hollq

The Fomily: How Much Should Government Do?

"Is the family eroding?" This impor-tant question is being discussed thesedays among those who study and workwithin the field of human development.Child development expert Urie Bron-fenbrenner of Cornell University re-cently said, "The family is falling apart.It certainly has low priority [withinsociety]." Anthropologist MargaretMead agrees with this viewpoint: "Atpresent, children grow up in nuclearfamilies with no support systems."

All Our Children is a comprehensiveand major work on the problems cur-rently facing children and their parents.The diagnosis:

The family cannot be separatedfrom society at large. The pressuresof parents' jobs, the costs of raisingchildren, the work of doctors andteachers, the entire social ecologyfrom television to packaged food de-fine and limit what parents can do."

In short, Americans are actually dis-couraged from being parents in thistechnologically progressive, laissez-fa i resociety which is widely separated fromthe realities of people's lives.

20 260

In support of this argument, PartOne of All Our Chíldren examineschanging family structure against thebackdrop of the American hypothesisof moral, political and economic self-sufficiency. Under the microscope are

the odds against a decent life that a

quarter to a third of all American chil-dren will face due to the strains of pov-erty and the unfair distribution ofopportunity. Finally, Keniston zeroesin on television and diet as examples ofthe overwhelming impact that technol-ogy has on our lives.

In Part Two, entitled "What Is to BeDone?" the reader receives what un-doubtedly will prove to be a contro-versial prescription for societal ills. Themajor thrust here is for a national, com-prehensive family policy with sweepingsocial and economic changes as thebasis for reform. The main plank in theplatform is the goal of full employmentcombined with a system of income sup-ports in the form of "credit incometax." While few will take issue with fullemployment, many might find the no-tion of income supports, even for every-one, an infringement upon economic

AII Our Children: The American Family UnderPressure by Kenneth Keniston and the CarnegieCouncil on Children (New York: Harcourt, Brace,Jovanovich, LgI 7 ); 255 pp., $10.95.

Reviewed by Martha Haynes, a Dallas homemakerwho participates in and studies various Early Child-hood development proglams.

territorial rights. Keniston and the Car-negie Council do not cringe at the chal-lenge. Backed by thorough researchand documentation, they forge aheadto challenge the piecemeal efforts ofgovernment in welfare spending and ahost of other seemingly disconnectedspending programs which the Councilfeels would be more effective if unifiedunder one major program.

In a further effort to put parentsback in the driver's seat, All Our Chil-dren advocates a wide range of familyservices designed to generate responsi-ble choices for all parents. A nationalhealth insurance plan, especially forchildren, is a support service discussedin great detail.

If there is a weakness to be found inAll Our Children, it is the assumptionthat the major portion of Americanfamilies are willing to accept more gov-ernmental presence in their lives. Thisissue is becoming critical, as familytrends continue to change at a rapidpace. The nuclear family as we haveknown it for two hundred years ofAmerican history seems to be on theverge of becoming an endangered spe-cies. All Our Children advocates govern-mental support (a key word) in co-ordinating services and programs tomaximize the benefits on a nationalscale. The pivotal point for change, as

outlined in this book, lies in acceptingthis view over the traditional one thatanything hinting of additional govern-mental control points us in the direc-

I

MAY, 1978

tion of socialism.

A Growing W¡tnessThe response to our "Friends of Mis-

sion" appeal has shown strong readersupport of the sort of open Christianjournalism that seeks to build up thebody while maintaining a sense of pro-phetic critique. Following are the re-sponses to date.

PATRONS ($500 to $999 gift, receíu-ing a l-year subsuíption and 10 giftsubscriptíons-

R. C. DuncanClaude WhitcombClyde Gordon

SUSTAINERS (8100 to $499 gift, re-ceiuíng a l-year subsuiption and 5 giftsubscriptions-

AnonymousKathv BerryCharles Carver

FRIENDS OF MISSION:

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FRIENDS (825 to $99 gift, receiuing al-year subscription ønd 1 gíft sub-scriptíon)-

Joel AndersonAnonymousAnonymousJohn BellBob and Laluana BurgessTom Rash

Jim SmithRobert VannRichard DalzellMrs. Hope RichardsonPhil and Sara RobersonHenry BorenNeal and lnez Buffaloe

Míssion shares a financial fact of lifewith most other religious journals-wedepend on gifts from those who shareour witness. If you would like to parti-cipate in this way, send your tax-de-ductible donations to Mission Journal,L?10 W. Aìrport Freeway, Irving, TX75062. In addition to helping in thismission, you will receive a Friends ofMission newsletter from time to time,as well as opportunities to advise uson policy.

lMtPractical Application

Thank you for the articles aboutwomen and the church that continueto appear in Míssion. They are of con-suming interest to me and countlessothers, I am sure. The one in the Feb-ruary issue is no exception.

Vermillion berates himself for hap-penings and a turn of events that couldwell be borne by all the class, but I ap-preciate his humility and super-honestreporting. I am also happy to read ofthis endeavour among Churches ofChrist to allow a practical applicationof male and t'emale equality.

I find it interesting that this class

did not exercise spiritual gifts nor con-stitute the full assembly, therefore thecommandment for women to be silentdid not apply to their class. Would theconverse interpretation therefore ap-ply: that if the full assembly exercisedspiritual gifts, the women would haveto keep silent?

Audrey WrightToronto, Ontario

MAY, 1978

More Gentleness L¡ke That

Bill Vermillion's article on "Womenand Authority" was most refreshing,partly no doubt because I agree withhis conclusions, but especially becauseof his gentle, compassionate approach.Stridency may be necessary at timesto jar us from complacency, but onewould think that the harsh legalism ofour past might have turned more of usto Vermillion's sweet reasonablenessrather than the reactionary dogmatismof some of your writers, especially onthe women's issue.

I appreciate your continued goodwork with Mission. I read it eagerlyeach month, sometimes with hope,sometimes dismay, but always withinterest.

Thomas A. LangfordLubbock, Texas

Gift for a Good CauseIt gives Norma and me great plea-

sure to send this check in the amount

of $500 as a contribution to what weconsider one of our fondest "câuses."

Back in the late '60s when we werevirtually in a spiritual desert, Míssionwas an oasis every month. Since thenit has meant even more to us.

We hope that you will accept thison a personal basis as a token of ourlove.

Clyde GordonAtlanta, Georgia

Growth Good, Satire BadMissíon seems always to be chang-

ing, growing, developing, renewing it-self--taying alive. I like that. I do notlike "From the Back Pew"-it frownsmore than it laughs, and good satire iscomedy first and fbremost. But on thewhole, I hope you hang in there. Every-body needs a gad-f'ly to keep us honest.

Daniel GriggsBethel Park, Pennsylvania

Human, Yet CalledI continue to be stimulated by Mrs-

síon-may the Lord guide you in youreditorial duties. I especially appreciateyour open€yed awareness of what itmeans to be human and yet to be

called to the Lord's service. You seem

to be able to hold that awareness with-out allowing it to dull your zest forGod. May the Lord strengthen us all inthat same way.

Elmer ProutTokyo, Japan

261 21

oPrNroN / RsvP

what Aboutthe fdS ?Many readers and supporters of this

journal have had to come to grips withthe problem of exclusivism in theChurches of Christ. For example, inrecent years the churches of my ac-quaintance have attained notoriety be-

cause of a legalistic attitude that makesmany conclude that they alone can be

saved. Although many members claimthat the Church of Christ does nothave an official doctrinal position, theproblem of exclusivism is often height-ened by the presence of an unwrittencreed, adherence to which is the onlyway to remain in good standing andfellowship. Some congregations haveeven drafted questionaires consistingof creedal statements which must be

answered to the satisfaction of thepreacher and elders before a Christianis allowed to participate in corporateworship.

Because of all this many more openmembers have changed their childhoodbeliefs. They have a basic convictionthat certain traditional doctrines donot stand the test of critical light.Many have opted out of the traditionalchurch, while others elect to remainand make the boldest efforts to relateto their fellowship--sometimes even en-

during public rebuke for holding dif-

Share your response by dropping this parent a note here at 1710 W. AirportFreeway, Iruing, Texas 75062.

By a Concerned Parent

ferent doctrines.These events touch many others be-

sides the persons directly involved.Those who find themselves outgrowingparts of their traditional heritage have

confrontations with loving, concernedparents who do not understand whytheir children have changed. Spousesspend long hours discussing mattersconcerning their relationship with a lo-cal church. Such confrontations anddiscussions occur among adults whoare often able to work out ways ofdealing with the idiosyncrisies of theirchurch.

There is one group of affected per-

sons, however, who are often over-looked in the quest for new under-standings of the Christian faith. Theseare the children of the questors.

What are the consequences on youngchildren who observe their parents inconfrontation with leaders of localchurches? What are parents to do whenthey conclude that certain teachings atchurch are alien to their understandingof the truth? Are they to leave theirchildren of impressionable ages in class-es where pet doctrines are taught-doctrines no longer believed by theparents? Can they handle the situationby presenting another point of viewwhen the child gets home from Sunday

School? What are parents to do whentheir children ask about becoming a

member of that church? Do they en-courage or dissuade? Do they seek a

more open fellowship? What if thereare no tolerant Churches of Christ intheir immediate area?

Much of the literature being distri-buted by Church of Christ bookstoresbegins to indoctrinate children by thetime they reach the fourth grade. Manyteachers begin to instruct children ofthis age that an unbaptized person can-not go to heaven. Soon a 9-year-oldfourth-grader is frightened into beingimmersed, knowing only of baptismand little of grace, faith, or love. Then

others in the peer group follow suit. . .

leaving those who are not baptized tobegin their guilt trips.

It is now the second generation ofthose who began anew a quest for thetruth in the 1960s. More is at stake

than their orün personal lives, namely,the psychological and spiritual healthof their children. How do we respondto a child who says, "Daddy, we reallypicked a bummer for a church"? Howdo we answer a child who asks, "Whycan't grown-ups get it together?"

"Men and brethren (sisters, too),what shall we do?"

22 262 MAY, 1978

The thoughtful article on truth in this issue(page 15 ) reminds me of the continuing tensionbetween learning it and doing it. Students train-ing for the ministry feel it keenly: what practicalvalue will all this Greek or theology or philosophyhave where I work? A related issue affects thechurch's scholars. What relationship does pure re-search have to the life of the church?

These questions, though valid, have an inher-ent danger" To emphasize Llne useful nature ofknowledge is to risk lusting after only that partof the truth which appears immediately usable,or which is currenUy fashionable. It is to under-rate the value of knowledge for the truth's sake-which, in the long run, is the only really helpfulhuman knowledge.

To illustrate, some scholars have been toundlycondemned for race-based research. Some wantedto delve into whether blacks were more adeptthan whites at sports. Others ashed questionsabout relative learning capacities. Because of pastinjustice and discrimination, some attacÌred thevery basis of these studies. For them, it was notlegitimate even to ask the questions. In such an

atmosphere the greater truth--how to deal withspecial learning problems among minority groups

-loses out to a "more relevant" truth: we shouldnot discrirninate against minorities. Similar re-

strictions on schcllars in Church of Christ-relatedinstitutions have long been a factor ir"l theirflight to freer realms.

Clearly, this hind of restriction can workagainst truth" It ultimately buries hnowledgeunder politics. It places too high a premium onwhat is vogue, or safe, or whai; seems to tuorh" ILis the tyranny of pragmatics over reality. Thesearch for truth is impossible unless the searchersare free from the constraints of consequence" We:

MAY, 1978

ACADEMICS:\/IJHO NEEDS THEM?

need academics.But we also need for the academics to share

pertinent knowledge with those who might finduse for it. The church's scholars should be awarethat what they do needs to be enfleshed in theBody. Author Don Haymes once attacked "TheSilence of the Scholars" (Mission, September797 4).It was a challenge for the church's fineststudents to tell the church what they had learned.

Their silence, however, has largely continuedexcept in areas that are politically safe. New Test-ament scholars avoid dealing with the women'sissue even though they know bachground infor-mation that throws light on why Paul said whathe did about women. Church historians meethard questions on contemporary issues like fel-lowship with the non-sequitui", "MY field is

Church l{istory, not Theology." And while we

can sympathize with a scholar who chooses notto jeopardize an entire teaching ministry in favorof a single politically unsafe pronouncement,they are not the only ones disengaged: thosemore securely employed are also silent.

ParUy this is because what some researcherswork on is too far from perceived concerns. (For-mer Yale chaplain William Sloan Coffin oncechided university professors for not pointingtheir students toward more pertinent topics:"Has it ever occulrecl to yoLt," he shouted, "thatthe reason dissertations have never been writtenon some tiny topics is that THEY JUST AIN'TWORTH V/RITING ABOUT? ")

But that's not all the problem. Particularly inthe life of the church is there a need for some-

thing more than academic freedom and relevauttopics. If we are properly warned against requir-ing merely "useful" research, at least we mustalso appeal for useful researchers.

-1ìD

263 23

CURR€Nts>

1710 W. Airport Freewaylrving, Texas 75062

æØæ1A1æ1e@eøt?1Q4øæØø.AØeV1@tQae1øea¿r¿1Øe,¿1Øeaæ

you are invited. . . to attend our annual Mission Journal Seminar. Thisyear it will be held June 16, at 7:30 p.m. at the CentralChurch of Christ in lrving, Texas-in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth "metroplex."

We're in the midst of several recreational spots, such as SixFlags Over Texas, and only ten minutes east of the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, at 1710 W. Airport Freeway. You mightenjoy making a family holiday out of it, as well as beingwith our growing family of readers. Details about the pro-gram will be announced later.