V O L U M E n N U M B E R 9

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C O N T E N T S

2 . Who Are the Br i t i sh I s rae l i t es?6. What Does Herbert W. Armstrong Preach?

/ 8 . B i b l e T r u t h s R e s t o r e d , I n c .( T h e o . F i t c h ' s Wr i t i n g s )

1 1 . B a h a i s m

12 . Who Are the Cooney i tes?16. Pertinent Questions and Answers

J A N U A R Y — M A R C H 1 9 5 8

T h e D I S C E R N E RPrice $1.00 for 7 issues; $1.50 for 12 issues;

15 cents a copyCopyright 1958 by Religion Analysis Service, Inc902 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis 3, Minnesota

P r i n t e d i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s

Who Are The British IsraelitesAnd What Do They Teach?

By Oswald J. Smith, Litt.D., L.L.D., D.D.Pastor of The Peoples Church, Toronto, Canada,

briefed by Rev. Herbert V. Caneday.British-Israelism claims that the leaders of British-Israelism on his

Anglo-Saxon races, viz.. Great Bri- visit to India, made this amazingtain and the United States consti- statement: "This appeal is also totute the lost ten tribes of Israel, you, 0 brethren, who are your-

ORIGIN AND HISTORY selves Indians, but are verily alsoThe first advocate of British- the sons of Jacob."Israelism was Dr. Abadie — 1723. Stranger still, there has been aHe said that the ten tribes would movement in Japan claiming thatbe found in the British Isles. The the Japanese as a nation are Israel-second advocate was Richard Bro- ites, and thereby disrupting mis-thers, a half-crazed British naval sionary work on a large scale. Aofficer, who was born in the year missionary from Japan tells me1789. He claimed to be the "ne- that the identifications are just asphew of God," and a descendant strong and just as convincing inof King David. He predicted that favor of the Japanese being thethe Jews would return to Pales- lost tribes as they are that thetine in his lifetime, and that he Anglo-Saxon races are Israelites,would become "the prince of the The British-Israelites themselvesHebrews" and world ruler. The admit that British-Israelism is onlyauthorities placed him in a lunatic a theory, and while they are pre-a s y l u m . p a r e d t o b a s e t h e i r t e a c h i n g s o n a

The third advocate was Edward mere theory, I am not. Bishop Tit-Hine. In 1871 he wrote his book, combe, one of their advocates has"Identification of the British Na- this to say, "Until a better theorytion with Lost Israel." Edward can be propounded, it is worthyHine, who held many strange of our fullest belief."fallacies, claimed to be "the De- THEIR TWO BIBLESliverer out of Zion." Bri t ish-Israel i tes claim that they

It remained, however, for John stand for the Bible, the wholeWilson to put British-Israelism on Bible, and that they believe it fromthe present basis. His book is en- cover to cover, and on that groundtitled "Our Israelitish Origin." they cannot understand my atti-But John Wi lson, cont rary to tude. But I would remind them ofHine, included the Germans as the fact that Chr ist ian Scient istsIsraelites. And it may be of in- and Jehovah's Witnesses make ex-te res t t o no te he re , t ha t one o f t he ac t l v t he same c la im . Thev i ns i s t

E D I T O R I A L C O M M I T T E E

John E. Dahl in , Chai rmanR. F. Mc l l lnay

R o b e r t C . N e l s o n

Herber t V. CanedayRuth E. Ph i l l ips

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that they accept the Bib le, thewho le B ib l e , and ab ide by i t steachings. Hence, that argument isvalueless. Mrs. Eddy and JudgeRutherford place their own interpretation on the Word of God.And while they claim to believethe Bible, they really do not. Thes a m e i s t r u e o f B r i t i s h - I s r a e l i s m .

T h e B r i t i s h - I s r a e l i t e s p r o f e s s t ohave two Bibles. God's Word alonedoes not satisfy them. They wouldadd to the revelation already given . The i r B ib le i s the Grea t Py ramid of Egjrpt, upon which theyh a v e b u i l t t h e m o s t f a n t a s t i c t h eories imaginable. It was my privilege when I was in Egypt, to visitthe Great Pyramid. I was takenall through the passageways andt h e v a r i o u s c h a m b e r s , a n d I a mvery frank to say that it has nothing whatever to do with prophecy,or God's program for the future.

T h e c o n c l u s i o n s a t w h i c h t h eB r i t i s h - I s r a e l i t e s h a v e a r r i v e d i nregard to the Pyramid have had tobe altered again and again. I knowof nothing so utterly absurd andchildish as the things they are saying in regard to what they daret o c a l l t h e i r " o t h e r B i b l e . " N o ,my friends, there is but one Bible,t h e Wo r d o f G o d . I t i s a b s o l u t e l ya u t h o r i t a t i v e a n d w e n e e d n oother. Our doctr ines must be basedo n G o d ' s r e v e l a t i o n i n t h e S c r i ptures, and not on the idle speculat i o n s o f m e n .

T H E Y H A V E N O A N S W E RSome years ago a British-Israel

i te sa id that Edward would beB r i t a i n ' s l a s t r u l e r . N o w G r e a tBritain has a queen. How does heexplain it? British-Israelites knowb u t l i t t l e o f t h e t r u t h . T h e y a r every one-sided. They think andwrite only in terms of their ownfantastic theory. All Bible studentsand teachers, no matter how great,n r p H i 5 5 f » o u n t e d i u s t b e c a u s e t h e y

c a n n o t s e e t h e s o - c a l l e d t r u t h o fAnglo-Israelism. But a teacher whohas little or no standing from ascholastic and theological positionis recognized by them as a greatBible student if only he advocatest h e i r t h e o r y.

W H A T T H EE N C Y C L O P E D I A S S A Y

But now let us turn to the greatest of authorities namely, the encyclopedias. Again and again theyinsist that only highly educatedpeople with academic training arecapable of deal ing with Bri t ish-Israel truth. In other words, it isnot for the common people. Theyare considered incapable of understanding. How different to theministry of our Lord. The commonpeople heard Him gladly.

But now, if the British-Israelitesreally want the opinion of scholars,the greatest scholars and theologians, they are available. If theyreally are sincere in their statement that only the highly trainedintelligensia are capable of discussing the subject, then they willlisten to what the encyclopediashave to say.

First of al l , the New Internat i o n a l . A n d t h i s i s w h a t i t s a y s :"The theory is destitute of scient i fi c p r o o f . " S e c o n d , A m e r i c a nIt is even stronger: "A pecul iarb e l i e f u n t e n a b l e o n s c i e n t i fi cgrounds . " Th i rd , Chambers : "Atheory that sets at defiance al le thno log ica l and l i ngu is t i c ev idence." Last of all, and most important, the Britannica. And theBritannica speaks in no uncertainlanguage: "The theory of Anglo-Israelism rests on premises whichare deemed by scholars, both theological and anthropological, tob e u t t e r l y u n s o u n d . "

Tha t shou ld se t t l e the ques t ion .To think of an ordinary individualstressing his opinion and insisting

that he knows more than the greatScholars, theological and anthropological, who have weighed theques t i on and then had the ve rd i c tpublished in the Britannica encyclopedia, is nothing short of prep o s t e r o u s . T h e s e e d i t o r s a r e fi r s tof al l scholars, and scholars ofthe h ighes t rank . To dea l w i thAng lo - I s rae l i sm the mos t ou ts tanding o f the theo log ica l scho larsh a v e b e e n c a l l e d a n d c o n s u l t e d .Naturally, they base their verdicton the Word of God, the Scriptures having been their specialstudy. And yet adherents of Brit-ish-Israelism have the audacity toignore their verdict. I insist, myfriends, that the statements of theencyc l oped ias a re unanswerab le .

B R I T I S H I S R A E L I S M U N T R U E

There are four reasons why I bel i e v e B r i t i s h - I s r a e l i s m t o b e u nt rue . F i rs t o f a l l , i t i s un t rue f roma historical standpoint, and I quotefrom a theologian and Bible teacher o f ou ts tand ing ab i l i t y, Rev.Joseph W. Kemp. Let us weighca re fu l l y eve ry wo rd . "We a reasked to bel ieve, forsooth, thatn e a r l y t h r e e m i l l i o n I s r a e l i t e spoured in to Grea t Br i ta in , andthat they dropped their language,physiognomy, customs, records,their names, and their memory;and, what is equally astonishing,that for two thousand years nobody seems to have suspected theas ton ish ing fac t . The th ing , o fc o u r s e , n e v e r o c c u r r e d , a n d Id o u b t i f i n t h e w h o l e w o r l d t h e r ecould be found a historian of anynote who would risk his reputation by averring it did. Synagoguesa n d c u s t o m s ( c i r c u m c i s i o n f o r i nstance) mark today every city towh ich the Jew has wandered . Fu rther, that an entire race, whicho n c e w r o t e f r o m r i g h t t o l e f tshould, without leaving a singlet r a c e o f t h e o r o c e s s b e h i n d , r e v o

lutionize its penmanship by nowwrit ing from left to right, is imposs ib le to conceive. ' *

I n t he second p l ace , I cons ide rA n g l o - I s r a e l i s m u n t r u e f r o m an a t i o n a l s t a n d p o i n t . " W h a t a t r av e s t y o f t h e K i n g d o m o f G o dBrit ish-Israelism presents to thew o r l d ! B r i t i s h - I s r a e l i t e s c l a i m t h a tBritain is the place of God's app o i n t m e n t , w h e r e t h e t e n t r i b e sa r e t o b e b l e s s e d . I f B r i t a i n b e t h e

place, and the British people beIsrael, how does it come they shallmove no more (n Sam. 7:10) whenIsrael is yet to inhabit the vastterritory of Palestine — Mesopotamia? Again, has Britain nothingt o f e a r f r o m t h e c h i l d r e n o f w i c kedness — her enemies? Can anyone possessed o f reason ing facu lt ies argue that the promise ofD a v i d , a s q u o t e d , i s f u l fi l l e d t od a y ? F o r t h e s u r r o u n d i n g n a t i o nto be told that the British Empireis the Divine Kingdom on earth,and that the British throne, is theThrone of David, to which all nations must ultimately bow, is tragic, and, to the nations concerned,it is ludicrous and politically dange rous . I s i t no t c l ea r t ha t a wa ron Britain by any nation would bew a r o n G o d ? "

I n t h e t h i r d p l a c e , I c o n s i d e rB r i t i s h - I s r a e l i s m u n t r u e f r o m a necclesiastical standpoint. "British-Israel Truth" says: Tsrael has beenre-covenanted by being baptizedinto the one Catholic and ApostolicChurch,' and now 'the Gospel ofsalvation must be preached by hisc o n s t i t u t e d a g e n t s , t h e h o u s e o fI s r a e l . ' H o w c a n t h e n a t i o n b e

b a p t i z e d i n t o t h e C h u r c h a n d s t i l lremain a nat ion, and s imul taneousl y e v a n g e l i z e a l l o t h e r n a t i o n s ?The Word of God emphatically dec l a r e s t h a t i n t h e C h u r c h ' t h e r e i sneither Jew nor Greek, circumcisi o n n o r u n c i r c u m c i s i o n . B a r b a r i a n .

d

Scythian, bond nor free' (Col. 3:11).N a t i o n a l i s m w i t h i n t h e C h u r c h i sa complete subversion of Scripturet r u t h r e g a r d i n g t h e C h u r c h . I tmakes na t i ona l p rospe r i t y andgrea tness the ha l l -marks o f D iv inefavor, thus ignoring individual regeneration and sanctity.

B I B L I C A L R E F U T A T I O NO F T H E T H E O R Y

Finally, Brit ish-Israelism, I bel i e v e t o b e u n t r u e f r o m a B i b l i c a lstandpoint. There are five statem e n t s i n t h e W o r d o f G o d t h a tprove conclusively the impossibility of the Anglo-Saxon races being the los t ten t r ibes .

The first is found in Amos 9:8,9,where God says: "I will sift thehouse of Israel among all nations."T h e r e f o r e n o n a t i o n o n n a t i o n a l

territory of its own, can be Israel.T h e J e w s h a v e b e e n s i f t e d a n dscattered among the nations of theworld. But Br i t ish people neverhave. They are today on their ownterr i tory. Hence Britain and theUni ted Sta tes cannot be Is rae l .

F r o m D e u t . 2 8 : 6 2 , w e u n d e rs t a n d t h a t t h e I s r a e l i t e s a r e t o b efew in number, and that they areto flee before their enemies (Lev.2 6 : 1 7 , 3 6 ) . T h a t h a s n e v e r b e e ntrue of Great Br i ta in or the Uni tedStates. The British people are byn o m e a n s f e w i n n u m b e r, n o r d ot h e y fl e e b e f o r e t h e i r e n e m i e s .H e n c e t h e y c a n n o t b e I s r a e l .

Hosea 3:4 te l ls us that they areto remain wi thout a k ing, a pr incea n d a s a c r i fi c e f o r m a n y d a y s .T h a t h a s b e e n t r u e o f t h e J e w s ,f o r t h e y h a v e h a d n e i t h e r k i n g ,pr ince, nor sacr ifice for near ly twothousand yea rs . Bu t , neve r has i tbeen t rue o f Great Br i ta in . Hence,Br i ta in i s no t I s rae l ; bu t the Jewsa r e I s r a e l .

I n N u m b e r s 2 3 : 9 w e a r e t o l dthat the people of Israel are tod w e l l a l o n e , a n d t h a t t h e y a r e t o

b e u n k n o w n a m o n g t h e n a t i o n s .That prophecy has been fulfilled,s o f a r a s t h e J e w s a r e c o n c e r n e d .For over 2,000 ye^s they were notrecognized as a nation. But GreatBritain is most certainly reckonedamong the nations of the world ina very real sense, and so is theU n i t e d S t a t e s .

L a s t o f a l l , a c c o r d i n g t o G e n .1 7 : 1 4 , t h e I s r a e l i t e s w e r e t o b eb a r r e d f r o m b l e s s i n g u n l e s s c i rc u m c i s e d . T h a t l a w h a s n e v e r b e e n

changed. All Israelites have to bec i rcumcised. The Ang lo-Saxons arenot a circumcised people, and,t h e r e f o r e a r e b a r r e d f r o m t h e

blessings promised to Israel.F I V E U N A N S W E R A B L E

Q U E S T I O N S

F i r s t , t o w h o m w e r e t h e p r o mises of blessing given? Accordingto Ezek . 37 :11 ,16 ,17-23 they wereg i v e n t o t h e " w h o l e h o u s e o fI s r a e l . " N o t t o J u d a h a l o n e , b u tt o a l l t w e l v e t r i b e s . N o w h e r e d o e sit say Israel is to enjoy them apartfrom Judah (Isa. 11:12,13; Jer. 3:18).

Second, in which land were theyt o b e f u l fi l l e d ? T h e r e i s n o b l e s s

ing for Israel when outside theirown land of Palestine (Jer. 3:17-18;Ezek. 36:28; 37:22).

Th i rd , when are the promises tob e f u l fi l l e d ? N o t u n t i l t h e r e t u r no f Chr i s t f o r H is M i l l enn ium re ignupon t he t h rone o f Dav id w i l l t hepromises be fu l fi l l ed . ( Je r. 23 :5 -8 ;Ezek. 37:24-25).

F o u r t h , w h a t i s t o b e I s r a e l ' scond i t i on un t i l t hen? Acco rd i ng t oPaul in Romans 11:5,7,11,25: darkn e s s , b l i n d n e s s , a n d u n b e l i e f , e xcep t f o r t he e lec t i on o f g race ; asi s t r u e o f t h e J e w s t o d a y , n o tB r i t a i n n o r A m e r i c a .

F i f t h , h o w l o n g i s t h i s t o l a s t ?" U n t i l t h e f u l n e s s o f t h e G e n t i l e s

b e c o m e i n " ( R o m . 1 1 : 2 5 ) . A n dthis one passage from verses 13-25,

w h i c h d e c l a r e s t h a t I s r a e l , a n dnot Judah alone, is to be brokenoff , and that "bl indness in partis happened to Israel, unt i l thef u l l n e s s o f t h e G e n t i l e s b e c o m ein," proves conclusively that Brit-i s h - I s r a e l i s m c a n n o t b e t r u e .

B R I T I S H I S R A E L I S MI S D A N G E R O U S

British-Israelism is dangerous because it places the emphasis onn a t i o n a l i n s t e a d o f i n d i v i d u a l s a lvat ion. As Dr. Mountain says, "TheBritish people have accepted theC h r i s t i a n f a i t h a n d , c o m e u n d e rt h e N e w C o v e n a n t . " T h a t i s l i k esaying a man is a Roman Catholicor a Protestant, a Presbyterian, or

a Method is t ; the re fo re he i s aC h r i s t i a n . T h i s i s n a t i o n a l s a l v at i o n r a t h e r t h a n t h e p e r s o n a l a cceptance of Christ as Savior.

The Apostle Paul knew no suchmessage. He declared all men, bothJ e w s a n d G e n t i l e s a r e s i n n e r s ,and insisted on personal regeneration. In fact, he turned his backo n n a t i o n a l i s m a n d t h e J e w s ' r eligion of his fathers which he renounced. Hence, we would warnthe people of God against this,another error, a latter-day heresy,and urge those who are dabblingi n i t t o r e n o u n c e i t s a b s u r d i t i e sand go on to the deeper thingso f G o d .

WHAT DOES HERBERT ARMSTRONG PREACH?by H. V. Caneday

Many have appealed to this organizat ion for information aboutthe teachings and belief of HerbertW. Armstrong of Pasadena, California. This radio personal i ty issupposedly the head of a schoolhe calls Ambassador College, editor of two periodicals, publ isherof a Bible correspondence course,and main speaker on his own radiob r o a d c a s t k n o w n a s " T h e W o r l dTomorrow." Discerning Christiansquickly sense that his message issomething less than orthodox andt h e r e f o r e u n s o u n d f r o m t h e S c r i ptural standpoint. His doctrinal biasis peculiarly his own and that ofa f ew assoc ia tes he has ga the reda r o u n d h i m s e l f . I t s e e m s t o h a v eno designative name as yet, unl e s s o n e s h o u l d c a l l i t " A r m -strongism." Furthermore it is oneof those hybrid things that is partof one thing and part of another;but i t s tands d is t inc t ly separate asbeing neither of the two.

W e u n d e r s t a n d t h a t t h i s m a nw a s o n c e i n S e v e n t h - D a y A d v e n -t ism and broke wi th that organized

system. However, his teachings rev e a l t h a t h e d i d n o t f o r s a k e a l lt h e e r r o r s o f t h a t c h u r c h , w h e nh e t u r n e d t o e m b r a c e B r i t i s h -I s r a e l i s m . T h u s i n h i m s e l f a n d i nh is fo l lowers he has b rought abouta remarkably logical union of twoillogical and unscriptural systemsof teaching. But this merging ofparts of two false cults cannot beexpected to produce a new systemt h a t w i l l b e l e s s e r r o n e o u s t h a ni t s s p u r i o u s p a r e n t a g e .

As editor of The Good News, Mr.Armstrong endorsed an article ent i t l e d " T r u t h A b o u t U n c l e a nMeats" by one of his associates,Raymond F. McNair in the March1953 issue. In the concluding paragraph he leaves one with the unmistakable impression that therei s n o s a l v a t i o n f o r t h o s e w h o e a tpork or other unclean meats ashe says:

" W h e r e w i l l y o u c a s t y o u r l o t ?With those who partake of thef o r b i d d e n f o o d s a n d r u i n y o u rhealth, and receive God's finaljudgment — to be destroyed?

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Or will you obey God's perfectl a w & a n d l i v e m o r e h e a l t h i l y ,happily, and abundantly now andforever? 'Choose you this dayw h o m y e w i l l s e r v e ' . "A s e d i t o r o f t h e a b o v e m e n

t i o n p a p e r , M r . A r m s t r o n g i sequally guilty with the author ofthat false statement for its implications that eternal l i fe may beobtained by abstaining from eatingc e r t a i n f o o d s . G o d ' s W o r d m a k e sn o s u c h e r r o r s i n i t s t e a c h i n g .

A n o t h e r e r r o r h e l d o v e r f r o m

S. D. A. ism is Armstrong's teaching that the ten commandmentsare binding upon Christians today.T h i s m a n i s a l s o e d i t o r o f T h ePlain Truth and therefore responsible for the teaching in that paper. In the September 1956 issuehe printed an article by RoderickC. Mered i th en t i t led " Is Obed ienceto God Required For Salvation?"T h a t a u t h o r i n s i s t s t h e t e n c o mm a n d m e n t s a r e n o t " d o n e a w a y "as is said in n Corinthians chapter three, and therefore they ares t i l l i n f o r c e . T h e s e r i o u s n e s s o ft h i s G a l a t i a n i s m i s r e v e a l e d i n as ta tement a t the conc lus ion o f thea b o v e m e n t i o n e d a r t i c l e o n p a g e24: "You wil l have to repent ofbreaking God's law. You will needto be baptized as an outward symbol of your wi l l ingness to buryyour old, disobedient self. ThenGod will give you the Holy Spirit,through which you will receive thelove to keep His law." Th is ispreaching salvation by the deedsof the law, concerning which Pauldeclared, "Therefore by the deedsof the law there sha l l no flesh bejustified in his sight: for by thelaw is the knowledge of sin." Thatwhich the Scriptures declared tob e t h e " m i n i s t r a t i o n o f d e a t h , "these make to be the way of salv a t i o n .

M r. A r m s t r o n g , h i m s e l f w r o t e i n

T h e G o o d N e w s p a g e 1 4 o f J u l j1952 saying, "The law providesfor both worship of God, religiously, and obedience to God, ancb less ings f rom God — every needof man for his own good in a living, act ive, cont inuous relat ionship with the all-wise, all-powerful, all-loving God." If "every needof man" is thus supplied in thelaw, why did Jesus Christ die forman's sin, and why should thesew i s h t o c a l l t h e m s e l v e s C h r i s t i a n s ?This is pure Judiaism.

M o s t o f o u r r e a d e r s w i l l h a v e

anticipated Mr. Armstrong's nexte r r o r a s b e i n g t h a t o f S a b b a t hkeeping. Here again he manifeststhe S.D.A. influence coupled withhis belief that he is a part of then a t i o n o f I s r a e l a f t e r t h e fl e s h .Under the title, "What is the Signo f a C h r i s t i a n ? " M r . R o d M e r e d i t hwrote in The Good News of July1952 say ing "Your B ib le p roc la imsa d e fi n i t e S I G N b y w h i c h G o dk n o w s y o u a r e o n e o f H i s c h i ldren." That sign of course, is Sabbath keeping. He attacks preachersw h o d o n o t k e e p t h e f o i m t h c o mmandment and says, "God is goingto punish these false preachersfor misleading His people Israel —B r i t a i n a n d A m e r i c a " ( P. 3 ) . H econtinues, "The Bible says that ifyou a re a Ch r i s t i an , you a re sp i ri tual ly an Israel i te (Gal . 3:29) . . .The Gentiles who were not givent h i s S I G N w e r e w i t h o u t h o p e a n dwithout God. As long as you fol lowthe practices and laws of the Gent i l e s y o u c a n ' t b e s a v e d " ( P. 4 ) .All of this is in opposit ion to God'ss imp le p lan o f sa lva t ion tha t i s tobe f ound , no t i n obse rv i ng a day,bu t in rece iv ing the Person o f H ison ly bego t ten Son .

S t i l l w o r s e a n d m o r e o f t h el e a v e n o f f a l s e t e a c h i n g o f S e venth-Day Adventism comes to light

( C o n t i n u e d o n v a a e 1 0 )

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Bible Truths Restored, inc.(THEODORE FITCH'S WRITINGS)

by Rev. Laurel W. Hanely

The above name is probably notwidely known, but the writings ofT h e o d o r e F i t c h w h o h e a d s t h i sC o u n c i l B l u f f s , I o w a , c o r p o r a t i o nh a v e b e e n m a i l e d i n t o t h o u s a n d so f h o m e s . F i t c h s t a t e s t h a t h e h a sw r i t t e n 3 5 b o o k s a n d t h a t h e h a s

4 0 0 , 0 0 0 c o p i e s o u t n o w, m a n y o na l o a n b a s i s . W i t h o u t h a v i n g a nalyzed all of his work, a review ofseveral easi ly shows that , whi le hemakes abundant reference to Scriptu re , h i s t each ing d i f f e r s f r om thet r u t h o f G o d o n s e v e r a l m a j o rp o i n t s . S o m e o f t h e s e a r e a s f o ll o w s :

T h e B I B L E

In h is many quo ta t ions f rom theW o r d h e f r e q u e n t l y i n s e r t s e xp l a n a t o r y w o r d s o r p h r a s e s w h i c hoften completely change the meaning of the passage. For example,in quoting Genesis 5:23; 24, this isthe way i t appears in h is book le t ,A l l o f t h e D e a d W i l l B e M a d e

Alive, pg. 26: "Enoch . . . was not( k e p t a l i v e ) f o r G o d t o o k h i m( s u d d e n l y i n d e a t h ) . "

H i s f a i l u r e t o n o t e t h e c o n t e x tof a passage is glaringly apparento n t h e s a m e p a g e w h e r e i n a l s ospeaking about Enoch, he says,"Pau l sa id t ha t he d i ed (Heb . 11 :13 ) . " A check ing o f the immed ia tecontext in Hebrews, chapter eleven,wi th specia l at tent ion to verse five,w i l l s h o w t h a t t h e w r i t e r s p e c i fi ca l l y exc luded Enoch f rom the gene r a l s t a t e m e n t t h a t " A L L t h e s ed i e d . "

Q u o t a t i o n s f r o m t h e A p o c r y p h aa n d o t h e r n o n - c a n o n i c a l w r i t i n g sa r e g i v e n a s i f t h e y w e r e j u s t a sauthor i ta t ive as the inspi red books.

G O DThe teaching in these writings as

r e g a r d s t h e T r i n i t y i s v e r y s h a ll o w. H e r e f e r s t o t h e F a t h e r, S o nand Holy Spir i t , and does not denytheir deity, but holds that only theSon is a Person. In his booklet," J e s u s G r e a t e r T h a n Yo u T h i n k " ,p a g e 1 , i n s p e a k i n g a b o u t t h eFather, he says, "As Spirit, God ise v e r y w h e r e . T h e r e f o r e H e i s n o ta person, or a spirit being, for Hei s w i t h o u t b o d y , p a r t s o r f o r m . "T h i s s a m e i d e a i s s e e n i n B r i e f

Highlights of My Trip Around theWorld, page 34, where he says,"God the Father is God in everyplace. Jesus is God in one place.Therefore, Jesus is God the Fathermade v i s i b l e t o us as a man . " Tohim anyone is a pagan who deniesthat our Lord is the one and onlyP e r s o n o f G o d .

H e t e a c h e s t h a t b e f o r e J e s u sc a m e t o e a r t h H e w a s n o t t h e S o no f G o d , a n d i n 1 0 0 0 F a c t s A b o u tJ e s u s , p a g e 1 0 , h e s t a t e s , " T h eChr i s t -Word -Logos may no t bedwel l ing in that fleshly body inw h i c h H e a s c e n d e d t o h e a v e n . "

M A N

Much stress is placed by him tos h o w t h a t m a n d o e s n o t h a v e a

s o u l , b u t t h a t h e a s o u l . To b ealive this soul must be energizedb y t h e S p i r i t o f G o d w h i c h i sloaned to each baby a t b i r th . Th isi s t h e o n l y S p i r i t m a n h a s a n dwhen death occurs, this Spirit ret u r n s t o G o d a n d t h e s o u l d i e s .D e a t h t o h i m i s t h e c e s s a t i o n o f a l lconsciousness in any form and thiss l e e p c o n t i n u e s f o r s a v e d o r l o s tu n t i l t h e r e s u r r e c t i o n w h e n a l l w i l l

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b e m a d e a l i v e . T h e r e i s n o s u c hthing as going to heaven. Evena f t e r t h e r e s u r r e c t i o n w e w i l l i nherit the earth, not heaven.

I n O u r P a r a d i s e I n s i d e t h e

Earth, page 36, the following definitions are given:

LAKE OF FIRE is a huge whitec l o u d o f s h e k i n a h ( g l o r y o rS p i r i t ) . I t w i l l c o v e r t h e e a r t h .SECOND DEATH is a figure ofspeech. It means "dying out tos in," "dead to s in," or "deadwith Him" (2 Tim. 2:11).The everlasting punishment of

the wicked is denied as is seen bythis statement from the next pageof the same booklet, "They saythat the wicked dead are burningin hell. Instead they will be raised,j u d g e d a n d c o r r e c t e d i n t h e n e x ta g e . "

He teaches that all white peopleh a v e d e s c e n d e d f r o m t h e t w e l v e

t r i b e s o f I s r a e l a n d t h a t t r u e J e w sc o m e f r o m t h e o n e t r i b e o f J u d a h .H e s t a t e s e m p h a t i c a l l y t h a t t h eE s k i m o s d i d n o t c o m e f r o m t h eA d a m i c r a c e .

P R A Y E R

C o n c e r n i n g p r a y e r w h i c h i s s oimportant to a believer, Fitch, inhis booklet, Brief Highlights of MyTrip Around the World, page 33m a k e s t h e c h a r g e , " W i t h J e s u scomple te ly ou t o f the i r minds theyp ray, as i t we re , t o ano the r God ;t h a t i s , t o s o m e o n e e l s e b e s i d e sJ e s u s . W h a t a d r e a d f u l e r r o r ! T h i n kof it! With no thought of Jesusm o s t C h r i s t i a n s p r a y , " M y d e a rh e a v e n l y F a t h e r e t c . W h e n fi ni shed , t hey say, Tn Jesus ' name . 'T h a t i s N O T t h e c o r r e c t w a y t op r a y. " I n s p i t e o f J o h n 1 6 : 2 3 , h eteaches tha t the on ly way to p rayis to Jesus. It appears that he cann o t c o n c e i v e o f p r a y i n g t o o t h e rthan a person, and since in his syst e m t h e F a t h e r i s n o t a p e r s o n ,p r a y e r m u s t , t h e r e f o r e , b e m a d e

to Jesus who, he says, is the 'Fat h e r ' s P e r s o n . I t w o u l d b e i n t e r e s t

i n g t o s e e w h a t h e s a y s a b o u tp raye rs u t t e red by Jesus such ast h a t i n J o h n 1 7 .

P A R A D I S EO n e o f t h e w e i r d e s t t e a c h i n g s

o f t h i s m a n i s t h a t o f t h e l o c a t i o nof paradise. Our earth is said to bea h o l l o w s p h e r e w i t h a c r u s t 8 0 0m i l e s t h i c k . T h e r e a r e t w o e ntrances to this, each 1400 miles indiameter, one at the north and theother at the south. In his book.O u r P a r a d i s e I n s i d e t h e E a r t h ,page 32 , he says , " In the in te r io ra r e v a s t c o n t i n e n t s , h i g h m o u ntains, deep valleys, wide rivers andl a k e s . T h e r e m a y b e t h r e e t i m e sa s m u c h l a n d s u r f a c e A B O V E S E AL E V E L a s t h e r e i s o n t h e e x t e r i o r .

Ve g e t a b l e , p l a n t a n d a n i m a l l i f eexcel anything ON earth. It is indeed a vast paradise of great beauty and grandeur. It is peopled byB O T H h o l y a n d e v i l a n g e l s . " T h i si s s t a t e d t o b e t h e r e a l m o f S a t a n

and his angels from which he rulest h e w o r l d . I t i s a l s o t h e s o u r c e o fthe fly ing saucers and l i t t l e b rownm e n o f r e c e n t n o t e i n t h e n e w s .S e v e r a l s t a t e m e n t s f r o m t h e s e m e na r e g i v e n i n t h i s b o o k . O n e o fthem is quoted as saying, "Whenw e b u i l d a n y t h i n g , w e b u i l d i t t ol a s t f o r e v e r . " C i v i l i z a t i o n i s d e sc r i b e d o n t h e i n s i d e o f t h e e a r t ha s b e i n g i n t h e m o s t a d v a n c e ds t a t e , s u r p a s s i n g a n j d i h i n g e v e rb u i l t o n t h i s e a r t h . W h e n t h e L o r dre turns for h is 1000 year re ign asK ing , He w i l l take over th is rea lmw h i c h w i l l t h e n b e t h e a b o d e o f a l lt h e r e s u r r e c t e d s a i n t s . T h e w i c k e dd e a d w i l l b e r a i s e d a n d i n h a b i tthe outside of the planet until theyfi n a l l y a r e t a u g h t , c o n v e r t e d , c o rr e c t e d a n d p e r f e c t e d . T h e n t h e yw i l l g o t o l i v e w i t h t h e r e s t o fthe saints in th is paradise. Al l wi l le v e n t u a l l y b e s a v e d .

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C O N C L U S I O NUnder the guise of being scrip

tural ,the above and many otherfalse teachings are being propagated by this man. Doubtless,many have drunk deeply at thisfount and more wi l l folow themand be contaminated. It is hopedthat this will help some to recognize errors that may not readilyappear on the surface. It is recognized that this article for brevitysake has not sought to disprove theteachings of this man or his kind,

but only to call attention to theerrors with the hope that a previous or new study of the Word onthe part of those who read thisarticle will cause a greater appreciation of and blessing from thet r u t h .

I t s h o u l d b e n o t e d t h a t u n o rdered mail received in the mannerthat most of this is sent out neednot be returned or paid for. Because of the many fables and fallacies it includes, the wisest courseto follow would be to destroy it.

H E R B E R T A R M S T R O N G

(Continued from page 7)in the July 1952 issue of The GoodNews through the pen of anotherof Mr. Armstrong's associates, Dr.C. F. Meredith. Under the title, "IsThis the Only Day of Salvation?"This man wri tes about a t ime whenthe "vast majority" of men will besaved. Quoting Revelation 20:11-12he says, "'. . . And the dead werejudged out of the things whichwere written in the books.' Theyare to be judged by what theyHAVE DONE in this life and bywhat they WILL DO after they arer e s u r r e c t e d t o m o r t a l l i f e ! T h i s i sthe Great White Throne judgmentwhen the vas t number o f unsaveddead will be resurrected and giventheir first chance for salvation . . "(p. 7).

T h i s m a n a n d H e r b e r t A r mstrong have both embraced a modified form of the condi t ional immor ta l i ty and second chance theories of S.D.A.ism and others whoare not willing to stand with Godon His word when He declared thatthe heathen and al l men "are wi thou t excuse" (Rom. 1 :20) . Wi th

heaven and earth banished anddissolved to nothingness (Rev. 20:11), this man would have us believe that the unsaved are "resurrected to mortal life" in a kind ofreincarnation that is meaninglesswhen there is no heaven nor earthleft for their habitation. However,this "resurrection unto damnation"of which Jesus spoke is not achance for salvation; neither is ita resurrection to "mortal life," norlife in the flesh, but to a life inbodies fitted for eternal tormentin a l i te ra l he l l . These w i l l bebrought before the judgment barof God, standing on nothing, nakedof all righteousness, with no placeto hide, and there await the pronouncemen t o f t he i r e te rna l doom.All the false promises of Mr. Arms t r o n g a n d h i s a s s o c i a t e s w i l l n o treverse God's Word that, "it is appointed unto men once to die, butafter this the judgment" (Hebrews9:27).

T r u t h - l o v i n g C h r i s t i a n s w i l lneither give ear nor money to thishybrid system of two-fold Judiaismwith its denials of the fundamentals of the faith once delivered tot h e s a i n t s .

Send the DISCERNER to a friend, 7 issues for $1

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by Prof . John E. Dahl inBahaism is a cul t which has not

emerged ou t o f ou r own Amer i canh a b i t a t . I t w a s i m p o r t e d f r o mPersia less than 50 years ago. Aman by the name Abdu l -Baha conducted a coast to coast speakingtour over here about 45 years agoa n d g a i n e d n o t s o f e w a d h e r e n t sto Baha ism. Baha *U* l l ah was themainspring in the movement whichbegan in the last century, althoughsome preliminary activity had beenmanifested somewhat earl ier byMirza 'A l i Muhammed, a youngPersian merchant, who had soughtt o p r o m o t e s i m i l a r t e a c h i n g s .These were expanded by Baha'U ' l l ah , t he ma jo r exponen t o fB a h a i s m .

Bahaism expresses itself with abelief in nine great revelations ofdeity — Moses, Buddha, Confucius,Zoroaster, Mohammed, etc., culminating in Baha 'U'llah, who wasthe supreme manifestation of God.In their teaching Jesus Christ became merely another prophet. Thegreat doctrines of the Trinity, theAtonement, Our Lord's Resurrection and Ascension are denied. Godexists not as a person, but ratheras a "World Soul" an expressionwhich is extremely nebulous andalso contrary to the Word of God.The above expression reminds usof the "Oversoul" concept of RalphW a l d o E m e r s o n u n d e r h i s n i n eteenth-century transcendentalism.

Bahaism expresses itself also int h e i d e a o f a u n i v e r s a l b r o t h e rhood of all men. Their great temp le a t Wi lme t te , 111 . , has enshrined that thought in its uniquearchitecture. Bahaism recognizesthe merit in all religions, and itseeks to unify men in this strangeh o d e e - D o d e e o f o r i e n t a l n a n t h e i . s m .

Here, then, is a religion which hasbeen embraced by many refinedand cultured groups who want tobelieve that sin does not exist,and that man is moving onwardt o e t e r n a l p e r f e c t i o n . T h e a i m i sto teach and spread the idea ofuniversal love and brotherhood,not based on a devot ion and committal to Jesus Christ, but ratherin a bel ief which is rest ing onman's inherent capacity to achieveperfection by and by.

F r o m r e l i a b l e i n f o r m a t i o n r eceived recently from their headquar ters, the i r secretary s tatestha t the Baha ' i membersh ip int h i s c o u n t r y i s s c a t t e r e d a b o u t i nmore than 1,600 communities, andt h e n u m b e r v a r i e s f r o m a f e w i ne a c h t o a s m a n y a s 3 0 0 i n t h el a r g e r c i t i e s . T h e y n e v e r q u o t enumbers, nor do they provide anyone with membership figures; ins t e a d t h e y r e f e r t o t h e l o c a l i t i e sw h e r e t h e B a h a ' i s r e s i d e r a t h e rt han repo r t i ng exac t numbers .They also claim to operate in 250countries or geographical sub-divisions throughout the world. It isobvious that in Pers ia, in the landof the origin of the faith, therea r e s e v e r a l m i l l i o n B a h a ' i s . I n r ec e n t y e a r s , h o w e v e r , t h e y h a v efanned out into all parts of theearth. The wri ter saw a magnificentB a h a ' i t e m p l e a t H a i f a i n I s r a e ld u r i n g a v i s i t t o t h e M i d d l e E a s ta few years ago. Baha'i lecturersappear from time to time in all ofour major cities expounding theirteachings before select groups.While this cult is not as potent asthat of the Jehovah's Witnesses, i ti s r e a c h i n g i n t o t h e i n t e l l e c t u a l

( C o n t i n u e d o n o a o e 1 5 )

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WHO ARE THE COONEYITES?by Roy Divers

INTRODUCTION: It is difficult by a William Wier Irvine, in south-to acquire information from which ern Ireland. He left the Faith Mis-to make a report on this group, if sion work and started an indepen-we can correctly call them a group, dent mission back in the 90's, ofThey are not formally organized as the last century,other rel igious groups are organ- Our veteran Cooneyite promoterized. They publish and distribute no tells us that he believes they arel i t e ra tu re . They have no head- sca t te red i n eve ry s ta te i n thequarters. They use the King James union, and that their missionariesversion of the Bible, and a song are working in every country inbook or two (Hymns Old and New, the world except Russia. We sus-published in Glasgow). The song pect this may be a strongly biasedbooks contain quite a number of impression. He tells us that theirgospel hymns familiar to most pro- ministers have been working intestants. A member of this group the Minneapolis area for about 50lent us a copy of a hymnal they use, years. The writer has been in ac-a small booklet of printed songs tive public service in this area forwithout music, a mimeographed over 35 years and has not knowing-copy of a foreign missionary's ty "^ot one, personally. Perhapsletter, and a mimeographed copy this is due to the fact that theyof a (model) sermon delivered have no designated name, andat gospel meetings held in San work mainly in rural areas. TheyDiego 16 years ago. This party also Propagate a somewhat independentsent answers to 18 pertinent ques- religious faith whether they havetions that we had asked him. This ^ designated name or not. So thisman is a veteran member of the is another religious sliver fromgroup (since he left Methodism, 36 i^he world's population,y e a r s a g o ) . A f e w r e p o r t s a r e a v a i l - D I S T I N C T I V E T E A C H I N G S :able on this faith. The informa- They claim to believe in the deityt ion has been gained thru personal of Christ, the Trinity, Christ 'scontacts, and reports from others atonement for our sins, in the res-who have listened to their preach- urrection of Christ, and in eternale r s . p u n i s h m e n t . T h e y b e l i e v e b a p t i s m

HISTORY: This group of wor- ^y immersion necessary for salva-shippers is unique in that they have tion. They take communion everyno name by which they call them- Sunday, and have prayer meetingsselves, or agree to be called by twice a week,others. They are referred to by This sounds qui te orthodox. Thevarious names, such as, — Two by same is the claim (for themselves)Twos, Go Preachers (They minister of many of the prevalent cults,from house to house by twos). But let us look at some of theseTramp Preachers, Roving Evangel- teachings: as to the deity of Christ,ists, The Jesus Way, and Cooney- we find some of them saying,ites. The latter name came from "Jesus overcame His own flesh",Edward Cooney who was an early implying that He had a fleshly, sin-promoter of this faith. The move- ful nature, which can not be con-ment is said to have been started sistent with His deity; Luke 1:35,

1 2

* 'That holy th ing which shal l be i t is ignorant , or he is a th iefborn of thee, shall be called the and a robber." Tithing is a hard-Son of God", and in Him is no sin; ship, he says. He also says thatI John 3:5, 'T and the father are giving should be according to abil-one". Could one who speaks of ity. He does not realize that theChrist's having to overcome the principle of the Tithe is just thatflesh in H im, be l ieve H im to be (accord ing to ab i l i t y ) . We findD e i t y ? T h e n i f t h e y c a n n o t b e - m u c h s a i d i n t h e O l d a n d N e wlieve in the deity of Christ, they Testaments with regard to giving:do not believe in the Trinity. One Prov. 11:24, "There is that scat-of this faith claims there is no tereth and yet increaseth, there iss a l v a t i o n a p a r t f r o m t h e A t o n e - t h a t w i t h h o l d e t h m o r e t h a n i sment. Another, when pressed as to meet, but it tendeth to poverty;"

, the necessity of the precious blood Luke 6:38, "—freely give." Paul ad-A t o n e m e n t o f C h r i s t a s t h e g r o u n d m o n i s h e d t h e c h u r c h e s a t C o r i n t hfor salvation, remarked, "How can to give regularly, every week, Ithe blood of a dead man save any Cor. 16:2; and to give cheerfully,o n e ? " I I C o r . 9 : 7 ; a c c o r d i n g t o a b i l i t y .

They say, salvation is solely Deut. 16:17; Acts 11:29; H Cor. 8:through their ministry. Our veter- IJ; give with liberality, H Cor. 8:an of this faith says, "Lots of peo- ' ' 'pie are sure of the different Their WAY is The Jesus Way.WAYS they have taken; some day They say preach the gospel with-they will find they are all wrong." out money and without price asThis is a common position taken jgsus told the 12 and the 70 (Matt,by many cults, e.g.. Christian i0:5-10; Luke 10: 1-12). One writerScience, Jehovah's Wit., S.D.A., quotes them as saying, that any

I Mormonism and also Roman Cath- divergence of thought from thisi olicism. No church or denomina- teaching (of theirs) is denouncedt tion ever did or ever will save any as, "sensual, earthly, and devilish."

one. They may assist individuals But let us see what Jesus said onto find the Truth. Eph. 2:8,9 says, the night of His betrayal, after"By grace are ye saved through supper, and after His earthly min-faith, and that not of yourselves; istry (in His incarnate state) wasit (salvation) is the gift of God: (it finished. In Luke 22:35-36, we findis) not of works lest any man that Jesus indicates a change inshould boast;" Rom. 10:9,10, "If the requirements for their work,thou Shalt confess with thy mouth while He was with them in thethe Lord Jesus, and shalt believe fiesh, they lacked nothing, (v. 35).in thine heart that God hath raised Then He said unto them (v. 36),Him from the dead, thou shalt be "But now, he that hath a purse,saved — "; John 3:14,15, The Son jgt him take it, and likewise hisof Man was lifted up, "-that who- scrip; and he that hath no swordsoever believeth in Him should not igt him sell his garment and buyper ish, but have eternal l i fe . " one." Verse 37 indicates that He

T h e y r e j e c t t h e t a k i n g o f c o l l e c - i s n o w c o m p l e t i n g H i s i n c a r n a t ej tions and the method of the work, "—for the things concerning. T I T H E . O u r v e t e r a n p r o m o t e r o f m e h a v e a n e n d . " W e fi n d i n b o t h■ t h i s f a i t h s a y s , " Te a c h i n g t o o f t h e s e p a s s a g e s ( M a t t . 1 0 a n d

T I T H E i s a fi n a n c i a l r a c k e t . A n y L u k e 1 0 ) m u c h t h e s a m e a n d d e fi -

j New Testament preacher teaching nite instructions to His 12 apostles

i

and to the 70. The instructionswere not only as to the mannerin which they were to go (by twos,without purse, staff, food, or extraclothing); they were told to whomto go (the lost sheep of Israel, theJews); and they were told what todo (Preach the kingdom of Heavenis at hand, heal, raise the dead,cast out dev i ls ) . The seventy wereto go "whither He himself wouldcome" . We know tha t Ch r i sPsministry was to the Jew only,—Matt. 15:24, "I am not sent butunto the lost sheep of the houseo f I s r a e l . "

Do the Jesus Way min is te rstruly follow Jesus' way? Do theypreach to the Jews only? Do theyheal the sick, raise the dead, casto u t d e v i l s ?

As to Organization they claim,"We are organized under the planof the New Testament." This statement is so indefinte as to be insignificant. We are not told definite details of the organization ofChrist's followers, and of the earlyChristian churches. We know therewas a type of organization. Theapostles at Jerusalem called ameeting of the disciples to set upa relief plan for taking care of theneedy women and children in theChristian homes (Acts 6:1-6). AfterPaul returned to Antioch from hismissionary pourney into Asia Minor, he and Barnabas and someothers were sent as a committeeto consult with the Council at Jerusalem regarding the question ofrequiring the Gentile converts tobe circumcised. They secured aformal statement from the Councilwhich they took back to thechurches at Antioch and in AsiaMinor (Acts 15:22-29). Paul, as adviser, gave definite instructions asto what the church should do withrespect to misconduct on the partof members (I Cor. 5: 1-13). So we

know there must have been a rat h e r d e fi n i t e a n d c o m p l e t e s e t - u pof Organization, although detailsa re no t g i ven .

The Cooneyites seem to beafraid of organization; perhaps because they have seen corruptionin other religious groups. SinceAdam, man has had a sinful nature. It matters not whether he isin or out of an organization. Whenlarge numbers make-up a group,it is not surprising that some ofthis evil nature is manifest. Shallwe refuse to have civil organization (city, state, and national), b^cause corruption will appear? Paultold the churches what to do aboutthe corruption. They were to dealwith it, or remove the guilty ones.The function of the church is tohelp people live more righteouslyday by day, and perform other services, impossible by the individual

R E L I A B I L I T Y O F T H E I RTEACHINGS: (a) Their teachingsinvolve mis-application of scripture, e.g., — In the model sermonsent us, reference is made to theoft quoted yule-tide passage of Isa.9:6, "—and the government shall beupon His shoulders." The writersays in his sermon, "That verseshows how men can have forgiveness of sin, instruction in the wayof righteousness, and guidance inthe Path of Life. It is when theyare wil l ing to place the government of their lives upon Him asKing of Kings and Lord of Lords."It is plainly evident that the verseis wrongly applied. There is nob a s i s f o r s u c h s t a t e m e n t s . F r o mwhat is stated here and what follows in the sermon, it is clear thatthis preacher is implying that thegovernment, here referred to, isChrist's rule over the lives of surrendered ind iv idua ls here and now,r a t h e r t h a n C h r i s t ' s r e i g n u p o nthe earth during the mil lennium,

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as is generally accepted by orthodox theo log ians .

( b ) I n t h i s s e r m o n w e h a v e amisquote of Matt. 11:28, "Come allye that are weary and heavy laden,sit at My feet and learn of Me."(emphasis ours).

E F F E C T I V E N E S S O F M I N I STRY: They claim that they havenever had to turn out any that haveprofessed in their meetings; butwhen a person got hold of the" T r u t h " h e w o u l d s t i c k t o i t . O n e

crit ic of this faith writes that this isnot true, however. He states thatone of their former preachers isn o w p r e a c h i n g w i t h a n o t h e r c o mpany of Christ ians af ter havingbeen cast off by them; and a numb e r o f o t h e r s h a v e l e f t t h e m . T h eJestis Way (Cooneyites) folk say ofall such apostates there is absolutely no hope.

S O M E F A C T S : I n a n s w e r t o a

q u e s t i o n a s t o w h e t h e r t h e y h a dschools for t raining their ministers, our veteran promoter replied,"We have no schools for trainingour preachers. They learn in theL o r d ' s s c h o o l o f h a r d k n o c k s . "Furthermore he says they do notmaintain orphanages, hospi ta ls,homes for the aged, or for retiredministers. Of course, these undertakings would be impossible for

t h e m w i t h o u t s o m e d e fi n i t e f o r mof o rgan iza t ion .

Their preachers must be single.Some have deser ted the i r fami l i esto preach the gospel. "If any prov i d e n o t f o r — t h o s e o f h i s o w nhouse, he hath denied the faith,a n d i s w o r s e t h a n a n i n fi d e l , " ( ITim. 5:8). We have evidence fromthe model sermon re fer red to , andf r o m t h e f a c t t h a t t h e i r m i n i s t e r shave no special training, that theirministers are not qualified to serveas professional ministers. There iswide disagreement among them onvital teachings, pertaining to theAtonement, Baptism and requirements for salvat ion. This is due tothe fact that there is no one amongthem who is a recognized authority on interpretation of scripture,and a lso due to the fact that theyhave no periodicals by means ofwhich they can d is t r ibute the i rteachings. They discourage thereading of l i terature put out byother religious faiths.

CONCLUSION: F rom these fac t swe predict this group to be destined to remain (until it vanishes)in that class of religious groupsw h o s e d i s t i n c t i v e t e a c h i n g s a r ebased, to a large extent, upon erroneous interpretations and applic a t i o n s o f s c r i p t u r e , o r u p o n n oscripture at all.

B A H A I S M h a v e a n a f fi n i t y f o r u n s c r i p t u r a lX , 1 1 \ t e a c h i n g s . T h e B a h a ' i s c l o a k t h e m -(Conunued f rom page 11) terminologies.

circles more rapidly than many of hence many uninformed people ac-the other cults. The rapid expan- cept a religion which has a falsesion of Bahaism demonstrates that Messiah (Baha 'U'llah) who deniedour generation is extremely gulli- the authority and identity of Jesusble and that a great many people Christ our Lord.

T h e a r t i c l e o n t h e W r i t i n g s o f N o r m a n V i n c e n t P e a l e , i s n o wa v a i l a b l e i n t r a c t f o r m , a t 5 c w i t h o r d e r s , 1 0 c a s i n g l e c o p y.

S e n d f o r a c o p y o f o u r f r e e P r i c e L i s t .P l e a s e k e e p u s i n f o r m e d o f y o u r c h a n g e o f a d d r e s s .

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R E L I G I O N A N A LY S I S S E R V I C E , I N C .9 0 2 H e n n e p i n A v e n u e

Minneapolis "S^Minnesota

N O N P R O F I T O R G .

S . P O S TA G I i r■n A T^ ' P A I D

M i n n e a p o l i s , M i n nP e r m i t N o . 7 9 5

Form 3547 requested

Pertmnt Qucst'ms and MswersBy "Pastor Mac" of Spiritual Clinic,

and Pastor of Powdcrhom Park Baptist Church, MinneapolisQuestion—I have heard ministers speak of the apostasy that shall come

upon the earth in the last days. Just what is apostasy?Answer—It would be well for you to make a careful study of the bookof Jude. This is the only book in the Bible that is entirely devoted tothe great apostasy" which is to come upon Christendom before the LordJesus Christ returns. One great Bible teacher said that the theme ofJude should be called "The Acts of the Apostates."

Apostasy is not to be confused with mere indifference to the Wordof God, nor to error or heresy. An apostate has received light, but notlife. He may have received, in some degree, the written Word; but hehas not received the Living Word. Jude gives three clear marks of anapostate: ungodly (he is simply without God) — a perverter (he pervertsthe grace of God into lasciviousness or uses the grace of God as an excuse for sin) — a denier (he denies the ONLY Lord God or he doesnot believe that Christ is the ONLY way to God as Jesus said in John1 4 : 6 ) . . ^ .

Although apostasy is found primarily within the pale of professmgChristianity (that means that you would look for it within the professingChurch — the pulpit — Christian schools, etc.) yet, according to thesethree marks given by Jude no true Christian could be an apostate. Infact, Jude closes his little book with a word of comfort and assuranceto the believer that the child of God will be kept from falling intoapostasy! (Note verses 24 and 25).

P a s t o r " M a c "

S O M E L I S T I N G S F R O M O U R P R I C E L I S T.

(Add 10% as a mailing charge to orders under $5.)The Delusion of British-Israelism, by Anton Darms. 224 pages.C l o t hWhat 's Wrong wi th Anglo- Israel ism? by Louis T. Talbot , 50p a g e sThe Incredibility and Delusion of Angio-IsraeUsm, by Rev. W F.R o a d h o u s e , 1 6 p a g e s 1 0 cBritish-Israel Identity, By Howard W. KeUogg, 24 pages, 10cBahaism in America, by Jessie A. Tritt, 6 pages, 2c each witho r d e r s , s i n g l e c o p y l O cThe Cooneyites, or Go-Preachers, from "Our Hope" magazine.1 6 p a g e s , 7 c e a c h w i t h o r d e r s , s i n g l e c o p y 1 0 cRock Foundations of Truth, by Keith L. Brooks, (Acid Tests forEvery Religious Teaching Today), A 24 page booklet, 25c each