PLUMBLINE -- Editor, Wayne
Coats
Vol. 4 No. 10, May 2000
THE GRAHAM-SHELLY CRUSADE
A lot of hustle and bustle has been made due to the Billy Graham weekend at the Adelphia
Coliseum in Nashville. There were 72,000 people in attendance on Saturday night and the total
attendance reached 227,000. There was a total of $2.65 million dollars given. There were 9,545
people who "came forward" during the bally who.
When Billy thanked the different churches who helped in the campaign, he got a big ovation
when he mentioned the "Church of Christ." He had reference to Woodmont Hills,
Hendersonville Community Church, Otter Creek, Western Hills, Smith Springs and
Harpeth Hills. These six religious groups provided assistance for Graham to present his false
doctrine.
Rubel Shelly reported that he counseled several hundred who came forward. Just what did
Shelly tell those poor, benighted deceived people? Counselors were not allowed to mention points
of doctrine. Did Shelly orate on, "How to skin a skunk?"
According to the report of Dale Jenkins who preaches for the Granny White Church of
Christ and who went over to sign up as a counselor, there were certain stipulated requirements
made of the counselors. A board of pastors would have to approve those who desired to counsel. Try
to imagine a board of pastors telling a faithful Christian what to say. Please read carefully the
Jenkins article below entitled "I Want To Help." Pay particular attention to Number 18, which
declares in part, "...I am not to advocate a particular doctrine beyond Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior or proselytize for my particular denomination or church."
Dale states that the "somewhats" considered baptism as a "particular doctrine."
Rubel Shelly has had more than a mite of palaver in his church bulletins urging his
followers to volunteer as a counselor. He wrote, "Dr. Graham does not end his lessons with a call
to baptism." Since Graham does not teach the truth about baptism and since baptism is "a point
of doctrine" which counselors are forbidden to mention as per brother Jenkin's article, just what
could Rubel and his liberal helpers say? Do the elders from the six aforementioned churches agree
for their sheep to be mum about baptism and the church? Did all those helpers from the six
churches sign their names agreeing to refrain from any and all points of doctrine? If the apostate
counselors agree to refrain from mentioning any point of doctrine at the crusade, will they refrain
from mentioning any points of doctrine back with their home gang? The popes of Rome have had
gullible dupes for centuries who have been told what to say and not say. The Graham-Shelly dupes
are not any different.
We have taught for long decades that Christ purchased the church with his blood (Acts
20:28). When a false teacher comes to town, a number of heretics agree to sign a form and thereby
refuse to even mention the church. For shame! Such is the absurdity of following a multitude to
do evil.
Rubel opines that Billy will take his hearers to a certain point; and from that point, we need
to be there and tell them the importance of baptism, and we need to be there and tell them about the
church. Can Billy not tell people about baptism and the church? Should some Nashville elders
compromise with a false teacher who refuses to tell dying sinners about baptism and the church?
The newspaper reported that Billy Graham suffered from back problems. Such misery is
terrible, but it is not as bad as brain problems. There is a sad day coming.
The Graham-Shelly fiasco is a clear-cut case of spineless compromisers striving to please
men instead of God (Gal. 1:10).
--Wayne Coats - Editor
I Want To Help
It's no secret by now; Billy Graham is bringing his crusade team to Nashville. I did not come
to Nashville to fight my brethren, but the fact exists that at least six congregations that carry the
name church of Christ are publicly participating in the campaign. And while I believe in
congregational autonomy, I have a question.
We love the souls of men and women, boys and girls, and support any effort that will bring
a person closer to the kingdom of Heaven. Several weeks ago we wrote a couple of articles
explaining why I could not be a participant in the campaign.
Since then I have had several people who have given me their justification for their
involvement in this big event. It seems two comments have caught the emotional ear of those who
wish to see lost souls saved and that, frankly, sound very convincing. One is that Dr. Graham will
take them to a certain point, and that we need to be available to reach them from that point. He
will bring them to faith in Jesus, and we will take over and tell them of the importance of baptism.
It's been called a "unique evangelistic opportunity." The other is that some will check "Church of
Christ" as their religious preference, and we need to be there to teach them about the church. It's
stated: "What a shame if no one was there to talk to them about their soul."
These sound very good and seem to be difficult to argue with, but what if those two things
were impossible? If one questions the sensibility of participating in this effort they heard the cry:
"Don't you care about the lost?"
I have personally attempted to be a counselor with the crusade that is coming, having
attended a number of meetings. What an opportunity if one could counsel the hundreds that will
come forward during the crusade or even a few of them!
At each meeting, I have expressed my desire and asked what I had to do to serve as a
counselor. I have been told repeatedly that in order to be a counselor, I had to be at least 12 years
old, have a letter from my "pastor" stating that I was a member in good standing with my church,
take some courses, fill out an application to be a counselor and be approved by a board of area
"pastors." I have been asking for a copy of the application for three months now, and last week I
finally received one.
It is a two-page paper requesting pretty standard information: name, age, address, etc. But
Number 18 is very revealing, it says: "I understand that by signing this application I am obligated
to simply share the basic Gospel of Jesus Christ using the My Commitment folder and Living in
Christ with an individual that comes forward during the Crusade. I am not to advocate a particular
doctrine beyond Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or proselytize for my particular denomination or
church." I've read both of those and not a word is said about baptism. I was confident that the
crusade would consider "baptism: as a particular doctrine," but just in case, I called. They do.
So for a Christian to sign this form planning on teaching an individual about the necessity
of baptism or planning to teach one about the church of Christ would be a lie or deception. Or for
a Christian to attempt to justify their wanting to participate in this event by making the two
arguments mentioned above would be to lie to those they are making the statement to, for they
know they cannot in good conscience do that. As important as it is to lead the lost to Jesus, it is
wrong to even attempt to justify winning souls by lying.
I see NO way a Christian can participate in this campaign. If you do, I want to hear from
you. I seek unity, not division: I want to help.
Dale Jenkins, Nashville, TN
Grief, A Test Of Faith
Dear friends, we have all confronted tragedy, disease, and heartbreak of every description.
Many feel they alone have confronted such episodes of grief, but such are simply untrue. We can
always look around and see that someone else has more serious difficulties than we could imagine.
During the course of one year this writer lost his beloved mother, was diagnosed with multiple
sclerosis, four days later our sixteen year-old daughter suffered a fatal automobile accident, and
my ministry of thirty years came to a halt. Numerous other hurting people have faced such anguish
and misery, but we are not alone in coming to grips with this spiritual challenge.
This writer is a grief survivor, but one should not think he is totally immunized from such
adversity. We have seen over a period of time, through our painful experience, that six (6) steps
exist in the grieving process. 1) Shock - one is stunned beyond feeling; 2) Denial - a rejection and
total defiance of the event via "it did not happen." 3) Disbelief - rejecting the fact of the occurrence
by refusing to let it become a reality; 4) Blame - the traumatic incident causes the grieved to blame
self, others, and even God; 5) Momentary management - the process of coping with occasional
relapses. 6) Adjustment - having reached a state of acceptance, yet occasional slips frequently
occur.
The Old Testament character Job was put to the test when he lost his sons, daughters,
sheep and oxen, and all his lands were taken from him (Job 1:13-22). Normally a person would
blame God, accuse others, and even reprimand oneself in the face of such an enormous calamity.
This was not the attitude of Job, but rather "in all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly"
(Job 1:22). Job's wife spoke once in the Bible and said, "Curse God and die." Job responded to her
"thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh" (Job 1:9-10). Regardless of the horrific
episodes and adversity in his life, he never once blamed God, nor anyone else. Job the patriarch
serves as a prolific example in this regard.
A number of positive things can be done to aid us in conquering such a loss. One should
immediately engage in powerful prayer. Dealing with adversity is impossible without having a
connection to our eternal God. Paul in a concise way said, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17).
Therefore. we should have a continuous prayerful attitude. Prayer is our way of communicating
our innermost thoughts and feelings to the Creator above. A very therapeutic way of overcoming
grief is spending as much time with God as possible, which is through His word. David said, "Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto our path" (Psalms 119:105). A steady and constant
perusal of the Book of books can sustain us when we walk through the darkness of despair. David
once again said, "uphold me according to thy word, that I may live, and let me not be ashamed of
my hope" (Psalms 119:116). The test of surviving grief is dependent upon the degree of faith we
possess. We previously stated that prayer is our means of communicating with God. Conversely,
reading the Bible is God's way of communicating with us. The Bible is a road map, and if followed
well, we will be able to cope with the challenges of life.
--Bob Spurlin
PrchTeach@aol.com
Somerville, AL
The Devil Returns After A Season
When Steve Flatt and his Madison cronies huddled together and conceived the unlawful,
unscriptural, sectarian, denominational, notorious, Nashville Jubilee, those of us who had given
in-depth studies to the structure of the old American Christian Missionary Society, the Louisville
Plan and similar concoctions of the devil, we could pin-point the exact similarities in several
instances between the two entities.
I immediately wrote and sent forth some warnings about the unscriptural structure of the
Jubilee all over the nation. Printed materials were prepared in an effort to get blind brethren to
see what was being pulled over their eyes. I was as a mere weak voice crying in the wilderness.
Who would be so obfuse as to object to the great Madison/Goliath? It has been heart breaking to
see the gullibility of well-meaning brethren who have been duped into supporting the Jubilee
affair. The very structure of the Jubilee as set up by Flatt and his co-horts precludes any faithful
child of God from supporting, promoting, and participating in the wicked thing. I do my homework.
PLEASE, Please, please tell me how you (anyone) can participate in the Flatt Jubilee and
also oppose the old Missionary Society? It would be interesting to learn how you would oppose the
Missionary Society of the Digressives which was spawned in 1849. The devil finally split the
Church in 1906 by the liberal forces. Satan is merely changing his terms a mite.
After Max Lucado (special speaker at the Jubilee) delivered his fiasco at the Jubilee when
he decreed that baptism does not save, would you believe some Nashville brethren wiggled a little
bit? You would have thought Max had killed a Nashville Holy Cow. The Granny White bishops
afterward borrowed Steve Flatt to breathe forth on water baptism. Remember it was Steve who
sired the Jubilee. Have you heard as of this date of any bishops getting antsy about the
unscriptural structure of the illegitimate make-up of the Jubilee? No, and I do not think you will.
Have you heard of any of the Nashville editors, bishops, board members, presidents, preachers, and
hand-clappers becoming disturbed due to the framework of the Jubilee? No, and I am not sure you
will. The devil will be happy if he can keep a few complainers, such as myself, mouthing about the
way the New Missionary Society is built. "Just do not oppose the structure," he says.
I have begged any of the Jubilee supporters to step forth and defend The Jubilee. Not one
soul has offered to do so. I have not put much emphasis upon the modernistic rot and cultic
teaching which has occurred at the Jubilee. I want to see the person who will have the courage,
conviction, integrity, and love for the truth who will take Steve Flatt's taped speech about the birth
of the Jubilee, and attempt to justify the outfit by the Bible.
Hear this please! The Jubilee has been adopted by Rubel Shelly and the
Woodmont Hills Church. From Shelly's Church, a page is sent out titled, "Jubilee 2000, in the
Strength of the Lord." When it comes to defending the pure word of God brethren, there is not
anything on the face of God's earth as weak as the Jubilee 2000. People know Rubel Shelly will run
around over the country and make fun of the Church of Christ, compromise with false teachers,
support denominational preachers such as Billy Graham, but he runs like a scared rabbit when
faced with a logical, scriptural, proposition for debate with some faithful legitimate brother.
Mike Cope, heretical preacher of Highland Church in Abilene, Texas, has been challenged
to meet Texas brethren in discussions, but he had rather mumble something which seems like
"dying gasps" to him. Cope will be the keynote speaker for Shelly's Jubilee. He will be a good choice
for those who can slurp on the "Wineskins" contents. Cope helps Shelly with the bloated Wineskins.
The worship leader each evening will be Brandon Scott Thomas from the Otter Creek Church in
Nashville which is helping Billy Graham with his false campaign in Nashville. Do the folks at
Otter Creek including Thomas, know the difference in Rubel Shelly and Billy Graham? Then there
is the ZOE worship group and Randy Gill the worship leader at Woodmont Hills, Shelly's Church.
It has been a foregone conclusion since day one that the modernist liberals have been
determined to ignore any semblance of opposition to their nefarious schemes. This is exactly the
plan followed by the old digressives after they learned better than try to defend their missionary
society and mechanical music in worship. They had some real warriors early on who could draw
their swords, but Restoration students know how they withdrew their heads in tortoise fashion
after a few scrapes. It takes no conviction to be afflicted with lockjaw.
As speakers for Shelly's Jubilee 2000, one can be enthralled with speakers such as Ken Dye,
Gary Holloway, Mark Black, Doug Foster, Wesley Jones, Mac Lynn, John Mark Hicks, David
Slater, and Jeff Walling.
There are more but I just cannot fathom what sort of nonsense has to be in operation for
poor Doug Vanardo to exit Lipscomb University due to the "infamous box" and become full-time
with the Hendersonville Community Church, yet Black and Holloway of Lipscomb are joining the
Jubilee. I need help for certain. Does Steve Flatt lay hands on Black and Holloway as they journey
to join with Shelly?
According to the Nashville paper, Ken Dye was fired as the preacher for the Hendersonville
Church of Christ and he started the Community Church. He has now moved to the West End
Church in Nashville.
Mark Black teaches at Lipscomb and also preaches for the far-out left-wing liberal Donelson
church. That will pull in some more dollars for Shelly's circus affair.
Jeff Walling is as much at home among the denominations as he is among the liberal crew.
I have listed several of the speakers for Jubilee 2000. I am considered completely insane when I
question any of the "Strength of the Lord" being present at the notorious Jubilee affair.
The church is in a horrible mess in Nashville. Who will deny it? Who is the cause of the
problem? Sensible people know the root of the problem. Honest folks will admit the cause of the
problem. Concerned people will not be afraid to address the problem. Cowardly folks will seek
refuge among the compromisers.
--Wayne Coats, Editor
Truth Is Not For Sale
Marvin L. Weir
We live in a society that has a growing disdain for truth. Those who are graduates of the
school of worldly wisdom, pride themselves in practicing the art of deception. From the
president of the United States to the teenage student, one has come to expect a dishonest
answer.
The Bible, God's word of truth, has been ridiculed and ignored ever since the Holy Spirit
revealed it. For decades, modern man has been an advocate of the theory of evolution. It matters
not that science cannot prove the theory! Neither does it matter to most that God's word says, "In
the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." In fact, worldly wisdom will seek to convince
folks that neither God nor the Bible is to be taken too seriously.
Who or what do we take seriously? Should we accept as absolute truth that which is
spoken by a judge or president that is motivated and driven by the "politically correct" agenda? Can
we rely upon the newspapers and the tabloids to present absolute truth? The answers to the above
questions are more than obvious to all who are not blinded by their love for the world (cf. 1 John
2:15-17).
The Bible declares that God's word "is truth" (John 17:17, emph. MLW) and that "the truth
of Jehovah endureth forever" (Psalm 117:2). Surely one who is honest and noble would never
declare that we cannot know the meaning of "is." Solomon, speaking by inspiration, said, "Buy the
truth, and sell it not; Yea, wisdom, and instruction, and understanding" (Prov. 23:23).
The Bible purposely avoids the political correctness that the majority now craves and
endorses, and reveals the absolute truth that so many spurn and hate. Although truth is not for
sale, most folks will sell truth in a heartbeat when it comes to family, friends or self. People need
to begin doing some serious thinking and wean themselves from being "spoon fed" by those who
covet their unprovable theories and personal agendas.
The selling of religious truth has been popular in every dispensation--Patriarchal,
Mosaical, and Christian. God told Adam and Eve if they ate or touched the fruit of the tree in the
midst of the garden they would die (Gen. 3:3). The couple chose, however, to sell truth and believe
Satan's lie that they would not die from touching and eating the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:4). Nadab
and Abihu knew the type of fire required by God in making sacrifices, but chose instead to offer
"strange fire before Jehovah" (Lev. 10:1). They sold truth in offering what was not commanded
and it cost them their lives. Ananias and Sapphira chose to sell truth and lie to the apostle Peter
regarding the amount of the transaction. A high price was again paid for the selling of truth as it
cost Ananias and Sapphira their lives (Acts 5:1ff).
Today, there are many congregations of the Lord's people who are in the process of selling
the truth. As truth is being sold, multitudes of members sit silently, thereby giving their consent.
But why is truth for sale? It is because the liberal change-agents know that truth must be sold
(discarded) before they can implement manmade innovations and denominational practices. You
see, even the liberals know that God's truth will expose their scheme to restructure the church.
Thus, truth must be sold before they can accomplish their devilish goal.
There is an article now being circulated among some churches of Christ in the D-FW area
entitled "Behold the Pattern" that seeks to compare a man-made dress pattern to God's pattern for
the church. Brethren, design and intent keep such a comparison from being valid. A dress pattern
is designed to be adapted to satisfy certain needs. God's singular pattern for His church was not
intended to be adapted to accommodate man's whims and wishes.
The article further suggests that Jesus and not the New Testament church is our pattern.
Is not Christ the head of the church, which is his body (Eph. 1:22-23)? Are we to understand there
is a pattern for the head but not for the body? Efforts have been made for years to sever Christ from
the church but such cannot be done. The results of a "patternless" body is a "have it my way"
religion. Such is the goal of those who are anxious to sell the truth. But truth is not for sale!
5810 Liberty Grove Rd
Rowlett, TX 75089
Letter From A Mother To Her Son
Dear Bo,
I am writing this letter slow because I know you can't read fast. We don't live where we did
when you left home. Your father read in the paper that most accidents happen within 20 miles of
your home, so we moved. I won't be able to send you the address because the last family that lived
here took the house numbers when they left so they wouldn't have to change their address.
This place is real nice. It even has a washing machine. I'm not sure it works so well though.
Last week I put in a load of clothes, pulled the chain and haven't seem them since. The weather
isn't so bad, it only rained twice last week. The first time it rained for three days and the second
time it rained for four days.
The coat you wanted me to send to you-well, Laverne said it would be little heavy to send
in the mail with the buttons on, so we cut them off and put them in the pockets. Your uncle Jim
locked the keys in his brand new car yesterday. We were worried because it took him 2 hours to
get Wanda and the twins out. Your sister Carol had a baby this morning. I haven't found out what
it was yet so I don't know if you are an aunt or an uncle.
Your Grandpa Bill fell into the wine-making bin last week. Some men tried to pull him out,
but he fought them off and drowned. We had him cremated and he burned for three days.
Three of your friends went off a bridge in a pickup truck. Alvin was driving, and Cleon and
Eddie were riding in back. Alvin got out through the window and swam to safety but your other
two friends drowned because they couldn't open the tailgate. There isn't much more news at this
time, nothing much happened.
Love, Ma
P.S. I was going to send you money but the envelope was already sealed.
----------------------------------------
NOTE: Go ahead and ask. You wonder why such a trite piece is in the Plumbline? Simply
because it is reminiscent of some of the dull normal characters to whom I have attempted to
preach. If a good, sound, cogent, logical, argument entered their brain, no doubt a concussion would
result. Such people are beyond help.
--Editor
The New School Prayer
Now I
sit me down in school
Where
praying is against the rule.
For
this great nation under God
Finds
mention of Him very odd.
If
Scripture now the class recites,
It
violates the Bill of Rights.
And
anytime my head I bow
Becomes a federal matter now.
Our
hair can be purple or orange or green,
That's
no offense, it's the freedom scene.
The
law is specific, the law is precise,
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
For
praying in a public hall
Might
offend someone with no faith at all.
In
silence alone we must meditate,
God's
name is prohibited by the State.
We're
allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And
pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns; but FIRST the Bible.
To
quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can
elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And
the unwed daddy, our Senior King.
It's
"inappropriate" to teach right from wrong,
We're
taught that such "judgments" do not belong.
We can
get our condoms and birth controls,
Study
witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But
the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No
Word of God must reach this crowd.
It's
scary here I must confess.
When
chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So,
Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should
I be shot, my soul please take.
When you move, you MUST send us your change of address. The Post Office will not
forward the Plumbline. They will simply throw it away. Look at your label carefully and
send us any corrections that need to be made. Check your expiration date to see if it is
correct also. We strive hard to not make any errors, but occasionally, some get by us.
Please help us as we strive to "fight the good fight of faith."
People, Places, Things
A debate is scheduled July 17-18 and July 20-21 out in Spring, Texas, between brother
David Brown and Daniel Callam. The subject discussed will be centered on religious authority.
Brother Brown is the faithful preacher of the Spring church of Christ and Callam is a
Catholic priest who teaches in the University of St. Thomas in Houston. We pray for brother Brown
and the triumph of truth.
------------------------------
I believe that I am in arrears in sending out a few book orders. Please let me know if you
have requested materials and have not received them. You may wonder how I could misplace
letters, articles, book orders, etc. Due to so many physical problems accumulating in rapid
succession, I have been too weak to work at times, so the mail gets neglected and boxed. The cords
and bonds of illness continue with me. There are good brethren who care very deeply about my
problems, but there are a few "nuts" who continue to "...add affliction to my bonds" (Phil. 1:16).
Two faithful brethren have constructed a 24' x 28' log cabin behind my house which serves
as my library. My sweet daughters have been involved in moving my books and papers into the
library shelves. This explains how some things get lost. Hopefully, I can regain sufficient strength
to spend time in the library. Thus far, I have not been well enough to be amidst my books beyond
a couple of hours. I pray without ceasing to be able to resume work.
------------------------------
Since we began publishing the Plumbline, an effort has been made to keep brethren
informed about the damaging inroads of liberalism among so many congregations. It has not been
my purpose to butt-in or interfere in the efforts of any congregation or try to run their affairs. I
have tried to be exceedingly careful to confine my efforts to the exposure of liberalism. What a
congregation does otherwise is none of my business. The plague of liberalism just about destroyed
the church around the turn of the century. The same thing is happening again. We have tried to
warn brethren, but a head and heart as hard as concrete will hardly receive any truth or word of
warning.
------------------------------
I heard a good elder from Paris, Tennessee, describe how the Acapella Band members split
the church in Paris. He described the wreck and ruin of that crew. We know how the Band has
performed among the denominations and displayed their contempt for faithful brethren.
Down at the Mayfair church in Huntsville, Alabama, the Band is to give a concert and
Buddy Bell is to be the guest speaker. I distinctly recall when the Mayfair congregation began.
Brother A. E. Hobbs held the first Gospel meeting there, and I led the singing. Such marvelous
lessons will never be forgotten as they fell from the lips of that dear brother.
The Crossroads-Boston cultic groups introduced the House-Church concept. Many of the
large affluent churches including Mayfair have introduced the "Small Group Meetings" in homes.
Such is different to be sure.
The Acappell Vocal Band is to perform at St. John, the Baptist Catholic Church, Argyle
Bible Church, and also Whites Ferry Road Church of Christ. There are enough ear ticklers running
around loose to keep all the liberals entertained. Whatever happened with common sense and
conviction?
------------------------------
A deep sense of sadness wells up within me as I reflect upon the great loss sustained by a
forelorn and spiritually impoverished brotherhood. I cannot help weeping within while thinking
about the great and good men with whom I have been involved in proclaiming the word of God
during lectureships in so many places all over the nation. Precious memories, how they linger, how
they ever flood my soul.
We studied, researched, wrote manuscripts for books, traveled near and far, lost sleep and
sacrificed occasionally in our efforts to sow the seed of the kingdom. There were fellow soldiers such
as Winfred Clark, Andrew Connally, Bobby Duncan, Thomas Eaves, Joe Gilmore, J. A. McNutt,
Noel Meredith, Foy Smith, E. L. Whitaker, and others. The grave has closed above them, and we
linger on in our feeble efforts, praying, working, and hoping that we may be allowed to live
eternally with those faithful brethren in the land where separations will never come.
------------------------------
Unity and harmony existed among brethren and there was tremendous growth numerically
until the modernists, liberals, and digressives introduced the Missionary Society in 1849 and
mechanical instruments in 1851. A united brotherhood became a divided disgrace, but this did not
bother the liberals. So what, if God hates the sowers of discord among brethren (Prov. 6:16).
The writers of the Gospel Advocate began to deal with the innovations, and they were
relentless in their efforts. The Advocate began in 1855 and a constant effort was made to point
people back to the ancient order of things. There was no dearth of sound writers who wielded their
pens as ready scribes. I believe the situation is different today. Too many preachers are willing to
compromise the truth and be silent. We need a thousand pens to be dipped in the inkwell of truth
and refute the claims of the liberals, but that involves controversy. The Plumbline would welcome
good, sound, sensible manuscripts, but such takes effort and conviction.
According to the Associated Press release, "Britain's Church of England is fading." In the
period from 1979 to 1998, Sunday attendance at England's Catholic churches fell from 2 million
down to 1.2 million. Sunday attendance at the Methodist church fell from 621,000 to 380,000. One
report states religion is dying out in England. What is happening in England is true of America,
especially with the tremendous growth of the liberals and the compromising spirit of conservatives.
------------------------------
Brother Steve Barnes of 115 McBride Street, McMinnville, Tennessee, 37110 is suffering
from severe cerebral palsy after experiencing the horrors of cancer. Would you please send this
dear brother a note?
------------------------------
I doubt that any readers of the Plumbline would get excited about helping in the Billy
Graham Crusade which came to Nashville in June. The bulletin from Rubel Shelly's Church has
an article titled, "Graham Crusade Training," in which a special, "Evangelism and Discipleship
Seminar" will be held to train counselors for the affair. How does one train to be a counselor during
a Revival conducted by a Baptist preacher? Shelly says, "As Billy Graham preaches each night
during the June 1-4 crusade, people will be invited to "make a decision for Jesus Christ" or to
"accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord."
Shelly writes that trained counselors will be needed to help people "put specifics to their
response." How will Rubel train, "scores of our members for this task?" When Billy preaches
hereditary total depravity, how will one of Shelly's clones respond to one who responds? When Billy
preaches salvation by faith only and calls for folks to, "make a decision for Jesus Christ," what kind
of training will a counselor need in order to teach such misguided souls the plan of salvation? To
think that Billy Graham will teach the people how to go to heaven is pure nonsense equal to that
of Shelly's folly.
Is anyone so demented as to think that Billy will preach on the New Testament church in
order to help people learn the truth? Will Billy and Rubel teach people the plan of salvation? Shelly
says, "No we are by no means the only Church of Christ helping with the project." Is Rubel's Church
the church of Christ? The bulletin heading lists, "The Family of God at Woodmont Hills." In
previous bulletins Rubel discredits the name, "Church of Christ." Oh yes! That term turns people
off, but it will come in handy for a crew of compromisers who may want to "join the Church of
Rubel" or some other Church.
It looks like Shelly might be aware that Billy will preach for people to "make a decision for
Jesus Christ," or "accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord." BUT those who decide and accept will
need a counselor of the Shelly (ilk and stripe-I borrowed this from Rubel) "to encourage them to
be baptized into Jesus...." Will Billy not encourage the poor, deluded, dumb, characters to "be
baptized into Jesus" before they get to one of Rubel's brainwashing counselors? Will Billy Graham
not preach for the people to be "baptized into Jesus?" Are the folks in Shelly's Church so ignorant
and blind as to not see that Billy Graham and Shelly are false teachers?
I desperately need someone to furnish me with information about those other "Church of
Christ" helpers. This information needs to be a part of recorded history. It is sickening to know that
the Woodmont Hills shepherds wrote to Billy Graham and invited him to come to Nashville for the
crusade. Who were the Shepherds from Rubel's Church who wrote to Billy Graham inviting him
to Nashville? Can anyone find out?
Indeed, liberals never make any sense.
Shelly and his crew are making a lot of noise about Jubilee 2000. Will there be any Baptists
so naive, two-faced, spineless and desperate as to make the news by helping Shelly with his gala
affair? Will any of the Baptist pastors condescend to preach in the congregations of Rubel's
buddies?
Will Baptist pulpits be open to the proclaimers from Woodmont Hills, Harpeth Hills,
Western Hills, Smith Springs, Otter Creek, Community Church and the Lipscomb professors?
Years ago when Nashville preachers abandoned the truth and turned aside to serve the
devil, there were Nashville writers who opposed and exposed such tommyrot. Such efforts are
extremely limited to a very few precious souls today. It is still in order to say, "show me thy faith
without thy works and I will shew thee my faith by my works" (James 2:18).
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