Watchman Magazine

Kenneth Starr has been under an extreme denigration from the press, the White House, and various members of Congress for his independent counsel investigations of President Clinton. In his defense, Starr recently told reporters, “Don’t blame the messenger if you don’t like the message.” Attacking the messenger when you don’t like the message has been a common ploy practiced throughout the ages. Many of the prophets of the Old Testament as well as the apostles and preachers of the New have known the stinging feedback that is received when the truth hits its target. When King Ahab saw Elijah he cried, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” (1 Kings 18:17,18). Yet, Starr has not troubled America. Clinton and his sins have caused the trouble.

They Attack His AuthorityThroughout this ordeal doubt has been cast upon Starr’s authority for his investigation. Starr has conducted his investigation within the parameters and with the authority delegated to him from others. If he has abused his authority, his accusers have yet to produce any evidence.

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A brother recently sent me an article, titled Starr’s Church of Christ, penned by H. John Rogers, a liberal lawyer who evidently moonlights as a Methodist minister. This brother requested that we offer a response to Mr. Rogers’ rampaging ridicule, and we are happy to oblige. We shall seek to counsel Counsellor Rogers while defending heaven’s wonderful “Counsellor,” whom Mr. Rogers has so egregiously and grievously offended (Isaiah 9:6; 1 Corinthians 8:12).

Introductory Preface: When he sent me a copy of Mr. Rogers’ remarks, and requested a review, the aforementioned brother said, “be ready to be called some names!” This was said in a light-hearted, friendly fashion, but he knew that, given the tone and tenor of Mr. Rogers’ statement, it would be necessary to identify and specify what we were talking about when we made the study which follows. Hence, in a private e-mail, I said to this brother:

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In 2 Peter chapter 2, the inspired apostle gives us a vivid picture of those who are called false teachers: He warns that they will lead many astray through their destructive heresies; that they will speak deception to those who are escaping from sin; and will entice them through the lust of the flesh. Then, continuing his thoughts (verse 19), Peter says “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.”

 

LIBERTYRecently, I’ve seen some who profess to be gospel preachers, but instead are like those described by Peter. Rather than standing firm in God’s Word, they teach the weak and unlearned to be less concerned with living righteously and more concerned with loving others. While I do agree that we need to teach how to be more loving, we must not do so at the expense of standing firm in the Truth and Righteousness of the Gospel.

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Many people in the world today will do something, and then afterward, will stop and question whether or not those things that they did were right. But what about Christians? Do Christians do things that are questionable in God’s sight? Sadly, I must say that they do. There are Christians that use various ways of trying to justify their actions, even when they know that it is not completely pure. We need to learn to call things exactly as they are in this life. We need to know what is black and what is white. But before we can do this, we must first understand what sin is.

What is sin? Sin is doing anything that violates God’s law of righteousness. In 1 John 5:17 it says: “All unrighteousness is sin…” and “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). When we transgress or do things that are against God’s law, then we have committed sin. It doesn’t matter what we do, if it is something that is not approved of by God, then it is sin, and all sin is BLACK.

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1998 was truly an enlightening, uplifting and challenging year with regard to Watchman Magazine. The magazine began as a simple idea about a quarterly webzine on a shoestring budget, and became a prodigious undertaking (although still on a shoestring budget). First order of business is to thank my two associate editors for the fine work they have done in our first year of publication. I count both Larry Fain and Tom Roberts among my dearest friends, which of course does not in any way qualify them to edit a magazine. However their intense love for the truth, boldness in proclaiming it, and their talented pens have been evident for the past 12 months.

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We have had some few things to say in this publication concerning the practices of many so called churches of Christ. I would call those churches liberal not in a defaming way, but in a way to describe their actions, their practices, and their behavior. Labels and name calling are both non-productive means of dealing with controversy. However, identifying false teaching and erroneous practices is something that must be done in order to serve the people of God and to prepare them to meet the dangers that beset us all in this generation.

We are not immune from the digressions that have faced our brethren in years past. Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is the lack of preparation. Ill prepared people are people bound for destruction. When otherwise good people seek to do things without Bible authority, the rebellious attitudes are shrouded by the good deeds sought to be authorized. However, one cannot manufacture authority out of the seeming goodness of any action. Remember the scenario the Lord presented in the Sermon on the Mount? Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Jesus knew whereof He spoke when He said there would be many using the same argument. Ultimately Jesus said that no matter how wonderful the deed, action without authority is sin and will result in eternal departure from the presence of God.

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Introduction to the Last Will and Testament of the Springfield PresbyteryBARTON W. STONE was born near Port Tobacco, Maryland, December 24, 1772; while yet an infant he was left fatherless. In 1779 his mother moved to the backwoods of Virginia, near Dan River, Pittsylvania county. “From the time I was able to read I took a great delight in books,” but books were scarce in those days, and his means limited; however, he says: “I determined to qualify myself for a barrister, and to acquire a liberal education to accomplish this, I stripped myself of every hindrance, denied myself of strong food and lived chiefly on milk and vegetables, and allowed myself but six or seven hours’ sleep out of the twenty-four.”While thus engaged a great religious revival swept over that part of the country. Many of the students of the Academy “got religion,” but he would have nothing to do with it, believing it would interfere with his studies. At last he was persuaded to go to hear Mr. James McGready. He was brought under conviction, and after a hard struggle between duty and inclination, finally decided to give up all his cherished plans, his friends, everything, and accept Christ.

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History tells us that Don Carlos Janes was one of the most zealous advocates for foreign missionary work of his day. We are told that he traveled 9,000 miles to visit various mission fields in the year 1919 alone, and that he conducted a world tour in 1920. However, our feelings towards him are tempered by the fact the brother Janes believed in premillennialism. Earl West writes of one of the results of brother Janes’ work: “Clearly, then, premillenialism reached out to touch the vast mission fields over the world.” (Search for the Ancient Order, Vol. 4, p. 204) This brief look into the past should cause us to be circumspect in our view of mission work in our day. This is especially so in light of the convictions some brethren today have expressed with regards to unity.

A. Glenn Jones and the Work in Germany

In the June, 1992 issue of Christianity Magazine on his “Lights in the World” page, brother Sewell Hall had an article entitled, “Lights in `Dark Places’.” In it he told the story of a Christian’s experience in the former communist East Germany. This story was a quote from a newsletter by brother Glenn Jones, who preaches in Kiel, Germany. Glenn’s report was written after he had preached at the church where the subject of the story was a member.

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Why not? Reason with me a moment.

My name is Tom Roberts and I don’t mind people calling me by my name. I belong to the church of Christ. I don’t mind people referring to me as a member of the church, publicly or otherwise. If a person is a member of the Baptist, Methodist, Catholic or some other denomination and they are identified as such, why should such a person take offense?

Of course, there is more to it than name-calling. My name is Tom Roberts and I am a husband, father, citizen, neighbor, etc. So long as one describes me as what I am, I take no offense. However, if I should be called a fornicator, an abuser, child-beater, etc., I would highly resent being so misrepresented. As a member of the church of Christ, I take no offense if anyone accurately represents what I believe and practice. If someone says of me that I belong to a church that teaches baptism in water for remission of sins, uses no instrumental music in worship and partakes of the Lord’s supper each first day of the week, they have not misrepresented me and I am glad that people know these things. They can tell these things from the rooftops and not offend me in the least. However, if that same person said that I belong to a church that believes in water salvation, does not believe in music and accepts transubstantiation, I would quickly raise an objection.

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Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men” Romans 12:17.

The word gambling is not in the Bible, but the word covet is and it is condemned, Luke 12:15, “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

One may wish to argue that gambling is not covetousness because all the parties involved agree to the wager. An agreement by both parties to be covetous does not lessen the fact that gambling is covetous. Mutual agreement does not legitimize sin. If mutual agreement could legitimize then dueling would legitimize murder because both parties mutually agree that each will have have equal opportunity to murder the other.

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There are many today who are under the impression that the Bibles we have today are not true to the original documents. Moreover, there are some who still think that the various books of the Bible were not written when the books themselves claim to have been written. Some folks think that the Gospels, for instance, were not eyewitness accounts as they claim to be, but are rather mythical accounts written much later in order to establish the Christians’ doctrine. In pursuing this type of question, we are not trying to establish whether the Bible is inspired, but whether it is authentic: whether the text is true to the original, and whether the original books were written when they claim to have been. In this article, we will look at some of the evidence which can help us to answer this type of question.

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