Watchman Magazine

From an article by Alan Cooperman in the Washington Post, and published in the Houston Chronicle, (8/18/02, 4A), it appears that "a committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has negated the death of Christ, and invalidated his declaration, "Ye must be born again" (Jn. 3:3-7).

"Campaigns that target Jews for conversion to Christianity ‘are no longer theologically acceptable in the Catholic Church,’ a committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has declared.

"Summing up a series of Vatican pronouncements since 1965 that has reversed the church’s historical approach to Judaism, the bishops said last week that the Old Testament covenant between the Jews and God is valid and that Jews do not need to convert to Christianity to be saved. While the Roman Catholic Church ‘must bear witness in the world to the Good News of Christ…this evangelizing task no longer includes the wish to absorb the Jewish faith into Christianity and so end the distinctive witness of Jews to God in human history,’ they said.

"….Eugene Fisher, director of Catholic-Jewish relations for the bishops’ conference, said the document contains ‘no new doctrine’ but ‘distills a lot of things that have been said and steps that have been taken’ since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. Fisher noted, for example, that in the 1970s, the church changed its official prayer for the Jewish people, which used to call for their conversion. Now the prayer, recited on Good Friday, asks God to help Jews intensify their faith in their covenant, he said.

"While the Southern Baptist Convention and other evangelical groups run campaigns to convert Jews, the Catholic church gradually has abandoned such efforts. ‘If an individual Jew wants to convert to Catholicism, that can still happen,’ said Monsignor Francis Maniscalco, spokesman for the bishops’s conference. ‘But the point is that proselytizing campaigns are not compatible with the respect with which we hold Judaism.’

"The document makes clear that this attitude is unique. ‘Though the Catholic Church respects all religious traditions…and though we believe God’s infinite grace is surely available to believers of other faiths, it is only about Israel’s covenant that the Church can speak with the certainty of biblical witness,’ it says.

"Although he played no role in drafting the document, Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff, director of interreligious affairs for the American Jewish Committee, hailed it as ‘groundbreaking,’ Some Catholic leaders have renounced proselytizing among Jews in the past, but ‘this is the first time the Catholic leaders of a whole country have stated it officially,’ he said."

Old Testament Not Nailed To The Cross?

The law of commandments, contained in ordinances, has not been "nailed to the cross if those bishops are correct; but, they are not, and it has been (Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14). Though the Hebrew writer argues that God has taken away the first covenant that he may establish the second, this committee of Catholic bishops says "that the Old Testament covenant between the Jews and God is valid." Do these bishops read the book of Hebrews?

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Foot-washing: Pro or con?

I for one am all for foot washing, daily, vigorous and lathery. Yet we know that some practice foot-washing as a religious ritual in this age and we are made to wonder what the New Testament requires. In the dusty first century, foot-washing was a matter of hospitality and hygiene, but today, when practiced religiously, it has naught to do with either. What was Jesus trying to teach when he washed his apostles’ feet?

The major text on foot washing, of course, is found in John 13:1-20. In this intimate gathering of Jesus and his closest friends, we see the Lord just hours prior to his arrest and execution. It is a time of bittersweet reflection, anxious anticipation and painful resignation. Never doubting his deity or earthly fate, Jesus finishes the preparation of the apostles for the momentous event to come.

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Boon for Foreign Workers

One thing that most foreign workers have had to do without is a goodly portion of their library. Those who have either worked in mission fields or visited brethren in such places know of the relatively small number of books most brethren can bring with them. Postage rates and other logistical considerations generally limit brethren to two or three shelves of books at most. Indeed, a good Bible student may find that his personal studies, class and sermon preparation suffer to a certain extent while in the mission field. Also, such a one finds himself without resources to which he has become accustomed when difficult questions arise in Bible studies with other people. The steady progress made in electronic media and data storage in recent decades has brought a marked change in this area.

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In Matthew 21:25, Jesus asked the elders of the Jews the question, "The baptism of John; where was it from? From heaven or from men?" The question put the elders in a difficult position. If they said it was from "heaven" (divinely authorized), then Jesus could admonish them for disobedience. "Why then did you not believe him?" (vs. 25). If they said it was from men to excuse their disobedience, they would run afoul of the people who counted John a prophet.

In this simple exchange a fundamental truth regarding the nature of authority is revealed. If a practice is authorized by man, it is in fact not authoritative at all. If however it is authorized by "heaven", men must heed it.

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It is not unusual these days to hear a teenager say to his parents, "I’m so tired of all these rules and regulations that you lay down for me that I’ll be glad when I’m on my own and can do as I please!" Quite often the "rules and regulations" to which they refer are those which are for their own good, however vexsome. While it is possible that parents can sometimes be unfair and arbitrary in fixing rules, most often parents have the good of their children in mind when they supply the regulations for a family.

Children are often too impatient to attempt to see the wisdom behind rules. They are not looking at events from the mature standpoint that only years of experience can bring; they are viewing events through the impatience and immaturity of youth. Such immaturity seldom seeks to find the wisdom behind a rule, particularly if it interferes with the immediate gratification of a desire. The guiding light of youth is expressed in the sentiment, "I want…" and "I want it now…" Consequently, when any restricting rule is enforced which inhibits or restricts, a young person who has no respect for experience or for the Biblical injunction of obedience will rebel. Whether the rule is a curfew on dating nights, attendance at worship services, homework, housework or personal grooming guidelines, compliance is grudging, if at all.

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"Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4)

Recently, while reading through the Dallas Morning News, I ran across the review capsules of all movies now playing in the metroplex. Out of the 34 movies reviewed over two pages, I found three movies (one an unrated documentary, and two movies designated as kids’ movies) which did not indicate a presence of strongly objectionable content. Among the other movies, 13 R’s, 12 PG-13’s, and several others not rated, but with strong sexual content, I found the following snippets: (These are representative, not exhaustive)

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(Editor’s Note: The following series of sermon outlines are complementary to the discussion regarding the proper "Tone" in preaching).

I. Introduction. Very soon after the establishment of the church of Jesus Christ, there were problems with false doctrine. Probably the first big problem the church experienced was that of the Judaizers: those who taught that all Christians had to obey the Law of Moses. Soon thereafter, the Gnostics became a problem; they were a group that taught that Jesus did not come in the flesh, and that they had a special, secret understanding of the scriptures that the unenlightened could not understand. Ever since then, there have been heresies, false doctrines, and problems in Christ’s church. Today is no different.

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(Editor’s Note:  The following article is complementary to the discussion regarding the proper "Tone" in preaching).

Just about my first memories of the term “neutral” was that it had to do with placing the gear shift on the Model “A” Ford in a position where you could release the clutch when the motor was running (we called them motors - not engines, as in “Ford Motor Company”). When you were in “neutral”, there was no movement of the car - it was just a “do nothing” position. You also had to remember, when parking your car on an incline, that it would surely roll backward or forward if you left the gear shift in “neutral”. Neutral simply meant that you were not in gear - you had no influence whatever on the motion of the car!

I am seriously afraid that a lot of our brethren today are determined to operate in “neutral”! They don’t want to make any distinction between a false teacher and a sound teacher. They don’t want to take a position on fellowship which would make a distinction between darkness and light, between truth and error, or between sinfulness and righteousness - they simply want to smile and stay “neutral”. For years we have been trying to tell them that neutral (no position) is an open stand for the Devil - but they simply smile and go about their merry way being perfectly satisfied with staying in “neutral” - not really standing for anything and not really standing against anything! These brethren are about as useless to the cause of Christ as a Model “A” crank is to a new Ford automobile!

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Editor’s Note: Brother Ron Halbrook emailed an article by Tom Roberts, which first appeared in Watchman in June of 1998, to many individuals this past August. His email led to an exchange on what constitutes an appropriate tone in preaching and a defense of the gospel. This is brother Halbrook’s contribution to the discussion.

Dear …..,

Thanks for your thoughts. I am not offended by your remarks but am thankful that you are concerned enough about me to write. I am always open to consider anything you wish to offer. I do not dismiss criticism out of hand, nor do the men I know and work with, though your post implies we do. As you have spoken frankly w/o bitterness, I will try to do the same. We speak as friends, not enemies: "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend" (Prov. 27:17) . Just as you hoped I would not dismiss your concerns w/o giving them thought, I hope you will not be guilty of the same.

FIRST, let’s consider the issue of "positive" and "negative" preaching and teaching.

Ironically, your post is what men call "negative" in protesting what you regard as negative. It has the tone and content of a "watchdog" message in that you identify and protest things which you think need to be corrected. This always has been a valid function and duty of God’s people (Ezek. 3; 1 Thess. 5:14; 2 Tim. 4:1-5; 1 Pet. 5:8). You probably did not stop to think or worry about whether your message would be perceived as so-called negative or positive, or whether you might be labeled as a watchdog, but you simply addressed a need as you see it. So it is with what those you criticize preach and write. We are little concerned about how people perceive what we say, but our focus in on "speaking the truth in love" so as to please God not man (Eph. 4:15; Gal. 1:10).

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