Watchman Magazine

The concept is so simple… man is a free moral agent.  He can and does make choices, every day of his life.  Some men choose to do good.  They support their families, pay their taxes and are productive citizens.  Others choose to do evil.  They are unfaithful to their spouse, they cheat their neighbor, they commit crimes.  Those who choose to do good could choose to do otherwise.  Conversely, the evildoer is one by choice as well.  They are responsible for the evil they do.

This can be demonstrated anecdotally.  We see it every day, even recognize it in our own lives.  If our consciences are tender, we strive always to do good.  However, from time to time we choose wrongly, and our conscience is pierced with guilt.  Those who choose to do evil again and again have their consciences hardened (seared), and feel guilt no longer.  Regardless, we always maintain the ability to choose.

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Welcome back to Watchman Magazine!  With this editorial, we begin actively publishing material to Watchman Magazine after a hiatus of about five years.  In the last five years, the internet has changed greatly.  So, we will be doing things a bit differently this time around.

In the previous iteration of Watchman, we sought to maintain a regular monthly publication schedule.  There was no real reason for this other than it mimicked our paper based cousins, and it gave me as the editor a deadline for the preparation and publication of material.  It also wore me out!  As editor and publisher, it was my responsibility to both to correct and prepare manuscripts, and then to code them into HTML for publication on the web.  With some authors, this was fairly simple, but with others it was a real chore.  I must confess that the process became ever more daunting to me.  Though I am proud of all the material that has appeared on Watchman, I think it obvious that the first four years or so of the magazine were consistently of high quality, and that the efforts were a bit more inconsistent after that.  Without going into great detail, the magazine ceased publication as a result of editorial burnout on my part.

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In November of 2004, Bobby Holmes and I had a wonderful opportunity to travel to India, and preach the gospel.  We were in the country for the full month, and much was accomplished in the effort, due to the grace of our Lord and the power of His word.

Background

While Joshua Mahendranath was working in Kuwait, he determined to use his time away from his family to study for himself the truth of God’s word.  He signed up for many correspondence courses over the internet, and from them found that those courses he received from churches of Christ were different.  They were challenging and Bible based, and from them he learned the truth.

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God is Holy.  The Psalmist proclaimed, “Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at His holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy” (Psalm 99:9).

Because God is holy, supplicants who approach Him must be holy as well.  Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, profaned themselves before God when they offered up strange fire by way of sacrifice.  In punishment, God took their lives. “And Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the Lord spoke, saying:  “By those who come near me I must be regarded as holy; and before all people I must be glorified.”’  So Aaron held his peace” (Leviticus 10:3).

This call to holiness is fully realized in the term sanctification.  The term sanctification is used, as pointed out by Vine, of (a) separation to God; (b) the course of life befitting those so separated. (pg. 317).

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In a recent issue of Sports Illustrated, the above title was used for an article written by the back page feature writer, Rick Reilly.  I normally enjoy Reilly’s writing, as it is incisive as well as humorous.  This particular article was no exception.

Reilly mentioned that more and more youth leagues are beginning to have their athletic activities on Sunday.  It is a time when coaches and parents are off of work, and as the emphasis on organized youth sports increases, time becomes more precious.  A time period which was once off limits (Sunday morning) is now routinely filled with regularly scheduled softball, baseball and soccer games.

And, as Reilly put it, we can’t really expect the officials and coaches to take the lead in changing the trend.  It happens more and more often because of the parents!  After all, if the parents did not allow their children to play on Sunday, there would be no games, no matter what the league or coach wanted.

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With this issue of Watchman we begin our seventh year of publishing.  From the Prospectus issue, published to the web on November of 1997, until today, the effort has been a labor of love for yours truly.  The reader will have to determine for himself the value of the material online, but we are gratified to have been able to share with you the wisdom and knowledge of the men who have written for the magazine.

We are likewise gratified that we have been able to archive the material, and that every article written in the previous six years remains available to this day, free of charge, to our readers.  We have never sought to limit the reproduction of this material, and again repeat our desire that the articles get a wide reading.  We ask  only that the articles are reproduced completely and faithfully, and appropriate recognition is given to the author and the Magazine.

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The Debate

In this issue of Watchman there appears a debate between Tom M. Roberts and Vance E. Trefethen which was originally published  in Guardian of Truth magazine in November 1994.  The debate is reprinted with the permission of both authors, and we are gratified to have had a part in making it available in electronic format.

In a recent email to me, brother Roberts indicated that the debate came about in response to material brother Trefethen had published in a booklet entitled “Confusion or Consensus.” In that booklet he affirmed “There is no pattern for men-only business meetings and a clear pattern for congregational (men and women) decision-making assemblies” (p. 12).

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Webster’s defines hermeneutics as:

“The study of the methodological principles of interpretation (as of the Bible)”

Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary

In his introductory comments in his book on the subject, Hermeneutics, Professor D.R. Dungan said:

Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation.  It is derived from the Greek Hermes, the messenger of the gods and the interpreter of Jupiter.  Every Hermeneus was, therefore, an interpreter, as he was supposed to inherit some of the mystic qualities of this god of philology, this patron of eloquence.  Sacred hermeneutics is the science of interpreting the Scriptures.  Exegesis (from ex, out, and egeisthas, to guide or lead), means to lead out.  It is the application of the principles of hermeneutics in bringing out the meaning of any writing which might otherwise be difficult to understand.

(Hermeneutics, page 1)

In this issue of Watchman Magazine, we intend both to examine the Divine Hermeneutics, and to warn of some present departures from that hermeneutics.  When we use the term Divine Hermeneutics, we refer to the “methodological principles of interpretation” which are established by God.  In other words, the principles established in this series of articles are divine mandates.  They are not “man-made” principles as is commonly contended by some.

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The King James version of the Bible is a wonderful translation of the words of God into our native tongue.  As a translation, it is limited in that it represents the scholarship of mere men who have attempted to take the words of God from the original languages (Hebrew in the Old Testament, Greek in the New Testament), and establish their meaning accurately in the English language.  The effort was laudable, and well executed, giving English readers almost 400 years ago a reliable translation of God’s Word into an important and influential language.  It must be understood, however, that it is merely a translation, and that final arguments concerning meaning and usage of the words used by the Old and New Testament writers must be settled by a study of the original tongues of inspiration.

It can be said that no other translation of the Bible has had a greater influence upon literature than the King James version.  The translators were careful to respect the plenary and verbal inspiration of the original autographs, and yet managed a work that is almost poetic in its reading.  Though the English language has changed in the ensuing 400 years, the Bible remains usable and desirable to many believers.

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The special theme section of our last issue of Watchman, (June, 2003), was entitled “Let None Deal Treacherously”:  An Examination of God’s law (and the error of men) on the subject of marriage, divorce and remarriage.  The issue consisted of nine articles on the subject, establishing what I believe to be the truth, and dealing with some (though not all) of the errors which men have advocated on the subject in recent years.  All of the articles were written by me.

The series initially was printed in the local bulletin I edit for the West Side congregation here in Fort Worth.  Because of the format of the bulletin, the articles were not long, and it was not my intention for them to be particularly “in-depth.”  I was aiming for a general, concise discussion of the issue, and judging from the generous feedback I received concerning the material, some at least were satisfied with the effort.

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Most are aware that a controversy exists among Christians today regarding what the Bible teaches about fellowship.  Included in the differences expressed by brethren is a disagreement on the bounds of Christian unity based on differing understandings of Romans, chapter 14.  Some believe the instruction of the chapter, "Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things" (vs. 1), to be inclusive of some sinful practices and some doctrinal error.  Others, rightfully I believe, limit the context of the admonition to matters of liberty.

Another area of disagreement is found regarding the true designation of a false teacher.  Some limit the term to those who are dishonest in heart.  They take the description of the false teacher in 2 Peter 2, which describes false teachers as being willful, and deceitful, as excluding a brother who teaches error, but who himself is sincere and honest.  Others, rightfully I believe, identify the false teacher by his doctrine, and believe God desires us to judge his works rather than his heart (cf. Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1).

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The oldest institution established by God, the home is the building block of society. Jesus said, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:4-6).

The home is under attack in our day. The nuclear family, designed by God, is no longer the norm. Homes broken by divorce, single parent families, and even homosexual unions are accepted in society. As more and more children are disadvantaged by such circumstances, juvenile delinquency, alcohol and drug use, and promiscuous activity increases. These trends have had a very definite and deleterious effect on the fabric of our society.

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Christians have faith in God.  Basically, we believe that God exists though we have not seen Him.  Despite our inability to prove the existence of God by the use of our physical senses, we accept the affirmation of Scripture.  We freely admit that this is faith, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).

This does not mean that there is no evidence as to the existence of God.  Indeed there is. "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead" (Romans 1:20).  The argument of design is one that cannot be successfully refuted by those who deny God’s existence.  If there is no designer, why does structure and organization abound in the physical universe?  Why is it "cosmos" (ordered) rather than "chaos"?  Design demands a designer.

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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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A cursory reading of the New Testament reveals a distinct attitude taken by our Lord and his apostles regarding human wisdom. James went so far as to describe such wisdom as "sensual, demonic" and declared that it causes "envy and self-seeking… confusion and every evil thing…" (cf. James 3:15-16).

Jesus in his personal ministry dealt with men who were intellectually arrogant. This was a characteristic of both the Pharisees and the Sadducees. When Jesus had taught that eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person, defilement rather coming from within, his disciples informed him that the teaching offended the Pharisees. No doubt it did, as it set aside the traditions they held dear. Concerning them, Jesus said, "Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch" (Matthew 15:14).

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Most of you are aware of the fact that this is the first new issue in several months. There are a number of reasons for this, and I ask that you indulge me as I seek to explain the causes of the sporadic publishing schedule.

The major reason for the lack of activity on the site for the past several months is a very busy schedule on my part. A heavy meeting schedule, coupled with the responsibilities I have in my local work have made it difficult to maintain the monthly publishing schedule I have set for the magazine. Watchman is "extra" work, and when a choice has to be made between the magazine and my other obligations, the magazine must suffer. I beg your understanding in this.

If the magazine were a subscription paper, the obligation would be there to supply monthly material as per the agreement with subscribers. As the magazine is free to all on the internet, occasional lapses in the publishing schedule will hopefully be met with more understanding on the part of readers. Having said that, I realize that it is not good "business" practice, and such lapses have a deleterious effect upon readership. The magazine always shows a decrease in monthly "hits" after one of these lapses.

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In August of 2000, in the midst of the controversy stirred by the publication of the “Open Letter” on the Creation “Days” controversy, I penned an editorial entitled Honor in Controversy. In the article I pointed out the carnal tactics to which some resorted at that time. I sought to point out the need for brethren to behave righteously during times of controversy as we discuss differences which exist. It is a lesson that needs repeating time and again.

It is inappropriate for any child of God to behave in less than a righteous manner. Peter wrote, “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11-12). The term “honorable” in the passage (translated honest in the KJV) is defined by Vines, “good, admirable, becoming, has also the ethical meaning of what is fair, right, honourable, of such conduct as deserves esteem” (Vines, Vol. II, pge. 229).

It is important for Christians to be “fair” and “right” in their dealing with others, especially brethren. This is what God expects of us. Further reading in 1 Peter 2 reveals this, “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men; as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (vss. 15-17).

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"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector" (Matthew 18:15-17).

The passage above is presently a focus of controversy among God’s people. The problem is not a matter of understanding the procedure prescribed in the text. Rather, the misunderstanding that exists is in regard to the scope of the text’s application. In order to properly understand the Lord’s instructions in Matthew 18, it is necessary to look to the context, and the greater context of the entire New Testament as it reveals how we are to deal with sin.

First notice the procedure to be taken when dealing with the sin under consideration in the text. It is a four part process. First, one must go to his brother privately to deal with the sin. "…tell him his fault between you and him alone." If the first step does not bring repentance, the second step is to take witnesses that "by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." This second step affirms the serious nature of the sin, that the complaint is valid, and that resolution must come through the penitent actions of the guilty party. If the second step does not lead to repentance on the part of the sinner, the complaint is to be taken before the whole church. This is a radical step, causing the sin to become generally known, and bringing to bear the combined influence of the entire congregation. A rebellious man, who will not even hear the entire congregation as they admonish him for sin, is to be rejected (the fourth and final step).

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Modesty, Dancing & Behavior

Years ago I read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving, as a high school assignment. At the time I was struck by a short passage which I have remembered since as the "ankle passage." I was amazed at how times had changed, regarding the morals of the day. Recently, I read the short story again, and came across the passage. It is a description of a young woman, (a bit of a flirt), who was the object of Ichabod Crane’s attention. Here is an excerpt:

"She was withal a little of a coquette, as might be perceived even in her dress, which was a mixture of ancient and modern fashions, as most suited to set off her charms. She wore the ornaments of pure yellow gold, which her great-great-grandmother had brought over from Saardam; the tempting stomacher of the olden time; and withal a provokingly short petticoat, to display the prettiest foot and ankle in the country around."

Truly, if a "provokingly short petticoat" is defined as one that displayed the "foot and ankle", times have changed. I ask that you consider two things in regard to this quote.

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