BB Dec 1998

Waldron Mission Fund

Under the oversight of the elders of the Crossville church of Christ, PO Box 211, Crossville, TN 38557

Text Box: BULLETIN BRIEF Vol. 1 December 1998 No. 12

Text Box: UNIVERSITY CHURCH WITHDRAWS CAMPOLO'S INVITATION Todd Clippart In a letter (9-23-98), the University Church of Christ in Tuscaloosa, Alabama announced it had withdrawn Tony Campolo’s invitation to speak at Youth in Action (YIA). The letter was written and signed by Craig Smith, the Youth Minister at University and the organizer of Youth in Action. The names of the university elders are at the end of the letter. Their reason for canceling: “A lot of controversy has arisen around one of our invited speakers for this year. Mr. Tony Campolo has been featured by the national news media and many of his views have been misrepresented. This controversy has spiraled out of control and therefore, we have decided to rescind his invitation to speak at Youth in Action this year.” In fairness to Mr. Campolo, the national media did misrepresent at least one of his views. Following Campolo’s hiring by President Clinton as a “spiritual advisor,” the media called Campolo (to paraphrase) ‘a liberal Baptist who does not view homosexuality as incompatible with living the Christian life.’ While Campolo is a liberal Baptist, he does not believe the practice of homosexuality is compatible with living the Christian life. He made this clear in March of this year in a speech before a group of United Methodists (Peggy Campolo, Tony’s wife, attempts to defend the practice of homosexuality). Noticeably absent from the letter is any admission of wrong doing by brother Smith or the eldership. As in the original promotion, no mention is made of the fact that Campolo is not a member of the Lord’s church. There was, however, this defiant and unrepentant statement in the opening paragraph: “The sole purpose of this event is to aid in the spiritual growth and development of all teenagers as they seek the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have and will continue to use any and all methods necessary to achieve this, as long a they are biblically based.” According to the University church, inviting a Baptist preacher to address hundreds of young Christians must be biblically based. I beg to differ. Since Campolo is not a Christian, he would not bring the doctrine of Christ to YIA. The Word of God says, “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (2 John 9-11 NKJV). Again, “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Eph. 5:11). From the content of their letter it is evident that Smith and the elders at the University church will continue to believe and teach unbiblical doctrines regarding salvation and fellowship. In so doing, they ‘trample the Son of God underfoot, count the blood of the covenant by which they were sanctified a common thing, and insult the Spirit of grace’ (Heb. 10:29). (10655 U.S. Hwy 278 - Hamilton, AL 35570)

GAMBLING

Editor’s Note: The New Year will see bills offered in many state legislatures to promote gambling: lotteries, horse and dog racing, casinos, etc. It is imperative that Christians begin now to contact their state officials and urge them to fight gambling projects. Reasons:

1. Legalized gambling negatively impacts businesses. It shifts dollars out of the local retail businesses such as restaurants, sporting events, clothing and furniture stores, car dealers, entertainment and other firms. (The Luck Business, Dr. Robert Goodman, Univ. of Mass. at Amherst, The Free Press, New York, N.Y). Ask your book store to order this book.

2. In Minnesota, bankruptcy claims rose 20% after gambling was introduced. In Eastern Arkansas (near the Mississippi casinos), bankruptcies were recently up 51%, the highest in the nation.

3. Restaurants and other “Mom and Pop” businesses are damaged by nearby cheap food and lodging at the casinos. In Atlantic City, restaurants dropped from 243 to 146 between 1977 and 1987. (U.S. News & World Report, January 1996).

4. Lottery caused a loss of $430M in retail sales in SE Virginia over a three year period (After gambling started in 1988). GAMBLING IS BAD NEWS FOR BUSINESS!! FAMILIES FIRST, P.O. 875, CHS, Paragould, AR 72450, Phone 501-698-2145

KILLERS

Jim E. Waldron

The Holy Spirit affirmed, “Do not be overcome by evil,. but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21). God’s people do not fight with guns, sticks, knives and bombs” for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down of strongholds” (II Cor. 10:4). Christians war with the sword of the Spirit, that is the Word of God (Eph 6:17). Those who kill abortion doctors are not friends of the Right to Life movement. They apparently presume if they murder enough abortion providers such will drive others out of the business.

What they will do is stir up the government to pass such strict legislation against opposition to the ungodly industry as to virtually tie our hands. Those who are truly Christlike know “no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (I John 4:15). This includes those who murder abortion doctors and those doctors who snuff out the lives of the most innocent of mankind - unborn babies. We must remember, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord” (Rom. 12:19).

WARNING!! WARNING!!

The National Right to Life (NRL) Organization has for more than twenty years been registered with the government as a lobby group on behalf of babies in the womb. A copycat group called AMERICAN RIGHT TO LIFE (ARL) has been using a telemarketing operation out of Mesa, AZ to solicit funds for “pro-life” causes. According to Federal Communications records this group in June, July and August raised $244,252.81, and $242,898.10 had been paid or was owed to the telemarketing group called Capitol Communications. National Right to Life has gone to the Superior Court in the District of Columbia charging the ARL telemarketing operation with fraud and deception.

“OFTEN” AND THE LORD’S SUPPER

Timothy Johnson

The apostles taught that the Lord’s supper was to be done “often” (I Cor. 11:25-26). It was not a yearly supper, like the Passover feast. “Often” means more than that. “As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup you proclaim the Lord’s death.” The point is not that we can eat the Lord’s supper any time we like! He is saying, EVERY TIME YOU EAT THE SUPPER YOU PROCLAIM THE LORD’S DEATH. This was a warning to the Corinthians: be careful how you act each and every time you eat the Lord’s supper. “As often as” is not a statement that allows us to set our own day to eat it! How often did they eat it?

The Holy Spirit directed the church to have it each Sunday. We can see this from what the apostle said to the Corinthians. Remember their circumstances? (I Cor. 11:17-34) He corrects Corinth’s communion problems by referring to his original instructions to them when the church was first established in the city. Those commands involved a regular time to come together to eat the Lord’s supper. Verses 17-18, 20 and 33-34, show us they got together for the purpose of eating it, but bad attitudes at a regular fellowship meal had spilled over to the Lord’s supper. They were practicing a regular time for the Lord’s supper, but messing it up! While Sunday is not named, a regular time was being practiced.

Let’s go on: It’s clear that Paul had taught the congregations to assemble together regularly. Note I Cor. 14:26 - the purpose of the regular assembly was edification and praise to God. It was therefore God’s will for Christians to meet regularly for these purposes, just as they regularly got together for the Lord’s supper. It was the same meeting. Then, in I Cor. 16:1-3 the church at Corinth was told to take up a collection at this assembly. The day of the assembly is finally named: the first day of the week (Sunday). Why put together on Sundays common funds for the famine victims in Jerusalem? Because Paul was trying to pick an efficient time to do it, the time when Christians were already getting together.

Greek Christians had been directed to have an assembly. Christians in Asia Minor (Galatia) had been directed to have an assembly.- a meeting day (cf. I Cor. 4:17). That’s why the collection was done on that day - it was the most convenient time because they were already meeting then. The regular observance of the Lord’s Supper was therefore also on that day, the lord’s day, the day for edification. Not only in Greece and Galatian, but in Troas also (Acts 20:7). 365 Pine Glenn Rd. Riverview, NB E1B4JB, Canada

EASY TO MISLEAD

Jim Waldron

The Christian Chronicle (see Nov. ‘98 issue) continues to carry advertisements for the World Bible Translation Center (WBTC), Fort Worth, Texas concerning its “Easy to Read” version of the Bible. The WBTC president is Dale Randolph.

The Easy to Read Bible, according to the ad is available in seventeen languages. As Goebel Music has clearly shown in his monumental work on Randolph’s “Easy to Read” version, it is easy to mislead. Not only is this true of the English, but brother Music uses documentation and testimony from native Bible scholars from other countries to show that the “Easy to Read” versions in other languages are equally corrupt. For example, he quotes a veteran gospel preacher, Sunny David of New Delhi, India concerning the Hindi version, “The language used in many places in the ERV Hindi makes one laugh literally, I mean it’s funny. Most of it is highly paraphrased...The worst translation I have seen...”

Gelig Vishenchuk, a Russian professor and language scholar, who immigrated to the United States in 1991 to work on translating Bible materials in the Russian language, resides in Chattanooga, Tennessee. When asked by brother Music to review the World Bible Translation Center’s Russian New Testament he commented on the text of John 3:16, then wrote “there are many other mistakes and misprints in this new translation. I can give you a few references where I noticed most striking mistakes or misprints (in fact there are many more)...” He then proceeded to list 25 separate references (See Music p. 984-985). When Eastern European Missions (EEM) asks you for donations inquire if they promote Randolph’s Russian rendition. If you desire a copy of brother Music’s review of the Easy to Read version, send $9.00 to Goebel Music, 5114 Montclair St., Colleyville, TX 76034-5401. A case of ten only costs $75 UPS delivered. The “Christian Chronicle” has refused to print an advertisement for brother Music’s book.

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