OUR CHANGING WORLD

 

Ouida now has professional help in caring for Mother Pitts, whose condition has deteriorated to the point that the doctor applied for Medicare assistance. A nurse’s aid comes five days a week to help with routine chores, especially bathing. Three days a week a physical therapist gives her special exercises. A nurse comes frequently to check on the more technical things. Ouida still has lots to do, especially preparing her meals and feeding her, and I still help in moving her about several times a day, but it is encouraging to have professional help. It boosts our morale.

All this school term Ouida and I have taken off on Wednesday evenings to have dinner at the Church of Christ here in Denton where we are members, which serves upwards of 200 people, a family affair, and does it very well. Study classes follow for all ages, one of which I have been teaching on the Restoration Movement, with good interest. Ouida attends the class gladly. She may feel that time is running out for many more such experiences together. She has to feed her mother late those nights, but we are making it work and it is lots of fun. I go so many places without her that it is a ball to have her along, and she makes a good student. She loves to hear me talk about Raccoon John Smith!

Our readers have begun to ask me about other papers they might take once we close down this time next year. I may be calling your attention to a few that you might want to read. You don’t have to wait to subscribe to The Christian Appeal, which is one of the best edited and one of the most irenic papers published among Churches of Christ. It usually follows a particular theme each month, the current issue being on “Weathering the Storms.” It emanates from the non-Sunday School churches and promotes unity among all believers. The sub rate is $6 per annum and the address is 2310 Anna St., Amarillo, TX. 79106.

Larry James and Bill Swetmon are both longtime and highly respected ministers of Churches of Christ in the Dallas area. An area newspaper carried this notice about them conducting a seminar this fall: “Both men come from acappella traditions, but they will present historical and biblical information in support of instrumental music in worship. The seminar begins at 4 P.M. in the sanctuary of First Christian Church, 1501 Ave. H. (Plano, TX.). The public is invited.” These brethren, one of whom still ministers to the Richardson East Church of Christ in Dallas, are not, as I understand it, advocating that Churches of Christ adopt instrumental music, but only that it is biblically and historically permissible if a church prefers to use it. Here we have Church of Christ ministers defending instrumental music in a Christian Church! Our world is changing, isn’t it? The same two men took. the position that instrumental music is a matter of opinion in a forum at Freed-Hardeman University in October. Opposite them were two brethren who contended that it is a matter of faith.

I recently listened to a tape of a presentation by Bill Banowsky given at the Highland Oaks Church of Christ in Dallas a few years back. It was an excellent study of the subject of unity. He made a reference to his occasional visits to other churches, such as preaching at a Methodist church. He said he had received more criticism for these visits to other churches than all the other things he had ever done, and added that he had done a lot of untoward things! Even so, Bill has his blessings to count, for today many people in the Church of Christ, maybe most people, would not criticize him for associating with other believers and other churches. Too, Bill is consistent with what our pioneers in the Restoration Movement believed when he moves beyond our exclusivism, if that means anything. Those who criticize such things need to tell us how we can claim to be a unity movement when we have no meaningful contact with other believers.

The Heritage Resource Center in Bethany, W.V. is seeking to restore the grounds of Alexander Campbell’s old home to the way it was in his day, including gardens, orchards, barns, tenant houses, mills, sheep folds, arbors, and privies. By way of infrared aerial pictures, old photographs, written materials, and some digging they believe this can be done, at least on paper. This may make it possible for you, when you visit Bethany, to see the Campbell homestead and grounds as it was 150 years ago. The homestead itself has been renovated.

Sunday, a Roman Catholic publication, tells its readers how ordinary Catholics can win souls. One suggestion they make will interest those in Churches of Christ: “Present the Catholic vision of life honestly and clearly, but don’t engage in petty argumentation just to ‘win points.’ The purpose of discussing’ religious questions with a potential convert is not to show how smart you are or the Church is, but to welcome him or her into the Faith community.” It goes on to say that one can win an argument but lose the convert. It advises not to try to disprove such objections as “Catholics worship Mary,” but to concede that it is indeed wrong to worship Mary, and point out that Catholics only do what Jesus himself did, honor Mary. The article also urges Catholics to get excited over their faith, which has a way of being contagious.

The bulletin from Oak Hill Chapel in St. Louis, Carl Ketcherside’s old congregation, had Carl’s picture in a recent issue, announcing the publication of his autobiography. The same issue told how the congregation now uses instrumental music, along with a brief history of the organ and how it was made. It is ironic that the church Carl started and nurtured through its struggling years now practices what he always opposed. But I doubt if it would be a big deal to Carl if it did not disturb the peace of the church. I understand that a few did leave for conscience sake, but the church will go on and work to the glory of God. But with an organ it will in no wise any longer be considered a “Church of Christ.”

You will hardly find a mail-out that says more in fewer words than J. James Albert’s California Letter, which is but a single page. It emanates from the one-cup, non-classes Churches of Christ, and does it ever expose the sectarian spirit, and in every issue. Such as, in the October issue: “We are motivated by the spirit of sectarianism. Instead of saying we are trying to be Christians only, we say and act as if we are the only Christians. Instead of love propelling us into service for others we arc stopped in our tracks by fear. Instead of meeting the challenges and solving the problems of our day by preaching the gospel and providing leadership our emphasis is upon maintaining the status quo and proselyting our brethren to our sect.” If you want on his mailing address (no cost), the address is Box 811, Corcoran, Ca. 93212.