Christian Home Week May 6-13/1956 Baptist
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APRIL 26,1956 m * ill - ^^^^^^^^kfl|^^^^^^^^A ^^rih ^^^^f together V they build the K-.t^Rfcir:;/V; 1 tiilir,?' >-.. CHRISTIAN HOME WEEK MAY 6-13/1956 BAPTIST. MESSENGER THE PAGE SIXTEEN V > * EDITORIAL Here a pastor discusses his experiences in guiding new members in the Christian life; -V Another Baptist Splinter Claiming 11, romise •* l£ •. ' •«•• ecause of the independen. _ _ t nature of* • each• Baptis-v^. • t. churc1 h* bream k* rffellowshi* << t •p wit• jhl othe_ j 1 r BaptistsT"\ *• . Thfrfle answer must be By Wayne Britton B and the constant Baptist emphasis on the individual's for personal reasons." /Christ, through the Great Commission tists to other groups .and: to th^stat^^-^^ accountability before God, it is easy for Baptist groups to In the Christian Index of Georgia Editor John Jeter Hurt "''" •••". '-. ; - .' •• " • ^^ • " ••• '-••• ," -.-•"'.' '•' "• ' •'« ' "- '•";i-«j"(jfs,~;K #V! <*•'!• $ •"'•Vx-'.!'"'i~r?: v* commands us to win, baptize and family worship. Christian feUbwi^ipiiandxB^iSl divide. In fact, in view of the very nature of our organiza- Jr. comments: "The Southern Baptist Convention loses noth- -* . •- ;•*•*• ..,.•:••.;<•-. .--.".:•.- -. ;-;.-.- •''•••:'^^~if^-^^'•>$£&& teach, and he promises, "Lo, I am with tions, the unity and harmony of various Baptist bodies in ing in the proposal of Chattanooga's Lee Roberson to organize love, our •• denominationv;;mission^^ you ahvay . " If we are to claim this •have; never taught two < classed vMil^t^^S«:;gt» which millions of members find voluntary fellowship, such a fundamentalist group . Dr. Roberson, we assume, would . .- , . - ,. • * : O . -••:.' - : - .. •; ---, , .•'.-',-,: ?~:^-,-->- • ,^f conditioned promise, we must meet the as the Southern Baptist Convention, the American (l^orth- be the first to admit that he has been outside the fellowship I have never had_.; two ^classesriwitK ern) Baptist Convention and the two national Negro conven- of Southern Baptists for many years . \ye could hope he conditions. same needs. In a packet tions, is all the more remarkable, .We do not have any bishops would find a better name for his group. It smacks too much The pastor leads his people in evange- out at the first is Your Life or ecclesiastical hierarchies to push dissident groups back of affiliation with our own Southern Baptist! Convention. We lism. He has. the privilege of baptizing Church by Dr. James -L. the souls won. But then, too often, the pamphlet,' "What We Believe," publishiea into line. could hope, additionally, that those pastors apd those churches I -' lr, • ' •• ' • ..-;;, ,'"- ' -v'. ••:•". '- •" ' /-•;> -'•'*''.-: "'..--^r-*'rh'':K'.'s Through the long years of our history, of course, there which ally themselves would divorce themselves from our as- pastor turns the balance of the job over by our church; and several tracts have been divisions. Across the land are to ,be found many sociations and conventions. They limit themselves to a name to his flock, and the babes in Christ wan- above-mentioned items as well astia: splinter Baptist groups. It appears that soon there will be on the roll, a vote in the meetings and then to flight when it der away and are not nurtured during of pur church budget arid a another. comes time to work and contribute." these all-important days. If they do grow This material is used for the up as Christians, it is usually because study; i A group of 152 pastors, evangelists and laymen, headed There have been some big men who were able to stay and by Dr. Lee Roberson, pastor of Highland Park Baptist some lay person has done most of the We fill out Training Union enrolment or Visiting a Union play on the Southern Baptist team—men like Broadus, Carroll, teaching, for pastors are busy in the Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., have called for the organiza- Mullins, Truett and Scarborough. And a lot'of lesser ones. transfer slips and are henceforth known After about five weeks in tion of "like-minded Baptists" into a new convention, prob- maze of the ministry. Toa many times as the Pastor's Union. Each Sunday eve- group, and less i frwe^iatf^yii-«. i • iS.'.•!£'.«•* * i»i'_•; .•;.;••.:'•«''iVJ-V'rl1* There is room for all who believe the same, love Christ and ; ably to be called the Southern Baptist Association. The we do not conserve the results of our ning we fill out the Eight-point Record "j^jf^v*':-— rt%i-^'#^V*-'£^^^Khi5T".'*/*£-:"*.^ i,*.1-^- p-if'~»1«' want to serve him together. ^a Training-• C* - \Uniom . n- .{to" ; observe.v- - ' • - ,, ~i. -.B. _->" sioSwitiEiPSfl^? •• H»^'^ •*" 'V '"' -^-""v •--^-'"ii^'.n-M'^¥i formal organization meeting has been set for Nov. 26-28 in evangelism. System slips. This gives me much oppor- .them.; ;The; foUowing:;Sunday; t t t :''eyening|^eplg Atlanta, Ga. * . I want the new converts of my minis- tunity to explain and emphasize the dif- meet ^again in the study^ disc^^n^yd|e This will not come as any great surprise to those who Just a Minute try to become a real part of our church. ferent points, stressing daily Bible read- preceding week's program have observed Dr. Roberson and his church over the years. I want them to feel that they are needed ing, etc. Training Union-Uteraturejvpjcldng^ In this space on March 15 we told the story of how Max and wanted to help carry out the com- Informality Stressed gram^-about/ihree-'weeks^^eadi.Miilj^fll While rejoicing in the accomplishments of this great i ; Stanfield, now president of the state convention, was won mission. My desire is to tie them to every sign, parts to be''discusse<d im'our^|t^ church and believing firmly in the right of this group to set The classes are informal. It is my de- r up their own denominational organization, we do sincerely in a revival meeting at Chandler after his name had been organization of the church and especially sire to draw the members to full partici- •Union/the "following' Sund^.; !\\^;^^ question the wisdom of such a move. placed on the prayer list of Sam Scantlan. There is a sequel to the Training Union. If they can be pation if possible. It is pointed out that • this •' up by -practicihg^^thisyprograjS I to that story, • , brought to. a place where they will pray = everyone is a new Christian, therefpre another ;time,and2theafby^putd In an open letter to Dr. Roberson, Dr. W. O, Vaught Jr., i 4* pastor of Immanuel Church in Little Rock, Ark. says: "I Another boy was growing up at Chandler with Max at publicly, tell personal experiences in a none need ha^e fear or stage fright from prpgram.on take a part on the prbgrani^^ group and ask questions concerning prob- v feel this is the greatest mistake you have ever made—and the time. Lee McCoy, formerly education director at Uni- doing what every Christian should do, _ ' * • ' » . „ • * ' ',- - *J • " • -.-' *. ,..-;.t •", *_ '.^,-•>;"•-- V ^ ,*-!': f i'-j ' V^sV'v.' '-'^.'^ ' lems in their own lives, I can accomplish that our unions '-do ';not "read tH£ir%£rtsJ Kft\l&: I will tell you why. No denomination is perfect and never versity and First churches in Shawnee and Olivet Church such as leading in public prayer, testify- ' • , •- -• • ;. ", . •; •-, •.. .:'•' -..,--- '.*~E-rZ, {-'••• '<••'}"'-~'Jt'''s^M(' will be. If you are looking for a perfect denomination here in Oklahoma City, is now a professor in Southwestern Sem- some of my desire. ing and other things. •-.. - and they usually- put^pn}intera^ inary, Fort Worth, Texas. Lee writes,, "I was also an Inter- And I have found a way to accomplish ~ _*.*-.- t f inspiring programs, makes^my u^ on earth you will never find one, and. moreover you will Opportunitrr y is given always for expres- fu/corv^ T* £ „ J" • - u-"'i-••-'-••-••••it^^^^-im j t> j r tne: same. It is surprising,buA CT t usually^this never build one. Some men who can't be elected to leader- mediate boy in 1927, the same age as Max, but ... I was this. It -is through the pastor's class. This sions concerning experiences answerepnQWPrpdn "" . - • '-. ' • p'- al• li th' e' • Othere *'• '•";- :.••.'.•-"•••-J?^-*-.--.--.-' ship in their own groups feel that they must lead something, not on anyone's prayer list ... I lived in Chandler seven is one sure way I have found to conserve prayers, requests for prayer, problems in umon ;$hpws U so they organize a new group. Groups organized under such years—my Junior and Intermediate years—without a single the results of evangelism, claiming the the home; etc. We always have a season We return to the Pastor' conditions never amount to much. Men like Ben Bogard person ever visiting me in the interest of Christ or his promise of Christ to be ever with me. of prayer and I call on different ones and Frank Norris come along and sparkle for a little while; church ... I suppose I attended Sunday school a half dozen The Pastor's Union to lead in prayer aloud. These things are then they are forgotten. It is quite easy to find fault and times during those seven years, and those occasions were Dividing the converts into two groups, primary and the lesson that I have pre- criticize—it is exceedingly hard to lift, to build, to correct merely visits with friends to the Christian or Methodist 17 and up in one group, 16 and under pared to bring is always secondary. in all that they evil and wrong. What our Southern Baptist denomination churches. I never attended a single service of any kind at age group hais in .the other, a pastor's class is conducted I keep a checklist and check off the *:<<rieeds most is men who are willing to pray and work for a the Baptist church .