Olivet Nazarene University Digital Commons @ Olivet Preacher's Magazine Church of the Nazarene 1-1-1954 Preacher's Magazine Volume 29 Number 01 D. Shelby Corlett E( ditor) Olivet Nazarene University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/cotn_pm Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, International and Intercultural Communication Commons, Liturgy and Worship Commons, Missions and World Christianity Commons, and the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Corlett, D. Shelby (Editor), "Preacher's Magazine Volume 29 Number 01" (1954). Preacher's Magazine. 268. https://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/cotn_pm/268 This Journal Issue is brought to you for free and open access by the Church of the Nazarene at Digital Commons @ Olivet. It has been accepted for inclusion in Preacher's Magazine by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Olivet. For more information, please contact [email protected]. e I reacher 3 ma c ^ a z i n e Volume 29 January, 1954 Number 1 C o n t e n t s Editorials................................................................................................................... 1 The Doctrine of the Church, Samuel Young .................................................... 5 The Mission of the Church, G. B. Williamson ................................................ 7 The Preaching of Bud Robinson, James McGraw .......................................... 9 Gleanings from the Greek New Testament, Ralph Earle .................................13 “Crucified with Christ,” Peter Wiseman ............................................................17 Youth Week—January 31 to February 7, 1954, Lauriston J. Du Bois............20 Can My Church Have Revival? Dwight Niswander........................................ 22 For the Pastor’s Wife The Spiritual Life of the Pastor’s Wife, Mrs. Mark R. M o o re ................. 27 Musings of a Minister’s Wife, Mrs. W. M. F r a n k lin .................................30 One Man’s Method ................................................................................................ 31 Workable Ideas, William D. Howard ................................................................. 34 Sermon Outlines ....................................................................................................37 Sermon Contest Winners .......................................................................................48 D. S h e l b y C o rl et t , D.D., Editor Published monthly by the Nazarene Publishing House, 2923 Troost Avenue, Box 527, Kansas City 41, Missouri, maintained by and in the interest of the Church of the Nazarene. Subscription price: $1.50 a year. Entered as second-class matter at the post oifice at Kansas City, Mo. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized December 30, 1925. Address all contributions to the Preacher’s Magazine, 2923 Troost Avenue, Box 527, Kansas City 41, Missouri. Editorials Winning a Favorable Hearing truth. We have at times demanded of seekers the same requirements which Every true preacher desires to have come to us through months and reach the greatest number of people years of walking in the light after we with the message of the gospel of had entered into holiness. Probably if Christ. His chief regret is that he is the same demands had been made of not reaching many of the unchurched us as we were seeking the experience masses about him. So any discussion we might have become discouraged on how to win a more favorable hear­ also. At times certain demonstrations ing for our message, especially that which accompanied the experience of of holiness, should be of interest to all. the preacher or others have been so I stressed that when seekers did not receive similar demonstrations they Why are we not getting a more have been defeated. favorable hearing? Perhaps the best place to begin is with ourselves. Are A certain manner of witnessing to we doing our utmost to make the most the experience of heart purity has favorable impression for our message been detrimental to the whole cause. with the people with whom we asso­ I heard a preacher testify to the per­ ciate? sonal interest he had as a young min­ ister in knowing more about the truth It has been the case that some and experience of entire sanctifica­ preachers within the holiness move­ tion, feeling that he needed a deeper ment have gone out of their way, so work of grace. He contacted an it would seem, to make the message evangelist who was preaching holiness of entire sanctification undesirable. and heard him preach several times. There have been so many objectional He said the apparent lack of humility and unscriptural matters attached to on the part of the preacher was the the message of holiness that the stress first thing to bring a question to has been on “holiness and ...” so his mind as to either the truth of his many matters not essential to the message or the genuineness of his pure message of heart purity. In their experience. Then in a message the zeal they have appeared to be dis­ evangelist testified thus: “I want you courteous to visitors and inquiring to know I am sanctified and have been friends, and have thoughtlessly taken for twelve years. In all of these twelve advantage of them in the services un­ years I have not committed a sin,” til statements made have been inter­ and, referring to his wife, he added, preted by the visitors, and not without “Have I wife?” This boasting, with no some foundation, as attacks upon them reference whatsoever to God or His personally, their dress, or their grace, so disgusted the preacher that church, etc. he lost interest in the message of Occasionally there have been un­ holiness. He became an outstanding reasonable and unscriptural demands evangelist. What a great asset he made upon seekers after holiness until might have been to the holiness move­ some have been turned away from the ment had he not been discouraged by 1 the false emphasis in the witnessing tion,” a term never used by any of a holiness preacher! reputable holiness scholar and preach­ er. “Sanctification” has been misused, Certainly there is some truth to this abused, and ridiculed in ways too observation made about the holiness numerous to mention. Hence, it is movement: “At times its advocates thought by some that we would make have been its worst enemies.” We a more favorable impression if we have been such poor advocates of the were to find other terms for our truth that we have not left the right preaching. impression. What would be gained if we were We must not be discouraged be­ to make such a change? Nothing! cause of this situation. These blun­ Were we to find other terms with ders and unwise endeavors should not the same content of meaning and less defeat us. Think of the many unwise offensive to the general public, it and extreme actions and statements of would not be long until these terms preachers of other denominations and would be the object of the same attack. groups. Some of these are worse than It is not terms that carnal hearts op­ any holiness preacher has been guilty pose; it is the truth represented by of, yet the saner elements and wiser those terms. It would be a distinct preachers within their groups help compromise for us to discard these overcome these unfavorable factors scriptural terms and endeavor to and their churches are making prog­ substitute more appealing terms. ress. So it must be with us. Upon one occasion in a conference We may win a more favorable hear­ of religious editors a young theologue ing by being guarded at these points, from a well-known seminary pre­ and by remembering that our actions sented a paper informing the editors or statements are not entirely our own that by test they had found that the but they give to others either a fa­ great scriptural terms, “redemption, vorable or unfavorable impression of salvation, reconciliation, repentance, the great truth we proclaim and the and the like,” were without meaning Christ we love. Indeed we must be as to the average man and woman of to­ “wise as serpents, and harmless as day, that there was no “listener re­ doves,” endeavoring to present a true sponse” given when these were men­ message of holiness without com­ tioned. His suggestion was to substi­ promise. tute more modern and appealing II terms. One of the more liberal editors came to the defense of these terms by Occasionally it is thought that we saying that these could not be dis­ might win a more favorable hearing carded without improverishing our for our message on holiness if we were Christian truth. If they have no to change our terminology. It is true “listener response” it is the obligation that “holiness” and the terms associ­ of the Church to save these terms by ated with it have been the object of putting such real content and meaning attack, abuse, ridicule, and misrepre­ into them that the people of the street sentation. will know what they mean. This we “Holiness” has been used by fanat­ must do with the standard and scrip­ ics and extremists of almost limitless tural terms of the holiness message— variety: snake and fire handlers, holy- not to discard them, but to save them rollers, etc. “Christian perfection” has by putting true scriptural content and been changed into “sinless perfec­ spiritual meaning into them. 2 The Preacher's Magazine We would do well always to define ality, of building a satisfying life the terms we use, for unless there