NOT TO BE TAKEN FROM LIBRARY COVEN ANI FREE PRESS II VOL. 2, No.4- 1630 S. Hanover St., Baltimore 30, Md. December 27, 1956 IBPFM EXECUTIVE REMOVES "The Underground" MACHEN'S WARNING The Rev. Kenneth A. Horner, pastor of CROSS FOR "SA80TAGE" Faith Bible Presbyterian Church, Wilming­ ton, Del., in a report to his congregation TO THE CHURCH STATEME~T BY THE IBPFM concerning the meeting of the Columbus The late Dr. J. Gresham Machen, founder EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Synod defended Dr. Robert Rayburn's posi­ of the Independent Board for Presbyterian tion in regard to "the letters." Mr. Horner Foreign Missions, was more than a scholar. The executive committee of The Indepen­ reported that Rayburn explained to the Syn­ dent Board for Presbyterian -Foreign Mis­ He was a Christian warrior. He led in the od, "The statements which had been quoted establishment of a seminary, a mission sions, meeting December 21, 1956, took, from the various letters were not evil in with regret, action dismissing the Rev. board, a new church. He was accused of themselves but that tbe interp'retation which lacking love; in fact, this was the major . Walter G. Cross as a missionary under this had been put on them was eVIl." Board. charge hurled against him. As he opened the Second General Assembly of the Pres­ This action was taken because of the reve­ The articles published in the July 12 issue byterian Church of America, in his capacity lation of an elaborate plan which Mr. Cross of the Chris/iall Beacoll are carried again as the moderator of the First General As­ was seeking to carry out concerning the di­ in this issue of The Free Press. No comment sembly, he chose as his subject, "("'-:.r~in­ vi~ion and sabotage of the work of the is necessary. We simply ask Christian peo­ ing Love," and aso his text, 2 C. ... .. 411S Board. Mr. CrosS' in a lengthy statement to ple to read them, pay special attention to 5 :14f, "For the love of Christ constraineth the Committee, produced before the Com­ the quotations which are given, see if the us ...." mittee, at its request, a letter dated Decem­ interpretation is evil, or if the quotations ber I, 1956, which he had addressed to tht: tbemsdves reveal the active "underground." At the conclusion of this message, which Chile Mission of the Board. It became ap­ we have in our possession, he issues certain parent that for some monthS' Mr. Cross had TO defense of any kind was attempted warnings. He says: until more than three months after the been working against the interests of the "We shall be constrained, for example, Board and undermining the work it has July 12 issue of the Christian Beacon. Now that people have somewhat forgotten and not to weaken in the stand which we have sought to do in Chile and also other coun­ taken for the sake of Christ. How many tries. It was learned that Mr. Cross had recovered from the shock of what they read, it is' being said that the only evil was on the movements have begun bravely like this sent copies of his letter, outlining his plan one, and then nave been deceived by Satan for disruption of the work of the Board and side of Dr. McIntire. "The Inside Story and the 'Underground'" speaks for itself. -have been deceived by Satan into be­ diversion of its fundS', not only to the Chile littling controversy, condoning sin and Mission, but also to leaders of the Japan, error, seeking favor from the world or from India, and Peru Missions. In this letter he become llS rabid as anyone in the Chile or a worldly church, substituting Ia worldly suggested that other missionaries join him in Peru Missions .... I don't like for us to urbanity for Christian love. May Christ's taking tht: Chile Mission out from under the be the ones to make the first move, but love indeed constrain us that we may not Board's'ministry to another Board which knowing how you feel, that is, the Cranes thus fall I has been set lip as a permanent Committee and the Gilchrists, and the way I feel, "We ;hall be constrained, in the second of Foreign Missions by the Columbus Synod. I think I can recommend that you have a He also indicated that the National Presby­ place, from seeking unworthily our own meeting with the whole Mission and see advantage or preferment, and from being terian Church of Chile, an indigenous church what you think should be done in case you and at present a member of the Interna· jealous of the advantage or preferment of decide to turn in your resignation and n';' our brethren. May Christ's love indeed con­ tional Council of Christian Churches and oi the board of the church to take you on. the Latin American Alliance of Christian strain us that we fall not into faults such as It seems to me that a letter could be sent these I" Churches, should be induced to go along in to the executive committee of the Foreign In these two paragraphs, .quoted in full, his proposed new venture. He further out­ Missions Committee of the Synod of your Dr. Machen prophetically placed his finger lined a program for the diversion of funds decisions and I will concur in them. The\' from this Board to the Columbus Synod's upon the S'ad state which has come upon the should include the idea of the two execu­ Bible Presbyterian Church. committee. In the presence of the executive tive committees getting together and committee he intimated that he was firmly working out an equitable arrangement on First, in his first statement, he warns committed to this policy, and it was revealed the properties and perhaps be accom­ against weakening the stand. This is ex­ that for a number of months he has been panied by statements of the Presbytery actly what has happened in the softer ap­ working toward thiS' end, even though dur­ there that they wish to continue in rela­ proach and policy in the Bible Presbyterian ing this time he has been receiving a salary tion with the present missionaries regard­ Church at the Columbus Synod. This hap­ and li\'ing quarters from the Board. less of their affiliations in the USA. It pened, too, in the Orthodox Presbyterian It has been the earnest hope and prayer of might also be wise before taking action to Church, for that group long since has this Board and many, many of its supporters write to the sessions of the supportinp­ abandoned the militancy which was charac­ that the sad difficulties inside the Bible Pres­ churchl.s and ask if they would give in teristic of Machen. In 19 years it had &n byterian Church should not be injected into writing their continued support under th.: increase of 9 minsterS'. Ministers went from the MiS'S'ion fields and into the struggling new committee." its fold back into the Presbyterian Church Mission churches. in the U.S.A., the Southern Presbyterian As stated above, copies of this letter to Church, and the United Presbyterian Immediately following the establishment Chile were sent also to 'Japan, India, and Church. The clean, clear testimony that of the official denominational missionary Peru. Machen gave to the purity of the Gospel agency at ColumbuS', Mr. Cross in his letter and the purity of. the church gave way to of December 1 to the Chile Mission re­ It was recognized by Mr. Cross before the self-interest and internal struggles of ported the formation of that Board and the executive committee that The Indepen­ men who once had a golden opportunity­ said: dent Board has not changed its position, but they turned back. "However, the qu estion now is, what principles, or program. He admitted that In the next paragraph Dr. Machen warns his dissatisfaction was based on personal do we do? Do we sit down and twiddle of jealousy, advantage preferment. Here our thumbs? I think I can truthfully say criticism of individual actions of members it is within the Bible Presbyterian Church that in the last couple of weeks I have (Colltinued 011 page 8) (Continued on page 8) Paj!e 2 THE FREE PRESS December 27, 1956 ~dent. But Brown wrote Bordeaux, "I. suppose you had The Inside Story and the ((Underground" to keep the home fires burning while the rest of the boys were flying around on the Scotch qnd ,Armenian BY THE REV. CARL McINTIRE, D. D. excursions." In an earlier letter, Dr. Bordeaux, and remember he was the paid secretary of the American "Lord, who shall ahide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell there were serious differences or feelings. If they existed, they kept them from us ! Council in New York, questioned the influence which he in thy holy hill? He that waJketh uprightly, a'ld worketh thought that I was having on Brown, for Brown assured "righteollstless, -and speak.eth the truth in his heart" (Psa. I never had the slightest idea that there was such a him, "No, Harllee, Carl hasn't taken me in." And on 15 :1, 2). thing as an' "underground" operatjng to change the December 14, 1953, Dr. Bordeaux wrote Brown, "As I The moaernists we have been dealing with through COllncils, or to get me out. In a report of this kind, think I told "you, I made no file copy, not even for the con­ these years and the middle-o£-the-road compromising it is, of course, impossible to qume aU the letters.