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Marble Falls, Tex. Sept. 11, '64
How may the congregations of a county scripturally cooperate to put on a
radio program with each of the congregations paying a part of the cost to the elders of one congregation? Why do
you believe the Herald of Truth program scripturally wrong?
A Listener…
Reply:
These questions, directed to our PLAIN TALK radio program, are of such wide interest we prefer to answer before
our larger publication audience.
Unintentionally (I believe this is an honest question) the writer seeks to supply his/her own answer. I hope pre-judging
will not close eyes and ears to my reply.
Let each church plan radio work according,
to its own ability. Buy the time from
the radio station, pay for it, allow your own preacher or another (as you see fit) to preach during that time,
and identify the program as soming from the one congregation. The scriptures
recognize no Burnet County Association of Churches, and it is dangerously
foolish for us to do anything that encourages such.
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If it be considered advantageous to have a "gospel" program at the same
time each day, I'm sure that can be arranged with the radio management. However, our chief concern should be to
conform to God's arrangement rather than to man's. God's work can best be done in God's way -- in fact, this is
the ONLY way we can be assured of divine approval. Surely we see this!
Herald of Truth is the product of an intercongregational arrangement. I have no objection to preaching via TV and
radio, and so far as I know the contents of the programs are good. It is the pooling of a "brotherhood"
treasury, over which one group of elders is given control, to which I do object. There
is no scriptural authority for such diocesan arrangements.
Highland, Abilene, is not in want. Funds sent there can not be called "alms" (Acts 24:17) by the greatest
stretch of the imagination; hence it is absurd to use 2 Cor. 8: etc. in an effort to justify this "sponsoring
church, brotherhood project" program.
The organizational structure of the church (defining the limits of organized functions) begins and ends with the
single, independent local church. We had better leave it just as our King fixed it, rft.
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