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 Claude
Guild mailed a form letter to “caution you about some planned
activities for Australia. Robert F. Turner, Burnet, Texas is
coming to Australia for 13 missions.” Further, “The elders
at Rosemont (Ft. Worth church, rt) have requested that we warn
the churches.” My copy of this carnal sword has Claude’s
signature and a hand-written note: “I hope you can stop the
plans for Rocky for this man.” It was sent to Rockhampton.
It
didn’t work. We had good meetings in all appointed places,
many with record attendances. My notes, reasonably accurate,
show 154 non- member visitors. There were 11 baptisms; and many
home studies with results yet unknown. We traveled 6,100 miles
or more within Australia, and had two one-hour radio
interviews in which listeners participated.
We
were in large cities: Sydney, with a population of 2,646,800;
and Melbourne, 2,319,700. Industrial cities: Wollongong,
162,835; and Newcastle, 233,967. Cities with their own “special
flavor” of sheep, cattle or mining: itie;[sic] Wagga
Wagga, 25,939; and Rockhampton, 45,349; or Bundaberg, 25,404,
with its sugar cane and Bundy Rum. There was the delightfully
British town of Launceston, 60,453, in its Tasmanian island
setting; Armidale, 14,990, with its University; Invereil, 9,800,
and its bustling dam project; and Emerald 3,72O, typically “western”
with cattle and mining.
Congregations
number from 4 to 35 regular members, most of whom are new
converts. In many cases the church began when a few courageous
souls saw the errors of the “Associated” Church (Christian,
or
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Disciples) and were forced out by their
convictions. After questioning their history carefully, it
became apparent that social activities on the part of the
church, and the denominational “Association” of churches,
were the real issues — NOT mechanical instruments of music. In
more than one case “faith only” was the rankling error.
Liberal
churches from America have nothing to offer these people.
Greatest strides were made by earlier conservative minded
preachers who, although supported by “institutional” U.S.
churches, were soul—hungry, and sought to establish
independent self- sufficient congregations. Band-wagon tactics
of the “Campaigns;” Youth Rally with “Our own version of
Johnny Cash” “Ed and his guitar!;” or a picture of an
over-weight song leader in a ten-gallon hat, dubbed “Hoss
Cartwright” of the church — these things sicken the serious-
minded Christians in Australia as they do the same kind of
saints in America.
Following
the Claude Guild letter one Australian preacher wrote to me: “There
seems to be an ingredient that many overlook when they accuse
men of being “dividers”... that ingredient is the
intelligence and rationality of those who listen... I have come
to similar conclusions as you on these things because I believe
them to he the truth as God’s word teaches it. I have been
coerced by none.”
Hail
, wonderful Australia ! And may it ever be so!! (Further
Australian articles follow, dv. Robt. F. Turner
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