GILLEYZ@WABASH (02/14/90)
This is the beginning of a phamplet that I am going to type up, and
it will be good for the list to look at it. It is rather long, so I will
send it in sections, but if anyone wants a compilation of what I have typed
in so far, I can send the whole thing.
This is NOT an attack on anyone.
8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<8<
WHY I LEFT THE BAPTIST CHURCH
by Grover Stevens
I would like to say in the beginning that I have no animosity
whatsoever against Baptists. Personally, I have no reason for
leaving the Baptist church, but quite to the contrary, if
personal reasons counted, I would never have left because
personality is in their favor. Especially is this true of the
congregation of which I was a member in Phillips, Texas. I
believe that the Baptists are for the most part, splendid people.
I believe that most of them are honest and sincere. I believe
that, if there are Baptists here tonight, most of them want the
truth, and will consider the things that are said honestly and
open-mindedly. However, sometimes, out of a sense of loyalty to
that of which we have become members, we are prone to cast aside
lightly any charges that might be made against us. I sincerely
hope that that will not be the way you will do tonight. I beg
you to hear what I have to say, study it carefully with an open
Bible in hand, then, out of honesty to your own soul and to God
Almighty, to embrace all that you find to be in harmony with the
Bible. Believe it, not because I said it, but because you found
it in the word of God. That is the only thing any of us would
have you believe -- the Bible, the word of God. In spite of all
the accusations made to the contrary, we still preach only the
Bible. Such expressions are idle, I suppose, in view of the fact
that all "churches claim the same thing. We know that ALL of
them do not preach "only the Bible" for they are MANY and the
Bible is ONE. The Bible does not teach contradictory doctrines.
The Baptists hold the Bible up and say, "We preach the Bible."
That is what we do. So, what have I gained by telling you that
we take the Bible and nothing but the Bible? Nothing, I
suppose. I will just have to prove to you that we do actually
stand on the Bible and nothing else, and that the Baptists do
not. If they did, I never would have left them. I want you to
consider the things that are said as honestly as you know how,
tonight.
When I came into this world, I found it divided religiously.
When I was old enough to notice things, I found a church on
every hand. Here was one and there was another, all claiming to
preach the Bible, yet wearing different names and teaching
different doctrines. This sentiment prevailed, "It doesn't make
any difference what church you are a member of, or what you
believe, just so long as you are honest and sincere about it."
Having grown up in an atmosphere like that, most of us just seem
to accept it as the truth -- as axiomatic, but it isn't. The
Bible doesn't teach that. If so, where? Nevertheless, that is
what we heard every day. Another thought akin to this is that
everyone ought to go to church; everyone ought to be a member of
some church. These things are preached by all denominational
preachers. Hence, the general conception in religious circles,
and the basis for all resentment toward the church of Christ,
because we deny it.
Baptists Preach Some Truth
I do not believe that everything they say is a falsehood or a
lie, I believe that they preach a lot of the truth. The part
that they preach that is true, I am glad to accept, but the
things they preach which are not the truth made me leave them.
Let me illustrate my point. You will recall that in the Garden
of Eden the devil preached truth along with a lie. He said,
"Thou shalt not surely die." That is false doctrine. He also
said, "For God doth know that in the day that ye eat thereof
your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good
and evil." That is the truth. This made the lie more
deceptive. Did Adam and Eve sin when they believed and obeyed
that? Why, certainly they did. It was half a truth and half a
lie. If you say, "Well, I only stand for the things that are the
truth," then I will reply, " Maybe that was what Adam and Eve
thought too." "We'll just stand for half of it, and we'll tell
the Lord that we did not believe the other half." Bit it led
them into error and condemnation just the same. Hence, what
truth the Baptist Church preaches is perverted by the false.
Then, too, they many times preach more against sin, moral sin or
immorality, than gospel preachers do. I do not mean to say that
we do not preach against immorality, but that they preach on it
almost altogether, and we spend some time preaching doctrine and
pointing out false doctrines. And we need to do that.
Upon attending the Baptist Church, one hears the Baptist preach
against sin, and recognizes the fact that he is a sinner-- that
he is lost. Then being convicted of sin, and desiring to be
saved and do what is right, we join the Baptist Church, or some
other church. A person convicted of sin is ready to do anything
he is commanded. For example, when I first became a member of
the church of Christ, I wished that the Lord had left baptism
out of the Bible, I said to myself, "Everything that the church
of Christ teaches is fine, and I believe that most of the people
in the denominations believe exactly what the church teaches,
but then they come to baptism, they just seem to resent that.
If the Lord had just left baptism out, then everything would be
all right." I have learned since that that wasn't the trouble.
People do not mind being baptized when they are convicted of sin.
People wanting to obey God do not mind being baptized. They do
not mind doing anything that God commands them to do. It is a
matter of surrendering whole-heartedly one's own will to God's
will. When that's done his attitude is simply, "Lord, whatever
you want me to do, I'm willing to do it." Many, not realizing
this, go on in rebellion against God, believing all the while
that they are pleasing to Him. Hence, we join some church
because we are convicted of sin, realize that we are lost, and
because that it is the right thing to do That is the reason I
joined the Baptist Church.