The
SUSQUEHANNA SENTINEL
August 22, 1999
Vol. II, No. 17

In This Issue

ENTERTAINMENT, ETC.

Several years ago when I was working with the Butler Street church in Springhill, Louisiana, there was an elderly preacher in the area who had a 30-minute radio program every Sunday morning.  He had observed the practices of brethren for 50 years or more, and had become very cynical of almost all of them (us).  He had virtually no association with any established congregation.  One of his pet phrases was, “Whatever the liberals have, the conservatives had a little of, or else they have what led to it.”  Now, after my own observations of several years, though there are certainly numerous exceptions, I see that he was “on to something.” -- he had a point.

To illustrate:  I believe that in the following article, brother Hester is right on target.  I highly value what he has to say.  But I found it both amusing and frustrating that his article appeared just under a short item promoting a covered dish dinner and thanks to the “fellowship committee” for planning “this event.”  When brethren extend the biblical term “fellowship” to social gatherings, they have taken the step that will eventually lead them to build a special fellowship hall to house those gatherings.  It is only a baby step to extend the term “fellowship”  to include playing ball together as well, and in comes the gymnasium, etc.

One other note before brother Hester’s article is read.   He says, “it cannot be disputed that the churches that are in the entertainment business are growing in numbers more than the churches who are not...” but I’m not so sure he’s correct about that.   That’s one of those “no doubt” statements where something is taken for granted, but may be far from provable.  I happen to know that many conservative churches are growing, and much of their growth may be more stable than that of the more liberal groups.  Anyway, read his good article, and benefit.  --CRJ

IS ENTERTAINMENT THE WORK OF THE CHURCH?

For years now the denominations have employed all sorts of gimmicks and games to attract and draw people to them.  Of course, this is not surprising since they cannot preach the simple, pure, unadulterated gospel, God’s power to save, Rom. 1:16, and at the same time hold on to the doctrine of their denomination.  What alarms me is that many of our brethren are following after them in this respect.

Now I am no against members of the church getting together for fun and entertainment.  In fact, I am all for it.  We need more association with other Christians because evil associations corrupt good morals (1 Cor. 15:33).  But what business does the church have for getting into the entertainment business?  Is it the work of the church to build gymnasiums, put on plays, sponsor ball teams, etc.,?  Can you imagine the apostles sending out invitations to attend a show being put on by the Jerusalem Players?  Or, that the Jerusalem Church of Christ Soft Ball Team will play the Central Jerusalem Synagogue next week?  The Jerusalem church is a model church for every generation and the divine record tells us that they spent their time going “everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4).  Why is there not the same urgency to preach the Word today as there was in the first century?  Are there not more people in the world today than there was then?  Every reason that can be given as to why it was the mission of the church in Jerusalem to preach the Word instead of putting on plays, having ball teams and entertaining can be given for every congregation of the Lord’s church [sic] today.  Entertainment is not the work of the church.

The late brother G.C. Brewer, in his book: The Model Church, page 153, said, “In considering a model church, we must, of course, have some standard by which to model a church -- some ideal to which we can appeal.  In the minds of some modern religious teachers no church would be a model church till it added to its services all the paraphernalia of the theater and some of the adjuncts of the ball room.  Connected with the house of worship there must be a gymnasium and a culinary department, and possibly a pool room and a swimming pool.  But with such we have nothing to do.  We have a standard, a criterion, and to it we appeal.  It is the Lord we wish to please, and not men.”

When brother Brewer said, “But with such we have nothing to do.  We have a standard, a criterion, and to it we appeal,” he was talking about churches of Christ.  I wonder if brother Brewer ever imagined that the time would come when some churches of Christ would build gymnasiums with the Lord’s money, put on theatrical performances, etc.  There is not one mention in the New Testament of the church ever engaging in any work other than preaching the Word, caring for the needy and edifying the saints.  It is the responsibility of the home to provide fun, entertainment and recreation for the family.

It cannot be disputed that the churches that are in the entertainment business are growing in numbers more than the churches who are not, but does that make it right?  Certainly not!  The Lord’s way is not always the popular way, but the true Christian is more concerned about being right than popular.

The gospel is still “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16).  If a man or an angel preaches any other doctrine he will be accursed, Gal. 1:8-9.  All of those who “know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ... shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power” (2 Thess. 1:8=9).

--Guy F. Hester via Seibles Road Church of Christ bulletin, Montgomery, AL.

MARK TWAIN in Life on the Mississippi, tells how much the river had shortened itself by cutoffs in his own life- time: “The Mississippi between Cairo & New Orleans was twelve hundred and fifteen miles long one hundred and 76 years ago. It was eleven hundred and eighty after the cutoff of 1722.  It was One thousand and forty after the American Bend cutoff.  It has lost 67 miles  since. Consequently its length is only 900 and 73 miles at present.  Now, if I wanted to be one of those ponderous scientific people, and ‘let on’ to prove what had occurred in the remote past by what had occurred in a given time in the recent past, or what will occur in the far future by what has occurred in late years, what an opportunity is here! Geology never had such a chance, nor such exact data to argue from! Nor ‘development of species,’ either! Glacial epochs are great things, but they are vague, vague.  Please observe:

“In the space of 100 and 76 years the lower Mississippi has shortened itself 200 and 42 miles. That is an average of a trifle over one mile and a third per year. Therefore, any calm person, who is not blind or idiotic, can see that in the Old Oolitic Silurian Period, just a million years ago next November, the lower Mississippi River was upwards of one million three hundred thousand miles long, and stuck out over the Gulf of Mexico like a fishing rod. And by the same token, any person can see that 700 and 42 years from now the lower Mississippi will be only a mile and 3 quarters long, and Cairo & New Orleans will have joined their streets together & be plodding comfortably along under a single mayor & a mutual board of aldermen. There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact.”

OPPORTUNITY, RESPONSIBILITY,
AND JUDGMENT

In Matt. 11:20-24, we read that Jesus “began to upbraid the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: ‘Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades: for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

We first note that the cities Jesus upbraided -- Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum had greater opportunity than the ancient cities of Tyre and Sidon and Sodom.  Along with opportunity comes responsibility.  Sodom and Sidon and Tyre had been severely judged in Old Testament times, because they had not availed themselves of the opportunity God gave them.  He used Lot and Abraham to deal with Sodom.  He had dealt with Tyre and Sidon through several of the Old Testament prophets.  But His messages to these ancient cities had been rejected and the cities had been judged accordingly.  But Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum had more abundant opportunity, this were even more accountable.

Second, we note that Sodom, Tyre, and Sidon were Gentile cities while Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida were Jewish cities of Galilee.  Most Jewish people had the notion that since they were “God’s chosen people” they would automatically be ushered into the kingdom of God that Jesus and John had preached about.   The Jews failed to realize that their chosenness was chosenness to a task or duty -- that of bringing the Messiah into the world.  They were not necessarily chosen to salvation.  Many Jews would be lost.  There were many “lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  Once the Jewish nation brought Jesus into the world, He would make possible salvation for all nations of the earth, Jews and Gentiles alike.  But make no mistake about it: being born a Jew did not assure anyone a place in His kingdom.  Even Jewish people must be born again, John 3:3-5.

Thirdly, we notice that the ancient residents of Sodom, Tyre, and Sidon, who have already experienced a temporal judgment, have not ceased to exist.  Somewhere they are still being reserved to a judgment yet to come.  And in that future judgment, many of them may fare better than some who have had greater opportunity -- the opportunity to see and hear Jesus, and to see His miracles.

Finally, we note that we too live in a land and in an age of great opportunity.  We dwell in a land of Bibles and religious freedom.  If we do not know God and His will, we have no one to blame but ourselves.  We too must face the greater judgment.

--CRJ