If there was ever a time for men to be taking a stand for Truth and right, it is now. The church is facing troublesome times in its battle against sin in the face of a new liberalism and softness toward doctrinal error. We see efforts of brethren on every side trying to take a neutral stand. They think they can win the struggle for right by failing to take a stand. Evidently, they feel that by being quiet the devil will go away. Not so.

You will recall that the prophet Balaam tried to be neutral, but failed. Balak wanted him to place a curse against God’s people. Balaam knew, and confessed, that he must speak that which the Lord put in his mouth (Num. 23:12). At the same time, he seemingly wanted to please Balak. Balak’s doctrine is stated in Numbers 23:25: “And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.”

We are either for the Lord or against Him (Matthew 12:30). Let it be understood, we are not talking about personal disputes where there is the possibility of both parties being in the wrong. Instead, we are thinking of doctrinal matters. For instance, one preacher said that he is not a premillennialist, but neither was he “anti- premillennial.” Another has said, he was not advocating instrumental music, but that he was not “anti-instrumental music.” There are many who would disclaim false doctrine in their own preaching, but they will embrace those in fellowship who teach and preach false doctrines. Brethren, let us get off the fence.

In Judges 5:23 we read, “Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.” God’s people were in a battle for their lives. God was mightily concerned, but where was the house of Meroz? They were still abiding in their sheepfolds. They were content to remain idle and let others do the fighting, but God was displeased. He ordered a curse be placed against them.

What was their sin? The same as many of our brethren today! They wanted to remain neutral. They wanted others to do their fighting. There are those even now who will not join in the battle against error in the church. They look upon themselves as lovers of peace. They even become critical of those who are known as “fighters” or “brotherhood watchdogs.” Some of these are trying to do a balancing act on the fence of neutrality. If the Truth prevails on some issue and error is exposed to the point that it is unpopular, they will fall off on the side of the majority and proudly claim, “We have won the victory”—yes, and “we killed a bear, but papa shot it.”

B. C. Carr

Brotherhood papers sometimes run pieces which they call “Book Review.” They take various books, review their contents, give summaries of the life of the author, and thus entice the readers of the paper to read the book. I have found a book which is reviewed very little, if ever, by most of the advocates of “modern preaching.” I would like to review it here and commend it to your reading.

The author of this book has been around forever and a lot of his ideas on religion are commonly looked upon as being outdated and old-fashioned. He holds some really “tough” views on many “doctrinal issues” with which we are presently faced. Among these are:

His conception of the New Testament church: He teaches that there is only one right church, and that it is right because it adheres to the Bible only in all matters of faith and practices. He denies that we should extend fellowship to the denominational world “upon their acceptance of Jesus as the Christ.” He denies that there are many “knowledgeable Christians scattered among the denominations.” It is his view that unless one obeys the commands of the New Testament, he is lost!
His view on the Mechanical Instrument of Music in Worship: He holds that to add mechanical instruments is to do that which there is no authority. As a matter of fact, not one time from beginning to the end of his book do we read of his giving approval to this practice in the New Testament church. With him singing is all that is allowed, not singing and playing, and singing and humming.
His view on Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage: The author of this book believes that for a man (any man) to marry and divorce for any reason other than fornication, and remarry, places him in the sinful state of adultery. It is further his position that the only way for him to have forgiveness for this sin is for him to repent (turn away from, break off the adulterous union).
His View of False Teachers: He teaches that if a man is teaching error and will not repent, he needs to be “marked” and fellowship withheld from him (Romans 16:17-18).

These are just a few of his oddities which seem to have lost their place in our system, but still, this book is a good one.

The book under consideration was written over a period of 1600 years. It mentions many of the men known by its author, their failures and successes, their doctrinal stances, and their dealings with the author.

It contains poetry, history, and biography. It tells of love, hate, war, peace friends, and enemies. It is so popular that it has been printed in many languages and dialects.

At one time in history, only high-ranking church men were allowed to possess it. It was revered as the greatest book ever written. It was the desire of all mankind to own a copy, but most were denied this privilege. It was once heeded by all religious men as the high standard of judgment, and its words once filled our land with zeal. However, I have recently noticed its decline in popularity. We no longer hear it used in the pulpit as it once was. People have become so “image-minded” that they feel the use of this book might scar the image of the church. People are desiring to hear “smooth things,” and not the contents of this book.

You have guessed by now, the author’s name is JEHOVAH, and the name of His book is THE BIBLE. The honor it was once paid has been turned to scorn in some places. But this writer still loves the Book, and its Author. We need to spend our time reviewing the contents of God’s Book and preaching His Word.

Tim Smith

The Sin of Being Neutral

“Book Review”