Immutable Kingdom – Appendix III

The Immutable Kingdom – Appendix III

By Scott A. Klaft

(Other Great Men continued)

E. A. Elam

After hearing Tolbert Fanning preach, his father obeyed the gospel when E. A. Elam was but a child. His mother brought him up in a loving Christian home; and, when the time was right, sent him to Franklin College in Kentucky. There, the young man learned to be an independent thinker, yet making certain to write a weekly letter to his mother. The arrangement for his four school years was to attend classes as a student in the fall, and then to teach in the spring, after which he entered Burritt College. T. B. Larimore sent the invitation to join him at Mars Hill at the graduation.

At the end of the school year in 1880, Elam moved to Lebanon, Tennessee where he met and converted his deeply beloved future wife, Mary Thompson. As his ability to preach improved, the demand for his services expanded. The success of a preacher is impossible to measure or quantify by numbers, but just a portion of his influence may be recognized in that, by 1899, he had baptized more than fifteen hundred people. By the time of his death in 1929, it is said that he baptized more than any other did in the state of Tennessee; which, for that time period, is significant indeed.

L. S. White

Indefatigable and affable, L. S. White was widely acclaimed as one of the most successful preachers of the early twentieth century. Moving to Gallatin, Tennessee in 1898 for the ease of educating his children as well as the proximity to the railroad, he set the bar a bit higher for the other local preachers.

When White’s reputation as a preacher and debater spread across the country, an invitation for an extended meeting came from a congregation in Sherman, Texas that resulted in eighty-six conversions. Soon his relative celebrity spread there, and Dallas would be the next benefactor of his skills. As a result of the debates, and protracted tent-meetings in addition to his regular work, the church had unprecedented growth. Even some of the most effective preachers of the time marveled at White’s skill, knowledge, clarity, and uncompromising loyalty to the truth.

White’s work took him all over Texas and Tennessee. He was so well known that in many cases, the buildings in which he preached overflowed, and on occasion, literally hundreds had to be turned away for lack of space.

Despite early health disturbances, White lived to be over eighty years old. After World War I, his travels slowed greatly, and he worked mainly with local congregations. In 1945, his labors were restricted by suffering a stroke. After attending a lectureship in early 1949, White returned to his home in Fort Worth where he went on to his reward the following Lord’s Day at the age of eighty-one.

Foy E. Wallace

Becoming familiar with hardship early in life on the Texas frontier, Foy E. Wallace was born into a family who loved the church enough to make sure the community to which they moved was strong and sound in the faith. He obeyed the gospel at the age of thirteen and married his wife at eighteen. Friends noticed his godliness and suggested that he present the first sermon in the newly built church house, thus beginning his life of preaching in March of 1893. He was continually given to preaching thereafter. His forthrightness earned him the respect of many of his peers. It was said that whenever one was in his presence, they were constantly aware of being in the presence of a spiritual giant.

Wallace had two sons who, themselves, became well known and influential preachers, Cleddie and Foy Jr. Foy Jr. was particularly impressive; and, from his youth, the brotherhood highly publicized his skill. In each of their cases, not everyone would agree with everything they said, but both were widely loved and respected. By the end of the Great War, Wallace was not yet fifty years old. He evangelized Texas through World War II, until finally passing in 1949.

(Next Week: Educational Facilities)

Immutable Kingdom – Appendix II

(Click the picture, and see the video from which this was taken.)

The Immutable Kingdom – Appendix II

By Scott A. Klaft

(More Great Men of Century’s Turn)

F. D. Srygley

While David Lipscomb’s articles in the Gospel Advocate provoked deep thought and E. G. Sewell’s were flowing and elegant, the front-page editor, F. D. Srygley’s words lent a light-heartedness that earned him the moniker, “the Mark Twain of the reformation.” His ability to combine reverence with humor added greatly to the paper’s influence and circulation.

The relationship between Srygley and T. B. Larimore was deep and abiding from the day they met. Srygley, still in his early teens, stood outside the meetinghouse where a congregation of seven members were about to assemble. Larimore’s reflection thirty years later was that he was likely waiting to see the preacher as he passed by, probably never hoping to be any closer to him than he was that day. Instead, Larimore grasped the young man’s hand, put his arm around his small shoulders, and lead him into the building. There were never closer friends from that moment to the day of Srygley’s untimely death of heart disease in 1900.

During his forty-four years of life, he wrote for several papers, battled extremists on both sides of controversies, and was heavily involved with evangelism. The majority of his time in preaching was spent in the less fortunate and impoverished areas with the explanation that the larger, wealthier congregations can secure the best preachers adding that Jesus spent His time among the poorer people while on the earth. His illness was kept secret, but upon receiving news of his passing, there were many a heavy heart, and as many sent prayer to God for more men of his making.

James A. Harding

Although the work of the church was barely functioning through the paralysis of the Civil War, Moses E. Lard went to Winchester, Kentucky to help a preacher carry on a Gospel Meeting. That preacher was J. W. Harding, whose eldest son, in the course of the meeting, being only thirteen at the time, came forward to be baptized.

Having watched his father hold Gospel Meetings in which it was not unusual to baptize from fifty to one hundred before its end, James A. Harding was thoroughly impressed and had determined to be a preacher at a young age. He paid his way through college by teaching on the side, entering Bethany College only a few short months after the death of Alexander Campbell in 1866. Finishing in the spring of 1869 and returning to Kentucky to teach school, he preached only on occasion after a popular local preacher gave him a push. It was while recuperating from malaria in 1874 that an elderly brother came and spoke harshly to him, berating him for not preaching protracted meetings with all of his training and talents.

By 1882, Harding’s name had risen to prominence and Lipscomb made him a corresponding editor for the Gospel Advocate. His quick mind and speaking skills made him quite adept at evangelism as well as dealing with controversy and debate. He was quite pleased to be involved with several schools and colleges, particularly the Nashville Bible School established with the help of David Lipscomb in 1891. After the school’s tenth session, they wondered how they could house all of the students who had desired enrollment for the next session.

In Bowling Green, Kentucky, a couple had dedicated a potion of their farm to start the Potter’s Bible School, which would support itself by the one hundred forty acre farm’s profits. The Potter’s wanted to memorialize their son who had died without children and proposed this plan to Harding: that they would build the school if he would structure the faculty. Lipscomb, never intending to monopolize the education of youths, gave his approval by stating his desire that schools would be built everywhere. This school eventually failed, but Harding was buried in Bowling Green, KY in 1922 with his advocation for education felt throughout the brotherhood.

(Next Week: Other Great Men continued)

Immutable Kindom – Appendix I

The Immutable Kingdom – Appendix I

By Scott A. Klaft

Other Great Shoulders Upon Which We Stand

To end an account of the institution of the church, the falling away, the Reformation, and Restoration movements prior to the turn of the century would be to do it a great injustice. The aim of these articles, however, has been to present to the reader with the principles upon which the church must be maintained; that, I believe, has been done. Nevertheless, there have been many other great men in the past one hundred years who have exemplified the restoration spirit, many who have lead the way through spiritual battles with eloquence and charisma. These warriors of the modern age deserve at least an honorable mention for their contribution to the advancement of the Lord’s Kingdom in the world. Unfortunately, it is likely that many who deserve an extensive biography may be missed. For this, an apology is given in advance that no injury is intended.

E. G. Sewell

The Sewell family was wholly given to the Baptist Church, but the eldest brother, William, married a woman who was a member of the church of Christ. In deference to his wife’s wishes, he attended worship with her and eventually came to see the truth, which, through a great deal of trouble, influenced the rest of the family. Several of his younger brothers would become preachers.

From early on, Elisha G. Sewell and David Lipscomb had been friends. They had frequent opportunities to renew their friendship as Sewell studied in Franklin College under David’s older brother, William. It was in 1870, when Lipscomb needed help editing the Gospel Advocate that the two combined their efforts; and, before long, one name was not mentioned without the other coming to mind. It was said that their friendship was likened unto Jonathan and David of the Old Testament.

While Sewell made no effort to please men and lacked any pretense, he was a more prominent man than he probably knew. He was known for his generous hospitality, and visiting preachers often found themselves staying at the Sewell home. F. B. Srygley came to hold a Tent Meeting in 1891. Still being a young man of appetite, he did not appreciate the general rule of thumb that one should only eat lightly before preaching. To his delight, he received advice from Sewell: “I always eat the same amount whether I preach or whether I listen to someone else preach.”

An extensive life of writing, preaching, and teaching came to an end on a Sunday, March 2, 1924, in the early morning hours. At the age of ninety-four, E.G. Sewell left an indelible influence of godliness and light in the world.

T. B. Larimore

Born in east Tennessee in 1843, Theophilus Brown Larimore graduated from Mossy Creek College at the age of twenty as one of their best students ever. He had a short tour in the Confederate army as a scout, but, after being captured and released upon an oath not to fight against the Union armies, he arrived in Hopkinsville, Kentucky to preach the gospel. (It is notable that his influence, while captured, carried over after the war in that he eventually baptized one of his former jailors.)

While preaching, teaching, and working as a logger, he trained at Franklin College under Tolbert Fanning, eventually graduating as valedictorian of his class, in 1867. He and his wife established a very successful school at Mars Hill, near Florence Alabama, from which many faithful gospel preachers graduated. After seventeen years with the school, the demand for his evangelistic ability was such that he devoted himself to it full-time, traveling from Maine to Mexico, and from the Carolinas to California, preaching twice a day and three times every Sunday. His preaching efforts continued until 1929 when his health prevented him from traveling. He passed from this life March 18, 1929.

(Next Week: Appendix II, More Great Men of Century’s Turn)

Immutable Kingdom – Part 88

The Immutable Kingdom – Part 88

By Scott A. Klaft

Isaac Errett & Controversies …continued

Very soon after Errett produced the “Synopsis,” several voices of opposition were heard; but, the strongest came from Moses E. Lard when he reprinted it in “Lard’s Quarterly” of September 1863, pages 95 through 100. There, Lard wrote:

“There is not a sound man in our ranks who has seen the preceding “Synopsis” that has not felt scandalized by it. I wish we possessed one decent apology for its appearance. It is a deep offense against the brotherhood – an offense tossed into the teeth of a people, who, for forty years, have been working against the divisive and evil tendency of creeds.”[1]

The time Errett spent in Detroit was like a “coming out party” concerning his sheep-disguise. It was looked upon as an undeniable departure from New Testament principles, especially when he shocked the brotherhood by securing a nameplate over his office door engraved with the words, “Rev. I. Errett”. Bristling from his perception of the attitude of his opponents, Errett established the Christian Standard, a publication in which his true potential for divisiveness was realized. The most popular brotherhood publications at the time were the American Christian Review, edited by Ben Franklin, and the Gospel Advocate, edited by David Lipscomb, whom the writers in Errett’s paper labeled, “unlovely and “earth-born spirits” as well as  “cold”, and “legalistic”. They accused Franklin of being “narrow” and “bigoted”, fearing that his influence would hinder the Restoration Movement from following a more “liberal” and “progressive” path.

Among the many issues from which the Errett-group differed from the so-called “earth-born spirits” was that of participation in the Civil War. Franklin refused to allow even a discussion of such issues in the Review, which greatly offended Errett long before moving to Detroit. Now, Errett had his own means of promoting his war-driven designs.

Debating the issues of the day is certainly appropriate for a subject of discussion, but, apparently, civility toward dissenters was not within the scope of wartime agendas. Errett’s group was self-described as “wiser, sweeter and better” than their opponents. David Lipscomb once preached a sermon against Christians participating in war and at the conclusion, a man announced that if he could get a dozen men to help, they would give him “a long drop from a short rope.” Lipscomb had a difficult time believing their self-description as “wiser, sweeter, and better.”

There were many matters over which the Standard, in the hands of Errett and his supporters, would dissent with men such as Lipscomb, Franklin, Fanning, Lard, Larimore, Kurfees, Fall, Sewell, Harding, Brents, and hundreds of others. Errett’s group, however, greatly underestimated Benjamin Franklin’s influence and popularity among the brotherhood. They inevitably had difficulty in paying their own expenses, despite the claim that “everybody was calling for” the Standard. Nevertheless, their influence did take a life of its own.

The controversies of those days were over things such as special “societies,” instrumental additions to the singing in worship, and all such grounds upon which battle is still held to this day. Many volumes have been written upon these issues and the arguments many have been reworded, but they shall always remain, in essence, the same. All issues continually revolve around the subject of authority and how to ascertain it.

In the first century, authority was given for what is to be done in Christian faith and practice; but in just a very short time, men abandoned that system for one of human origin. The farther men took that liberty, the deeper into apostasy they went. It was many years before men of ability began to make the long, uphill trek back to biblical truth, but without complete unanimous devotion to that cause, there only arose more divisions and sects. Finally, God saw fit to arrange a time to restore that, which went astray; but soon, some of those so blessed, again abandoned the divine system. The story, however, is not all told, nor is the day over.

(Next Week: Other Great Shoulders Upon Which We Stand)

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[1] Moses E. Lard, “Remarks on the Foregoing”, Lard’s Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Sept., 1863), p. 100