(The following questions and answers were broadcast in Johnson City, Tennessee, a year or two ago. R. B. Boyd put the questions and R. H. Boll gave the answers.)

BOYD: I feel sure that many of our listeners will find this broadcast to be of unusual interest this evening. Soon after Brother R. H. Boll came to Johnson City, I suggested that it would likely be profitable if he would answer some definite questions regarding his convictions on prophecy. I wanted you, our listeners, to hear for yourselves just what Brother Boll believes and teaches on some of these disputed matters, so I've asked him some questions, all of which, at one time or another, have been asked by others, and Brother Boll is going to answer these questions at this time.

BOYD: Brother Boll, the impression has gotten out, in the minds of some, that you teach that the church came into existence by accident, that the church is a mere "happen-so." Is that what you teach?

BOLL: I believe and teach that the church is the outcome of God's eternal purpose, and was planned of God from eternity. Even as it is written in Ephesians 3:8-11: "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages hath been hid in God who created all things: to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus."

BOYD: But, Brother Boll, didn't you write an article in which you referred to the church as a "contingent." Doesn't "contingent" mean "accident"?

BOLL: Some years ago in an article I spoke of the church as "a new spiritual contingent." Some one who apparently did not know his English very well concluded that a "contingent" was the same thing as "contingency," or something doubtful or accidental. But the word "contingent," when used substantively, as a noun, of a class of human beings, means simply people of a certain kind, as, for instance, we speak of the democratic contingent in our neighborhood, or the colored contingent in our community. The idea of accident does not enter into the meaning of the noun "contingent." When I learned that the word had been thus misconceived, I wrote a correction, calling attention to the rightful meaning of the word "contingent," when used in such connection, and repudiating the charge that the church was represented as an accident. This correction was published in the Word and Word, and later in the Gospel Advocate.

BOYD: But it has been said, Brother Boll, that the doctrine you teach makes the church "an accident." What about that?

BOLL: Nothing I teach could give room for such a conclusion. I have never directly nor indirectly taught that the church was an "accident," for the good and simple reason that I do not believe that /2/ the church is an accident. True--the doctrine of the church, as the Apostle Paul declared, was a "mystery," a secret not fully revealed until Israel had rejected her Christ. But that does not make the church an accident, or an afterthought. In like manner, the sacrifice of Christ could not have been revealed until sin had come into the world. But the cross was neither an accident nor an afterthought.

BOYD: There is a doctrine in the world, Brother Boll, known as "second chance," a term that has come to mean a chance to repent and be saved after death. Do you teach this "second chance" doctrine?

BOLL: I believe in no chance of salvation after death; but my belief and teaching is that "it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment." (Hebrews 9:27.) And I never fail to warn and exhort men to turn to God and be saved now, while they can and may.

BOYD: It has been said, Brother Boll, that you teach that the kingdom has not been established. Is that so--is that what you teach?

BOLL: I believe and teach that Jesus is King now, and the Kingdom was established on the day of Pentecost; that the church is all there is of the Kingdom on earth now; that all who are in the church are in the Kingdom, and that that is the only way in which anyone can get into the kingdom. But I also believe that there is yet to be a future manifestation of the Kingdom--that those who are in the kingdom now are taught that through much tribulation they must enter into the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22); and that for the faithful there will be an abundant entrance into the eternal kingdom of the Lord and of His Christ (Revelation 11:15); furthermore that the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High. (Daniel 7:27.) For the Bible says these things. It is the distinguishing mark of nonsectarian Christianity that the simple Christian accepts all passages and all that God has said on any and every subject. To take only some of the statements of God's word and to explain away the rest is the distinctive way of partisans and sectarians.

BOYD: Brother Boll, is it true that you teach that the Gentiles cannot be saved until all of the Jews are saved?

BOLL: That would be strange indeed in view of my personal efforts these many years to lead Gentiles to the Lord, and the missionary work of the congregation where I have preached for more than forty years, to spread the word of salvation among the Gentiles in other lands.

BOYD: Why, then, has it been reported that "the doctrine you teach would mean that the Gentiles could not now be saved"? Is there anything in what you teach about the Jews that makes such a conclusion necessary?

BOLL: I suppose that when people are minded to do so they can /3/ find something and impute meanings and teachings to a man, which the man himself has never so much as dreamed of. Thus they said of Christ that He said He would destroy the Temple and raise it up in three days; and they accused Stephen of speaking blasphemy against the holy place and the Law; and they charged Paul with teaching "Let us do evil that good may come." Of course I never believed or taught such an absurd thing as that the Gentiles cannot now be saved, nor have I in any fairness laid myself open to such conclusions in any of my teachings.

BOYD: There seems to be in existence, Brother Boll, an impression that you are the author of some particular prophetic theory, and that people, as individual students of the Bible, without help from you, or your students, would never arrive at the same conclusions and convictions as you have. Have you any evidence that would prove otherwise?

BOLL: I must plead "not guilty" to such a charge. For fifty years I have studied my Bible, also have taught it and preached what I learned from its pages. I have never held, and do not hold today, to any human creed, "theory," or system of doctrine, as such; but only to that teaching which I find in the Word of God. And I am quite sure that any faithful student can find the same things in the Book that I have found. For a case in point, may I read you a letter I recently received from a brother in Tennessee, which speaks for itself:

Mr. R. H. Boll, Sir: Since becoming converted to Christ I have set aside all worldly affairs and am studying the Scriptures.

Strangely enough, when I began to make mention of the second coming of Christ and his reign on earth for a thousand years, which I had gathered from reading Revelation, the good brothers of the church looked at me as if I had compounded a felony. And so I began to find out what I had read form the Bible made me an outcast among my own brethren.

Since they called me "Bollite" I found out about you and am writing you in hopes that you can help me find someone of our faith in [this city] that I can talk with.

Sincerely,
(Signed)

1. P.S. I got your address from the telephone directory at the public Library.